...and our 2003 squad is seeded #4 out of the 32 teams...

https://d1baseball.com/analysis/cws-top-...005-texas/

...they'll be posting their preview of each bracket matchup on a daily basis. Our first round game is against the #29 seeded 2018 Arkansas.

Well we know the 2003 team would win it all...

Interestingly, the 2003 runnerup Stanford Cardinal is one of only a handful of teams among the 32 that did not win a national championship, and they were ranked #22. I think our 2006 should have also been included-- with Savery, Degerman and Tacker as starters....a bullpen of CSC, Bell, Bramhall and Cox...and an absolutely loaded lineup of Savery, J-Rod, Luna, Dodson, Henley, Friday, Lehmann, Buchanan and Zornes/Lembeck. That 2006 team was, IMHO, the second best team in Rice baseball history. As with the 2003 squad, no weakness...and it had a MUCH. much stronger and deeper pitching staff, particularly in the pen.

This is a public-voting competition. So our Owls' fans and friends will have to come out big-time to avoid any "upsets".

FYI, in the first match, #17 2005 Texas beat #16 2013 UCLA, 61% - 39% (3,172 votes cast).

According to the bracket, we will face first the #29 seed, 2018 Arkansas. Then if we win, we would face 2010 South Carolina (#13 seed) which beat 2004 Texas (#20 seed) 66.2% to 33.8% (4,720 votes)

#12 seed 2006 Oregon State beat #21 seed 2009 Texas, 57.2% - 42.8% (3,719 votes)

Quote:This is a public-voting competition. So our Owls' fans and friends will have to come out big-time to avoid any "upsets".

Or enlist the appropriate voting "experts".

Time to get out and vote repeatedly for the #4 ranked 2003 Owls vs. #29 ranked 2017 Razorbacks...

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1273284537661997056

(06-17-2020 11:20 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Time to get out and vote repeatedly for the #4 ranked 2003 Owls vs. #29 ranked 2017 Razorbacks...

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1273284537661997056

done!

We currently have a narrow lead, 50.3% - 49.7%, with 1,742 votes cast.

(06-17-2020 01:34 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(06-17-2020 11:20 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Time to get out and vote repeatedly for the #4 ranked 2003 Owls vs. #29 ranked 2017 Razorbacks...

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1273284537661997056

done!

We currently have a narrow lead, 50.3% - 49.7%, with 1,742 votes cast.

Ridiculous. It's almost impossible for us to win a popularity contest against the big state schools. Not a chance in hell that that Arkansas team would have beaten us.

(06-17-2020 01:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-17-2020 01:34 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(06-17-2020 11:20 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Time to get out and vote repeatedly for the #4 ranked 2003 Owls vs. #29 ranked 2017 Razorbacks...

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1273284537661997056

done!

We currently have a narrow lead, 50.3% - 49.7%, with 1,742 votes cast.

Ridiculous. It's almost impossible for us to win a popularity contest against the big state schools. Not a chance in hell that that Arkansas team would have beaten us.

It is what it is. We've got to bring out our fans ... and bots. :-)

Less than 4,000 votes are typically cast in this contest. I'd hope we could get 2,000+

(The one exception so far was 2010 South Carolina vs. 2004 Texas, which the Gamecocks won with 66.2% percent of the 4,720 votes cast.)

Uh-oh ... falling behind: 48.8% - 51.2% with 2,138 votes cast.

The good news: 20 hours left to draw out all our Rice fans!

The wrong kind of momentum is building.

We're now down 42.8% - 57.2% with 2,734 votes cast and 18 hours left.

(FTR, Arkansas is #4 in 2019 per-game average D1 baseball attendance ... 3.5x ours (#28 on the list) ... 8,719 - 2,498.)

With 3300+ votes cast, Owls down to 38%. How do we vote again?

The 2003 CWS included LSU, Texas, South Carolina and Miami, but the last 3 teams left standing were Rice, Stanford and Fullerton. Good thing they decided it on the field rather than by vote!

Final result: 34.1% - 65.9% ... 4,778 votes cast