After crushing Tennessee, 'Hoos set to square off with Mississippi State

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College World Series: Virginia vs. Mississippi State in Omaha, Neb., 7 p.m. ESPN2

The Wahoos dominated Tennessee on Sunday, winning 6-0 in the teams' opener at the College World Series. Though Virginia has been hot, I was still surprised by the result. It was just a superb showing, one of the best games UVa has played all season. Logan Michaels was the story of the game, hitting his first home run of the year to get the Cavaliers on the board in the third inning. His father, Jeff, a pancreatic cancer survivor, attended with the entire family. An 11-year-old girl, Kamryn Cotton, and her grandfather hand-delivered that home run ball to Jeff in the eighth inning. Amazing.


The story of Logan Michaels and his dad warmed hearts on Father's Day. And Logan's day at the plate keyed Virginia's win to boot.

Michaels ended up going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Zack Gelof, Max Cotier, and Chris Newell each had an RBI as Virginia broke the game open in the seventh inning with four runs, and it added one more insurance run in the ninth. Andrew Abbott (9-6, 2.87) was persistent on the mound, getting out of three tight situations without giving up a single run. He got through six innings, giving up five hits and two walks while striking out 10. Matt Wyatt finished things off by permitting only one hit and one walk over the final three innings. He struck out three.
Tonight, Virginia faces Mississippi State, which defeated Texas, 2-1, on Sunday night. Griff McGarry (13 appearances, 10 starts, 0-5, 6.06, 61 strikeouts, 40 walks) gets the start for the Wahoos. Don't let the record fool you. He pitched really well in a no-decision in Game 2 of the super regional when Virginia defeated Dallas Baptist, 4-0. Here's a bit more on Mississippi State, which knocked UVa out of the 2013 NCAA tournament:

Mississippi State
Seed: No. 1 seed at Starkville Regional; No. 7 national seed
Record: 46-16, 20-10 SEC, 0-2 SEC tournament, 3-0 in Starkville Regional (one win each over Samford, VCU, and Campbell), 2-1 in Starkville Super Regional (beat Notre Dame), 1-0 at CWS (beat Texas)
Win streak: Two
Last 10 games: 7-3
CWS appearances: 12th; this is Bulldogs' third straight appearance; runner-up in 2013, when they lost in CWS final to UCLA
History against UVa: MSU is 2-0 against Virginia. The teams met in the Charlottesville Super Regional in 2013. The Bulldogs won 11-6 in Game 1 and 6-5 in Game 2.
Team batting average: .280
BA leaders: Tanner Allen (.386), Rowdey Jordan (.329), Scotty Dubrule (.281), Logan Tanner (.279)
RBI leaders: Allen (62), Luke Hancock (59), Kamren James (58), Tanner (47)
HR leaders: Tanner (14), James (11), Allen, Jordan, and Hancock (10)
SB leaders: James (19), Allen and Jordan (9), Dubrule (6)
Team ERA: 4.00
Starting tonight: Christian MacLeod (17 appearances, 17 starts, 6-5, 4.14, 113 strikeouts, 29 walks)  
Common opponents with UVa: Mississippi State went a combined 5-3 against South Carolina (2-1), Tennessee (0-1), VCU (1-0), and Notre Dame (2-1). Virginia went a combined 3-6 against South Carolina (1-1), Tennessee (1-0; of course, could meet the Vols again), VCU (0-2), and Notre Dame (1-3).

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