Missouri ace righthander Aaron Crow turned in a vintage performance today in a 7-0 win over Mississippi and Lance Lynn in the Coral Gables regional. Crow struck out 10 while walking five in a three-hit, complete-game shutout. Lynn, meanwhile, allowed six earned runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings to take the loss.

All of a sudden, you’ve got to really like Missouri’s chances to stun top-seeded Miami. Crow’s complete game spared the bullpen and allows the Tigers to start a fully rested Kyle Gibson tomorrow, in all likelihood. Gibson has the second-best arm in that regional, after Crow, and gives the Tigers a real chance. And Missouri got very encouraging afternoons from outfielder Ryan Lollis (4-for-4) and catcher Trevor Coleman (2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs)–two key hitters for them who have had somewhat disappointing years. If those guys keep it going, Missouri’s offense can be very, very good.

One other note on Crow: sources in Coral Gables say there were at least 30 scouts on hand to see Crow work in the mid-90s. It was the sharpest Crow has looked since his dominating scoreless streak earlier this year, and it came in almost certainly his final start before the draft. A scout in attendance said there’s no way Crow drops out of the top 10 picks now–not that he was ever really in danger of doing so.

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