John: I may as well stop making picks, as I'm on quite the losing streak. Nonetheless, I will press on and pick South Carolina today. Kent State is more than just happy to be here, and I kind of like Tyler Skulina, the Golden Flashes' starter today, more than Jordan Montgomery. But I also like South Carolina's bullpen depth and don't see that offense being dormant two games in a row. Skulina's good, but I don¹t think he'll pull a Konner Wade or a Ryne Stanek or a Scott Sitz (!) tonight and shut down a potent offense.

Let's give it up for the Seminoles and Aaron's faith in Scott Sitz though. I knew Aaron liked mustachioed pitchers but had no idea he'd pick Sitz and the Seminoles to beat the Bruins, the team he saw the most of personally in 2012. So I'm surprised to be behind in the picks blog, but almost more surprised by Sitz's performance. I did peg Jayce Boyd as part of the process if Florida State were to win, but certainly didn't think it would be with a two-run squeeze bunt.

John’s Pick: South Carolina

Aaron: John and I both picked South Carolina to win its regional and super regional before jumping off the bandwagon in its CWS opener against Florida, then jumping back on just in time for the 22-game NCAA tournament winning streak to end. Maybe we’re a little late to the party, but I’m with John today—I’m taking the Gamecocks. I feel like these teams are fairly similar, as Scott Stricklin pointed out the other day—neither is overflowing with elite prospects like Florida is, but both are really good college teams that play well together. Kent State isn’t intimidated by anybody, and I don’t think the Golden Flashes will lay an egg today, but ultimately I think South Carolina is the better team and I just love how loose the Gamecocks are in Omaha. Skulina has a power arm and pitched well in Eugene last week, but I wouldn’t say his command was fine, and a disciplined team like South Carolina could exploit him. I like Montgomery’s feel for pitching and expect him to turn in a strong performance today.

Aaron’s Pick: South Carolina

Yesterday:
John: 0-1
Aaron: 1-0

Overall:
John: 3-6
Aaron: 4-5