Aaron Fitt: Greetings from Omaha, where it's mostly sunny and should be a great day for baseball. It's been a great CWS, and I'm fired up for the all-Bulldogs Finals. Let's get going.

Aaron Fitt: It's a significant advantage for Georgia, more because Fresno had to use its top two pitchers over the weekend than anything else. Fresno's rotation is in shambles heading into the Finals, but Georgia has its rotation set up exactly as it would draw it up, with Trevor Holder going today and Nick Montgomery going tomorrow. Also, Georgia's bullpen has been used heavily out here, so the extra day off certainly did those guys some good. Fresno had to use Holden Sprague each of the last two days and Brandon Burke for two innings Sunday.

Aaron Fitt: I wrote about this in today's CWS Finals preview, so check there for a more detailed explanation, but the long and short of it is the team's attitude just did a 180. Last week, Fresno players admitted that the team's early expectations and preseason ranking had a negative effect on the way they went about their business. But the seniors really took over this team about six weeks ago and got everybody in line. It's really a terrific story.

Aaron Fitt: I would call him effectively wild. You're right, command isn't his forte, but he's thrown some awfully good curveballs out here, and whenever he gets in trouble he seems to locate his fastball exactly where he needs to. His stuff is so overwhelming that he doesn't even need his best command to dominate. He's also one of those guys who, for whatever reason, simply performs better in save situations than when he's got a big cushion. That's not entirely uncommon among good closers. Don't put too much stock in his shaky outing against Stanford on Saturday.

Aaron Fitt: For Georgia, it's the starting pitching. Those guys have been very shaky for most of the postseason, and no UGa starter has lasted more than four innings in Omaha. Georgia is very good at jumping on teams in the first inning, but if Fresno wins the early battles and knocks out Georgia's starters early yet again, it could be in good shape. Fresno's kryptonite is probably just its lack of pitching depth. FS really only has two reliable starters, and they threw Saturday and Sunday, leaving very few options for today and tomorrow. We'll see if guys like Sean Bonesteele, Kris Tomlinson and Jason Breckley can come up big again this week like they have earlier in the postseason. They weren't a very reliable group in the regular season.

Aaron Fitt: He loves it there, but everyone has his price — just ask George Horton. If the right opportunity came along, like it did for Horton, I'm sure Batesole would have to consider it. But there aren't any significant West Coast openings right now, and he's a West Coast guy. Besides, I'm sure he'll enjoy the recruiting windfall this CWS run will be for his program. Fresno is set up to be a factor on the national scene going forward, and Coach Batesole will have a chance to build himself quite a legacy there.

Aaron Fitt: The funny thing about this Fresno run is that it doesn't really feel to me like a Cinderella story. It just feels like a good, experienced team that entered the season with significant expectations getting hot at the right time and playing up to its fullest potential. I know that on paper, it would be an almost unparalleled achievement; a No. 4 seed in a regional winning a national title would be the equivalent of a No. 13 seed in basketball winning the title, and no team seeded 13th or higher has ever even reached the Elite Eight in hoops, let alone the Final Four or the championship. Still, there is not a drop of "happy-to-be-here" vibe coming out of that Fresno State clubhouse. They're here to win the national championship. Most Cinderellas don't carry themselves like that.

Aaron Fitt: Just to follow up on the last question, Fresno absolutely underachieved for the first two-thirds of the season. You've just got to give them credit for righting the ship down the stretch.

Aaron Fitt: Haven't heard an update from Fresno, but my money's on Justin Miller to start and work a couple of innings, followed by a healthy dose of Sean Bonesteele. Bonesteele would be my other guess for the starter.

Aaron Fitt: I've got the Titans pegged as the very early favorite to win the Big West and a bona fide Omaha contender. The lineup should be outstanding, centered around playmakers like Josh Fellhauer, Christian Colon and Gary Brown. The rotation is more of a question mark, but I would expect guys like Daniel Renken, Michael Morrison and Jason Dovel to take steps forward. Dave Serrano always finds a way to get the most out of his pithing staff, and I'm confident he'll do so next year, too.

Aaron Fitt: That question's out of left field, but I'm always happy to heap praise upon Pat Casey, one of the game's great coaches and a quality person to boot. It shouldn't be any surprise that Casey is very well respected among his peers — he does things the right way, and the way he's turned Oregon State into a cold-weather dynasty is nothing short of incredible.

Aaron Fitt: For whatever reason, I don't get the feeling the fans are rallying around Fresno the way they've rallied around UC Irvine and Oregon State over the past few years. The small crowds seem to bear that out—attendance is down more than 35,000 from last year. I think Fresno is a wonderful story and I hope college baseball fans around the nation embrace that team, but I'm not overly confident they will.

Aaron Fitt: All of those coaching staffs and players work hard, and I don't want to rip them, but the fact is some programs have struggled to translate their immense talent into postseason success. Vanderbilt, Long Beach, Virginia, UCLA, Georgia Tech and San Diego come to mind for me. You could certainly put Florida State and Clemson in that group too, but at least those teams get to Omaha with some regularity. That's a great achievement in itself.

Aaron Fitt: The Freshman All-America teams and Freshman of the Year will be released and posted online Friday.

Aaron Fitt: Stoffel is the most similar stuff-wise, with a plus fastball and plus downer curve. If anything, Stoffel has even better command.

Aaron Fitt: I really don't think any ACC coach or player ever gets to Omaha and thinks, "Man, I've got to do this for the ACC, because it's been 53 years." That kind of thinking is for media and fans, but the teams are just focused on playing the game. Unfortunately for the ACC, other teams have played it better in Omaha for the last half-century. The drought will end eventually, but it does not speak well for the league that Miami, Florida State and North Carolina couldn't get it done this year despite entering the postseason as the three highest-ranked teams in the nation. Yet for all that, I've still got North Carolina pegged as my super-duper-early national title favorite in 2009. Those guys have acquitted themselves very well out here for three straight years; you can't tell me it was a lack of toughness or a mental roadblock or anything like that. They played well in Omaha three years straight, but they were beaten by hotter teams three years straight. Simple as that.

Aaron Fitt: It's easy to overlook that group when you've got infielders Beckham, Peisel and Poythress tearing it up, but Georgia has gotten solid contributions from Allen, Cerione and Olson too. This is a dangerous team top to bottom. Cerione and Allen will make for a fine one-two punch in the outfield next year.

Aaron Fitt: How about Dustin Ackley hitting .522 in Omaha to finish the year at .417? That guy is just a hitting machine. I think he's really moved himself from a likely first-rounder next year into a potential top-10 overall pick.

Aaron Fitt: As soon as the CWS ends. Let's say Thursday.

Aaron Fitt: I'm picking the opposite of whatever John Manuel picks. My prediction is he'll take Georgia, so I'll take Fresno State. I can get on board with the "team of destiny" talk.

Aaron Fitt: I don't know how under the radar this is (it's a favorite of Texas coach Augie Garrido, and I saw a bunch of LSU fans there last week), but Lo Sole Mio is a wonderful Italian place up on 32nd Ave. It's tucked into an out-of-the-way neighborhood, but well worth a visit — I recommend the chicken and prosciutto over pasta in an asiago cream sauce. And you'll love the free bruschetta that comes with every meal.

Aaron Fitt: On that note, I need to grab a quick bite to eat before heading over to Rosenblatt. Thanks for stopping by, everyone, and enjoy the Finals.