Game 1: UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Texas Longhorns
3 p.m. ET Saturday | ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi, Aaron Boone and Jaymee Sire
GameCenter | Follow on Twitter: CWS | UC Irvine | Texas
| UC IRVINE | TEXAS | |
|---|---|---|
 Did You Know: Mike Gillespie (1,036-613-2) earned his 1,000th victory earlier this year, the 16th active coach to reach the milestone. His last CWS appearance was in 2001, with USC. |
 Did You Know: College baseball's all-time winningest coach, Augie Garrido (1,917-890-9) is looking to win the national title in a fifth different decade: 1979, '84, '95, 2002 and '05. |
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 On the Bump: With a win in Omaha, Andrew Morales (11-2) would move into a seven-way tie for fifth in single-season victories, shared by pitching coach Daniel Bibona (2009). |
 On the Bump: Nathan Thornhill has posted a 0.91 ERA in his past five starts, allowing just three runs in 29.2 innings. Overall, he is 6-2 with a 1.61 ERA. |
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 In the Box: Chris Rabago has sacrificed 22 times, third in UCI season annals. He was 2-for-6 in the Stillwater Regional and is hitting .252 with 19 RBI. |
 In the Box: Mark Payton leads the Big 12 in on-base percentage (.467) and walks (55). He has reached base in 101 consecutive games, the longest streak nationally. |
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| Pepper: As the Anteaters begin the CWS on Saturday, President Barak Obama will be speaking at UCI's commencement, being held at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The president is scheduled to speak to the 2014 graduating class between 2:30-3 p.m. ET. UCI baseball's graduating seniors are Evan Brock, Justin Castro, Jimmy Litchfield, Mitch Merten and Andrew Morales. • The Longhorns are 21-2 when scoring in the first inning this season, outscoring opponents 35-15. Texas has struck in the first inning in three of its six NCAA tournament games and went on to win all three. • This is the 18th year that the Big West has had at least one team in the CWS. The Big West has won at least one CWS game in 13 of the 17 previous years; the only 0-2 trips occurred in 1975, '89, '90 and 2009. • Texas is making its 35th CWS appearance, the most by any team. The Longhorns also have the most CWS wins (82). • UC Irvine met Texas for the first time in 2007, when the Anteaters went 3-0 at the Round Rock Regional. UCI defeated the Longhorns twice, 3-1 and 9-6. |
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Game 2: Louisville Cardinals vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
8 p.m. ET Saturday | ESPN2 with Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson and Jessica Mendoza
GameCenter | Follow on Twitter: CWS | Louisville | Vanderbilt
| LOUISVILLE | VANDERBILT | |
|---|---|---|
 Did You Know: On March 11, Dan McDonnell (359-157) became the winningest coach in Louisville baseball history, surpassing Lelo Prado (320 from 1996-2006). |
 Did You Know: The Commodores are in the College World Series for the second time in program history. The first was in 2011, when they reached the semifinals. |
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 On the Bump: Kyle Funkhouser earned series-opening starts in each of the last 10 weekends of the regular season. He is 13-2 with a 1.73 ERA with 117 Ks in 114.1 innings. |
 On the Bump: Carson Fulmer has six wins in seven starts, but also leads the team with 10 saves. He has a 1.78 ERA and has struck out 81 opponents in 76 innings. |
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 In the Box: Jeff Gardner leads the team in doubles (20), home runs (9), RBI (68) and slugging (.538). He was named Second Team All-America by Collegiate Baseball. |
 In the Box: Freshman Bryan Reynolds had a strong Super Regional, going 8-for-12. He leads the team in average (.343), RBI (52), and is one off the team lead with four home runs. |
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| Pepper: Louisville has faced Vanderbilt in three of the past five NCAA championships: 2009 Louisville Regional (won by UofL), 2010 Louisville Regional (won by VU) and 2013 Nashville Super Regional (won by UofL). The teams also met earlier this season, with Louisville winning 11-7. • Commodore pitcher Tyler Beede is the highest-drafted player to make it to Omaha. A junior right-hander, he was taken 14th overall by the San Francsico Giants. He has a 3.58 ERA and 108 Ks in 17 starts and 103 innings. • Louisville is the only program to reach Omaha in 2014 after making it in 2013, despite losing five position starters, three starting pitchers and a significant reliever. This is the Cardinals third appearance in the College World Series. • The Cardinals rank second nationally with 132 steals in 166 attempts. Sutton Whiting leads the way, swiping 37 in 43 tries. • Vanderbilt and Louisville are two of five programs with multiple 50-win seasons since 2010 (N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Virginia). |
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