The 2018 College World Series will begin Saturday, June 16, in Omaha, and three SEC squads will be hunting for a national championship.

Defending champion Florida will be joined by Arkansas and Mississippi State, along with five of the nation’s other top programs, to compete for the title at the iconic TD Ameritrade Park.

This year’s College World Series should be a lot of fun to watch, and here are 10 things SEC fans can look for in the coming week in Omaha:

1. Florida can do something that hasn’t been done since 2010-11

The Gators will try to become the first defending champion to repeat since South Carolina accomplished the task under Ray Tanner in 2010 and 2011.

SEC teams have won 5 of the past 9 College World Series titles.

The Gators haven’t had an easy road to Omaha, despite winning the SEC’s regular-season title with a conference record of 20-10, but a big Super Regional victory over Auburn (complete with an Austin Langworthy walk-off home run on Monday night) will have them feeling confident.

With a pitching staff that features high draft picks Brady Singer (No. 18 to the Kansas City Royals) and Jackson Kowar (No. 33 to the Royals) and a lineup that features No. 5 overall pick Jonathan India (drafted by the Cincinnati Reds), Florida will be a tough out for Arkansas, Texas and Texas Tech in Bracket 2.

2. Three schools with title pedigrees will be competing

In addition to Florida’s one title last year, Texas (six) and Oregon State (two) have also reached the pinnacle of the sport.

That means five of the eight squads in Omaha will be hungry for their first titles, and plenty have a chance to do it. From Arkansas and Mississippi State to North Carolina, Texas Tech and Washington, there are loads of talent in the field.

3. We could have another all-SEC final

Last year, Florida took down LSU in the finals to win the title, and this year, we could have another matchup of two SEC squads.

In Bracket 1, Mississippi State is the conference’s only hope, and the Bulldogs will compete against UNC, Washington and Oregon State. In Bracket 2, Florida and Arkansas will do battle with Texas and Texas Tech for a spot in the best-of-3 finals.

Based on the level of competitiveness all three SEC schools showed in the super-regionals, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a repeat of an all-SEC final.

4. Arkansas and Florida can really go yard

The Razorbacks had 88 home runs through the end of the SEC Tournament, while the Gators had 83. Those season totals were good enough to rank them No. 3 and No. 4 in the country, respectively.

The Hogs and Gators continued to hit the ball hard during the NCAA Tournament, and both teams can use the long ball to put a runs on the board quickly. Florida has homered in every game of the NCAA Tournament and has 96 this season. Arkansas has cooled off a bit but still has 94, including four in its final two games of the Super Regional against South Carolina.

Mississippi State, on the other hand, hit just 36 home runs through the end of the SEC tourney but has added 8 more in the NCAA Tournament.

5. Arkansas and Florida are elite on the mound, too

Arkansas leads the three SEC teams with a 3.50 ERA, with the Gators right on their tail with a 3.58 team ERA (through the end of the SEC Tournament).

Again, the Bulldogs lag behind, posting a 4.23 ERA during the season, but that’s just a testament to how clutch Mississippi State has been. The Bulldogs shouldn’t be here, but they won’t give up, and that has a lot to do with the next point …

6. No one is more clutch than Elijah MacNamee

For a guy who only hit three home runs prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, MacNamee has been absolutely on fire this postseason.

In eight NCAA tourney games, he’s slugged five home runs — two of which were walk-off blasts (eliminating Florida State and taking down Vanderbilt in Game 1 of the super-regional).

https://twitter.com/HailStateStool/status/1003025022611591168

Opposing pitchers should consider pitching around him in clutch situations this weekend,or else he’s liable to send another one over the wall to give the Bulldogs a win.

7. Florida and Oregon State boast the best defenses

While the Gators have struggled a bit defensively this postseason, they have one of the nation’s best defenses when they’re firing on all cylinders. Florida and Oregon State both had .979 fielding percentages this year — the best mark of all CWS teams.

Avoiding unearned runs is crucial at this stage of the tournament, and the Gators and Beavers are some of the nation’s best when it comes to glovework.

8. Don’t expect many steals

Florida’s Blake Reese had an iconic steal of home during the Gators’ Game 3 Super Regional win over Auburn, getting a great assist from Nick Horvath at first base, but don’t expect to see much running this weekend.

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/1006345156600008704

Texas has the most steals of any team heading to Omaha, and the Longhorns only had 74 this year, putting them in 60th place nationally. Texas Tech had 71 steals and Florida swiped 58 bags to round out the top three CWS teams.

9. The SEC trails only the Pac-12 in overall championships

Of all the conferences, the Pac-12 has dominated the College World Series, collecting 17 titles since the tournament started in 1947.

The SEC has been the dominant conference lately, with all 11 of its titles coming since 1990, when Georgia took home the trophy.

This year, the SEC has three teams vying for title No. 12, while the Pac-12 has Washington and Oregon State battling to take home its 18th championship.

10. 10 players who were taken in Rounds 1-3 of MLB Draft will be playing

This year’s College World Series is again loaded with talent, headlined by five players who were taken in Round 1 (and the ensuing competitive balance round) of the MLB Draft. Those players were:

  • Nick Madrigal, INF, Oregon State (No. 4)
  • Jonathan India, INF, Florida (No. 5)
  • Brady Singer, RHP, Florida (No. 18)
  • Trevor Larnach, OF, Oregon State (No. 20)
  • Jackson Kowar, RHP, Florida (No. 33)
  • Cadyn Grenier, INF, Oregon State (No. 37)

That list doesn’t even include Texas second baseman Kody Clemens, son of Roger, a third-round pick who has hit 24 home runs this year and is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

Will all that elite MLB talent help the Beavers and Gators make it to the finals? Only time will tell, but both teams will be very tough outs this weekend.