Texas' Quest for Seventh National Title Begins Sunday

The Longhorn baseball team begins its quest for seventh national championship Sunday, taking on Southern Mississippi in the opening round of the College World Series.

The Golden Eagles (40-24) are a surprise entry into the tournament, but they're also coming in on a hot streak, first winning the regional round on Georgia Tech's home field, then sweeping Florida on the Gators' home field in the super regional.

Texas (46-14-1) is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will be the home team in Sunday's game (6 pm, ESPN2)

Texas' strengths are a standout pitching staff, excellent defense, and the guiding hand of coach Augie Garrido. Putting enough runs on the board, either manufacturing them through sacrifices and timely hitting, or through the occasional power surge, will determine the Longhorns' fate.

In the super regionals against TCU, starters Chance Ruffin, Cole Green, and Taylor Jungmann allowed just seven runs in 22.2 innings (2.78 ERA), giving up only three walks and striking out 16. Fans will also keep a close eye on closer Austin Wood, who made headlines in the regional round by pitching 13 shutout innings of relief in the longest game in NCAA history.

A win against Southern Miss would put the Longhorns in a matchup against the winner of the Arizona State and North Carolina game at 6 pm Tuesday. In the double-elimination format, the loser of Texas-Southern Miss plays the loser of Arizona State-North Carolina on Tuesday at 1 pm.

The four teams on the other side of the CWS bracket are Arkansas, LSU, Cal State Fullerton, and Virginia.