Keys for Florida Baseball ahead of their CWS opener against Texas A&M

Tonight Florida Baseball will take center stage in Omaha as the Gators will take on a familiar foe in their opening game of the College World Series.

Texas A&M had a stellar season, finishing 49-13 (19-11 SEC). It's a very well-rounded team with MLB talent littered throughout the roster. The Aggies and Gators have already met this season, with Florida taking two games to one in March. After that, the Aggies grew stronger while the Gators descended into a freefall. A&M took down rivals Texas in a thriller and then polished off Lousiana to sweep their way through the regional, then came back to beat Oregon and sweep them out of the supers.

Pitching is where Texas A&M has the clear advantage in this matchup. The combination of Evan Aschenbeck (who leads the country with a 1.66 ERA) and Chris Cortez (who has one of the highest whiff rates in D1) is the best bullpen duo you will see in Omaha. Starting for Texas A&M, in a bit of a surprise move, will be Justin Lamkin. He's appeared just once during the postseason, but he did start against the Gators during their March series and went 4.2 innings with four hits and two runs allowed.

Liam Peterson, the freshman with immense talent and a cannon for an arm, will get the start for the Gators. He has shown flashes of talent throughout the year but really struggled with consistency and run prevention. His last outing was in game one of the Clemson Super Regional, where he allowed three runs on three hits and four walks while recording just three outs.

"Liam has pitched really well against some really good teams down the stretch. I know he wasn't pleased with his last start at Clemson, but I firmly believe he will learn from that experience and give us a chance on Saturday," Kevin O'Sullivan said Thursday.

If Peterson can't get going, the Gators have a reliable duo of their own coming out of the bullpen. Brandon Neely has been nothing short of outstanding this postseason, delivering incredible performances against both Oklahoma State and Clemson on the biggest of stages. Fisher Jameson has also been very good as of late, as he is one of the best strikeout pitchers in Omaha. Florida will likely need them to be great again if they want to beat this A&M lineup.

The Aggies' lineup can be lethal. At the top of the lineup, you will see Gavin Grahovac, one of the best freshmen in America, and Jace Laviolette, the potential No. 1 pick in next year's draft. The rest of the lineup rakes too, as the Aggies are seventh in the country in runs scored and fourth in home runs hit. They will be without superstar Braden Montgomery, who sustained a season-ending injury against Oregon in the supers.

Florida may not have the hitting depth that the Aggies have, but they do have one advantage: the best player in college baseball. Jac Caglianone has been unbelievable all season and has kept his hot streak going into the postseason. The Aggies will likely try to pitch around him and make others beat them, so it will be up to guys like Tyler Shelnut and Colby Shelton to pick up big hits in the middle of the order. Guys like Michael Robertson and Dale Thomas, who had mediocre regular seasons but have been producing clutch hits as of late, will be huge if this is a close game down the stretch.

This all-SEC battle should be a good one. The Gators will be underdogs throughout this tournament, as they are the only unseeded team in Omaha. Luckily for Gator fans, the team is playing its best ball of the year at the right time of the year. The first pitch is set for 7 PM.