The Canes, the No. 1 ranked baseball team in the nation, are headed back to Omaha for the College World Series.

The Canes have been there often - 23 times in fact -  winning four times. The most recent title came in 2001. But this year's team has as much talent as any Miami team ever.

They proved that in the regular season, earning the No. 1 ranking. They proved it by winning the school's first ACC title in a major sport. They proved it in the regionals, beating a pitching-rich field by going 3-0.

And they proved it the last two nights by winning a pair of do-or-die games, 14-10 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday against a talented Arizona team. The Canes again tortured Arizona Coach Andy Lopez, who Miami used to beat like a drum when he was the Florida Gators' boss.

This is a complete Canes team that can outslug you or beat you in a low-scoring, pitching-and-defense game.

Here were the Canes'  top stars on Sunday:

TOP STAR - Closer extraordinaire Carlos Gutierrez, who pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout ball to lock down the win. The biggest play of the night came in the 8th inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Gute raced off the mound to grab a swinging bunt to his right. Gute made a great throw to first, beating the runner by an eye lash. (Gute said he played shortstop as a kid.) Gutierrez overcame a rare error by second baseman and fellow first-round pick Jemile Weeks to start the 9th inning - a play that would have un-nerved many pitchers. But Gute got the next three batters out - the 3-4-5 batters in the lineup, no less. The No. 4 hitter, by the way, hit two homers vs. UM on Friday. 

SECOND STAR - Yonder Alonso had the big blast, a two-run homer in the first inning. That turned out to be half of Miami's offense - and the difference in the score.

THIRD STAR - Starter Kiki Garcia, the only senior on Miami's team, gave the Canes just what they needed - six solid innings, allowing just two runs. One of the runs was unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Mark Sobolewski. Garcia did not get hit hard at any time in the game, which is amazing given how talented Arizona is on offense. Arizona scored 10 runs on Saturday, for example. 

FOURTH STAR - Shortstop Ryan Jackson made a phenomenal backhand play and unleashed a great throw from deep in the hole to end the game. Had he not made that gem, Arizona would have closed to 4-3 with a runner on. The pressure would have been even more intense.

FIFTH STAR - Canes ace starter Chris Hernandez made his first relief appearance of the season and got Miami out of a jam. With runners on the corners and two out in the 7th, Hernandez got Arizona out on one pitch, a groundout. Hernandez, the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year, got two more outs in the 8th before handing the ball to Gutierrez.

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UP NEXT

The Canes will play Georgia in their first game on Saturday. Expect Hernandez  to get that start. Game two will be against either Florida State or Stanford. In that game, Canes Coach Jim Morris will have a tough choice between No. 2 starter Eric Erickson and No. 3 Garcia. 

Erickson was brilliant in the regionals but struggled Saturday in the super regionals. Garcia was the reverse, saving his huge game for Sunday.

Sometimes it's all about what have you done for me lately, which is why Morris will be at least tempted to give Garcia the ball in Game 2.

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ACC RULES

The ACC has 3 of the 8 teams in the College World Series, more than any other conference. Besides Miami, North Carolina and Florida State also got through.

The ACC, reputed to have the best baseball conference in the nation, could live up to that reputation with four wins today.

That would give the ACC half of the 8-team field at the College World Series, which starts Saturday in Omaha.

North Carolina leads its best-of-three series 1-0 and can clinch its CWS spot with a win today vs.Coastal Carolina.

Florida State, North Carolina State and Miami are all tied 1-1 with Wichita State, Georgia and Arizona, respectively.

North Carolina, Florida State and Miami are all at home and are favored to give the ACC at least 3 of the 8 CWS teams.

Speaking of Miami, the Canes set an NCAA record by drawing 16 walks in Saturday's 14-10 win over Arizona. Canes right fielder Denis Raben drew a walk in each of his six plate appearances, a school record.

The Canes won with patience but also with power, getting home runs from Jason Hagerty, Yonder Alonso, Mark Sobolewski and Yaz Grandal. That helped them  overcome a 4-0 first-inning deficit and also rally again after Arizona had tied the score 7-7.

Meanwhile, in another super regional of note, UC Irvine stunned LSU, 11-5, snapping the Tigers' amazing 23-game win streak. The Anteaters lead that series, 1-0. LSU is the home team, making Irvine's upset even greater.

Also of note, Stanford swept Cal State Fullerton in two games to become the first team to advance to the 2008 CWS. Stanford won 4-3 and 8-5.

In the other two super regional matchups, Rice beat Texas A&M, 9-7, and leads the series 1-0; and Arizona State beat Fresno State 12-4 in the opener of that series.

The Pac-10 Conference can send as many as three teams to this year's CWS, and the SEC still has two teams alvie. But no conference is in as great a shape as the ACC right now.

After a heartbreaking loss on Friday, the Canes reounded Saturday night with a huge win-or-else victory over Arizona, 14-10.

Miami's starting pitcher Eric Erickson got hit, but the bullpen - David Gutierez, Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez - did a good enough job to lock down the win.

Of course, home runs by Jason Hagerty, Yonder Alonso, Mark Sobolewski and Jason Hagerty helped.

Now it's on to Sunday night's super regional championship game. Kiki Garcia will start on the mound for Miami, and the Canes will rely on their only senior to provide a big lift. 

I'm really too hurt to blog right now but here goes. The Canes lost to Arizona tonight 6-3 in extra innings. The Canes pitchers did a good job but the offense did not show up, blowing opportunity after opportunity.

The Canes could have won the game in the bottom of the 9th with two correct outs. After Yaz Grandal doubled to lead off the inning, a bunt and a sacrifice fly would have won it.

But the Canes could not advance the runner to third. With one out, Yonder Alonso drilled a long fly to right center that would have easily scored the runner from third base. But instead the ball was caught on a sensational grab by the center fielder and Grandal was doubled off second base.

Now it is up to Eric Erickson on Saturday night to even the best-of-three series.   

Maybe draft dynasty will become a Canes baseball tradition just as it has become in football.

For the first time in school history, the Canes had three players picked in the first round of the  baseball draft.

 The first two were expected - first baseman Yonder Alonso 7th to the Twins and second baseman Jemile Weeks 12th to the A's.

 But the third was surprising. Not that closer Carlos Gutierrez hasn't been outstanding. He has - with 12 saves and a 2.70 ERA. It's just that I had not seen reports of him being a first-rounder.

 But the Twins picked him 27th, where he will join Alonso as a pro teammate - assuming they sign.

 Three more Canes were picked in the first 3 rounds:

 - right fielder Denis Raben, 66th overall to the Mariners.

 - center fielder Blake Tekotte, 101st overall to the Padres.

 - third baseman Mark Sobolewski, 129th to the Blue Jays.

 Meanwhile, the Canes' opponent in this weekend's super regional, Arizona, had two players drafted in the first round.

 Both players are hard-throwing relief pitchers - Ryan Perry and Dan Schlereth.

 In other words, as Canes Coach Jim Morris put it: Miami has to be winning by the seventh inning or "we're in big trouble."

Huge day for the Canes as first Yonder Alonso and now Jemile Weeks have been drafted in the first round.

The Oakland A's picked Weeks with the 12th pick. Weeks has a good chance to be a major-league second baseman in a cople of years. He would, of course, join his brother Richie as a major-leaguer.

Canes first baseman Yonder Alonso has just been picked by the Cincinnati Reds with the 7th pick overall in the 2008 Major League Draft.

Alonso is reportedly asking for an $8 million bonus.

More Canes are expected to be drafted high today, including second baseman Jemile Weeks, right fielder Denis Raben, center fielder Blake Tekotte, third baseman Mark Sobolewski and pitcher Carlos Gutierrez, among others.