These 6 players will help decide Louisville baseball's super regional vs. Texas A&M

While scouting Louisville baseball's NCAA Tournament super regional opponent, coach Dan McDonnell saw a lot of similarities between his Cardinals and the Texas A&M Aggies.

"How gritty they are, how balanced they are," McDonnell said Wednesday before the team departed for College Station, Texas. "They've got some stars, but it's just more of a group coming together of really good college baseball players with a new coaching staff.

"You can tell they bought in and they got a lot of belief," he added, "coming off of a year where they didn't get to play in the postseason last year like us."

No. 12 U of L (42-19-1) and No. 5 Texas A&M (40-18) are no strangers to this stage. The Cardinals are playing in their ninth super regional, while the Aggies are playing in their 10th. Whatever team emerges from the best-of-three series at Blue Bell Park will be ending a College World Series drought that predates most players on their rosters.

How to watch, livestream: Louisville baseball vs. Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament super regional

The similarities McDonnell identified between Louisville and Texas A&M jump out on paper. The Cardinals are scoring 8.7 runs per game and allowing opponents to score 6.1. The Aggies on average score 7.6 runs per game and surrender 5.4.

Both teams' lineups are hitting around the .300 mark, with U of L (.309) holding a slight edge over A&M (.294). Opponents are hitting .260 against both pitching staffs.

An advanced stats preview compiled by Parker Fleming of RPM Data projects a 51% chance of Texas A&M winning the series to Louisville's 49%. Factor in the unpredictability of postseason college baseball, and you've got the quintessential coin flip.

"At the right time of the year, you drop your stats," junior catcher Dalton Rushing said. "You don't worry about what you've done the first half of the year (and) the second half of the regular season. You kind of take in the moment and realize that you're playing for each other."

The stakes will be massive, and the sun will be scorching in the Lone Star State when Louisville and Texas A&M hit the field; the highs all weekend are supposed to reach triple digits in College Station, according to AccuWeather.com. Here's a look at three players from both the Cards and the Aggies who will play crucial roles in helping their teams reach Omaha.

Louisville's Jared Poland (RHP)

McDonnell on Wednesday confirmed that Jared Poland will get the start on the mound for Louisville in Game 1, which is set for an 8:30 p.m. first pitch Friday (ESPN).

The senior righty has perhaps the toughest and most important job of all the Cardinals taking the field this weekend: setting the tone in front of what should be a raucous crowd of 6,000-plus at Blue Bell Park.

Poland appeared to be on the right track during U of L's first game against Michigan in the regional. The Cards' ace retired the first eight batters he faced, only to allow the Wolverines to take a 3-1 lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third.

Poland was pulled after surrendering a season-high seven runs, six earned, through 4 2/3 innings. He was tagged with the 7-3 loss that sent the Cards to the losers' bracket of the regional.

"I wasn't making great pitches, wasn't pitching the best I could," Poland said Thursday in College Station. "Baseball is kind of a game of failure. You gotta have short-term memory loss, so I'm gonna do that."

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On the season, Poland is 5-5 in 14 starts with 96 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA.

Louisville combined to score 17 runs in the first three innings of its five regional matchups. If Poland is able to string together a few scoreless frames early against the Aggies, the U of L lineup should have enough breathing room to build a lead, and its bullpen will get some much-needed downtime heading into Game 2 at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2).

Texas A&M's Dylan Rock (OF)

A graduate transfer from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dylan Rock leads A&M in home runs (18), RBIs (59), runs scored (65) and slugging percentage (.680).

The outfielder also delivered when the Aggies needed him the most during the College Station Regional.

With Texas A&M trailing TCU 3-2 through six innings in Sunday's regional final, Rock proceeded to drive in five runs with a homer and a double across the game's final three frames. The Aggies punched their super regional ticket with a 15-9 comeback victory.

Rock hit .538 with four runs scored in A&M's 3-0 run through regional play. Louisville's pitchers will need to have a deliberate approach to attacking Rock at the plate and limit the runners on base when he steps into the batter's box.

Louisville's Cameron Masterman (OF)

Cameron Masterman etched his name into Louisville baseball lore with what proved to be the game-winning home run in Monday's 11-9 victory over Michigan in the regional final.

Masterman's no-doubt, two-run blast sent Jim Patterson Stadium into a frenzy and capped off the senior left fielder's hottest stretch at the plate this season. Across five regional games, the North Oldham High School grad hit .421 with four home runs, nine RBIs, six runs scored and six extra-base hits.

Not bad for someone who Rushing said was mulling over his approach at the plate heading into the NCAA Tournament.

"He was just kind of like stressing about his swing and all that," Rushing said. "I'm like, 'You're a great hitter. Let the game come to you. Don't try and chase achievements or accomplishments on the field; just let the game come to you, (and) all of your accomplishments and success are going to come.'"

Louisville's lineup is full of hitters who can pick up the slack if Masterman cools off against Texas A&M. But the Cards proved during the regional that they are a stronger and more dangerous team when their left fielder is in a groove.

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Texas A&M's Jack Moss (1B)

Like Masterman, Texas A&M first baseman Jack Moss has a ton of momentum at the plate heading into the super regional.

The Aggies' leader in batting average (.388), hits (94) and doubles (16), Moss went 9 for 19 with five RBIs and five runs scored during the College Station Regional. He drove in three runs during A&M's comeback victory against TCU.

As a sophomore, Moss is one of three Texas A&M players to start in each of the team’s 58 games. Of those players, he’s stuck out the least — 41 times in 242 plate appearances.

Hitting in the No. 2 hole during regional play, Moss consistently set the table for the heart of the Aggies’ order and is fourth on the team with a .448 on-base percentage. He will be a tough out for Louisville pitchers and has eight stolen bases on nine attempts.

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Louisville's Tate Kuehner (LHP)

McDonnell has a special place in his heart for Louisville's "bridge guys," the pitchers called upon to hold down the fort when starters are pulled — and hopefully set up closers with save opportunities.

"Those bridge guys are so valuable, because it's not scripted," he said. "You just don't know when you need them, but they are ready."

Tate Kuehner has been rock solid as a bridge guy since moving to the bullpen earlier in the season. The junior lefty had a 10 1/3-inning scoreless streak snapped in the Cards’ regular-season finale, then picked right back up where he left off when the postseason began.

Entering the super regional, Kuehner has pitched 8 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing a run. He's also struck out 10 batters during that stretch.

Kuehner pitched the final three frames of Louisville’s win against Southeast Missouri State to open regional play, picked up a save against Oregon in Game 3 and then earned a win against Michigan in the regional final with 2 1/3 scoreless innings to set up closer Michael Prosecky.

On the season, Kuehner has a 7-3 record, four saves and a 3.39 ERA. The lefty has fanned 67 batters across 69 innings, and opponents are hitting just .218 when he’s on the mound.

Kuehner is one of several Louisville pitchers who will be tasked with shutting down Texas A&M’s potent lineup for multiple innings out of the bullpen, but expect McDonnell to call the junior’s number when the stakes are highest.

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Texas A&M's Jacob Palisch (LHP)

For much of the postseason, Louisville hitters have touted their lineup’s propensity for scoring during the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Need an example? Look no further than U of L's late rally against Michigan in the regional final.

The super regional matchup against Texas A&M presents two obstacles for the Cardiac Cards. The first is trading the friendly confines of Jim Patterson Stadium for a hostile road environment. The second is Jacob Palisch.

A grad transfer from Stanford, Palisch is tied atop the Aggies’ saves leaderboard with four and boasts a team-best 1.12 WHIP across 49 innings out of the bullpen. The lefty is fourth on the team in strikeouts (57) and has allowed just eight walks and five extra-base hits all season.

Palisch's experience pitching in two games for Stanford at the 2021 College World Series cannot be overlooked. Across 4 1/3 innings in Omaha, he allowed just one run on five hits and recorded a save.

In short, no moment appears to be too big for Palisch, which should set up some fascinating late-game battles with Louisville hitters.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NCAA baseball tournament: Players to watch in Louisville vs. Texas A&M