The teams that start the College World Series in Omaha at 2-0 have a distinct advantage on their side of the bracket.

Vanderbilt and NC State will face each other for the second time this week at 2 p.m. on ESPN. The Wolfpack has started 2-0 in Omaha, including a 1-0 win over the Commodores Monday, and would advance to the three-game championship series with a win Friday.

Vandy defeated Arizona in game one, but its loss to NC State Monday sent the team to an elimination matchup with Stanford on Wednesday. The Commodores won a thrilling 5-4 game against the Cardinal off of a wild pitch in the bottom of the night to earn a matchup with the Pack Friday.

NC State just needs one more win to advance to the three-game championship series. The Commodores are facing elimination tonight, and a win would force a winner-take-all Saturday matchup with the victor advancing to the championship series.

The Commodores are the betting favorite to prevail in Omaha, but NC State has been hot, going 32-9 in its last 41 games.

NC State head coach Elliott Avent says he will start freshman right-hander Matt Willadsen, who has won his past two starts and is 5-3 this season with a 4.73 ERA. He has 72 strikes and 29 walks this spring.

In his last start, the righty from Holly Springs, N.C., gave up just two hits and one unearned run in the Pack's 3-2 series-clinching win over top-ranked Arkansas in the Super Regionals.

In his lone loss of the postseason, Willadsen gave up one earned run, struck out six and walked just one batter in 4.2 innings pitched in the 1-0 loss to Duke in the ACC championship game.

Here is a preview of what to expect from a loaded Vanderbilt squad.

For the fourth straight game, NC State's potent lineup will face a strong challenge from the mound.

In game three of the Super Regional at top-ranked Arkansas, the Wolfpack had to knock off the Razorback' do-it-all superstar pitcher Kevin Kopps, the top hurler on the mound in college baseball this year. In game one of the CWS, it defeated Stanford ace Brendan Beck, a likely top-5 round MLB Draft pick who was the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year.

Monday, it was Vanderbilt's Jack Leiter, considered by MLB.com to be the best pitcher prospect in the upcoming draft and the No. 3 overall player available. Leiter, the son of former long-time MLB pitcher Al Leiter, can reach mid-to-upper 90s on his fastball on a heater with a high spin rate.

Throw in a plus curveball and slider combination and it is easy to see why Leiter is highly thought of by pro scouts. The Pack narrowly defeated Leiter, thanks to a solo homer by Terrell Tatum and a two-hit shutout outing by freshman starter Sam Highfill.

Now State will likely face Kumar Rocker, who is considered the second-best pitching prospect in the draft. Rocker went 13-3 on the mound with a 2.58 ERA in 18 starts, one of which was a complete game shutout. He allowed just 64 hits in 111.2 innings while striking out a whopping 162 batters, who have hit a meager .161 off of him.

He can give up home runs, surrendering 8, and he has battled control at times with 36 walks. He's also hit seven batters.

If Rocker goes deep into games, Vanderbilt has two closers it can turn to at that point. Nick Maldonado had eight saves in 26 games, sporting a 2.42 ERA and allowing only 26 hits and a .163 average against. He has a tremendous K/BB ratio of 52 to 6.

Luke Murphy also had eight saves among his 24 games and had a 2.75 ERA. Hitters managed just 21 hits in 36.0 innings and collectively batted .171 on him. He has overpowering stuff with 56 strikeouts, but he also had 13 walks and hit seven batters.

Both Maldonado and Murphy are rated among the top 250 players in the upcoming draft by MLB.com. Both also pitched 2.2 innings in Vanderbilt's extra-inning win over Arizona, with Maldonado throwing 48 pitches and Murphy 44.

Vanderbilt does rely heavily on right-handed pitching.

Junior first baseman Dominic Keegan leads the way with a .360 batting average and .663 slugging mark, both best on the team. He had 14 homers and gets on base at a .438 clip, and Keegan is considered a potential high MLB Draft pick.

Junior rightfielder Isaiah Thomas is also expected to go high in the draft. He's hitting .325 with 13 homers and has good athleticism, going a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen bases. Thomas will come to the plate swinging. He has drawn only nine walks in 228 plate appearances.

SEC Freshman of the Year and centerfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. is a huge weapon on the base tags, and he gets on base often. Bradfield will likely bat leadoff and has the best on-base percentage among the Vanderbilt regulars at .474, thanks in part to a .355 batting average but also to drawing 44 walks compared to just 37 strikeouts. He is also 46 of 52 in stealing bases this season.

Senior third baseman Jayson Gonzalez has hit well in the postseason to raise his average to .299 on the year with eight homers. Sophomore third baseman Carter Young provides more power with a team-leading 16 home runs despite missing time with a shoulder injury. Young's seventh-inning blast gave Vanderbilt its first lead against Arizona on Saturday.

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