Tag: NCAA Baseball Tournament

Diamond Heels one of D1Baseball’s eight picks to reach College World Series

Will the Diamond Heels continue their already-impressive campaign past the Regional Round?

64 teams. 16 regionals. Eight College World Series berths and one College World Series title up for grabs.

Welcome to the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

This year’s field ought to be interesting. You have the traditional SEC powers like LSU, Arkansas and Vanderbilt in the field, while other programs, like Wofford, are making their first appearance in nearly two decades.

To sum it up, there’s no clear-cut favorite.

Your North Carolina Tar Heels have one of the NCAA Tournament’s toughest draws – and they’re hosting a Regional as the fourth national seed. UNC opens up Regional Play on Friday, May 31 at 6 p.m. ET against LIU, but will either play LSU or Wofford the following day.

With the exception of a 12th-inning meltdown against Wake Forest on Friday, May 24, the Diamond Heels are playing exceptional baseball. They’re amongst the country’s top hitting teams, with six players hitting a minimum .300, plus pitching is finding ways to be productive.

In D1Baseball’s NCAA Baseball Tournament Preview earlier this week, Kendall Rogers picked North Carolina as one of his eight teams to reach the College World Series.

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Expanding on what we highlighted before, UNC sports one of its best teams in recent years.

Future first-round MLB Draft pick Vance Honeycutt is the most recognizable hitter, but don’t forget about his defense and the likes of Parks Harber, Casey Cook, Colby Wilkerson and virtually every position player. The Diamond Heels boosted their pitching staff big-time in the offseason, with freshman Jason DeCaro and sophomore Matthew Matthijs being the greatest surprises.

These are only a few of many standout players for North Carolina, but a few who had the greatest regular-season impact.

If there was ever a home-field advantage in college baseball, it’ll help UNC big-time in its tough regional. The Diamond Heels are 32-2 at home this season – can they add three more wins at The Bosh?

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Oregon baseball given a decent chance at advancing in the NCAA tournament

Oregon baseball has a fighting chance of advancing in the NCAA tournament, according to Parker Fleming.

If there’s one thing everyone learned last season is that the Oregon Ducks baseball team knows how to win on the road.

The Ducks were the 2-seed in the Vanderbilt Regional in 2023 and upset the Commodores to advance to the Super Regionals.

Oregon is in a similar position this season as the NCAA tournament committee put the Ducks in the Santa Barbara Regional as the 3-seed alongside the host Gauchos, Fresno State and their opening opponent, the 2-seeded San Diego Toreros.

According to Parker Fleming, an odds expert, he says the Ducks have a decent chance of coming out on top and advancing to the Super Regionals, just like they did a year ago.

“Oregon baseball has a fighting chance to get out of the Santa Barbara Regional,” he said.

Fleming gives the Ducks a 21.6 percent chance of winning the bracket. Of course, the host Gauchos have the best chance at 42.5 percent and San Diego is given a 29.7 percent chance. It would be a huge upset if the Fresno State Bulldogs advance as they have just a 6.2 percent chance.

Oregon and San Diego opens up the regional on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 12 pm PST on ESPNU.

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Erik Bakich wants ’10th man’ atmosphere for Clemson Regional

Clemson coach Erik Bakich called on Tigers fans to be loud this weekend at the team’s NCAA Tournament regional.

Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich used his Monday gathering with reporters to issue a challenge to Tiger fans.

Bakich was asked (more than once) about a potential matchup with Vanderbilt, the No. 2 seed at this week’s Clemson Regional — and the storylines of a Tigers-Commodores showdown at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Why? Because both Bakich and Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin were assistants under legendary Clemson coach Jack Leggett in 2002. The Tigers made the College World Series that year before Corbin became head coach at Vandy. Bakich followed Corbin to Nashville before being named head coach at Michigan in 2012.

Bakich led the Wolverines to the cusp of Omaha glory with a trip to the College World Series Finals in 2019 — against Corbin’s powerhouse Vanderbilt program. Vandy won a decisive Game 3 to capture the Commodores’ second national championship in five years.

But instead of focusing on any storylines involving himself and Corbin, Bakich used his meeting with reporters to send a message to Clemson fans.

“We just need the fans to show up and be loud. Let’s just focus on that, if we want to focus on something,” Bakich said rather curtly.

Clemson is the No. 6 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. As a top-eight national seed, they will have home-field advantage until the start of the College World Series, regardless of how long their postseason lasts.

The Tigers would host a Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, if they win a tough Regional draw that also includes Coastal Carolina and High Point.

“When the crowd is loud, and they stand up and clap with two outs and two strikes and they actually have synchronized chants and they cheer and they get into it and they’re actually an active participant in the game instead of a spectator, our guys absolutely feed off that,” Bakich said.

“That’s what we need the crowd to do. We need DKS to be filled with six- or seven thousand participants acting as if they’re the 10th man on the field. Not just showing up to watch a game. And if we can do that? Wow. I can’t wait to hear this place rocking.”

Clemson opens its regional against No. 4 seed High Point at 7 p.m. EDT Friday. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

“We certainly can’t overlook the first game, which is High Point,” Bakich said. “For us, this is the High Point Regional and that’s where our energy and focus will be is just on what do we need to do to get in the winners bracket?”

A full video of Bakich’s meeting with reporters is available from our friends at The Clemson Insider and can be seen below.

‘I’ve never liked them,’ Texas baseball player discusses Aggies and Longhorns rivalry

The Texas A&M baseball team is the third seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the Bryan-College Station Regional at Blue Bell Park.

The Texas A&M baseball team is the third overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and will host the Bryan-College Station Regional at Blue Bell Park.

The No. 3 Aggies (44-13, 19-11 SEC) will battle against the University of Texas, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Grambling State. Prior to postseason baseball beginning, a prominent Longhorns player spoke about the matchup versus Texas A&M

“A&M has always been a rivalry,” sophomore Jared Thomas said Monday. “I’ve never liked them personally.”

The beef between Aggies and Longhorns fans has increased in recent years and only intensified this season. Texas A&M traveled to UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin at the beginning of March and blew out Texas 9-2.

With the return of the Lone Star Showdown in November at Kyle Field, plus the Longhorns joining the SEC in the fall, the vitriol between the two Texas fan bases is likely to keep skyrocketing.

We’ll see if the trash talk can remain civilized and respectful as it continues to ratchet up.

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The SEC historically dominates the NCAA Baseball Tournament field

The SEC has once again dominated the NCAA Tournament field with record numbers

On Monday, 64 college baseball teams heard their names called. The NCAA Tournament field is now set, and 16 regional hosts are granted home-field advantage for the first round of play. A record 11 SEC programs earned a bid to compete for the title.

For those who are die-hard college baseball fans, the fact that the SEC will hose five of the 16 regional sites isn’t too surprising after the season the conference produced led Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, who earned the first three overall seeds in that order. This is the first time in the tournament that the first three seeds are from the same conference!

Following their conference counterparts, Arkansas and Georgia earned the five and seven seeds. Bulldogs power hitter Charlie Condon led the country in batting average (.443) and home runs with 35 on the year. In contrast, Razorbacks star pitcher Hagen Smith led the nation in ERA with a highly impressive 1.48 mark.

Outside of the five conference hosts, LSU will compete in the Chapel Hill Regional after almost winning the SEC Tournament in a close loss to the Volunteers. The Tigers are still riding the momentum train after almost missing the tournament just a year after winning the whole thing in 2023.

Here are where the remaining SEC programs will face off this week:

  • Vanderbilt vs. Coastal Carolina (Clemson Regional)
  • Alabama vs. UCF (Tallahassee Regional)
  • South Carolina vs. James Madison (Raleigh Regional)
  • Florida vs. Nebraska (Stillwater Regional)
  • Mississippi State vs. St. Johns (Charlottesville Regional)

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NCAA tournament preview for Texas in College Station regional

Texas could face more than one familiar foe in the NCAA tournament.

The Texas Longhorns are heading to College Station for the start of their 2024 NCAA tournament appearance. The bracket designation presents more than one familiar matchup for Texas.

The Texas A&M Aggies are the matchup seeing the most attention for Texas. The teams have often met for midweek showcases since the Aggies departed for the SEC. Texas has struggled, however, against their rival going 5-8 since Texas A&M left the Big 12 conference. That number includes a 10-2 Aggie defeat of the Longhorns in Omaha two years ago.

Another familiar opponent stands as Texas’ first matchup of the postseason. The No. 2 seeded Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are the first game for Texas after the Longhorns defeated the team in last year’s tournament, 4-2. Scoreless through five innings, the Cajuns got on the scoreboard first with an RBI single. From there Texas controlled the game.

The tournament gives the Longhorns an opportunity to resolve an unsettling season so far in 2024. Texas is just 35-22 in a down Big 12 conference on the season with a only a No. 3 regional seed to show for it. The 35-win season continues a downward trend for head coach David Pierce and company. In 2021, the team went 50-17 followed by 47-22 season. Texas went 42-22 in 2023.

It’s uncertain how warm the hot seat is for Pierce as his team enters a final postseason as a member of the Big 12. There is still some level of pressure the team faces. They’ll need to perform well to ensure confidence heading into a much more difficult SEC next season.

The Longhorns are set to play Friday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU. With a win, the team would advance to the winner’s bracket to face the winner of No. 1 seed Texas A&M and No. 4 Grambling.

Where Clemson baseball ranks in final coaches poll ahead of NCAA Tournament

Clemson fell one spot to No. 6 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

The final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll ahead of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament saw Clemson fall one spot from last week.

The Tigers (41-14 overall) fell to No. 6 in the coaches poll after an 8-7 loss to Miami in the ACC Baseball Tournament last week.

Clemson earned the No. 6 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament Monday and will welcome Vanderbilt, Coastal Carolina and High Point to its four-team, double-elimination regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this weekend. The Tigers will face High Point at 7 p.m. EDT Friday.

RELATED: Clemson is No. 6 national seed in NCAA Baseball Tournament, draws these three teams

Tennessee (50-11) remained No. 1 after winning the SEC Tournament on Sunday. It’s the fourth consecutive week that the Volunteers were No. 1. Tennessee also grabbed the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky (40-14) finished at No. 2 in the coaches poll with Texas A&M (44-13) at No. 3 and Arkansas (43-14) at No. 4. ACC regular-season champion North Carolina (42-13) moved up one spot to finish at No. 5.

In other rankings, Clemson stayed at No. 10 in Baseball America’s weekly Top 25.

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Oregon goes to the Santa Barbara Regional in NCAA tournament

Oregon baseball stays on the West Coast and will head to sunny Santa Barbara to play in the NCAA tournament this weekend.

This is why being on the bubble is so difficult. You have to wait to see when your name is called, if your name is called.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team had to wait nearly the entire selection process until their name finally showed up on a four-team regional bracket on the ESPN2 telecast.

But their name was called and the Ducks will stay on the West Coast as they will head down to play in the Santa Barbara Regional this weekend. Oregon (37-18) will open up with the San Diego Toreros (40-13), the champions of the West Coast Conference, on Friday.

This is Oregon’s fourth straight tournament appearance. The Ducks were able to host a Super Regional last season after winning the Vanderbilt Regional, but lost to Oral Roberts.

Also in the UCSB Regional along with the Gauchos (42-12) is Fresno State. The Bulldogs (33-27) won the Mountain West tournament and became that league’s automatic qualifier.

Clemson to face SEC team in final Field of 64 projections

A look at the teams Clemson is expected to face in the final Field of 64 projections from D1Baseball, Baseball America and On3 sports.

The final Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament were unveiled by D1Baseball and Baseball America Monday morning.

While Clemson (41-14 overall) remained a top-eight national seed (No. 6 overall), there was a change in which teams the Tigers will draw at their on-site regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

D1Baseball now sees SEC Tournament runner-up and reigning national champion LSU visiting Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the four-team, double-elimination Clemson Regional.

The Bayou Bengals have been on a tear of late, winning seven straight contests before falling 4-3 in Sunday’s SEC Tournament finale against consensus projected No. 1 overall seed Tennessee.

LSU (40-21) beat South Carolina twice in the SEC Tournament, as well as NCAA regional host Georgia and projected top-eight national seed Kentucky. The Tigers lost only one regular-season series after being swept at Tennessee back on April 14. They’re one of the hottest teams in the country, going 18-5 since then.

D1Baseball’s projections have College of Charleston and Bryant in Clemson’s regional.

On3 also has the Tigers as the No. 6 national seed. Their final projections ahead of the tournament have Clemson hosting LSU, as well as James Madison (34-23) and Big South Tournament champion High Point (34-25).

Baseball America has another SEC team projected for the Clemson Regional: in-state rival South Carolina (36-23). The Gamecocks made it all the way to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament Saturday before being eliminated by LSU.

Coastal Carolina (34-23) and Ivy League Tournament champion Penn (24-23) join South Carolina in Baseball America’s projected Clemson Regional.

Official seeding and regional matchups for the tournament will be announced during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show Monday at noon EDT on ESPN2.

Where Alabama baseball is projected to land in the Field of 64

Where will Alabama baseball be seeded in the 2024 NCAA Tournament?

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team has completed its first regular season under head coach Rob Vaughn’s leadership and now awaits its seeding in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Coach Vaughn led Alabama to a 33-22 overall record in 2024 and earned the seventh seed in the SEC Baseball Tournament with a 13-17 record in conference play.

On Monday, the Field of 64 will be announced, and in the latest projections from Baseball America, the Crimson Tide is expected to be a three-seed. Alabama is projected to travel to the Corvallis Regional where the Oregon State Beavers are hosting. The other teams projected in Alabama’s regional are No. 2 UC Irvine and No. 4 Tulane.

The Field of 64 will be announced at 11 a.m. CT on Monday, May 27.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor Alabama baseball’s seeding in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

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