FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When the Creighton Bluejays take the field at Baum-Walker Stadium of Friday, they will be the lone representative from the Big East Conference in the field of 64 competing for a trip to the College World Series.
The NCAA Baseball selection committee is the latest to follow a trend in college sports, leaving a mid-major school behind in favor for a school from a power conference.
Though the practice predates this, one of the more egregious examples came in 2024 in basketball when Virginia was selected as a First Four team over mid-majors like Indiana State ranked over 25 places higher in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings than Virginia.
Now, baseball’s snub of fellow Big East team UCoNN, isn’t nearly as ridiculous, but the resume’s certainly don’t match.
UConn’s RPI of 40 ranked higher than three of the four last four teams that got into the field. Oklahoma State (44th), USC (45th) and Arizona State (49th) all got into the field.
They finished with the exact same Big East record as Creighton at 17-4 and were one of the hottest teams in college baseball before losing to the Bluejays in the conference title game.
Xavier, also from the Big East was also left out of the tournament with an RPI of 39, without even making the First Four Out.
“Very disappointed that the Big East doesn’t have a better reputation,” Creighton head coach Ed Servais said. “We had three or four really good D1 baseball teams in that league this year.
“We just got done playing UConn. If that’s not a top 64 team then I don’t know much about baseball.”
Other mid-majors like Troy (47th) and Texas-Rio Grande Valley (43rd) weren’t even on the bubble, despite being ranked higher than teams that got into the field.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn specifically mentioned Creighton as the team you can’t “overlook” in this regional.
Outside of this being Servais’ last year before he retires after coaching at Creighton since 2005, he knows that despite the committee not respecting the Big East, they’ll be no pushover.
“They got in over a couple of teams that were projected to possibly get in because they beat them straight up,” Van Horn said. “They’ve always played great defense, they’ve always pitched well and they don’t beat themselves.”
The result may not change this weekend in Fayetteville. Arkansas is the runaway favorite for this region, as they should be after getting a No. 3 overall seed.
The Hogs may not even play Creighton, but beware of the mid-major that because of the committee’s consistent negligence, is the only representative from its conference.
“We had a legitimate chance to get three Big East teams in,” Servais said. “It’s very disappointing that we’re the only one. We at least minimum should have had two and then really we should have had three.”
Arkansas will open the Fayetteville regional against North Dakota State 2 p.m. Friday while Creighton starts at 7 p.m. against Kansas. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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