It’s that time of the year again. The time in which college baseball around the country reaches its peak interest with 64 Division 1 baseball programs looking to end their season in Omaha. From underdogs to dynasties in the making, the collegiate baseball world will be on the edge of their seat to see which teams punch their ticket to the super-regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
In this article, TCU On SI writers Carson Wersal and JD Andress will give their predictions for each regional winner in the NCAA Tournament. While there aren’t official stakes to these predictions yet, one would imagine that some will form in one way or another.
Below, we’ve briefly outlined each regional, highlighting which teams are playing their best baseball at the right time. (Please note that these picks were made multiple days before the NCAA Tournament began.)
The Nashville Regional is one that seems like a layup when it comes to making a prediction. Vanderbilt (42-16) secured the #1 overall seed in the tournament after running the gauntlet in the SEC Tournament, capped off by a 3-2 victory over Ole Miss to bring their winning streak to 8 games. Tim Corbin’s Commodores seemingly have a “been there, done that” mentality to them and many don’t see that being interrupted with how they’ve been playing in recent weeks.
Louisville (35-21) is assuredly the sleeper in this regional that can make things interesting. With an electric offense that can hurt you in a hurry, and a standout pitcher in Jake Schweitzer, this Cardinals team is the one to keep an eye on in Nashville.
1. Vanderbilt (1)
2. Louisville
3. East Tennessee State
4. Wright State
Carson’s pick: Vanderbilt
JD’s pick: Vanderbilt
After securing the SEC regular season title in their first year in the conference, Jim Schlossnagle and the Longhorns (42-12) are hosting a regional as the #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. In my (Carson) opinion, the Austin Regional is Texas’s to lose. Kansas State (31-24) and UTSA (44-13) bring the most interest out of the other 3 teams. If there is an upset in this regional, it will likely be the Roadrunners, who defeated Texas earlier in the season 8-7 in a 12-inning shootout.
1. Texas (2)
2. UTSA
3. Kansas State
4. Houston Christian
Carson’s pick: Texas
JD’s pick: Texas
The Arkansas Razorbacks (43-13), hosting their 7th regional in the past 8 seasons, hold the #3 seed in the tournament. Luckily for Dave Van Horn and his squad, there is team from the Big 12 that has purple on their jerseys. In its place might be a Jayhawks team with a chip on their shoulder after losing to TCU in the Big 12 tournament semi-final. Kansas is a team that’s responded well to adversity this season and could be difficult to put away with an offense that won’t quit.
On paper, Creighton has one of the best pitching staffs in the country. That is until you look at the amount of walks they give up in a given game. That alone can hurt you in the postseason against disciplined teams like Kansas and Arkansas. North Dakota State rounds out the regional as the Summit League Champions.
1. Arkansas (3)
2. Kansas
3. Creighton
4. North Dakota State
Carson’s pick: Arkansas
JD’s pick: Arkansas
The Auburn (38-18) Regional consists of some of the more competitive teams top-to-bottom with NC State (33-19), Stetson (40-20), and Central Connecticut (31-15). The Tigers are a balanced squad with both good pitching depth and a consistent offense meaning they’re a team that can play with anybody in the country.
The biggest threat to Auburn’s aspirations of Omaha? The Wolfpack. With one of the best starting rotations in the country with Ryan Marohn, Dom Fritton, and Heath Andrews, NC State is sure to make noise in Auburn.
1. Auburn (4)
2. NC State
3. Stetson
4. Central Connecticut
Carson’s pick: NC State
JD’s pick: NC State
The Chapel Hill Regional is one that many expect the Tarheels to walk out of with little resistance. The one wrench in their plan has to be Kyson Witherspoon, the Friday night starter for Oklahoma. The junior boasts a 2.47 ERA on the season with a WHIP of .91. It was already released that Kyson won’t be throwing Game 1 for the Sooners meaning that Oklahoma is likely planning for their ace to throw against a Tarheel lineup that’s reached it’s peak at the right time.
For Nebraska and Holy Cross, it’s unfortunately a bad draw. The Cornhuskers started the year off on the right foot, but quickly began to struggle once conference play began.
1. North Carolina (5)
2. Oklahoma
3. Nebraska
4. Holy Cross
Carson’s pick: North Carolina
JD’s pick: North Carolina
The LSU Tigers come in as the #6 seed in the tournament and will host DBU, Rhode Island, and Little Rock. There really isn’t much to break down about this regional since the talent gap between the top 2 seeds and the bottom 2 seeds is considerable. The Tigers will be favorited throughout this regional due to their 1-2 punch of Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson in the starting rotation.
DBU provides the biggest threat with a lethal batting lineup headlined Grant Jay and Nathan Humphreys. Jay currently holds a .322 AVG but has 19 HR on the year with 59 RBIs. Humphreys provides a more consistent presence at the plate hitting .360, but can still provide the power when needed as he has 17 HR.
1. LSU (6)
2. Dallas Baptist
3. Rhode Island
4. Little Rock
Carson’s pick: LSU
JD’s pick: LSU
Duke (37-19), Oklahoma State (28-23), and Binghamton (29-24) travel to Athens to challenge one of the most potent offenses in the country in Georgia (42-15). With players like Slate Alford, Ryland Zaborowski, and Kolby Branch, it’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs not walking out of Athens with a regional victory.
Harrison Bodendorf has emerged as one of the best pitchers in the country and when you pair that with an power-hungry offense that aligns with Georgia’s, they cou;d be the last two teams standing in a slugfest for a super-regional spot.
1. Georgia (7)
2. Duke
3. Oklahoma State
4. Binghamton
Carson’s pick: Georgia
JD’s pick: Oklahoma State
The Oregon State Beavers will host the Corvallis Regional as the #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. TCU, who arguably should have hosted as the #15 or #16 seed, emerges as the biggest threat to the regional host with an impressive freshman class in DH Sawyer Strosnider, RF Noah Franco, and RHP Mason Brassfield.
The Corvallis Regional is another that seems to feature stellar offenses on all 4 teams. Oregon State and TCU seem to have balanced offenses that can make you pay with big innings, but USC and Saint Mary’s can bleed you to death with consistent scoring in all 9 innings. Oddly enough, the Gaels may have the best hitter in the regional with Eddie Madrigal who’s hitting .372 with 21 HR and 77 RBIs.
1. Oregon State (8)
2. TCU
3. USC
4. Saint Mary’s
Carson’s pick: TCU
JD’s pick: TCU
Florida State hosts the Tallahassee Regional and will be paired with Mississippi State, Bethune-Cookman, and, most notably at the #2 seed in the regional, Northeastern. While the Seminoles have one of, if not, the best arms in the nation in Jamie Arnold, the Huskies have a team ERA of 2.92 with a WHIP of 1.04. After winning the CAA championship game against UNCW, the Huskies are also riding a 27-game win streak heading into the NCAA Tournament.
This is one of the regionals in the tournament that’s a little bit harder to predict because of every team’s talent at the plate. Even the Bulldogs and Wildcats have players that pitching staffs will need to be wary of. For the Bulldogs, their not-so-secret weapon is Ace Reese who’s hitting .371 with 1 HR and 66 RBIs. For Bethune Cookman, it’s OF Andrey Martinez who leads the way on offense with 20 HR and 63 RBIs.
1. Florida State (9)
2. Northeastern
3. Mississippi State
4. Bethune-Cookman
Carson’s pick: Florida State
JD’s pick: Northeastern
Man I (Carson) love it when a team is pissed off, and that’s the only way to describe Georgia Tech after being snubbed in the hosting conversation. While the Rebels are an extremely solid team, the Yellow Jackets have stars everywhere, especially in the batting order. Drew Burress is one of the most dangerous hitters in the country as a sophomore and is currently hitting .339 with 18 homeruns and 61 RBIs.
Western Kentucky and Murray State round out the bottom half of the regional but still include premier talents such as Ryan Wideman, an OF for the Hilltoppers, who’s hitting .398 with 20 doubles, 10 homeruns, and 45 stolen bases.
1. Ole Miss (10)
2. Georgia Tech
3. Western Kentucky
4. Murray State
Carson’s pick: Georgia Tech
JD’s pick: Georgia Tech
The Tigers will host some extremely interesting teams this weekend with the Mountaineers, Wildcats, and Sparties, who have all had recent success. For SC-Upstate, it will be their first time in the tournament, but West Virginia is coming off a regional appearance while Kentucky is looking to get back to Omaha.
Cam Cannarella highlights the players in this regional and has been an X-factor for the Tigers all season. The junior has quickly become one of the faces of college baseball with his electrifying defense in the outfield and his knack for delivering for his team at the plate this season.
1. Clemson (11)
2. West Virginia
3. Kentucky
4. SC-Upstate
Carson’s pick: Clemson
JD’s pick: Clemson
Oregon earned the 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing the year 42-14. The elephant in the room? This regional has 3 conference tournament champions in it. With that in mind, all of these games could come down to the wire. Arizona definitely gives the Ducks the most worry with standout hitter Mason White, who’s been getting even better as we enter the most important part of the season.
1. Oregon (12)
2. Arizona
3. Cal Poly
4. Utah Valley
Carson’s pick: Arizona
JD’s pick: Arizona
Coastal Carolina has the misfortune of having Florida in their regional. I feel like I should elaborate on that, but for many of you, I don’t think I need to. Head coach of the Gators, Kevin O’Sullivan, just seems to have his teams playing their best baseball in the NCAA Tournament year in and year out.
East Carolina is another team that people have eyes on out in Conway. The Pirates have one of the most exciting players in college baseball with Dixon Williams who’s hitting .296 on the season but also has a blend of power and speed that make him a V-Tool player.
1. Coastal Carolina (13)
2. Florida
3. East Carolina
4. Fairfield
Carson’s pick: Florida
JD’s pick: Florida
Despite ending the regular season by losing 6 of their last 7 series, the Vols (43-16) are hosting once again and will face Wake Forest (36-20), Cincinnati (32-24), and Miami (OH) (35-21) out in Knoxville. Kerrington Cross headlines the offensive names in this regional and is currently slashing .399 with 79 hits, 12 homeruns, and 49 RBIs.
Make no mistake, Tennessee has one of the better starting rotations in college baseball, but if their offense doesn’t show up, they may have trouble being one of the last teams standing out in Knoxville.
1. Tennessee (14)
2. Wake Forest
3. Cincinnati
4. Miami (OH)
Carson’s pick: Wake Forest
JD’s pick: Tennessee
The UCLA Bruins (42-16) earned the #15 seed in the tournament despite many in the college baseball world believing they shouldn’t have earned a regional host. UC Irvine (41-15), Arizona State (35-22), and Fresno State (31-27) travel to Los Angeles to hopefully secure a spot in the super regional round. Admittedly, I (Carson) have very little intuition about what will happen out in California this weekend. The top-3 seeds in the bracket have had struggles putting together back-to-back solid weekends, and even Fresno State has won the majority of their games down the stretch.
UCLA and UC Irvine seem to have the pitching in this regional, but the Sun Devils are the only ones that seem to have a standout offense.
1. UCLA (15)
2. UC Irvine
3. Arizona State
4. Fresno State
Carson’s pick: Arizona State
JD’s pick: UC Irvine
Southern Miss (44-14) earned the last top seed in the NCAA Tournament despite losing their conference championship to Coastal Carolina last weekend. The Golden Eagles host Alabama (41-16), Miami (31-24), and Columbia (29-17) in their regional.
As Frog fans already know, that Southern Miss pitching staff is not to be underestimated. JB Middleton has put on a show for the Golden Eagles this season with 91.1 IP, a 2.01 ERA, and 114 strikeouts. Other premier names in this regional include a future 1st round draft pick, Justin Lebron, of the Alabama Crimson Tide, as well as Daniel Cuviet for the Miami Hurricanes, who’s currently hitting .378 with 17 doubles and 16 homeruns.
1. Southern Miss (16)
2. Alabama
3. Miami
4. Columbia
Carson’s pick: Southern Miss
JD’s pick: Southern Miss
Arizona State (Big 12)
Kansas State (Big 12)
Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Southern California (Big Ten)
SE Louisiana (Southland)
Troy (Sun Belt)
Connecticut (Big East)
Virginia (ACC)
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