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Tennessee leads NCAA baseball tournament field. Analyzing the College World Series bracket, schedule
Selection day has arrived in college baseball, the official start of the quest for the sport’s ultimate destination, the College World Series in Omaha.
First, however, the 64-team field must navigate the regionals, with the winners at the 16 four-team double-elimination sites advancing to the best-of-three superregional round a week later.
In addition to the seed order at all 16 sites, the NCAA committee also unveiled the top eight overall seeds in the field. That group will be guaranteed to be playing in friendly environs should they advance, but it doesn’t guarantee a trip to Omaha. That seems especially true this year in what appears to be a wide-open field of title contenders. Here’s everything you need to know about the draw.
Who are the top teams in the NCAA baseball tournament?
Defending champ LSU will be a long shot at best this time, needing a late push just to make the field. But the SEC is well represented at the top of the bracket as the likes of Tennessee, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Arkansas have all hovered at or near the top of the polls for much of the season. The conference also broke a record with 11 teams selected and five of the eight national seeds. ACC top finisher North Carolina and league rivals Clemson and Florida State could also make some noise, as could Oregon State and Oklahoma. The best hope among non-power conference representatives looks to be East Carolina or UC Irvine, but the Sun Belt Conference could also offer a candidate or two.
Who are the top players?
There might not be a Paul Skenes in this year’s field, but there’s certainly no lack of arm talent. Wake Forest’s Chase Burns finished the regular season with 169 strikeouts. Arkansas’s Hagen Smith wasn’t far behind with 150 while allowing just over four hits per nine innings. Duke’s Beilenson and ECU’s Trey Yesavage also sport top-five ERAs. Top sluggers in the tournament include Georgia’s Charlie Condon, the Texas A&M duo of Jace Laviolette and Braden Montgomery, Tennessee’s Christian Moore and Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana. Florida getting a nod while on the bubble means two-way star Jac Caglione will continue his career in the tournament.
Who are the top 16 seeds?
- Tennessee (50-11)
- Kentucky (40-14)
- Texas A&M (44-13)
- North Carolina (42-13)
- Arkansas (43-14)
- Clemson (41-14)
- Georgia (39-15)
- Florida State (42-15)
- Oklahoma (37-19)
- North Carolina State (33-20)
- Oklahoma State (40-17)
- Virginia (41-15)
- Arizona (36-21)
- UC Santa Barbara (42-12)
- Oregon State (42-14)
- East Carolina (43-15)
NCAA baseball tournament bracket, schedule
All times Eastern
Regionals
Knoxville Regional
No. 2 Southern Mississippi (41-18) vs. No. 3 Indiana (32-24-1), 1 p.m.
No. 1 Tennessee (50-11) vs. No. 4 Northern Kentucky (35-22), 7 p.m.
Greenville Regional
No. 1 East Carolina (43-15) vs. No. 4 Evansville (35-23), 1 p.m.
No. 2 Wake Forest (38-20) vs. No. 3 Virginia Commonwealth (37-21), 6 p.m.
Norman Regional
No. 1 Oklahoma (37-19) vs. No. 4 Oral Roberts (27-30-1), 1 p.m.
No. 2 Duke (39-18) vs. No. 3 Connecticut (32-23), 7 p.m.
Tallahassee Regional
No. 1 Florida State (42-15) vs. No. 4 Stetson (40-20), noon
No. 2 Alabama (33-22) vs. No. 3 Central Florida (35-19), 6 p.m.
Fayetteville Regional
No. 1 Arkansas (43-14) vs. No. 4 Southeast Missouri State (34-25), 3 p.m.
No. 2 Louisiana Tech (45-17) vs. #3 Kansas State (32-24), 8 p.m.
Charlottesville Regional
No. 1 Virginia (41-15) vs. No. 4 Penn (24-23), noon
No. 2 Mississippi St. (38-21) vs. No. 3 St. John’s (37-16-1), 7 p.m.
Tucson Regional
No. 2 Dallas Baptist (44-13) vs. No. 3 West Virginia (33-22), 3 p.m.
No. 1 Arizona (36-21) vs. No. 4 Grand Canyon (34-23), 9 p.m.
Chapel Hill Regional
No. 2 LSU (40-21) vs. No. 3 Wofford (41-18), noon
No. 1 North Carolina (42-13) vs. No. Long Island (33-23), 6 p.m.
Lexington Regional
No. 1 Kentucky (40-14) vs. No. 4 Western Michigan (32-21), noon
No. 2 Indiana State (42-13) vs. No. 3 Illinois (34-19), 7 p.m.
Corvallis Regional
No. 2 UC Irvine (43-12) vs. No. 3 Nicholls State (38-20), 4 p.m.
No. 1 Oregon State (42-14) vs. No. 4 Tulane (35-24), 9 p.m.
Raleigh Regional
No. 2 South Carolina (36-23) vs. No. 3 James Madison (34-23), 2 p.m.
No. 1 North Carolina State (33-20) vs. No. 4 Bryant (36-19), 7 p.m.
Athens Regional
No. 1 Georgia (39-15) vs. No. 4 Army (31-21), 1 p.m.
No. 2 UNC Wilmington (39-19) vs. No. 3 Georgia Tech (31-23), 7 p.m.
Clemson Regional
No. 2 Vanderbilt (38-21) vs. No. 3 Coastal Carolina (34-23), noon
No. 1 Clemson (41-14) vs. No. 4 High Point (34-25), 7 p.m.
Stillwater Regional
No. 2 Nebraska (39-20) vs. No. 3 Florida (28-27), 3 p.m.
No. 1 Oklahoma State (40-17) vs. No. 4 Niagara (38-15), 7 p.m.
Santa Barbara Regional
No. 2 San Diego (40-13) vs. No. 3 Oregon (37-18), 3 p.m.
No. 1 UC Santa Barbara (42-12) vs. No. 4 Fresno State (33-27), 9 p.m.
Bryan-College Station Regional
No. 1 Texas A&M (44-13) vs. No. 4 Grambling (26-26), 1 p.m.
No. 2 Louisiana-Lafayette (40-18) vs. No. 3 Texas (35-22), 6 p.m.
Super Regionals
Knoxville Regional winner vs. Greenville Regional winner
Norman Regional winner vs. Tallahassee Regional winner
Fayetteville Regional winner vs. Charlottesville Regional winner
Tucson Regional winner vs. Chapel Hill Regional winner
Lexington Regional winner vs. Corvallis Regional winner
Raleigh Regional winner vs. Athens Regional winner
Clemson Regional winner vs. Stillwater Regional winner
Santa Barbara Regional winner vs. College Station Regional winner
College World Series bracket, schedule
At Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Neb.
Friday, June 14
Game 1: TBD vs. TBD
Game 2: TBD vs. TBD
Saturday, June 15
Game 3: TBD vs. TBD
Game 4: TBD vs. TBD
Sunday, June 16
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 6: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Monday, June 17
Game 7: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Tuesday, June 18
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser
Wednesday, June 19
Game 11: Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner
Thursday, June 20
Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, if necessary
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, if necessary
Championship series
Saturday, June 22
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, TBA
Sunday, June 23
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, TBA
Monday, June 24
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner, TBA, if necessary
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