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Tennessee leads NCAA baseball tournament field. Analyzing the College World Series bracket, schedule

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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?

  1. Tennessee (50-11)
  2. Kentucky (40-14)
  3. Texas A&M (44-13)
  4. North Carolina (42-13)
  5. Arkansas (43-14)
  6. Clemson (41-14)
  7. Georgia (39-15)
  8. Florida State (42-15)
  9. Oklahoma (37-19)
  10. North Carolina State (33-20)
  11. Oklahoma State (40-17)
  12. Virginia (41-15)
  13. Arizona (36-21)
  14. UC Santa Barbara (42-12)
  15. Oregon State (42-14)
  16. 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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