The NCAA Tournament Field of 64 was released on Monday, so it's time to fill out your bracket (and hopefully not see it busted within the first weekend). We already released our rankings of the toughest Regionals, and now it's time to pick winners and losers in each Regional.
Fayetteville
#1 Arkansas (1)
#2 Nebraska
#3 Northeastern
#4 NJIT
Arkansas is the closest thing college baseball has had to a "heavy favorite" in quite a while. Sure, there are some question marks about starting pitching, but a team that scores 7.6 runs per game and allows only 4.1 runs per game has clearly figured something out. That something might be Kevin Kopps, the SEC Pitcher of the Year, who could throw 6+ innings in a Regional. Hogs are the clear favorite here, but Nebraska should have a good shot at making the Regional final. Northeastern only played the northern teams from the Colonial this year due to COVID-related scheduling changes in the league. This is normally the weaker half of the league, but to their credit, Northeastern beat UNCW twice in the Colonial Tournament. Give me Arkansas over Nebraska in the Regional Final.
Austin
#1 Texas (2)
#2 Arizona State
#3 Fairfield
#4 Southern
Texas is the clear favorite in the Austin Regional. Winners of the Big 12, the Longhorns were granted the number two overall seed and one of the easiest paths to the Super Regionals. Arizona State is the epitome of a team that took care of business but never notched a really impressive series win. Arizona State only played one series on the road against a Regional team (Oregon), and the Sun Devils lost that series. With that said, ASU is several steps ahead of Fairfield and Southern in terms of talent. Give me Texas over Arizona State.
Knoxville
#1 Tennessee (3)
#2 Duke
#3 Liberty
#4 Wright State
This is an absolutely brutal Regional for the Volunteers. Wright State has a legitimate gripe about not being a three seed (or higher). The Raiders started the year with five road games at Vanderbilt and Alabama, and though they went 0-5 in those games, three of the games were settled by just one run. Duke recently sprinted its way down the stretch, sweeping Virginia Tech, Clemson, and then the entire ACC Tournament. Liberty was 16-10 in non-conference games with a non-conference RPI of 12. It won't be easy, but I like Tennessee over Duke in this Regional.
Nashville
#1 Vanderbilt (4)
#2 Georgia Tech
#3 Indiana State
#4 Presbyterian
Despite Vanderbilt's "struggles" (for Vanderbilt, 5-5 over its last ten games is the worst stretch it's been through in a while), the Commodores are still a formidable top eight seed. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker make up a dynamic pitching duo. The teenager Christian Little may be added to that trio soon after an impressive start in the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss (5.1 IP 3H 1R 7K 1BB). Georgia Tech is only 2-3 in its last five series but did make a run to the ACC Tournament semis. Give me the Commodores over the Yellow Jackets.
Tucson
#1 Arizona (5)
#2 Oklahoma State
#3 UCSB
#4 Grand Canyon
Arizona playing at home (27-7) is a much scarier team that Arizona on the road (9-8). Hi Corbett is built for offensive teams, and Oklahoma State's power bats will likely find success in the desert. UCSB's pitching first approach works well for the Gauchos in Santa Barbara, but they will struggle to suppress the sluggers from Arizona and Oklahoma State. Also worth noting, Grand Canyon is 1-1 against Arizona this year, so the Lopes will be a dangerous four seed. Give me Oklahoma State over Arizona.
Fort Worth
#1 TCU (6)
#2 Oregon State
#3 Dallas Baptist
#4 McNeese State
Another year, another top eight seed for TCU, one of the most consistent programs of the last decade. The Horned Frogs invite an Oregon State team into town that is seriously lacking in marquee wins. The Beavers' best series was a sweep of Cal. Dallas Baptist has become a postseason darling over the last several years, but the last time DBU travelled to a Regional in Fort Worth (2017), the Horned Frogs demolished the Patriots, 15-3. I'll take TCU over Oregon State in this Regional.
Starkville
#1 Mississippi State (7)
#2 VCU
#3 Campbell
#4 Samford
Mississippi State with its strength of schedule of 16 has played a much more difficult schedule than any of the other three teams in the Starkville Regional: VCU (139), Campbell (87), and Samford (96). In fact, VCU's resume does not look all that different from Wright State's resume. Safe to say, Mississippi State will be a heavy favorite at the Dude. Give me Mississippi State over VCU.
Lubbock
#1 Texas Tech (8)
#2 UCLA
#3 North Carolina
#4 Army
Lubbock is an incredibly difficult place to win baseball games if you're a road team. Baylor won a series at Texas Tech this season, but before that, it had been since 2018 that a road team won a series at Texas Tech. With that said, UCLA comes into town as the perfect type of team that can do well in an offensive ballpark. The Bruins are averaging 7.3 runs per game in the pitching-dominated Pac-12. UCLA has largely underperformed on the year, but Lubbock could be the perfect place for the Bruins to get hot. I'm taking UCLA over Texas Tech.
Stanford
#1 Stanford (9)
#2 UC Irvine
#3 Nevada
#4 North Dakota State
Stanford has already beaten two seed UC Irvine in a four-game series this season. The Wolfpack of Nevada bring in an offense scoring 7.5 runs per game, but Sunken Diamond plays large. Stanford should be the heavy favorite to advance out of its Regional. Stanford over UC Irvine.
South Bend
#1 Notre Dame (10)
#2 UConn
#3 Michigan
#4 Central Michigan
The committee wasn't kind to ACC Champ, Notre Dame, giving the Fighting Irish the tenth overall seed. Central Michigan, winners of 39 games have a series win at West Virginia on their resume, which is an impressive feat for a four seed. UConn brings in more pitching depth than host Notre Dame (led by MLB Draft prospect Ben Casparius). I'm taking the Huskies over the Fighting Irish in this Regional.
Columbia
#1 Old Dominion (11)
#2 South Carolina
#3 Virginia
#4 Jacksonville
The Columbia Regional has three legitimate Omaha contenders. Old Dominion, a traveling one seed, just cruised its way through the C-USA Tournament. In a year when Conference USA is the deepest it has been in a long time, that's an impressive accomplishment. They'll have to get through South Carolina's top notch pitching staff that is allowing just 4.4 runs per game as well as a Virginia team that finished the year on a 12-5 run with a trip to the ACC Tournament semifinal. Any of these three teams could escape this Regional, but I'll take South Carolina over Virginia.
Oxford
#1 Ole Miss (12)
#2 Southern Miss
#3 Florida State
#4 SEMO
Ole Miss has overcome the loss of Gunnar Hoglund, the ace of its staff, and the loss of one of Tim Elko's ACLs (not that it's held him back that much). Despite that, the Rebels won series against Vanderbilt and Georgia down the stretch and reached the SEC Tournament semis. Southern Miss brings in a staff ERA of 3.59, and not to be outdone, Florida State's staff boasts a 3.51 ERA. With five bats hitting over .300 in its lineup, Ole Miss will have to mash its way to a Regional Championship. I like Ole Miss over Florida State.
Greenville
#1 East Carolina (13)
#2 Charlotte
#3 Maryland
#4 Norfolk State
Pirates fans have to be looking at this draw and feeling like a Super Regional is more than within reach. Charlotte went 2&Q in the C-USA Tournament and was already swept on the road by ECU. Maryland is a wildcard (as are all Big Ten teams). The Terps have won their last seven weekends, so they should come in as a confident bunch. I'll take East Carolina over Maryland.
Eugene
#1 Oregon (14)
#2 Gonzaga
#3 LSU
#4 Central Connecticut State
Oregon won 20 Pac-12 games, a non-conference series against Oregon State, and swept UCSB in four games on the road. This is the best Ducks team in a long time, and it should have a good chance to win this Regional. Gonzaga lost its second starter, Gabriel Hughes, to injury and dropped a series to San Diego to finish its year. LSU is a wildcard. Landon Marceaux has stepped up into the ace role with incredible poise. Should LSU need him in an elimination game, the Tigers would surely be favored. I'll take Oregon outlasting LSU.
Gainesville
#1 Florida (15)
#2 Miami
#3 South Alabama
#4 South Florida
The preseason unanimous number one team, Florida, had an up and down year. Though they were swept by Arkansas to finish the regular season, the Gators bounced back with a run to the SEC Tournament semifinals. The Hurricanes have already won one series at Florida this year, so Miami will come into this Regional confident. However, if anything has become obvious for Miami, it's that their young pitching staff is incredibly inconsistent. Depending on which version of Miami shows up, this Regional could go one of two ways. I'm predicting Florida's bullpen depth and talent overcomes Miami in this Regional.
Ruston
#1 Louisiana Tech (16)
#2 NC State
#3 Alabama
#4 Rider
Louisiana Tech needed three walk-offs to make the C-USA Championship game, but it was enough to earn the Bulldogs the last hosting position. After starting the year off 1-8 in ACC play, NC State finished on an 18-6 run, so it's safe to say the Wolfpack are on a prolonged hot streak. They bring in Luca Tresh, one of the most exciting catchers in the game. Alabama, a team that snuck into the tournament, should still be dangerous in this Regional, but I'll take NC State over Louisiana Tech.
Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!