Game 6: Texas A&M 15, TCU 9 Updated Monday, June 6th 12:36 AM CT Texas A&M is headed to the Super Regionals! The Aggies had been eliminated by TCU in their last four postseason matchups in the last decade and have finally broken that "curse". This was an electric, back-and-forth game that displayed the best parts of college baseball. Credit to Austin Krob (5.1IP, 2ER, 3H) for shutting down this potent Aggie offense for most of the game. The gutsy junior was the Friday night starter to start the year for the Horned Frogs until an injury shut him down for a while. The bottom of the third saw the most runners for TCU up to that point. A hit by pitch of Sacco and a hard hit single for Brayden Taylor had two runners on, but A&M's not great defense allowed them to advance a bag on the throw. A&M getting out of the bottom of the third only allowing one run was huge. Chris Cortez came in firing up to 98 with the fastball, induced an RBI groundout, and struck out Bobby Goodloe on three straight pitches. The fourth inning saw more poor defense from A&M. Two errors directly led to two runs for TCU. Teams have figured out to just bunt on the Aggies and you'll stress them out. Krob came out in the 5th after that chaos in the 4th and struck out the side, shutting down any hope of an Aggie rally. A&M gutted out two runs in the top of the 6th, the inning in which the Aggies do most of their damage. A Ryan Targac single through the right side brought home Dylan Rock and moved Austin Bost into scoring position for a wild pitch to pull the Aggies within a run. The 7th inning is where things finally opened up for this electric A&M offense. The Aggies quickly got the bases loaded off of a Brett Minnich single, Jordan Thompson screaming double into left, and a Kole Kaler walk. TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos called on the bullpen for Augie Mihlbauer and the slumping Trevor Werner picked a great time to break out of it with an RBI single. And after a Jack Moss RBI sacrifice fly, Dylan Rock did what Dylan Rock does best: Hit bombs. This 418' 3RBI blast off the batter's eye put the Aggies up 7-3. To a standing ovation, Cortez gives way to Joseph Menefee after 3.2 innings of solid work with 2 runs- both unearned- and only one hit. TCU decided they didn't want to roll over easily and answered the very next frame. Sacco hit an RBI single after two walks by Aggie pitching. Then Brayden Taylor snuck a two run blast over the right center field wall to tie the game at 7. The craziness wasn't done there, though. Thompson walked to start the A&M action in the 8th and moved to 2nd on a sac bunt by Kaler, then he flew around third on a single to shallow center by Werner. TCU showed their resilience by responding once more in the bottom of the inning. Tommy Sacco put the Frogs back on top once again with a bomb over the left center field wall. However, a 40-minute top of the 9th that led to 7 runs for the Aggies was finally enough for A&M to break the TCU curse after having been eliminated from so many postseasons over the last decade by the Horned Frogs. Texas A&M will host the winner of the Louisville-Michigan game tomorrow next weekend in College Station. Game 5: TCU 6, Louisiana 1 Updated Sunday, June 5th 5:00 PM CT The matchup we were all waiting for is here! TCU eliminates Louisiana to move onto the regional final to face Texas A&M and their head coach Jim Schlossnagle, whose previous 18-year coaching stint was in Fort Worth for the Horned Frogs. Schlossnagle is the winningest coach in TCU baseball history and in his first year at the helm of the Aggies, he helped turn them into a title contender, winning the SEC West and winning 10 more SEC games than the Aggies won in 2021. The story of this afternoon's game, however, is TCU starter Cam Brown. This was the longest outing of the year for Brown by pitches (114) and innings (8IP), surpassing his previous highs of 95 and 6IP. Kirk Saarloos on Brown's performance: "When you're playing in a loser's bracket game, ... you're going to need special things from players on your team." This special performance by Brown is exactly what TCU needed to have on a warm afternoon in College Station, saving their bullpen in a neat and tidy 3 hour and 8 minute game. Offensively, the Horned Frogs got things going quickly in the 1st inning with this Brayden Taylor 2 run homer deposited into the bleachers in right. This was really all TCU needed, but the Ragin' Cajuns made it interesting in the bottom of that frame, with two singles and a bases loaded walk scored a run. However, Brown shut them down with two strikeouts with the bases still loaded and continued to put up zeroes the rest of the game. The Texas A&M-TCU game will start at 7pm CT at Olsen Field in College Station. I believe TCU will be the home team in this game, due to having been the visiting team fewer times during the tournament than A&M. Game 4: Texas A&M 9, Louisiana 6 Updated Sunday, June 5th 2:35 PM CT The Aggies secure a spot in the regional final. Texas A&M fights off a lethal offensive attack from the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and take a lead late in a warm College Station night. Louisiana is currently playing TCU in an elimination game for the second spot in the regional final. Last night's game started with bubbles all over Olsen Field as the Aggies stormed out to a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first off of five singles. However, Louisiana answered right back with four hits of their own including a two-RBI double from Heath Hood. A&M's starting pitcher and their ace, Nathan Dettmer got unusually roughed up for 9 hits and 6 earned runs over 4.1 IP. Louisiana figured out quickly that A&M's bunt defense leaves a lot to be desired, as they bunted for a single and reached on two Aggie throwing errors from bunts. Louisiana capitalized on a sloppy defensive night for A&M including one error in the bottom of the third and the Cajuns got out to an early lead on a double steal by Hood and Carson Roccaforte in that same inning. A&M had four errors, a balk, and a wild pitch in total. Texas A&M's Jacob Palisch came on to relieve Dettmer and really settled things down, striking out 3 and allowing only four hits over 3 solid innings. The Aggies finally responded in the last three innings, scoring four unanswered runs. Catcher Troy Claunch doubled home Ryan Targac for A&M's first extra base hit and then came home to score on a single by Brett Minnich to even the game. Then Austin Bost blasted this two-RBI bomb into the rec center over the left field wall to give A&M the lead. Texas A&M now awaits the winner of the ongoing TCU-Louisiana game. The next game will be at 7pm CT. Game 3: TCU 3, Oral Roberts 1 Updated Saturday, June 4th 3:30 PM CT TCU staves off elimination for one more game and eliminates Oral Roberts in the process. The Golden Eagles had runners all over the basepaths throughout the game, but couldn't push more than 1 run across. Credit Horned Frog pitching and defense limiting them to 0-7 with RISP and 2-14 with runners on base. ORU manufactured a run in bottom 5th. Two singles and a walk had the bases loaded for the Golden Eagles, and the run came home on a wild pitch to tie the game. Oral Roberts pitcher Isaac Coffey was impressive two times through the TCU lineup. He got pulled however after TCU took the lead in the 6th off of back-to-back solo shots to right and left field. Brayden Taylor deposited the ball well into the right field bleachers and on the very next pitch Kurtis Byrne decided to do the same over the left field wall. Garrett Wright was sharp for 2.2 innings and shut down the Golden Eagles to earn the long save. TCU now awaits the loser of the Texas A&M v. Louisiana game, which takes place at 6pm CT. The Horned Frogs' next game will be at 1pm CT on Sunday. Game 2: Louisiana 7, TCU 6 Updated Friday, June 3rd 11:09 PM CT #3 seed Louisiana knocks off #2 seed TCU to advance to the winners bracket game against host Texas A&M. TCU will face Oral Roberts in an elimination game. The Ragin' Cajuns decided they wanted to reunite their coach Matt Deggs with his former team instead of Schlossnagle with his. Deggs was an assistant coach for Texas A&M from 2006-2010. This game was back and forth throughout and started with some electricity. Will Veillon (2RBI) and Trey Lafleur homered in back-to-back at bats in the 3rd to put Louisiana up 3-0. TCU 3B Brayden Sacco waited a full inning, but brought the Horned Frogs within a run with his two-RBI homer in the 4th inning. The bottom of the 5th inning ended with TCU on top 4-3 on a two-RBI single by catcher Kurtis Byrne, a play that ended the inning as he was thrown out between 1st and 2nd. The Cajuns were trying to get their action going on the basepaths in the 6th with a stolen base and another runner caught stealing. A walk and stolen base by Heath Hood put him in scoring position for an RBI-single into right field by Julian Brock. Then, CJ Willis tripled him home to put Louisiana back on top 5-4. Ragin' Cajun right-hander Bo Bonds (W, 5-3) had the fastball working 91-94 and struck out 7 batters over 4.2 frames, saving some of Louisiana's bullpen, which they'll need to make it out of this regional. Game one tomorrow between 2 seed TCU and 4 seed Oral Roberts will take place at 12pm CT in College Station. Texas A&M and Louisiana will face off at 6pm CT. Game 1: Oral Roberts 2, Texas A&M 8 Updated Friday, June 3rd 5:08 PM CT #1 Texas A&M beats #4 Oral Roberts to move into the winners bracket and face the winner of #2 TCU and #3 Louisiana tomorrow evening at 6pm CT. The second game of the day gets underway at 6pm CT at Olsen Field. ORU will face the loser of tonight's game tomorrow at 12pm CT. After a quiet first inning, Oral Roberts got the scoring going in the 2nd with a Holden Breeze double down the left field line, followed by a bunt single and a throwing error by Aggie starter Micah Dallas off of another bunt scored Breeze. The Aggies got out of that inning with a hard hit ground ball turned into a double play by 3B Trevor Werner. With two outs in the bottom of the frame and a runner on base, Texas A&M took the lead for good. A&M CF Jordan Thompson hit a fly ball that might have normally stayed in the park, but was helped a little by the wind and snuck over the left field wall to put the Aggies on top 2-1. Dallas (W, 6-3) was the story for the Aggies. Even though he didn't have his best stuff today, he settled into a groove towards the end of his 5 innings. He seems to have found his rhythm late in the season after faltering in the middle of SEC play. Through chants of "moo", Joseph "Moo" Menefee came in for Micah Dallas in the 6th and induced a ground out and two strikeouts and continued to stifle the Eagles for 3 innings with 7 Ks. After some tense moments throughout, a big moment appeared in the bottom of the 7th and Austin Bost delivered a 415' bomb over the left field scoreboard, blowing this game open for the Aggies. RBI double deep into the LF corner for ORU's Holden Breeze in the top of the 8th brought in Jackson Loftin from first after a single to make it 6-2. A two-RBI double in the gap for Jack Moss in the bottom of the 8th gives A&M some insurance late and Brad Rudis came on in the 9th to close it out. If the Horned Frogs were to win tonight, tomorrow's game would be the "Schloss Bowl", reuniting A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle with his former team. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

STILLWATER, Okla.- Jake McMahill never had a doubt. As he sat inside the Missouri State dugout in the ninth inning of Saturday’s elimination contest against Grand Canyon, he knew his offense was not done. He also knew his day on the mound was far from over. Comebacks have defined this NCAA Tournament, just two days into regional play. There was LSU’s incredible 10-run rally to down Kennesaw State on Friday night, and Central Michigan’s 12th inning walk-off single earlier today. But Missouri State’s incredible surge over the final two innings of Saturday’s matinee in Stillwater was a sight to behold. The Antelopes of GCU, 12-6 against NCAA Tournament teams entering the weekend, seemed well on their way to victory as the eighth inning rolled around, leading 6-1. The effects of Friday night’s struggle, a 10-5 loss to regional host and Big 12 Tournament champion Oklahoma State, seemed very much in the picture. “Their first pitcher just stifled us,” Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin said Saturday. “We hung in there and had the right guys up and they delivered. Our guys are gritty and they don’t quit.” But suddenly, it all seemed to fade, beginning with a two-run eighth for the Bears. McMahill was lights-out on the mound, having already thrown 2.2 innings. He struck out the first two batters he faced, induced a ground ball out, and put his teammates in the best position possible entering a situation without many alternatives. The Bears needed at least four runs, no less, or their season was effectively over. “I was just trying to stay calm,” McMahill siad. “I knew we were going to get the lead. I just had to keep that same mindset.” Insert Mason Hull. The No. 5 shortstop in the state of Illinois out of high school, Hull is a classic example of what drives mid-majors to incredible heights come tournament time. Overlooked for one reason or another, the senior left the statement moment in a comeback that was only made possible through the efforts of an entire team. With a runner on first and the momentum very much on the side of Missouri State after Spencer Nivens’ three-run homer earlier in the frame, Hull connected on the fastball, driving it deep past the left field wall for a two-run shot—and more importantly, the lead. “I was floating around those bases,” Hull said with a smile postgame. “It felt so good to put us ahead.” It was that 8-7 lead that McMahill protected in a scoreless ninth inning, putting Missouri State into another elimination contest on Sunday at noon against Oklahoma State. Missouri State has been here before. 11 prior trips to the NCAA Tournament to be exact. But very few on this roster have been around long enough to have experienced the tournament before, considering the last time the Bears were playing in June was in 2018. But while few current players may have been part of the roster for that 2018 run, Guttin was there for that one and the previous 10. In fact, he has been at the helm of the Missouri State program since 1983, now in his 40th season. “He’s seen it all” as the cliche phrase goes, including several lasting memories of NCAA Tournament heroics, and still, Saturday’s comeback will not be forgotten easily. “It’s right up there with them,” Guttin said, listing a few other memorable moments in the Missouri State baseball program’s NCAA Tournament history, “with the deficit that we had to come from.” While incredible considering the stage Missouri State was on and how late the comeback began, it did not surprise Guttin. While significant attention is given to the ups and downs of regular season performances amongst “power-conference” programs, the mid-majors, such as Missouri State can easily fly under the radar. And only in June, when 64 teams are left standing before regional play begins, does the attention begin to shift towards many of these smaller-conference teams. The truth is that the highs and lows are just as much a part of everyday life when it comes to the mid-majors. The exceptional postseason performances are a natural result of that adversity formed during the regular season, something Guttin identified as a major driver in his team’s resilience. “I think it’s the same thing we’ve seen all year,” Guttin said when asked what he saw from his team during Saturday’s comeback. “We had our ups and downs in the regular season. It’s a pretty steady group with great player leadership.” That leadership has come from a variety of sources. Some, such as Hull, have been part of the continual building under Guttin to form another NCAA Tournament contender for the last four years. Others, notably McMahill, who transferred in this season from Evansville, and Vanderbilt transfer Will Duff, have taken different roads to becoming part of this 2022 team. Ironically, for Duff, a junior infielder in his first season with the Bears, it took leaving his hometown of Springfield, Missouri, only to realize that it was in Springfield where he fit best. And that was with the Missouri State program, which had recruited him out of high school, and gladly welcomed him following two seasons with the SEC power, where he appeared in 18 games. He did not play consistently there, but found an immediate starting role with the Bears, having played in 45 contests this season, starting all but four of them. “It’s an honor to be on this team,” Duff said Friday. “I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the Bears. I think the environment was very cool to be a part of.” With their backs against the wall, the Bears responded, just as they did in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament less than two weeks ago, defying the odds to survive and advance. It is not often that one finds an NCAA Tournament team that posted a sub-.500 record in conference play, but Missouri State is one of those rare cases. After an 8-13 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Bears played in a single-elimination No. 6 vs. No. 7 seed matchup against Illinois State, opening the conference tournament. They won that one, 9-4, then shocked top-seeded Southern Illinois, 5-1, behind a complete game from Forrest Barnes. Timely performances such as that one began popping up at every turn, and in the blink of an eye, they were in a rematch with SIU. Missouri State dropped the first game, 9-6, forcing a winner-take-all contest late on Sunday afternoon. And after a 13-3 win, it was the sixth-seeded Bears set to represent the MVC, having fought through six games in five days for an opportunity such as the one they have been presented with in Stillwater. The pitching could be a question mark for Missouri State entering Sunday’s contest against the Cowboys, who beat the Bears 5-1 on March 8. Guttin did not name a starter in the postgame press conference on Saturday, but suggested right-hander Ty Buckner could be an option. Whoever ends up on the mound on Sunday, Missouri State is entering the contest with plenty of confidence, and their season on the line. As they have proven for two weeks straight, that situation makes the Bears awfully dangerous, regardless of the opponent. “This is one of the reasons I came here,” Hull said, “to play in the postseason.” “We’re glad you did,” Guttin responded quickly. And for good reason. The homer itself was memorable. But what it stands for, keeping the Bears’ season alive, is precisely what gives it its value. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The 2022 NCAA Tournament is well underway with a lot of surprises and great performances. We’ll break it all down from days one and two. LSU with a pair of comebacks The Tigers looked dead against Kennesaw St on Friday down 11-4 going into the bottom of the eighth, but then the bats exploded for a 10-run inning. They were down 6-2 against host Southern Miss on Saturday before scoring 4 in the 9th to tie it, and then they walked it off in the 10th. Host teams take some hits on Saturday After a lot of chalk on Friday, we started to see a lot of host seeds take some surprising losses on Saturday. LSU over Southern Miss was one. UConn took down Maryland, holding that offense to just 4 runs after the Terps had scored 23 on Friday. Michigan had a huge win over Louisville scoring 3 in third, 2 in the fourth, and 2 in the fifth and then held on for a 7-3 win. Oklahoma is one of the hottest teams on the planet and proved that with a 9-4 win over Florida. Peyton Graham had a home run for the Sooners. Speaking of teams who are hot, VCU has won 17 in a row with an upset over North Carolina who has been on fire themselves. The Tar Heels almost came back scoring 1 in the eighth and 2 in the ninth, but came up short in the 4-3 loss. Because of bad weather, host Georgia Southern had to play two games on Saturday. Ty Fisher pitched a complete game shutout in their first game – a win over UNCG. But they came up just short against Notre Dame that night falling 6-4. Stanford, winners of 17 straight games, saw their streak come to an end at the hand of Texas State in a 5-2 loss. They’ll face UC Santa Barbara in the losers’ bracket. Oklahoma State Falls Apart in Loss to Arkansas Another host that went down was Oklahoma St. in one of the crazier games of the weekend. The Pokes were up 10-5 going into the 7th. Then Arkansas scored 3 runs to cut into the deficit. But it was the 8th inning where the wheels really fell off for Oklahoma St. The inning started with a weak single up the middle, then it went hit by pitch, hit by pitch, strikeout, walk, walk, hit by pitch, walk, and then Jalen Battles hit a grand slam. The Hogs would be up a four-spot in the ninth as well and finish with a 20-12 victory. Runs galore in the NCAA Tournament Offense has been up around college baseball this year, specifically with the long ball. Fourteen teams scored double-digits on Friday, and as of this writing there have been 16 teams that scored double-digit runs on Saturday. A lot of it is coming from some big innings. Arkansa had the 8-run eighth against Oklahoma State, LSU scored 10 in an inning against Kennesaw St., and Georgia scored 13 in an inning against Hofstra. With all these great offenses, it may come down to the teams who have the depth at pitching to get through the grind of regionals. Top seeds taking care of business Tennessee, Oregon State, and Virginia Tech have looked strong; although, the Beavers needed extra-innings to get past New Mexico State on Friday. Texas A&M and Miami had to work to get by Louisiana and Canisius respectively (the Hurricanes were playing their day 1 game on Saturday because of weather). East Carolina had a tough test against Virginia but escaped with a 4-2 win to advance to the regional finals. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With the first two days and four games in the books, it is a good time to recap where things stand in the NCAA Austin Regional and preview what lies ahead for the next day or two. Friday offered little drama in either of the games as Texas stopped Air Force 11-3 and Louisiana Tech defeated Dallas Baptist 12-5. Texas and Air Force opened this Regional and the two teams combined for fourteen runs, none of which came via the long ball. Skyler Messinger was 4-for-5 against Air Force and had a one RBI single in the third inning and a two RBI single in the fifth inning to lead the way for the Longhorns. Austin Todd also drove in three runs for Texas, two of which came in the eighth when the game was already put away, Pete Hansen pitched 6 2/3 innings for the Longhorns and he was never in danger. Hansen improved to 11-1 on the year with the victory. In the evening game, Louisiana Tech took on Dallas Baptist in their home state and moved into the winner bracket with a 12-5 win. Dallas Baptist took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Philip Matilia hit a two-run home run, the first of seven runs the Bulldogs would score before the Patriots scored again. The Patriots made it a 7-4 game in the top of the sixth inning. Having hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, Jorge Corona batted with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Corona launched a catchable ball into the sky in center field, but the Dallas Baptist center fielder lost track of the ball as it fell behind him near the wall. The Bulldogs catcher turned on the jets and raced around the bases and made it to home plate easily to complete the rare inside-the-park grand slam and Louisiana Tech led 11-4. Left-hander Jonathan Fincher pitched five innings for the Bulldogs and improved to 8-2 with the win. Greg Martinez handled the final 3 2/3 innings of work and picked up the same for his effort. After the Friday win, Louisiana Tech head coach Lane Burroughs was able to properly frame the expectations and the hype for their Saturday with the Longhorns. "I just told our guys, this is why you play college baseball," Burroughs said. "Texas right now is just like us: trying to get to a Super (Regional), trying to get to Omaha." Saturday opened with a losers bracket contest between Air Force and Dallas Baptist with both teams facing elimination. Leading 1-0 in the third inning, Sam Kulasingam hit a solo home run to right field for Air Force. That was followed by a two-run home run by Friday's starting pitcher Paul Skenes (2-for3), all part of a four-run frame as the Falcons took a 5-0 lead. Doyle Gehring was in control on the mound for Air Force. Gehring tossed seven innings and allowed just three hits while striking out seven batters. The only run for Dallas Baptist came in the seventh inning on a Luke Heefner sacrifice fly, otherwise the Patriots offense had no answers for Air Force pitching. CJ Dornak handled the final two innings in relief of Gehring and did not allow a hit or a run as he retired all six batters he faced. Dallas Baptist became the first team eliminated from the Austin Regional with the 5-1 loss. Saturday's evening matchup between Louisiana Tech and Texas was a close battle most of the way, with the Longhorns prevailing late to remain undefeated in their home Regional. Dylan Campbell hit a home run in the bottom of the second to give Texas the early 1-0 lead. Texas starter Lucas Gordon took the game into the sixth inning before giving way to Tristan Steven in his relatively new role out of the bullpen for the Longhorns. The game was tied at one going into the bottom of the seventh inning when Texas got to the Bulldogs bullpen for five consecutive singles before a double by Messinger made it six straight hits. Texas scored three runs in the inning to take a late 4-1 lead. The two teams exchanged runs in the eighth inning but Stevens closed out the 5-2 victory in the ninth inning. Stevens struck out five Bulldogs of the eleven outs he recorded. After the game, Stevens was emotional about his effort and about his team. “To be able to get those final three outs and get our team one game closer to Omaha,” Stevens said, “it means the world to me.” Texas head coach David Pierce likes where his team is as he looked ahead to Sunday night, but he knows Air Force and Louisiana Tech have to settle matters first on Sunday. “It wouldn’t bother me if they stay out here for about eighteen innings and then we play at seven,” Pierce said after the win. Louisiana Tech will face Air Force at 1 PM CT on Sunday, both teams face elimination with a loss. The winner returns at 7 PM Sunday to face Texas. The Longhorns need one win over the next two games to advance to their second straight Super Regional. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The Conference USA baseball tournament is underway in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and multiple teams are here with not only the goal to increase their NCAA Tournament resumes, but simply extend their seasons. The best way to avoid sweating out Selection Monday is to win the conference tournament, which is precisely what a number of challengers are seeking to do on the home field of Southern Miss. Championship Game: Louisiana Tech, 9, UTSA, 8 When the 2022 C-USA Tournament is looked back on, the shining storyline will be Louisiana Tech’s incredible walk-off wins. The Bulldogs fought off elimination on Saturday night in a 8-7 victory over Old Dominion to advance to Sunday’s championship game, and less than 24 hours later, won the C-USA title in the same dramatic fashion. With two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, Louisiana Tech’s Steele Netterville dug in, put in the position many only dream of, just needing a base hit to send his team to the NCAA Tournament. Entering the at-bat, the right fielder was hitting .316 with runners on base, and appeared calm as he stared into UTSA reliever Braylon Owens’ gaze. With a 2-2 count, the at-bat nearly ended when Owens stepped off the pitching rubber with the wrong foot, but the perceived balk was not called. As it turned out, it did not matter, as Netterville took the next pitch down the right field line, past the first base bag, scoring pinch runner Riggs Easterling easily from third. As soon as the ball traveled into the outfield, and Easterling crossed the plate, a sea of red jerseys sprinted from the dugout into center field, embracing their first C-USA Tournament title, and first conference championship since winning the Southland Conference in 1987. It was an incredible turn of events that played in the favor of the Bulldogs, who entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 5-3. UTSA’s lead dissolved quickly, as Netterville’s first RBI double of the day, this one down the left field line, scored Taylor Young and Wade Elliott, tying the score. A sacrifice fly two batters later from Jorge Corona put Louisiana Tech in the lead, but the Roadrunners, one of the league’s best hitting teams, countered with a pair of their own in the seventh. By the time the Roadrunners stepped to the plate in the ninth, the margin was a single run, with Louisiana Tech up 8-7. But fifth-seeded UTSA did not shrink in the critical moment, as Ryan Flores swatted a home run on the first pitch of the inning, knotting the score at eight apiece. As Louisiana Tech head coach Lane Burroughs said postgame of the home run, the home run just set up a life-lasting moment of fame for Netterville, a walk-on, who coincidentally drove in a fellow walk-on in Easterling. “He’ll live with this forever,” Burroughs said on the postgame radio show. “It’s one of those things he’ll take with him until his last breath. I’m so proud of him.” Prior to the contest, Burroughs said on SportsTalk977 that it would be “all hands on deck” when it came to the Bulldogs’ pitching. Jarret Whorff started the game, firing three innings, scattering three earned runs, before Cade Gibson, who started Thursday’s win over Old Dominion, came in for the next two frames. Beginning in the sixth, Landon Tomkins Tomkins, Ryan Harland, Ryan Jennings and Kyle Crigger each completed an inning, keeping Louisiana Tech in the fight. Crigger, who pitched in all five games, picked up his second straight win. The Bulldogs, now guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament, will eagerly anticipate the news of where they will be sent for regional play. That announcement is set to come on Monday morning at 11 a.m. CT. “I can’t wait to see where they’re sending us, that’s the fun part,” Burroughs said. Young earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, with a 9-for-18 stat line over the final four games, scoring four runs along with three RBIs. UTSA is in position for an at-large bid, but the Roadrunners will not know their postseason fate for sure until Monday’s selection show. Game 13: Louisiana Tech, 8, Old Dominion, 7 Updated Sunday May 29, 8:19 a.m. CT Old Dominion held a one-run lead, but Louisiana Tech was very much in the driver’s seat, hitting with a bases-loaded, no outs situation. Pinch hitter Walker Burchfield stepped to the plate with one out, and swung at the first pitch he saw. He lifted the ball into shallow left field, but all three baserunners were moving as the ball traveled past the infield. Everything played out in the blink of an eye, as ODU left fielder Andy Garriola scooped up the ball and fired it home, hoping to prevent the walk-off run from crossing the plate. He nearly did too, but the throw was slightly off the mark and catcher Brock Gagliardi was unable to pull it in, as Louisiana Tech’s Cole McConnell slid across the plate with every Bulldog from the dugout sprinting onto the field in jubilation. The stark contrast of emotions was evident, as Louisiana Tech dogpiled near the first base bag, while Gagliardi dropped to his hands in disbelief, with his teammates exuding the same reaction. Louisiana Tech may have dropped a 13-inning thriller early on Saturday, but underneath the lights of Pete Taylor Park hours later, the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the C-USA championship game in dramatic fashion, winning 8-7. They will play UTSA at 1 p.m. Much like the morning’s duel between the opponents, it was a balanced contest that saw each side find success offensively, while a chess match of sorts ensued for the respective pitching coaches, who dealt with limited depth, but needed quality on the mound in this elimination situation. Louisiana Tech took a 2-0 lead in the first, but ODU countered in a four-run fourth, taking its first lead of the game. A pair of runs in the bottom of the frame for the Bulldogs tied the score, with Adarius Myers’ sacrifice fly one inning later putting the lead back in the hands of Louisiana Tech. Entering the ninth, Louisiana Tech led 6-5, but Gagliardi swatted a two-run homer deep to right-center field, putting the pressure on Louisiana Tech, as ODU led 7-6. Of course, that lead did not stand for long, as the Monarchs recorded just one out before the walk-off single gave Louisiana Tech the victory. ODU went deep into the bullpen, using seven pitchers, while Louisiana Tech relied on the tireless arms of Jonathan Fincher and Kyle Crigger, who both pitched in the Bulldogs first game of the tournament, a 4-0 win over Charlotte. Louisiana Tech was led offensively by the play of leadoff hitter Taylor Young, who went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. The “Diamond Dogs” ran the table last season and reached the C-USA title game before falling to ODU in extra innings. The matchup is no easier this time, but with a walk-off victory propelling Louisiana Tech into Sunday, it will be hard to stop this ballclub. Game 12: UTSA, 11, Southern Miss, 2 Updated Saturday May 28, 8:19 p.m. CT It was 4-0 in favor of UTSA. But the momentum appeared to be fast approaching in the direction of Southern Miss. The tournament’s No. 1 seed and host, the Golden Eagles were fighting elimination, playing in front of their home crowd, and after being shutout for six innings, had broken through with a pair of runs in the seventh. A half inning later however, and the script read completely different. The Roadrunners of UTSA answered Southern Miss’ charge with an offensive onslaught, scoring six runs while the Golden Eagles struggled to tally even a single out. After Chase Keng flied out in the inning’s first at-bat, UTSA’s spark ignited on Garrett Poston’s base hit, which followed a walk to Ian Bailey. Matt King then singled to left field, driving in Bailey, and the scoring was on. Four straight hits followed, three of which brought runners across the plate, as Southern Miss made two pitching changes before the inning-ending lineout double play. A Jonathan Tapia RBI double highlighted the inning, with King and Poston both scoring. Poston came around easily from second on the hit down the left field line, and King sprinted with everything he had from first. He was nearly out too, if not for a headfirst slide that narrowly beat the throw and ensuing tag for a 7-2 lead. The 11-2 victory for UTSA puts the Roadrunners, now 3-0 in tournament play, into the C-USA Championship game at 1 p.m. CT tomorrow. UTSA will face the winner of tonight’s meeting between Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech, playing in the title game for the first time since 2014. The victory was as much a confidence-booster as a strategic win, with UTSA able to save pitching arms for Sunday’s C-USA Championship game, while Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech will be forced to use quality arms tonight in a must-win situation. Hitting with strength and balance throughout the lineup, seven in the UTSA lineup hit above .300 in the contest, led by Poston, who was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Shane Sirdashney drove in a team-high three runs in the contest, clearing the bases in a triple that capped the seventh-inning explosion. Ryan Ward started the game for UTSA, but much like the Roadrunners’ victory over Florida Atlantic on Thursday morning, it was the reliever who gained more attention. Daniel Garza entered the game in the second and completed the next eight innings, striking out four with seven hits on three walks. For Southern Miss, the loss is the second in two days to UTSA, as the Golden Eagles fell 7-6 on Friday morning. It also ends their C-USA Tournament run, though Southern Miss is a lock for an at-large bid. And UTSA for that matter, is almost certainly qualified for an at-large berth, depending on the result of Sunday’s championship duel. The C-USA may be overlooked when stacked up against the SECs and Big 12s of the world, but this tournament has proven what makes postseason baseball in a conference with this amount of parity so exciting: anything can happen on any given day. UTSA is the fifth seed in Hattiesburg, but enters the championship game as the only team in the tournament without a loss. Game 11: Old Dominion, 9, Louisiana Tech, 6 (13 innings) Updated Saturday May 28, 4:19 p.m. CT Fighting elimination, Old Dominion had one chance to keep its C-USA Tournament run alive. And the Monarchs fought with everything they had for that goal, battling Louisiana Tech for 13 innings before emerging with a 9-6 victory. It forces a rematch between the two at 4 p.m. today, with a spot in the championship game on the line. The contest began at 9 a.m., and spanned four hours and 41 minutes, with neither team giving in to the point of defeat. ODU opened the game with a two-run first, before Louisiana Tech cut into the advantage on Steele Netterville’s solo homer in the bottom of the inning. The Monarch lead was widened to as many as five runs by the third inning, a 6-1 advantage on Kenny Levari’s two-run home run over the center field wall. But the Bulldogs had a power-hitting show of their own in the bottom of the frame, as Phillip Matulia’s two-run homer cut the ODU lead in half, before a fielder’s choice made it 6-4. Louisiana Tech tied it at six when it opened the eighth with a homer from Taylor Young. Relief pitching took over from that point, with zeros put on the scoreboard for the next four innings, until the 13th, when ODU exploded in a three-run outburst. Three singles in the first four at-bats of the inning were a telling sign of what was to come, as Andy Garriola gave the Monarchs a 7-6 lead on his RBI base hit through the right side. With one out, Louisiana Tech opted for a strategic move, intentionally walking Brock Gagliardi to load the bases, hoping for a double play. But it did not help any, as Ryan Teschko brought two more runs home on yet another single. Matulia singled in the bottom of the inning for Louisiana Tech, but it was the only offense the Bulldogs produced, as Jason Hartline tallied three quick outs for the extra-innings victory. ODU used nine pitchers in the contest, keeping Louisiana Tech on its toes at the plate. Hartline picked up the win, throwing the most of any Monarch pitcher, with 3.2 innings of scoreless work and just two hits allowed. Game 10: Southern Miss 5, Florida Atlantic 0 Updated Friday May 27, 11:19 p.m. CT The lights flashed. A train whistle blew. And the crowd rose to its feet and cheered. Playing in front of its home fans, Southern Miss grabbed the lead and maintained it with an exceptional bullpen performance, keeping the Golden Eagles in the fight for the C-USA Tournament title with a 5-0 shutout of Florida Atlantic. In a game-ending play, Southern Miss shortstop Dustin Dickerson cleanly fielded a bouncing ground ball behind the second base bag, flipping it underhand mid-stride to second baseman Will McGillis, who recorded the force out and punched the Golden Eagles’ ticket to a rematch with UTSA at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. Southern Miss will need to defeat the Roadrunners twice on Saturday afternoon in order to reach the tournament’s championship game. FAU, meanwhile, is eliminated from the postseason. For the first six innings, neither squad scored, as pitching took center stage. Hunter Riggins started for Southern Miss, and brought his best to the mound, striking out seven in 7.1 innings. He allowed five hits and three walks, but did not surrender a run as FAU was shutout for just the second time this season. For the Owls, Jacob Josey was equally strong for the first six innings, holding a powerful Southern Miss lineup to just three hits. But he ran into trouble in the seventh, beginning with Danny Lynch’s one-out double to left field. Rodrigo Montenegro’s base hit two batters later brought Lynch across the plate for the Golden Eagles’ first lead, and his older brother, Gabe Montenegro, drew a four-pitch walk in the next at-bat. In a pivotal moment with the bases loaded, FAU’s Robert Wegielnik was called from the bullpen, needing only one out to end the inning. Instead, he fired three straight balls, walking Dickerson and bringing across Southern Miss’ second run. In the eighth, it was Lynch again with a double, this time driving in Christopher Sargent for a 3-0 lead. He, along with McGillis, came across the plate on Carson Paetow’s double to center field, widening the margin to five runs. The lead was safe in the hands of reliever Dalton Rogers, who primarily used his mid-90s fastball and fanned three batters without allowing a hit in 2.1 innings of spectacular work. The save was his sixth of the year. Game 9: Old Dominion 13, Charlotte 4 Updated Friday May 27, 7:59 p.m. CT No. 3 seed Old Dominion buried itself in a 3-0 hole early, but the Monarchs fought back, recovering to down Charlotte in an elimination contest as the sun set on Friday afternoon. The 13-4 win was a step in the right direction for ODU, who struggled in a 7-2 loss at the hands of Louisiana Tech on Thursday evening. They earn a rematch with Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Niners of Charlotte, the seventh seed, opened the game in this order: double, double, home run, as they gained a 3-0 lead before the first out was even recorded. The two-run homer from Jack Dragum was only the beginning of an exceptional 3-for-4 performance at the plate for the junior third baseman, who accounted for three of Charlotte’s four RBIs. ODU also scored that first inning, when Brock Gagliardi took a two-out, 2-2 pitch up the middle, scoring Thomas Wheeler from second. Wheeler was hitless from the leadoff spot, but scored three runs. A six-run fourth was the point at which the scales tipped in favor of ODU, as the Monarchs gained a 7-4 advantage. They recorded just three hits, but were assisted by three walks, all of which came on counts with fewer than two strikes. Incredibly, ODU went the entire inning with two outs, as Charlotte starter Hale Sims threw just six pitches while tallying the inning’s first two outs. But he soon ran into trouble, walking Chris Dengler on four straight pitches, before giving up a single and another walk. Reliever Tony Rossi did not fare much better, surrendering home runs to both Carter Trice and Andy Garriola, and was lifted before he could record a single out. ODU held onto the victory from that point forward, using a combined seven innings of relief pitching from the trio of Jacob Gomez, Jason Hartline, and Noah Dean. Gomez picked up the win, his fifth of the year, striking out five over 4.0 innings. Game 8: UTSA 7, Southern Miss 6 Updated Friday May 27, 5:29 p.m. CT UTSA went to Hattiesburg as a major bubble team. But as the days have progressed, the Roadrunners are trending more and more in the direction of a lock. Because not even top-seeded Southern Miss, playing on its home turf, stopped UTSA on Friday morning, as the Roadrunners moved to a perfect 2-0 in the C-USA Tournament. The 7-6 victory for the Roadrunners was a thriller, decided in the ninth inning on a go-ahead solo home run off the bat of Ryan Flores. Flores’ 12th homer of the year was the difference, breaking a 6-6 tie before Simon Miller worked his magic on the mound. He walked just one batter in the bottom of the final inning, inducing a groundout from Southern Miss power hitter Slade Wilks that ended the game. The opponents traded runs in the early innings, each putting two on the board in the third. It seemed the Golden Eagles would pull away in the sixth, when they countered a single run from UTSA with three of their own in the bottom of the frame. The 5-3 lead was the largest of the day for either team , with Wilks driving in Christophe Sargent on a one-out single to left field. But UTSA added two just a half-inning later, knotting the score once again on Josh Killeen’s RBI single up the middle. Killeen, along with Jonathan Tapia, Leyton Barry, Flores, and Matt King, had two hits on the day, as Southern Miss went through four pitchers, trying to find some consistency on the mound. Landon Harper, who was tagged with the loss, threw just one inning, recording a groundout to open the ninth, before giving up the decisive homer to Flores. Southern Miss has a quick turnaround, fighting to stay alive another day in the tournament, in a 5 p.m. showdown against Florida Atlantic today. UTSA plays next on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined. Game 7: Florida Atlantic 11, UAB 1 Updated Thursday May 26, 11:29 p.m. CT Faced with the difficult prospect of playing twice in one day, Florida Atlantic embraced the situation. The Owls fought elimination in Thursday’s nightcap, and took down UAB by a score of 11-1, clinching their spot in Friday’s 5 p.m. contest against an opponent to be determined. FAU dropped a two-run duel to fifth-seeded UTSA to open the day, but against the eighth-seeded Blazers, the Owls played as if their season depended on it…because it did. Despite being the tournament’s fourth-seed, FAU’s road to the NCAA Tournament lies in the automatic berth granted by winning the C-USA Tournament, not in an at-large bid. The Owls opened the game with a three-run first inning, due to Mitchell Hartigan’s bases-clearing, two-out double. A pair of homers in the fourth inning from Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Nolan Schanuel widened the margin, as FAU pulled away, scoring four in the inning. The signs of FAU’s likelihood for victory became more noticeable as the game progressed. Things went the Owls’ way in a number of crucial moments, such as Schanuel’s bases-loaded walk on a 3-2 count with two outs in the fifth. Tyler Burnham continued a stellar season for the Owls, moving to 7-1, in a solid start that spanned 6.0 innings. He gave up just one run, and struck out eight, before Sam Drumheller closed out the run-rule victory with a scoreless seventh. With FAU’s run-rule win, three of the tournament’s first seven games have ended after seven innings. UAB closes its season with a 31-25 overall record, having scored its lone run in the fifth inning on John Marc Mullins’ sacrifice fly to center field. Game Six: Louisiana Tech 7, Old Dominion 2 Updated Thursday May 26, 10:23 p.m. CT Win No. 40 on the year for Louisiana Tech came in an extra-special way on Thursday afternoon. Fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs certainly aided their chances, following up Wednesday’s shutout win over Charlotte with a 7-2 victory against No. 3-seeded Old Dominion. Once Ryan Jennings went to work, it seemed very little would stop him. The Louisiana Tech starter turned in a near-perfect showing on the mound, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and allowed just two hits and a pair of walks in 7.0 scoreless frames. He opened the contest with a strikeout, before walking the next batters. From that point on, he sat down eight consecutive ODU batters, while the Bulldog lineup assembled a lead. Two hits, a walk, and two hit-by-pitches produced a three-run second inning for Louisiana Tech’s first lead of the game. They did not look back, adding an insurance run one inning later on Jorge Corona’s RBI ground-rule double. ODU finally pushed its first runs across in the ninth on Andy Garriola’s two-run homer, but by that point, it was too late. Louisiana Tech’s Adarius Myers, after hitting two home runs in Wednesday’s win, swatted a pair of doubles in Thursday’s contest, one of just two players in the lineup with a multi-hit performance. Leadoff hitter Taylor Jones was the other, batting 3-for-5, as part of an 11-hit day for the Bulldogs. Game Five: Charlotte 22, Middle Tennessee 0 In the first elimination game of the tournament, Charlotte left nothing to chance. Coming off a defeat at the hands of Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, the Niners were strong at the plate, drubbing Middle Tennessee 22-0. It marked the largest margin of victory in C-USA tournament history, surpassing Rice’s 21-run win over Houston in the 2010 edition of the event. With the win, Charlotte’s season remains alive, as the Niners will face Old Dominion on Friday at 1:30 p.m., while the Blue Raiders are sent home with a 29-25 record for the 2022 campaign. Charlotte made its presence known early and often, pushing across eight in the first inning alone. Middle Tennessee starter Peyton Wigginton made it through just 0.2 of an inning before being pulled, having allowed seven runs on four hits. The Blue Raiders used five more pitchers in the contest, each looking for some sort of success against Charlotte’s powerful lineup. Just one, Jalen Wirtz, made it through more than two innings. On the other hand, Charlotte’s pitching staff was exceptional in the shutout, paced by starter Collin Kramer, who allowed just four hits without a single walk through five innings on the mound. That was along with five strikeouts before Cameron Hansen and Paxton Thompson each fired a scoreless inning of relief to close the seven-inning game. Charlotte swatted five home runs as a team, two of which came off the bat of Jack Dragum, who had five RBIs in a 3-for-5 performance. He, along with Cam Fisher, each scored four runs in the lopsided victory. Game 4: UTSA 6, Florida Atlantic 4 Updated Thursday May 26, 1:23 p.m. CT Luke Malone could not be stopped. Entering Thursday morning’s duel between Malone’s fourth-seeded UTSA Roadrunners and No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic, the longest outing of his season had been eight innings. He went a complete nine against FAU. And it was in large part due to his performance on the mound that UTSA emerged with a 6-4 victory, earning a spot in Friday’s matchup against top-seeded Southern Miss. Malone had started 11 games for the Roadrunners this season, but on this particular morning was called out of the bullpen before the contest was even 10 minutes old. UTSA starter Braylon Owens walked the first two batters he faced, and was then lifted for Malone, who limited the damage and pulled UTSA out of the inning down just 2-0. Both runs were charged to Owens’ stat line, as Malone gave up just one hit. He went the distance, holding the Owl lineup at bay, scattering two runs across the next eight innings, including six hits and a single walk. The victory was Malone’s ninth of the year, which leads C-USA. After FAU took its 2-0 lead in the first, UTSA countered with a run in both the second and fourth innings, the latter of which, a Chase Keng solo homer, tied the score. The Owls regained the lead in the top of the fifth, when Shane Magrann lifted a home run past the right-center field wall, but it did not last long. Back-to-back RBI singles from Ian Bailey and Garrett Poston gave UTSA a 4-3 advantage in the sixth. While FAU did tie it once more, a two-run eighth put the game into UTSA’s control. Malone protected the lead, striking out two of the final three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning. FAU faces UAB in an elimination game tonight at 7:30 p.m. Game 3: Southern Miss 4, UAB 3 Updated Thursday, May 26, 12:55 a.m. CT Southern Miss has gotten used to playing late into the night for its first game of the C-USA Tournament. A year ago, the Golden Eagles’ opened the postseason at 12:15 a.m. On Wednesday night, it was not nearly as late, but due to threatening storms in the area, the contest did not begin until nearly five hours after the previously scheduled start time of 4 p.m. Southern Miss did not seem affected. The Golden Eagles made history in fact, winning 4-3 in a competitive duel with eighth-seeded UAB. The league’s regular season champions, Southern Miss entered as the No. 1 seed, and is now the only team in C-USA history to play in every single conference tournament since its inception in 1996. And to add to that, the Golden Eagles have also notched a victory in each one of those 26 appearances. Pete Taylor Park was abuzz with a large crowd despite the 9:19 p.m. first pitch, and it was treated to a thriller, with Southern Miss delivering the final blow in the form of Slade Wilks’ solo homer to right field in the fifth. UAB struck first, pushing Caleb Floyd across the plate in the top of the second on a costly throwing error charged to Southern Miss third baseman Danny Lynch. But the Golden Eagles countered the Blazers’ early run that same inning, when Wilks hit a sharp single to shortstop. The throw to first base was off the mark, allowing Wilks to move to second, and more importantly, Christopher Sargent to score. The Blazers regained the advantage as momentum swung like a pendulum late on this May evening, with Christian Hall sending a home run past the left field wall for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. True to form, Southern Miss issued a quick response, tying the score on a sacrifice fly before taking its first advantage on a balk that sent Carson Paetow easily across the plate. UAB’s error in the second and the balk in the fourth were major difference-makers in a contest that was truly either team’s game until the final out, a swinging strikeout from Southern Miss reliever Landon Harper, was recorded. UAB tied it at three apiece in the fifth on a Josh Sears solo home run, but Wilks’ homer put the Golden Eagles in front for good. Dalton Rogers and Harper combined for 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, not allowing a single hit, and striking out five. They were put in good position by starter Tanner Hall, who fanned 10 batters in 6.1 innings of work, with two earned runs on six hits. Game 2: Louisiana Tech 4, Charlotte 0 Updated Wednesday, May 25, 10:19 p.m. CT Rain delayed the tournament for the better part of the afternoon, but by 6:45 p.m., Louisiana Tech and Charlotte were able to take the field, contesting game two in another relatively one-sided affair. The second-seeded Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech shutout No. 7 seed Charlotte, 4-0, picking up right where they had left off in a rematch of both teams’ final regular season series. Last weekend, the Bulldogs dropped the series opener, 11-3, but came back to take the next two, including a 14-5 run-rule victory in the series finale. Louisiana Tech got going early, finding the same rhythm that they had just four days prior in Charlotte, North Carolina, scoring all four of its runs in the first inning. After Bulldog starter Cade Gibson struck out the final two Charlotte batters in the top of the frame, the bats went to work. Before the first out was recorded, Louisiana Tech led 2-0. A fielding error allowed Taylor Young to reach first in Louisiana Tech’s first at-bat of the frame, and Philip Matulia promptly followed with a double into the left-center field gap, scoring Young for an early advantage. Another error put runners on the corners before Cole McConnell’s RBI groundout made it 2-0. Adarius Myers cleared the bases one batter later, with a two-run homer to left-center field for the 4-0 lead. Gibson protected it through five innings, allowing just three hits without a single walk, while striking out seven. He picked up the win, his sixth of the year, while Jonathan Fincher and Kyle Crigger were exceptional in relief, with four additional scoreless innings, as just four Charlotte batters reached base. Interestingly enough, both teams had six hits apiece in the contest. But it was Louisiana Tech who took advantage of its early opportunity. Myers finished with half of his team’s hit total, going 3-for-4. Louisiana Tech faces Old Dominion at 4 p.m. tomorrow in a revised schedule, while Charlotte plays Middle Tennessee in an elimination game, now at 12:30 p.m. Game 1: Old Dominion, 18, Middle Tennessee, 7 Updated Wednesday, May 25, 12:08 p.m. CT Entering the C-USA Tournament on Wednesday morning, Old Dominion began a quest to defend its 2021 conference tournament title. Not even an early 9 a.m. start could stop the Monarchs from overmatching Middle Tennessee, as the bats caught fire and powered ODU to an 18-7 run-rule win that ended after seven innings. It puts third-seeded ODU into a winner’s bracket game on Thursday at 12:30 PM against the winner of today’s meeting between No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech and No. 7 seed Charlotte. Middle Tennessee faces the loser of that contest in an elimination game Thursday at 9 AM. A four-run first inning was the only lead ODU needed, as Middle Tennessee starter Trent Seibert picked up the loss for the second straight game. He made it just one inning in his final appearance of the regular season, allowing three earned runs against Southern Miss in a relief role. On Wednesday, ODU’s lineup recorded 10 runs, seven of which were earned, on eight hits and four walks over the 3.2 innings that Seibert was on the mound. Things did not get much better when Zach Keenan was brought in from the bullpen, as the Monarchs continued to roll, scoring eight runs off of him. But just four of those were earned, as three errors against Middle Tennessee kept ODU at the plate. The sixth inning was one of two seven-run frames for the Monarchs. Matt Coutney took the first pitch of the inning past the left field wall for a homer. Middle Tennessee tallied a popout but then walked the following batter. The second out of the inning seemed sure to come when Kenny Levari, who also had a three-run homer, hit a ground ball to the right side that was easily fielded and thrown to second in an attempt to nab the leading runner, advancing from first. But the throw sailed high and into left field, allowing both runners to move into scoring position. Chris Dengler seized the opportunity, swatting a three-run home run deep to left field that broke the game wide open, 15-6. It was his second homer of the day. Heavy rain began falling along with the wind already present in the area, and it only aided ODU’s sixth-inning outburst. The Monarchs batted around, with Coutney driving in the 18th run of the game on a single up the middle. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament begins today, so take a look at the top 50 teams still in the running for the CWS Title. Tennessee stays at No. 1 for the tenth straight week; the Vols swept their way through the SEC Tournament to earn the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The ACC and SEC lead all conferences with 9 ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 and Pac-12 (5), and Sun Belt (4). See the full top 50 below: Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

John’s (@johnny_omaha_) Eight for Omaha No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Oregon State, No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 6 Miami, No. 7 Oklahoma State, Virginia Now that I type it out, I sure went with a lot of chalk. The bracket is a little lopsided in terms of which Regionals are toughest. Tennessee, Stanford, and Virginia Tech have some of the toughest two and/or three seeds but are also three of the four top seeds. I do like Virginia to expose ECU's lack of offense and then push past Texas. Omaha Sleeper Pick Give me Gonzaga. The Zags have one of the best pitching staffs in the country, led by likely first rounder Gabriel Hughes. Their first round matchup against Columbia won't be a cakewalk, but there are certainly tougher three seeds in the draw. If Gonzaga can muster a little offense, they will be very dangerous in a Regional and would likely be favored in a Super Regional. Championship Series Pick I'm taking Tennessee. Yes it's been since Miami in 1999 that a No. 1 overall seed won the national championship, but if anyone can break that curse, it's Tennessee. It's really difficult to poke any holes in the Volunteers. Their offense is deep and powerful, and their pitching staff is loaded with sub 4.00 ERA arms. Perhaps their ability to stop the run game is their biggest blemish. If Stanford can survive their challenging Regional (with Texas State and UC Santa Barbara), then I like the Cardinal's chances of making it to Omaha and the championship series. Vols in two. Kyle’s (@kylemckelv) Eight for Omaha No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Oregon State, No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Southern Miss, Virginia I really don't think Omaha will have this much chalk, but it's so hard to pick against the top 8 seeds on their home fields. I agree with what John said about Virginia, but I also have Southern Miss and their deep pitching staff taking them to Omaha over a powerful LSU team and Miami in the Supers. Omaha Sleeper Pick UConn is a fun team that could make a run to Omaha. Starters Austin Peterson and Pat Gallagher set up the Huskies to possibly take down host Maryland in that regional. Their first round matchup with Wake Forest might be their biggest impediment because that offense is electric, but putting the Demon Deacons in the loser's bracket could help propel the Huskies to the CWS. Championship Series Pick I'm not sure how many more superlatives need to be said about this Tennessee team. They're the most likely team to win the whole thing. I picked them to beat Stanford in the final for the first 1 seed vs 2 seed final since that 1999 Tournament that Miami won as the #1 overall seed. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Selection Monday is almost here, but before then, we have another field of 64 projection. The ACC leads all conferences with 10 teams in the projected Field of 64 followed by the SEC (8), Big 12 (5), Pac-12 (5), Sun Belt (4), and Conference USA (3). Last 4 in: Arizona Coastal Carolina Liberty UTSA First 4 out: Wofford Rutgers Old Dominion Clemson The full projected Field of 64 is below: Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The Big 12 Tournament is underway in Arlington Texas, and College Baseball Nation has all of the coverage you need. Big 12 Championship Final: Oklahoma 8, Texas 1 Oklahoma ran away with the Big 12 Championship by defeating Texas 8-1 on Sunday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington. After two quick outs to open the game, Ivan Melendez hit his first home run of the Big 12 Championship over the wall in right-center field. The blast was the 29th home run of the season for Melendez. The 1-0 Texas lead stood until the bottom of the third inning when Oklahoma came alive. The Sooners put up eight runs on three different pitchers to take a commanding 8-1 lead into the fourth inning. Tanner Tredaway delivered a two RBI single which chased Texas reliever Aaron Nixon from the game as the Longhorns went to Tristan Stevens for the fourth time out of the bullpen this week to stop the bleeding. Jimmy Crooks hit the first offering from Stevens deep into the right field seats, a three-run blast, to cap the scoring. Cade Horton pitched the Sooners into the sixth inning when he took his exit with one out as he approached one hundred pitches. Horton went 5 2/3 innings pitched and allowed just the one run on two hits. Horton was also selected as the Player of the Game for the Championship Game. Horton was followed out of the bullpen by Chazz Martinez and Trevin Michael who closed the door on the Longhorns. Two ninth inning hits inflated the overall total, but Sooner pitching only allowed four hits in the game. Tredaway, who had the most hits of any player in the Big 12 Championship with nine, was proud of his team's performance on Sunday, and he was especially mindful of the rivalry between the two schools. "This is just unbelievable, and to do it against Texas, is even greater," Tredaway said. "We showed up and we had a big inning, and that was all we needed. We're Big 12 Champs." Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson simplified the winning approach of his team after the victory. "Just taking it one pitch at a time and try to win pitches, that's all we're trying to do as a team," Johnson said. Peyton Graham was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Big 12 Championship for his performance over the entire week. Graham was 6-for-16 with two home runs and seven RBI in the Big 12 Championship. Graham was joined on the All-Tournament Team by three of his teammates, while their Sunday opponent, Texas, had three players make the team. During the final two innings of the game, the NCAA Selection Committee released its selections for host sites next weekend. Oklahoma State and Texas were both selected to host NCAA Regionals. Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and TCU will play in Regionals, but they will be leaving town to do so. Game 13: Texas 9, Oklahoma State 2 Updated Saturday, May 28, 9:03 p.m. CT For as lopsided as Saturday morning's first game was when No. 13 Oklahoma State routed No. 19 Texas 8-1, the afternoon contest was just as unbalanced in the opposite direction as Texas advanced to the Big 12 Championship final with a 9-2 win over the Cowboys. Oklahoma State got out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The rest of the game was all Texas after that as the Longhorns plated nine runs before the Cowboys scored again. Despite a first inning run, Andre Duplantier II was good in his two-inning start for Texas and he gave his team what it needed: room to breathe. Already with one RBI, which came in the second inning of the game, Trey Faltine (3-for-5) batted with the bases loaded in the third inning and cleared the bases with a double. Texas led 7-1 by the time their half of the third inning was over. Jared Southard with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball and Marcus Olivarez with two scoreless innings out of the Texas bullpen preceded a scoreless ninth inning by Tristan Stevens to close out the victory. Luke Harrison was also a piece of the puzzle out of the Texas bullpen, going 2 1/3 innings and allowing just one run. Faltine was modest in his postgame comments about his bases-clearing double that drove in three runs. "I knew that he loved his fastball and he tried to pitch up in the zone, so I was just trying to get him down," Faltine said. "But it could have been anybody right there. Our team puts in the work. Anybody could come up right there in that situation and do what I did." The win by the Longhorns sets up a Big 12 Championship final between Texas and Oklahoma at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon. Game 12: Oklahoma 4, Kansas State 3 Updated Saturday, May 28, 5:18 p.m. CT If there is any such thing as a quiet game that really mattered, it was on display in Arlington at the Big 12 Championship on Saturday afternoon as Oklahoma eliminated Kansas State 4-3. The Wildcats scored their three runs on RBI singles in the second, fifth, and eighth innings. Oklahoma erased a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning on a Jimmy Crooks (2-for-4) double to the wall in center field. Peyton Graham (2-for-4) added a solo home run in the seventh inning to give the Sooners a two-run lead. Kansas State got to within a run in the eighth inning, but the Wildcats did not have enough as they fell 4-3 and had their season come to an end. David Sandlin was superb for Oklahoma in his start. Sandlin allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings pitched and struck out ten Kansas State batters. Sandlin lost his sister earlier in the week and she was obviously in his thoughts as he worked with a heavy heart on Saturday. "I was just, of course, playing for my sister that passed away this last week," Sandlin said after the game. "I knew she was going to be there today, so I had to go out there and play for her." Oklahoma is headed to the Big 12 Championship game on Sunday afternoon at 5pm. The Sooners will face either Texas or Oklahoma State after those two teams decide matters in a Saturday afternoon matchup, their second game against each other on Saturday. Game 11: Oklahoma State 8, Texas 1 Updated Saturday, May 28, 1:38 p.m. CT Oklahoma State set up another matchup with Texas later on Saturday by winning the first game of the day 8-1 at the Big 12 Championship in Arlington. The Cowboys jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Jake Thompson (2-for-4) two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Thompson then doubled in the second inning driving in two more runs. Griffin Doersching added a RBI double and the Cowboys led 6-0 going to the third inning. The game felt finished at that time, but it was still a few more innings before Texas started to rest players that they would need in Saturday’s second game against Oklahoma State. Ryan Bogusz (3-0) was outstanding for the Cowboys in his start. Bogusz allowed just one run on five hits as he pitched eight complete innings, exiting in the ninth inning with one runner on base. That runner eventually scored, after Bugusz left the mound. The long outing by Bogusz spared the Oklahoma State bullpen, which has not been heavily taxed this week in Arlington. Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday was hoping for three, four, or five good innings from Bogusz, who is typically a relief pitcher. Asked about getting a start instead of pitching in relief on Saturday, Bogusz seemed unfazed. “I think it’s just the same,” Bogusz said. “Take inning by inning, out by out and do the same thing out of the bullpen, but start the game that way.” These two teams will square off again later Saturday, after the Oklahoma and Kansas State contest. The winner goes to the Big 12 Championship game tomorrow and likely earns a hosting spot, the loser heads home and awaits to find out their postseason fate on Monday morning. Game 10: Kansas State 6, Texas Tech 5 Updated Saturday, May 28, 1:08 a.m. CT It took eleven innings and just over four hours but Kansas State outlasted Texas Tech on Friday night and into Saturday morning with a 6-5 victory to stay alive in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning with a three-run frame. Nick Goodwin led off the inning with a solo home run to get the scoring started. Wildcats starter German Fajardo tossed five solid innings and allowed just two runs on two hits against the Red Raiders before departing in the sixth inning. Kansas State got to Big 12 Pitcher of the Year William Birdsell for four runs over six innings, but Birdsell departed with the lead in the seventh inning after a very serviceable start for the right-hander. Ty Coleman drove in three runs for the Red Raiders. One run scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, while two runs came home on a double to right-center field in the sixth inning which tied the game at three. After Kansas State tied the game at five in the top of the ninth inning, Texas Tech had no answer in the bottom of the frame, sending the game to extra innings. In the top of the eleventh inning, the Wildcats played small-ball as Josh Nicoloff put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to plate the go-ahead run. Dylan Phillips took the mound for the bottom of the eleventh inning for the Wildcats with a 6-5 lead. For Phillips, the Wildcats first baseman for the first ten innings, it was his second relief appearance in as many days. Phillips faced on three batters, and struck out two, to close out the victory. Texas Tech had just seven hits in the ballgame, none of them home runs, as they simply could not figure out Kansas State pitching. Texas Tech is done at the Big 12 Championship, and they are not in the hosting conversation. The Red Raiders will play in a Regional next weekend, but this year the question is: Where? Kansas State has a quick turnaround after an emotional win. The Wildcats face Oklahoma in just over twelve hours, early on Saturday afternoon needing to defeat the Sooners twice in order to advance to the championship game on Sunday against either Texas or Oklahoma State. Game 9: Oklahoma State 8, TCU 4 Updated Friday, May 27, 8:28 p.m. CT Oklahoma State rallied from an early three-run deficit to extend their Big 12 Championship run for at least another day with a convincing 8-4 victory over TCU on Friday afternoon. The regulation game lasted well over four hours at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Horned Frogs were without head coach Kirk Saarloos in the game as he was suspended for two games after a Thursday night ejection for arguing with the umpiring crew. TCU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with Kurtis Byrne and Bobby Goodloe each bringing home a run. Neither starting pitcher made it past the third inning on Friday, which left the fate of the game to bullpens that were in their third straight day of high-pressure work. Trailing 3-0 in the third inning, Griffin Doersching launched a baseball 449 feet to center field. The two-run blast got the Cowboys back within a run. With the game tied at four in the top of the fifth inning, Oklahoma State loaded the bases with no one out. Singles by Caeden Trenkle (3-for-4) and Zach Ehrhard each drove in two runs and the Cowboys built an 8-4 lead. Roman Phansalkar was tremendous out of the bullpen for the Cowboys. Phansalkar stabilized things over the middle innings as he went five innings and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out six. After the game, Phansalkar talked about what was working for him against the Horned Frogs. “The sinker was working,” Phansalkar said. “I hadn’t thrown the change-up a lot, it’s mainly a pitch I throw to lefties, and I just don’t face as many lefties as we saw with TCU today, so they kind of forced me me to be good with that pitch.” Griffin Doersching has been a spark for his team the last two days and he is relishing what that means to his guys. “I love it,” Doersching said. “I love getting our team going. I love bringing the energy.” The Horned Frogs are finished in the Big 12 Championship having gone 1-2. TCU will await their postseason fate over the weekend. The Big 12 regular season champion seems like an automatic host, though their short effort in Arlington likely ended talk of a national seed. Oklahoma State will face Texas at 9am on Saturday. A loss for the Cowboys ends their run in Arlington, while a victory gives them a fighting chance with another game later on Saturday against Texas. Since being shut out by Texas on Wednesday, the Cowboys have scored nineteen runs in two games and a good win against TCU continues to have them in the hosting discussion. Game 8: Oklahoma 6, Texas Tech 3 Updated Thursday, May 26, 11:45 p.m. CT Oklahoma continued its late season surge by defeating Texas Tech 6-3 in the final game of Thursday's Big 12 Championship action in Arlington. Jackson Nicklaus got the Sooners on the board first with a three-run line drive home run that just made it over the right field wall in the top of the second inning. Leading 3-1 in the seventh inning, Peyton Graham (2-for-4) drove in two more runs for the Sooners with a bases-loaded two-out single into right field. Oklahoma added a run on an error and took a commanding 6-1 lead to the stretch. Graham was the only Sooners hitter with multiple hits in the contest. Left-hander Jake Bennett made the start for Oklahoma and he turned in a dominant performance over 7 2/3 innings. Bennett allowed just two hits and one run while striking out twelve. Bennett was still hitting the mid-nineties with his fastball in the eighth inning as he neared and then crossed the one-hundred pitch threshold. The two hits allowed by Bennett both came in the third inning. Kurt Wilson added a one-out, two-run home run deep to left-center in the bottom of the ninth inning, but that was as close as the Red Raiders got as they fell 6-3. “When you have good pitchers, you become a good pitching coach,” said Sooners head coach Skip Johnson after the game. “Jake was outstanding tonight. It was really awesome to watch.” The late season surge has Oklahoma in the potential hosting discussion. The Sooners are not there yet, but a trip to the finals in Arlington, or better, winning the final game, would greatly increase the odds of postseason play in Norman next weekend. Texas Tech will face Kansas State on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. Oklahoma is off until early Saturday afternoon when they will play the winner between Kansas State and Texas Tech. Game 7: Texas 5, TCU 3 Updated Thursday, May 26, 8:47 p.m. CT The No. 19 Texas Longhorns bolstered their case for postseason in Austin by defeating No. 23 TCU on Thursday night in Arlington at Globe Life Park in the Big 12 Championship Murphy Stehly hit a three-run home run in the opening frame to give Texas a 3-0 lead before the Horned Frogs even got to the plate on Thursday. Having cut the deficit to 3-2, TCU balked in a run in the eighth before a RBI single made it 5-2 Texas going to the bottom of the inning. Left-hander Lucas Gordon was masterful on the mound in his start for Texas. Gordon allowed one earned run and limited the Horned Frogs to just two hits before he exited after 7 2/3 innings pitched having thrown 111 pitches, but he was cramping in his left hamstring and head coach David Pierce opted to go to the bullpen. Tristan Stevens entered the game in the eighth to record the final four outs for the second day in a row. Gray Rodgers got to Stevens with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch in a losing cause. Stevens has pitched in relief in each of the Longhorns first two games in Arlington, so Texas probably needs a solid start from someone else if they are to play long enough to get the ball back in Pete Hansen's hand by the time the Big 12 Championship ends. The Longhorns have boosted their resume over the first two days with wins over Oklahoma State and TCU. While hosting a Regional seems a distant possibility right now, the longer they play in Arlington, the more that could become a reality. Gordon was calm and collected and met with the media after the game, despite leaving the game with the injury. "The big thing today was mid-game adjustments. So I just made an adjustment and went back to attacking the hitters and it worked out," Gordon said. Asked about the injury that drove him from the game, Gordon said, "I cramped. I've never cramped before." All indications are that Gordon will be ready for his next start. The Longhorns will now have Friday off and will next play on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT against the winner of a Friday afternoon elimination game matchup between TCU and Oklahoma State. Game 6: Kansas State 8, West Virginia 5 Updated Thursday, May 26, 5:33 p.m. CT Kansas State scored at least one run in six of nine innings to defeat West Virginia 8-5 Thursday in Arlington at Globe Life Field in the Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. West Virginia tied the game at three in the bottom of the third inning. Dominic Johnson (2-for-3) hit a line-drive home run into the left field seats in the sixth inning, the only home run of the game for either team, and the Wildcats led 5-3. Kansas State starter Blake Adams provided his team with a solid start against the Mountaineers. Adams struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four runs over two different innings. Dylan Phillips (3-for-5) had two RBI singles, one of two Kansas State hitters with multiple RBI. The other was Cash Rugely who was walked with the bases loaded, in two different innings on Thursday to account for two of the Wildcats' runs. Phillips, who played first base for the first eight innings of the game, took the mound in the ninth with two runners on and no outs to close out the 8-5 victory. The left-hander earned his seventh save of the season for his effort. Kansas State head coach Pete Hughes loved what he got from his team in a tough spot. "Life in the losing bracket is a tough life to live. We hadn't been playing well and our kids are pretty resilient," Hughes said. "It's important for us to jump out and get the lead early, we hadn't done that in a while. It makes everything so much easier with the pitch calling and playing defense, when you can build a lead early." West Virginia is the second team today to be eliminated from the Big 12 Championship having lost both of their games in Arlington. Kansas State will face the loser of tonight's game between Oklahoma and Texas Tech, on Friday night at approximately 7pm. Game 5: Baylor 1, Oklahoma State 11 Updated Thursday, May 26, 12:33 p.m. CT Oklahoma State run-ruled Baylor 11-1 in the seventh inning to take Thursday morning's opening game of day two of the Big 12 Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Oklahoma State ace Justin Campbell pitched a complete game (shortened to seven innings), and he was dominant. Campbell allowed Baylor just three hits and struck out ten batters while allowing no earned runs Baylor took advantage of some sloppy defense by the Cowboys to tie the game at one in the top of the third inning. The game was not tied for long. After two Cowboys reached base in the bottom of the third, Griffin Doersching sent a baseball into the second deck in left field for a three-run home run and a 4-1 lead. The home run also forced the Bears to go to the bullpen. A home run by Roc Riggio (4-for-5) in the sixth inning helped add to the Cowboy run total, and a Jake Thompson two RBI single to left in the bottom of the seventh inning brought the game to a close. The Cowboys collected sixteen base hits in the seven-inning game. Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday was highly technical in describing what pleased him about Campbell’s performance. “His touch and his rhythm and tempo were excellent. He was working fast,” Holliday said. “He just came out and had a winning look on his face and he pitched like a winner.” Asked postgame what was different on Thursday versus his previous outing against Baylor, Campbell knew immediately. “My efficiency on the mound,” Campbell said. “Being able to locate every pitch I have in my arsenal, fastball all the way down to the slider, I think that was the key difference in this game compared to my last outing against Baylor.” Asked what he saw different from his offense today as opposed to the Texas game where his team was shutout, Coach Holliday responded simply, “Eleven runs.” Baylor’s season ends with the loss. The Bears went 0-2 in Arlington. Oklahoma State survives to play another day. The Cowboys will face the loser of the game between Texas and TCU, and they will play at 3:15 p.m. CT on Friday, which will be the first of only two games on Friday in Arlington. Game 4: West Virginia 4, Oklahoma 6 Updated Thursday, May 26, 9:43 a.m. CT Oklahoma took advantage of a big early lead over West Virginia on Wednesday night on the way to a 6-4 victory to complete day one of the Big 12 Championship. Scoreless in the bottom of the second inning, Oklahoma scored five runs in the frame, led by a Peyton Graham grand slam off the batter’s eye in center field and the Sooners were on their way to the winner’s bracket. The grand slam was Graham’s only hit of the game while his teammates John Spikerman went 3-for-4 and Tanner Tredaway went 4-for-5. The trio accounted for eight of the nine Sooners hits in the win. A host of Oklahoma pitchers kept West Virginia scoreless through seven innings including starter Carson Atwood and relievers Carter Campbell and Chazz Martinez. Carlson Reed was the first pitcher out of the bullpen for the Mountaineers and he stopped the hemorrhaging, allowing just one run over 4 1/3 innings in an outstanding performance for the right-hander. West Virginia scored their four runs in the eighth and ninth innings; two home runs in the ninth accounted for three late runs. But the Sooners staff got the job done and preserved the two-run win. Asked about his home run prowess at Globe Life Field and how he likes to hit in the ballpark, Graham said, “That’s my fourth one so far here.” “I was just trying to see the ball up in the zone. I just let the ball get deep, and it ended up working out pretty well,” Graham added. Oklahoma’s potential for hosting a Regional got one win closer with the victory, the Sooners will need more wins to be sure, but Wednesday was a good start. The Sooners have the luxury of pitching their ace on Thursday night as left-hander Jake Bennett will be ready on regular rest according to head coach Skip Johnson. Oklahoma moves on to face Texas Tech in Thursday’s final game. West Virginia will face Kansas State early Thursday afternoon with both teams hoping to extend their season for another day. Game 3: Kansas State 3, Texas Tech 5 Updated Wednesday, May 25, 10:03 p.m. CT No. 10 Texas Tech and Kansas State played the highest-scoring game of the first three games on Wednesday afternoon as the Red Raiders took the game, 5-3. Texas Tech took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and the game had to the potential to get out of reach from the Wildcats early. Parker Kelly drove in a run in the frame and scored from first base on an attempted steal of second base. The throw to second base was kicked into left field by a sliding Kelly, who got up and ran all the way home easily beating a throw toward the plate. Dillon Carter, batting in the nine-spot with a .198 batting average for the Red Raiders, unloaded a two RBI triple to deep left-center field with two outs to break the game open at 5-0 in the sixth inning. Texas Tech starter Mason Molina allowed his first base hit of the ballgame in the seventh inning. The Wildcats got to Molina for three runs in the innings, which led to Molina’s exit with two outs having struck out ten batters in a tremendous outing for the left-hander. Tech’s bullpen closed the door on a Kansas State comeback the rest of the way. After the game, Molina spoke about what helped him dominate through six innings, crediting others more than his own effort. “Just felt really good,” Molina said. “Everything was kind of working and clicking and we were just able to get ahead of guys early in the count and we just went from there. It was nice to have some really good defense behind me, they make it way easier.” Texas Tech will face the winner of Wednesday’s late game between Oklahoma and West Virginia on Thursday evening, while Kansas State awaits the loser of that Sooners/Mountaineers contest in the second game on Thursday. Game 2: Baylor 2, TCU 4 Updated Wednesday, May 25, 6:28 p.m. CT The Baylor Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in game two of the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday afternoon against the TCU Horned Frogs. The Bears added a run in the sixth inning to take a 2-0 lead, and they also chased TCU starter Brett Walker in the frame after 5 1/3 innings pitched and both Baylor runs on his ledger. The Horned Frogs were unable to get to Baylor starter Blake Helton until the bottom of the sixth when TCU tied the game. A double by Bobby Goodloe (2-for-3), which should have been caught on the fly, instead fell behind two outfielders closing in on each other, rather than on the ball. Then a bizarre inning-ending double play on a fly-out to left and the doubling-up of a runner who lost count of the number of outs, allowed a run to score as the Baylor defense took its time recording the out at second base on a runner who was completely around third base. The runner, tagging from third base, crossed home plate before the third out of the inning was recorded at second base, so the run counted and the game was tied. Helton left the game with one out in the seventh, his 6 1/3 innings pitched resulted in just two runs and he struck out seven Horned Frogs batters. Still tied at two in the bottom of the eighth, a wild pitch gave the Horned Frogs a one run lead before a RBI single by Kurtis Byrne (2-for-4) pushed the lead to 4-2. That would be the final score as TCU finished off the Bears in the next frame. Baylor will face Oklahoma State in the first game Thursday morning, with elimination from the Big 12 Championship on the line. For Baylor, a loss means the of the season. Meanwhile for Oklahoma State, a loss and elimination this early in the Big 12, would end their national seed hopes and likely their possibility of hosting a regional at all. Texas and TCU will face-off on Thursday afternoon in the winner’s bracket with a little more breathing room on the line beyond Thursday. Game 1: Texas 4, Oklahoma State 0 Updated Wednesday, May 25, 12:08 p.m. CT Maybe it was the 9am local start time, maybe it was a prime time matchup of two top pitchers, or maybe it was a combination of those things that led to a speedy Big 12 Championship opener in Arlington at Globe Life Field in which Texas walked away a 4-0 winner over Oklahoma State. Pete Hansen and Victor Mederos competed in a classic, fast-paced pitchers duel in which neither pitcher yielded anything until the latter half of the contest. The game was scoreless through five innings when Texas finally broke through in the sixth inning. A sacrifice bunt attempt to move Trey Faltine from first to second base ended with Texas leading 1-0 as Mederos made an errant throw past first base and up the first base line, allowing Faltine to score from first base. Austin Todd led off the seventh inning with an eight pitch at-bat that resulted in a home run to left field to give the Longhorns a 2-0 advantage. Mederos took his exit one batter later having pitched six complete innings. Hansen left in the eighth after 7 2/3 innings pitched without allowing a run and striking out twelve Cowboys batters. Texas catcher Silas Ardoin added a lead off home run in the ninth inning to push the lead to 4-0. Right-hander Tristan Stevens, a Texas starter all season, pitched in relief of Hansen and recorded the final four outs of the game. Texas head coach David Pierce pointed to the start times in his postgame comments. “I like the way we started,” Pierce said. “We get a little rest now, we play the four o’clock now instead of another nine o’clock.” Oklahoma State already moves into the loser’s bracket and they will face the loser of today’s game between TCU and Baylor, Thursday at 9am. Texas awaits the winner of that game and they will play Thursday afternoon. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament is underway in Hoover, Ala. with many teams looking to increase their chances of making the NCAA Tournament and keep their season alive. Game 15: Florida 9, Texas A&M 0 Updated Saturday, May 28th 9:43 PM The first spot in the SEC Championship Game was claimed by Florida, as the Gators blanked Texas A&M, 9-0. The game marks the fourth time Texas A&M Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle has played Florida and the third time his team has been shut out by the Gators. Jud Fabian (1-for3) got the scoring going in the top of the second inning with a solo shot, his 23rd home run of the season. Florida scored at least one run in each of the following five innings to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Fisher Jameson sat the Aggies down in order in the frame, part of an 11-hitter stretch of perfect baseball for Jameson. He ultimately earned the four-inning save, his first of the season. Florida tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth inning via a Jac Caglianone fielder's choice to push the lead to 9-0, which held as the final score. Next up for the Gators is the winner of Saturday night's matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee. Meanwhile, Texas A&M will await their fate on Selection Monday. The Aggies are likely to host a Regional and earn a top-eight seed. —John Peters Game 14: LSU 2, Kentucky 7 Updated Saturday, May 28th 5:43 PM Kentucky has eliminated LSU and moved onto the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to face Tennessee. Tyler Bosma was electric in this game. He had a no-hitter going in the 7th inning and had only walked two Tigers. A booted ball by the 2nd baseman beat out by Tre’ Morgan followed by an RBI triple by Tyler McManus chased Bosma from the game. That triple hit off the top of the wall and led to a scary moment in the outfield as centerfielder John Thrasher crashed into the fence and lay motionless for a few quiet moments. Thankfully, he was able to walk off the field and he is now being evaluated for a potential head injury, according to the SEC Network broadcast. Kentucky scored in four of the first five innings and made it difficult for LSU pitching by being on base most of the rest of the game. Up next for LSU is the NCAA Tournament where they are expected to host a regional. Kentucky won the series against Tennessee earlier this season in Lexington, so the Volunteers will be looking to avenge that series loss and the Wildcats are hoping to extend their postseason run and make a bid for the NCAA Tournament. —Kyle McKelvey Game 13: Florida 11, Alabama 6 Updated Saturday, May 28th 3:10 PM Florida eliminates Alabama in the first game of the action on Saturday in Hoover and moves on to the semifinals. This was a back-and-forth affair for most of the game, until the 9th inning when Florida blew it open. The Gators got the scoring started in the top of the first with a Wyatt Langford leadoff homerun. A walk and a hit batter also led to some two-out scoring for Florida. Jac Caglianone pulled an RBI double down the right field line and Josh Rivera hit a two-RBI single through the left side to make it 4-0 Florida. Alabama would not go down easy, however, as they responded with an RBI single from Dominic Tamez and a three-run homerun from Zane Denton. Langford batted in two more runs with a solo homer in the top of the 2nd and a fielder’s choice groundout in the top of the 3rd that brought home Mac Guscette. Drew Williamson for the Tide answered again in the bottom of the third as he uncorked a two-run bomb over the center field wall. The bullpens then took over the game for both teams, with only the Gators breaking through for a run in the top of the 6th. Nick Ficarotta for the Gators shut down the tide for 6.1 innings, only allowing five hits and two walks, fanning 6 Alabama batters. Florida finally broke the game open in the last frame. Another fielder’s choice RBI gave way to a three-run Mac Guscette homer into the left field bullpen. For Alabama, the loss puts them in a tricky spot in terms of the bubble. Our latest projection had them as the second team out of the tournament. With a few bid stealers already locked in this Saturday afternoon, it feels like the Tide’s bubble has popped. They await the committee’s decision on Monday. Florida will face Texas A&M in game three on Saturday afternoon in a single elimination game for the right to play in the SEC Championship game. —Kyle McKelvey Game 12: LSU 2, Tennessee 5 Updated Saturday, May 28th 2:05 PM Both fan bases were geared up for this great matchup late on Friday night. It was Tennessee that got the party started with 2 runs in the bottom of the first on a Jordan Beck triple that plated Luc Lipcius who reached on a walk. Beck would come around to score on a wild pitch. The Volunteers added another run in the second thanks to an error and two walks in the innings. LSU took advantage of a couple of Tennessee errors in the fifth to claw back into the game and make it 3-2. Dylan Crews had the only hit for LSU in the inning with a double. But the Volunteers answered right back with 2 runs in the bottom of the fifth with hits by Lipcius, Drew Gilbert, and Jorel Ortega. It’s only fitting that the SEC Pitcher of the Year has one of the best performances of the SEC Tournament. Chase Dollander allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks over 6.2 innings with 9 strikeouts. LSU will play an elimination game against Kentucky on Saturday, while Tennessee secures a spot in the semifinals. —Jake Mastroianni Game 11: Texas A&M 12, Alabama 8 Updated Saturday, May 28th 12:18 AM This wasn’t the prettiest of baseball games, but Texas A&M found a way to comeback for the 12-8 victory. The Aggies made 5 errors in the first four innings of the game that aided Alabama in jumping out to a 6-1 lead. But then it was Alabama’s turn to hurt itself as the pitching staff walked three batters and hit three batters in the fifth and sixth innings. The Aggies took advantage, scoring 3 runs in each of those innings to take the lead. The big blow came in the fifth inning when Dylan Rock hit a 2-out, 3-run homer to pull the Aggies within 2 runs. That chased Alabama starter Grayson Hitt who had been rolling up until that point. Texas A&M would continue to add runs scoring four in the seventh to break the game open. Alabama will face Florida on Saturday morning still looking for one more win to likely secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, the Aggies are starting to look like a lock for a top-eight seed. A&M will face the loser of Alabama and Florida in the third game of the day on Saturday. —Jake Mastroianni Game 10: Vanderbilt 2, Kentucky 10 Updated Friday, May 27th 5:15 PM Kentucky kept its slim chances of getting an at-large bid alive by taking down Vanderbilt on Friday 10-2. Vanderbilt continues to show some of the problems that have kept them from being an elite team this year. They squandered an opportunity for a big first inning when Enrique Bradfield Jr. got picked off at second base. Vanderbilt would go on to load the bases in that inning, but couldn’t score. Defensively, they made a couple of errors and several bad plays that allowed Kentucky to add on. But give a lot of credit to the Wildcats that racked up 16 hits in this game. Every starter for Kentucky picked up at least one hit. Javier Vaz was 4-4 for Vanderbilt, including 2 doubles, but there wasn’t much else going on around him in the lineup. The Commodores go 1-2 in the SEC Tournament and have a lot to clean up before the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky will move on to play the loser of the Tennessee-LSU game. A win there would give them a huge boost in the RPI. —Jake Mastroianni Game 9: Arkansas 5, Florida 7 Updated Friday, May 27th 1:19 PM Florida had the home run ball working on Friday morning with Jud Fabian, Jac Caglianone, and Colby Halter all going deep. But the story was on the mound where Nick Pogue had a solid outing giving up just 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. Since Hunter Barco was lost for the season Florida has been looking for some other starters to step up. Pogue, Brandon Sproat, and Brandon Neely have done just that, making this Florida team a very dangerous squad entering the NCAA Tournament along with their power bats. There is not a team in the country limping into the postseason more than Arkansas. Their loss to Florida gives them four straight defeats, and the Hogs have not won back-to-back games since the end of April. The talent is there, we all know what they are capable of, but things just are not clicking for them right now as they have played their way not only out of a top eight seed but a regional host as well. Florida will move on to play the winner of the Kentucky Vanderbilt game on Saturday morning. —Jake Mastroianni Game 8: Kentucky 6, LSU 11 Updated Friday, May 27th 1:19 PM Kentucky jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run shot by catcher Devin Burkes. From there, it was pretty much all LSU as they struck for three runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings. Outfielder Josh Pearson picked up 5 hits in the game with 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI, a double and a home run. Tyler McManus had a 2-RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the sixth. Outside of giving up the home run, LSU starter Ma’Khail Hilliard was really good, lasting 6 innings and allowing just those 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. Kentucky got some runs late to make the final score look closer than it actually was. The Wildcats are still on the outside of the playoff bubble and have a lot of work left to do in the SEC Tournament to keep their season alive. They play Vandy in the second game on Friday. LSU is looking really good for a regional host and will have a primetime matchup against the top ranked Vols on Friday night. —Jake Mastroianni Game 7: Vanderbilt 1, Tennessee 10 Updated Thursday, May 26th 9:30 PM The number one team in the country finally got to take the field in the 2022 SEC Tournament and they showed why they are the best team with a convincing 10-1 win over rival Vanderbilt. They scored in every inning but two and put up a five-spot in the third inning to break the game open. Drew Gilbert led the charge with 2 hits, including a double, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and a walk. Blake Tidwell, who continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery, got the start and lasted 4.1 innings allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. The Volunteer bullpen was lights out finishing off the game allowing just 2 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. Tennessee moves on to face the winner of the LSU-Kentucky game, while Vanderbilt will play the loser of that game on Friday morning. Game 6: Florida 0, Texas A&M 10 Updated Thursday, May 26th 6:15 PM Trevor Werner got A&M on the board in the bottom of the third with a 2-run homer. But the Aggie bats really broke it open with a 7-run sixth inning that included home runs by Ryan Targac, Jordan Thompson, and a 3-run blast by Austin Bost. Texas A&M starting pitcher Micah Dallas was really good, tossing 5 shutout innings allowing just a hit and a walk with 7 strikeouts. Joseph Menefee came on to pitch the last two innings as the Aggies run-ruled Florida 10-0. It was a dominating performance by Texas A&M who looks to lock up a top eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Up next for Texas A&M will be the Alabama Crimson Tide. That game is likely to be the third game played on Friday, May 27. Meanwhile, the Gators will play Arkansas on Friday morning. —Jake Mastroianni Game 5: Alabama 4, Arkansas 3 Updated Wednesday, May 25th 7:15 PM Alabama kept its hot streak alive, knocking off Arkansas for the third time in the last week. The story of the game was a lack of situational hitting and poor defense by the Razorbacks. Two of Alabama’s four runs were unearned. A Robert Moore error in the second led to a run, and a back pick attempt in the fourth sailed into left field, allowing another run to score. Alabama moved ahead 4-1 as Tommy Seidl scored from third. “We didn’t play very good defense at the beginning of the game, and they took advantage,” said acting Arkansas head coach Matt Hobbs. Dave Van Horn was out with an illness. Chris Lanzilli was a bright spot for Arkansas; he had two hits, including a two-run home run that narrowed the game to 4-3. But that was all Arkansas could muster as they finished the game with just five hits. Next up for Alabama is the winner of Texas A&M and Florida, which has been pushed to Thursday morning. Arkansas will face the loser in an elimination game. —John Peters Game 4: Kentucky 3, Auburn 1 Updated Wednesday, May 25th 6:15 PM Auburn starter Carson Skipper was really sharp to begin the game tossing 3 shutout innings allowing just a hit and a walk with 7 strikeouts. He was pulled for Trace Bright and Kentucky jumped on him in the fourth thanks to a walk and a wild pitch to score the first run of the game. Ryan Ritter had the big RBI single. Kentucky starting pitcher Sean Harney was brilliant, tossing 7-plus shutout innings allowing just 4 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. He also got some help from his defense who made several spectacular plays. The middle infield defense of shortstop Ritter and second baseman Daniel Harris IV was particularly great. Co-SEC Player of the Year Sonny DiChiara got Auburn on the board with a solo home run in the 8th on a 3-2 pitch with two outs to tie the game at one. And it wasn’t a wall scraper… But the Wildcats responded in the top of the ninth with back-to-back jacks by Oraj Anu and Adam Fogel. Auburn was able to get the first two on in the bottom half, but Tyler Guilfoil was able to shut the door for Kentucky to hold on for a 3-1 win. The win keeps the Wildcat’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Like Alabama, they still likely have a good bit of work left to do at Hoover. Auburn is still a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, but going one-and-done at the SEC Tournament could hurt their chances of hosting a regional. —Jake Mastroianni Game 3: Ole Miss 1, Vanderbilt 3 Updated Wednesday, May 25th 9:15 AM Vanderbilt put some pressure on Ole Miss starter Dylan DeLucia early, and while they only got single runs in the third and fifth inning, they were able to chase him after just 4.1 innings pitched. Dominic Keegan followed up a Spencer Jones double in the third with a big two-out RBI single. Enrique Bradfield got a leadoff single in the fifth and came around to score on a groundout to make it 2-0 in the fifth. Vanderbilt shortstop Carter Young has been heating up lately and had two hits in this one, including a double in the sixth. He’d later score on an error by Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez. The three runs would be plenty for the Vanderbilt pitching staff. Carter Holton tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. Nelson Berkwich followed him and allowed a run on a hit and a walk. And then Christian Little finished it off tossing 2 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. Ole Miss was on our bubble coming into the tournament. They’re probably still safe, but with the loss and early exit from the SEC Tournament, they’ll have to sweat it out on Selection Monday. Vanderbilt was a lock, but with a losing conference record during the season, it has to feel good to get a few more wins in the tournament as they look to build confidence going into the postseason. —Jake Mastroianni Game 2: South Carolina 1, Florida 2 (10) Updated Tuesday, May 24th 9:45 PM CT Josh Rivera got a two-out double in the fourth for Florida and then scored on a single to shortstop. The ball was hit deep in the hole and South Carolina shortstop Michael Braswell tried to make a tough throw but it was short and bounced up the South Carolina first baseman. Rivera never stopped running and scored easily. Brandon Sproat kept the Gamecocks hitless through 6.1 innings before Josiah Sightler broke up the no-no with a clean single. He moved to second on a groundout and then tried to score on a single to left by Michael Braswell but gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Wyatt Langford. South Carolina starting pitcher Will Sanders was excellent as well, tossing 7 innings allowing just 1 unearned run on 4 hits and 3 walks with 10 strikeouts. Sproat attempted to go the distance but Braylen Wimmer and Josiah Sightler each singled, setting up Andrew Eyster to tie the game on a fielder's choice groundout. In the end, Sproat allowed 1 earned run on 4 hits and a walk over 8.1 innings with 7 strikeouts. The game went to extras where Ty Evans got a double that hit off the third base bag, and then pinch-hitter Kendrick Calilao singled up the middle and it looked like the Gators were going to walk it off, but the runner was held at third really late. A batter later, Colby Halter lined to center and the runner was gunned down at home – but the catcher dropped the ball and Florida escaped with the 2-1 win. That ends the season for South Carolina. Florida moves on to play Texas A&M on Wednesday. The Gators have been on quite the roll lately and continue to get some great pitching that makes them a scary team in the postseason. —Jake Mastroianni Game 1: Alabama 5, Georgia 3 Updated Tuesday, May 24th 6:15 PM CT The Crimson Tide are one of those teams that need to keep winning in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. They did that on Tuesday with a 5-3 win. Alabama jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks in part to some good base running. Caden Rose led off the game with a double and was brought home on a single by Andrew Pinckney. Pinckney stole second and was moved to third on a groundout to first. After a walk, he was brought home on a fly out in foul territory to the third baseman. The third baseman was running backwards and made a wild throw to home that allowed Dominic Tamez to move up to second. That would lead to the third run of the inning as Zane Denton brought him on a single up the middle. They scored two more in the second thanks to a wild pitch, walk, and hit batter along with two more sacrifices. That chased Georgia starter Luke Wagner. With the score 5-1 after two-and-a-half, the rains came and delayed the game two hours. That knocked Alabama starter Garrett McMillian out of the game. His replacement, freshman Ben Hess, proceeded to throw 4.1 shutout innings allowing just a hit and a walk with 10 strikeouts. At one point he had retired 13 in a row and struck out seven in a row. Georgia’s Jaden Woods was equally effective after the delay and kept the Bulldogs in the game by tossing 4 shutout innings allowing just a hit and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. Connor Tate hit a 2-run homer in the 8th to cut the Alabama lead in half, but Alabama closer Dylan Ray shut the door in the 9th for the save. Alabama will face Arkansas on Wednesday – a team they just beat twice this past weekend. They likely need at least a couple of more wins and nothing crazy to happen in other conference tournaments to get an at-large bid. —Jake Mastroianni Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The college baseball regular season is winding down, and we're less than a week away from Selection Monday. There are 54 teams in contention for an at-large bid come Selection Monday. If there are no bid-stealers from conference tournaments, that leaves 41 teams competing for 34 spots. In other words, the bubble is going to shrink a lot before the end of the year. Many of the teams listed below will have a shot at an automatic bid. This list answers the question, "what happens if a team doesn't earn their conference's automatic bid?" Here are the leagues with a chance at earning an at-large bid. Leagues With Potential At-Large Teams (13 Conferences) ACC (12) Locks (6): Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina Should be in (4): Florida State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, NC State Bubble about to burst (2): Pitt, Clemson NC State and North Carolina have greatly improved their postseason standings. The ACC may max out at ten teams in the NCAA Tournament, but could go as high as 12 if Pitt and Clemson make it in. Pitt is in the ACC semifinal. Meanwhile, Clemson went 2&Q in the ACC Tournament and will be sweating it out on Selection Monday. ASUN (2) Work left to do (1): Liberty Bubble about to burst (1): Kennesaw State Due to the ASUN's strange uneven scheduling, Liberty and Kennesaw State finished tied-3rd in the ASUN at 19-11. Two losses by Kennesaw State at the ASUN Tournament, and the Owls are in desperate need of wins. Kennesaw State advanced to the semifinals via a strange pool play format, so they will have another shot at earning an RPI-boosting win. Big 12 (6) Locks (5): Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma Should be in (1): West Virginia The Big 12 will likely be a six-bid league. The biggest question that will be answered at the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington is which team(s) will host? Texas improved their odds with a win over Oklahoma State followed up by a win against TCU. West Virginia has seen their RPI drop ten spots to 45, so Selection Monday won't be a comfortable experience for the Mountaineers. Big East (1) Work left to do (1): UConn After getting swept by Georgetown last weekend, UConn (RPI 51) is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament should they lose the Big East Tournament. UConn avenged their series loss to Georgetown with a first-round win over the Hoyas. Big Ten (3) Locks (1): Maryland Should be in (1): Rutgers Bubble about to burst (1): Iowa The Big Ten currently checks in at eight in conference RPI, which sets the Big Ten up for two to three bids. Iowa greatly hurt their causes by losing to Penn State to open the Big Ten Tournament. A second-round win against Purdue ended Purdue's season and gives Iowa a chance to earn an at-large bid. CUSA (4) Locks (1): Southern Miss Should be in (1): Louisiana Tech Work left to do (2): UTSA, Old Dominion By virtue of their second place finish in the regular season, Louisiana Tech is the most likely team to emerge from the pack in Conference USA. Anywhere from 2-4 teams from CUSA will end up in the NCAA Tournament. Middle Tennessee's postseason chances ended with a 2&Q performance at the CUSA Tournament. Ivy League (1) Bubble about to burst (1): Penn Columbia locked up the automatic bid in the Ivy League by avenging their earlier loss to Penn. The Quakers (RPI 53) will hope that conference tournaments are very chalky if they are to have a chance at an at-large bid. Missouri Valley (1) Lock (1): DBU Even after a lackluster conference performance for DBU, their success in non-conference play (along with smart scheduling) has their RPI at 14. The will make the NCAA Tournament. Pac-12 (5) Locks (3): Stanford, Oregon State, Oregon Should be in (2): Arizona, UCLA UCLA finished third in the Pac-12 with 19 conference wins; however, their RPI of 51 is concerning. The Bruins and the Wildcats will want to make a run in the Pac-12's inaugural conference tournament. UCLA and Arizona are both 1-1 so far in Scottsdale. SEC (11) Locks (8): Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt Bubble about to burst (3): Alabama, Ole Miss, Kentucky 13 SEC wins has historically been the minimum to make the NCAA Tournament. Alabama came into the SEC Tournament below that mark. A first-round win over Georgia and a second-round win over Arkansas has the Tide in better shape, but they'll still need wins to have a chance at an at-large bid. The day one loss by Ole Miss to Vanderbilt has the Rebels in a precarious position. Kentucky knocked off Auburn to keep their season alive, but a loss to LSU has Kentucky on the verge of elimination. SoCon (2) Should be in (1): Wofford Bubble about to burst (1): Mercer Wofford won the regular season SoCon title. Their RPI of 31 should have the Terriers feeling comfortable. Mercer is 4-6 in their last ten games and has seen their RPI drop to 53. If the season ended today, they'd likely miss the NCAA Tournament. Sun Belt (4) Locks (3): Georgia Southern, Texas State, Coastal Carolina Work left to do (1): Louisiana The top of the Sun Belt has finished the season on a tear. Georgia Southern, Texas State, and Coastal Carolina are a combined 26-4 in their last ten games. Louisiana (RPI 57) will need to win a few games in the Sun Belt Tournament to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Belt Tournament has moved to single elimination due to rain. West Coast (2) Locks (1): Gonzaga Work left to do (1): San Diego Once the fifth-place RPI conference, the West Coast Conference has slipped to No. 10. San Diego (RPI 54) has moved from a sure thing to a bubble team. Two wins in the WCC Tournament have improved San Diego's odds. Likely 1-Bid Leagues (18 Conferences) A10, America East, American, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Summit League, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southland, and SWAC. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Postseason play is here, but before it gets going in full force, we have another field of 64 projection. The ACC and SEC lead all conferences with 10 teams in the projected Field of 64 followed by the Big 12 (6), Pac-12 (5), Conference USA (4), Sun Belt (3), and Big Ten (2). Last 4 in: UTSA Old Dominion Alabama Ole Miss First 4 out: Clemson Kennesaw State San Diego Louisiana The full projected Field of 64 is below: Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!