By Steve Parkhurst Overcast skies hung over Clearwater, Florida for the first time this week as the American Athletic Conference Championship was settled by the University of South Florida Bulls and the University of Central Florida Knights. With an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line for one team, and the end of the season on the line for the other, the two teams had more than the War on I-4 on their minds. AJ Jones got the mound start for Central Florida while Collin Sullivan took the hill for South Florida. Both squads were hemorrhaging arms after a grueling week, which included two games for each team on Saturday. In the opening frame, Daniel Cantu hit a two-out two-run home run for the Bulls. South Florida then loaded the bases with no outs in the second and proceeded to take a 4-0 lead on a single to left followed by a fielder’s choice. A grounder toward the shortstop seemed perfect for an inning-ending double-play. But, after the second baseman received the throw at second, he thought the inning was over and never made a throw to first base as a fifth run crossed the plate on the second straight fielder’s choice. After a single placed runners on the corners with two outs, the Knights went to the bullpen and Jones was done for the day. A single by Jake Sullivan made it 6-0 before going to the bottom of the second inning. Josh Crouch (15) hit a leadoff home run in the third for Central Florida’s first run. Riley Hogan countered with a leadoff home run of his own in the very next frame and the Bulls once again led by six, 7-1. Alex Freeland doubled to drive in a run and a fielder’s choice added another in for the Knights as they got to within 7-3 in the fifth. With two on and one out, the Bulls went to the bullpen for a second time. A double play at third base and across to first base ended the fifth inning. Cantu drove in another run in the sixth on a double to right field for South Florida’s eighth run. The Knights half of the sixth began with a batter hit by a pitch, that was followed by a single, and then Jordan Rathbone singled to left-center driving in a run. A walk loaded the bases with no outs before Freeland hit his second double in as many innings driving in two runs. A groundout brought in another run and Central Florida was within one at 8-7. Orion Kerkering pitched the Bulls to the championship by shutting down the Knights for the final two innings on short rest after having closed out the Tulane Green Wave over three innings Saturday night. A two-out double in the ninth did create some tension, but Kerkering was not fazed, and he finished the job. For South Florida they earned their fourteenth trip to a NCAA regional in program history with the 8-7 victory. The Bulls are the first six seed to ever win the AAC Championship. “Kudos to our guys, we got back to the hotel around 1:00 AM last night,” South Florida head coach Billy Mohl said after the game. “We had to sleep fast.” Cantu was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship after the game. Cantu talked about his first inning home run. “I was just trying to battle for the guy next to me, and just pass the torch.” Cantu, who struggled on Saturday by his own admission, was modest in accepting accolades. “I ended up running into that ball.” The Bulls (28-27) can get a little rest now. They will find out on Monday afternoon, along with 63 other teams, where they are headed next weekend to begin regional play in the NCAA tournament. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

By Steve Parkhurst Saturday morning got underway in Clearwater, Florida at 9:00 AM local time with the potential to see just two semifinal games to determine who would get to play for the American Athletic Conference championship on Sunday. There was also the potential that the two games could turn into four games as the undefeated teams in each game got another life in the double-elimination tournament. Carson Whisenhunt took the hill for East Carolina while Kenny Serwa got the start for Central Florida. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Zach Agnos sacrifice fly. The Pirates added a run in the third when a wild pitch started runners on first and second moving up, a throw down to second base got into center field allowing the runner from second to score easily for a 2-0 lead. The Knights scored a run in the top of fourth when a fielder's choice brought home a run from third making the score 2-1. Ben Vespi took the mound for UCF in the fourth, replacing Serwa. After a scoreless inning, Thomas Francisco (3-for-5) hit a leadoff home run in the fifth to increase the ECU lead 3-1. ECU went to the bullpen to start the sixth with Cam Colmore. While Colmore dominated over three innings, the Pirates added two runs in the seventh on two hits and a fielding error to take a 5-1 lead. Matt Bridges pitched the ninth for East Carolina and gave up a run but secured a 5-2 victory, setting up a matchup between the same two teams later on Saturday. Central Florida only collected three hits in the three-run loss. “It’s an elimination game and we were ready to go,” Francisco said after the game. “We didn’t take BP this morning just so we could get a little extra sleep in.” Looking ahead to their second game of the day Francisco added, “We gotta create our own energy in the next game and keep this thing rolling.” But first, Tulane and South Florida had to decide a finalist, if they could. Tyler Hoffman got the start for Tulane; he was matched up against South Florida’s Dylan Burns. USF took a 2-0 lead in the second on a single to right field by Jarrett Eaton. Carmine Lane hit a two-run home run to left in the fourth inning to push the Bulls lead to 5-1. Collin Burns hit a grand slam in the fourth which tied the game at five. Chase Engelhard added a two-run home run and Tulane led 7-5 after six innings. Leading 9-5 in the seventh after doubles by Frankie Niemann and Luis Aviles, Burns picked up three more RBI on an opposite field triple that cleared the bases. Burns finished only a double shy of a cycle as he went 3-for-6. Donovan Benoit, who took the mound in the fourth inning for the Green Wave, allowed just one run in a 4 1/3 inning relief appearance. In the eighth, Tulane ended the game via the run-rule when they scored again to win 16-6 and to force another game between these two teams on Saturday evening. The afternoon rematch between East Carolina and Central Florida featured Jake Kuchmaner and Hunter Patteson, respectively. Central Florida jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on an Andrew Freeland solo home run. That lead held as the sunlight gave way and the stadium lights took over. Freeland drove in another run for the Knights with a single in the top of the ninth inning scoring Pablo Ruiz. Freeland was 3-for-4 in Saturday’s rematch with ECU and accounted for three of his team's five hits. Central Florida led 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth as they went for the shutout. East Carolina, trying to avoid elimination, battled back and plated a run when Alec Makarewicz drove home Lane Hoover on a one-out single up the middle. But Knights closer David Litchfield shut the door and showed the Pirates out of the championship series. Freeland previewed Central Florida’s place in Sunday’s final game. “We know we can play with anybody. We’re just ready for it.” In Saturday’s finale, South Florida chased Tulane starter Trent Johnson in the top of the first inning with two outs and the bases loaded and already leading 1-0. The early move to the bullpen was the right call as Keaton Knueppel came on and struck out the final out of the inning in four pitches to prevent a bigger inning. After another Tulane pitching change, a two-run home run by Carmine Lane in the second inning pushed the South Florida lead to 3-0. With the bases loaded in the third and a fourth pitcher in the game for Tulane, the Knights added runs on an infield single and a wild pitch. Tulane went to the bullpen again after a walk loaded the bases with one out. A wild pitch made it 6-0 Knights before a double play ended the inning. A solo home run by Riley Hogan to lead off the fourth increased the South Florida advantage to 7-0 Brad Lord pitched the Bulls into the seventh without allowing a run. The Green Wave barely threatened Lord as he scattered four hits and struck out eight. Tulane did finally get a run in the eighth off the Bulls bullpen, but they trailed 7-1 going to the ninth and that was the end of story as the game, and Saturday’s action, concluded just before half past midnight, less than twelve hours before the first pitch on Sunday. “Today it was just locating the fastball, getting ahead early in the count,” Lord said after the game about his pitching strategy. “[It was about] being able to locate on and off the plate to have success.” Looking ahead to Sunday, Lord added, “we’re beyond excited, but we all know that we still got one more game to win.” Central Florida (31-29) will face South Florida (27-27) Sunday at noon Eastern for the AAC title. The War on I-4, as it is known in the area, is likely to draw a nice crowd with the two conference schools closest to Clearwater playing for the title. All fourteen of the potential tournament games were played this week, and both teams are taxed. Central Florida got a few hours head start on some rest, and after this week, that may make a difference. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) Heading into the semis, all four teams remaining in the ACC Tournament had secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but each team could improve their seeding by adding two more quality wins to their resume. Just as everyone expected, Duke, the eight seed, and Virginia, the nine seed, would meet in the first semifinal game on Saturday. After finding themselves squarely on the bubble, the Blue Devils strung together ten wins in a row beating both Florida State and Miami to advance to the semifinals. The Cavaliers also found their stride at the right time, winning 10 of their last 13 games taking out Virginia Tech and top seeded Notre Dame in pool play. In the first game on Saturday, Luke Fox (W, 2-2) paced the Blue Devils with the longest outing of his career on the way to a 4-2 victory over Virginia. Fox tossed seven strong innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and seven strikeouts. The Cavaliers offense was not able to gain any momentum as they just managed eight baserunners for the game. Joey Loperfido led Duke at the plate with four hits, two of which were solo home runs in the first and third innings. Just after the Loperfido home run in the third inning, Ethan Murray followed it up with a home run of his own to give Duke a 3-0 lead. Virginia battled back with a solo shot off the bat of Alex Tappen in the bottom of the third and managed to add one more run in the fourth, but the Blue Devils pitching staff kept the Cavaliers off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, earning a spot in their first ever ACC Championship game. In the nightcap, the two seed, Georgia Tech, took on a red hot, three seeded North Carolina State team that has put together a remarkable second half of the season. The Yellow Jackets earned a spot in the semifinals by beating Louisville in a 12-inning thriller on Thursday night. The Wolfpack, winners of 13 of 16, dominated Georgia Tech on their way to a 8-1 victory and earned a spot in the ACC Championship game against Duke on Sunday. After scoring 14 runs in the first two ACC Tournament games, Georgia Tech only managed one run on four hits and recorded two errors. Sam Highfill (W, 6-2) allowed just four hits in 6.1 innings of work before Evan Justice (S, 9) kept the Yellow Jackets off the base paths for the remaining 2.2 innings. Tyler McDonough and Luca Tresh both homered for the Wolfpack, who scored eight runs despite only recording six hits for the game. Duke and North Carolina State will battle it out for the ACC Championship on Sunday at noon ET on ESPN 2. This will be the first contest between Blue Devils and Wolfpack this season as the regular season series was cancelled. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

By Steve Parkhurst Semifinals day arrived in Hoover, Alabama for the four teams vying for the Southeastern Conference championship. The do-or-die atmosphere in Hoover was electric as two close games unfolded from early afternoon into early evening. In game one, Florida faced Tennessee. Brandon Sproat got the starting nod for Florida; Camden Sewell took the hill for Tennessee. The Volunteers got on the board on an Evan Russell bases loaded RBI single to left field in the third to score Liam Spence for a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Jordan Beck doubled home a run for Tennessee. Beck then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. In the top of the seventh, Drew Gilbert hit a two-out single to plate Spence and the Volunteers led 4-0. Spence was 2-for-3 in the contest and scored both times he reached base. Sewell’s day was done after six complete innings where he only allowed two hits, struck out six and did not walk any batters. Easily the best start of his young career, and at a good time for it. Asked about how his performance unfolded on Saturday, Sewell said, “the key was trusting the guys behind me—getting ahead early and attacking hitters.” Redmond Walsh inherited a runner on first and no outs in the seventh and he made quick work of Florida batters. Sean Henley pitched the final two innings for Tennessee and scattered two hits and did not allow a run to protect the 4-0 shutout. For Tennessee, a team that only had one shutout all season, Saturday gave them back-to-back shutouts. Florida’s offense was limited to just four hits in the ballgame by Tennessee pinchers. “We have a lot of confidence,” Spence said after the game. “We always knew that we were good.” Asked how the Volunteers got to Sunday’s championship game, Spence added, “we’re still gaining confidence every day we come out here. And we’re just having fun.” Tennessee advances to the championship game on Sunday, their first appearance in the game since 1995. They got there by outscoring their opponents 27-2 over their last three games with two run-rule games and two shutouts. The Volunteers awaited the winner of Arkansas and Ole Miss. Caleb Bolden took the mound for the Razorbacks; Cody Adcock did the same for the Rebels. Cullen Smith immediately got Arkansas on the board with a two-run home run in the top of the first, and Arkansas led 2-0 before Ole Miss came to bat. Bolden exited after four scoreless innings as the Razorbacks went to the bullpen. The Rebels tied the game in the fifth when Jacob Gonzalez hit a bases loaded double on a 3-2 pitch to the gap in right-center. Arkansas got the lead right back when Jalen Battles doubled down the left field line to plate one run. Battles was 2-for-3 on the afternoon as the shortstop batted in the nine spot. Wes Burton took the mound for Ole Miss in the seventh and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames to keep the game close and the Rebels hopes alive. Connor Noland pitched the final three innings for Arkansas in a blemish-free outing which included four strikeouts. Noland picked up the save and closed out the Rebels, ending their SEC Tournament run in the process. Arkansas catcher Casey Opitz was asked after the game about Noland closing the game rather than closer Kevin Kopps. “Anytime Kevin’s not in the game during a close game it’s kind of surprising, but I just love that another guy stepped up, like Connor. It was huge.” Arkansas and Ole Miss both collected six hits in the contest, and both teams had a two-run inning, but the one extra run for Arkansas was the difference. Asked if he and the Razorbacks were ready to face Tennessee on Sunday, Opitz replied, “yeah, absolutely. We’re fired up to play anybody.” Sunday’s championship final will feature Tennessee against Arkansas. First pitch is scheduled for 3pm ET from Hoover as a wild week concludes and a champion is crowned in the Southeastern Conference for the first time in two years. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) Many ACC teams headed to Charlotte this week knowing their conference tournament results would either solidify an NCAA Tournament bid or end their season. With the conclusion of pool play, it is going to be a long weekend for a few teams that are waiting to see where they will be playing, who they will be playing, and if they will be playing come Selection Monday. Pool A Virginia and Virginia Tech squared off in an in-state battle on Tuesday with the winner getting an opportunity to take one top seeded Notre Dame to advance to the semi-finals. Entering the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers were one of the hottest teams in the country winning 10 of their previous 14 games, including four straight conference series wins. Zach Mesinger (W, 3-1) entered the postseason with just three starts on the year, but he looked very comfortable giving the Cavaliers 5.1 innings of work, allowing just two earned runs. The bullpen gave up two hits in the final 3.2 innings on their way to a 3-2 victory over Virginia Tech. Freshman Kyle Teel led the way for Virginia with a two run home run in the third inning that proved to be the game winner as the Hokies bats could not string together enough offense to recover after the early deficit. On Friday morning, Virginia and Notre Dame faced off in a win or go home elimination game. The Fighting Irish were the next victim to get in the way of this buzzsaw of a Cavaliers team that has solidified their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia jumped out in front early, scoring five runs in the top of the second inning en route to a 14-1 win over the best team in the ACC. The Cavaliers pounded out 14 hits, four of which were home runs by Zack Gelof, Nic Kent, Alex Tappen, and Jake Gelof. Andrew Abbott (W, 8-5) kept Notre Dame from getting into any rhythm, allowing just 5 hits over 6.1 innings. The Cavaliers pitching staff picked up 15 strikeouts as Virginia clinched the pool. Pool B Clemson and Louisville started things off on Tuesday morning in a game that felt like the loser could be on the outside looking in. Both teams hobbled into the ACC Tournament and were in desperate need of a few wins to feel comfortable about hearing their name called on Monday. The game tallied 29 hits, 11 home runs, and 25 runs combined. After being swept by the Tigers in the regular season, the Cardinals responded with a 15-10 victory, ending any chance for Clemson to play in the postseason. Louisville set an ACC Tournament record with seven home runs in a single game. Alex Binelas led the way with three while Henry Davis and Ben Metzinger added two apiece. Caden Grice added two of his own for the Tigers. On Thursday, Georgia Tech and Louisville faced off in a game that took over five hours to complete with the winner advancing to the semifinals. Louisville was in control until the 8th inning when the Yellow Jackets scored three runs to tie the game at six. The game headed into extra innings with Louisville taking a 7-6 lead off a home run by Alex Binelas in the 11th. Georgia Tech answered with a run in the home half of the inning. Metzinger homered in the 12th to give the Cardinals a lead in the second consecutive inning, but this one wasn’t over. With two runners on in the bottom of the 12th inning, Andrew Jenkins doubled to give the Yellow Jackets a walk-off win and advance to the semifinals by a score of 9-8. Pool C Like Virginia, North Carolina State entered the ACC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Wolfpack began ACC play with a 1-8 record and finished as the three seed with a 19-14 record. They were paired with North Carolina and Pittsburgh, a team that was announced as one of the 20 potential regional host sites but subsequently dropped eight of ten games heading into the conference tournament. After the Panthers took care of business against North Carolina on Tuesday, it came down to Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, a game that was played on Thursday night, for a berth in the semifinals. Pittsburgh struck first in the bottom of the first inning, but the Wolfpack scored three runs in the top of the second on their way to a 3-2 victory. The teams combined for just nine hits and saw 22 strikeouts. Reid Johnson (W, 7-2) gave up two hits in eight innings of work before Evan Justice (S, 8) closed out the ninth. Matt Gilbertson (L, 6-5) tossed a complete game for the Panthers, giving up just four hits. Pool D Duke entered the ACC Tournament as the nine seed but the Blue Devils had been victorious in seven straight games. Being paired with Miami and Florida State, they had a huge opportunity to make a statement to the selections committee. Mission accomplished. Coach Chris Pollard had his team ready to roll, giving Florida State their most lopsided loss of the season, 12-1. Duke jumped out with five runs in the first inning, four off the bat of a Michael Rothenberg grand slam. The Blue Devils pitching staff allowed just four hits while striking out 13 Seminoles. Robby Martin picked up two hits for Florida State, including a solo home run. The Blue Devils seemed to be on the wrong side of an upset bid against Miami entering the 7th inning down 2-0, but Rothenberg had other plans. With two runners on base, he hit a single up the middle, scoring both runners and tying the game. With one out in the 9th inning, Rothenberg had another opportunity with the game still knotted at two. For the second time in two days, Rothenberg homered, this time in walk-off fashion to send the Hurricanes home. Saturday Schedule (8) Virginia vs (9) Duke at 1 PM ET (2) Georgia Tech vs (3) North Carolina State at 5 PM ET Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

By Steve Parkhurst The top twelve teams of the Southeastern Conference worked their way to Hoover, Alabama for this week's conference championship. Day One The opening day honors went to Florida and Kentucky to get things started. Florida’s Jacob Young homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the first, the beginning of a two-run frame. That was all the offense the Gators needed, even though they added two more runs before taking the opener 4-1. Tommy Mace was on the mound for the Gators and improved to 6-1 with the win in five innings of work allowing just the one run. Sean Harney suffered the loss while only allowing one earned run over 4 1/3 innings, the three unearned runs were the difference in the outcome. Alabama scored six in the third inning of Tuesday’s second game, powered by a three-run, Jackson Tate home run. Alabama defeated South Carolina 9-3. Starter Tyler Ras (7-4) pitched six innings for the win. Brock Guffey (2) pitched the final three innings, allowing no runs, for the save. Georgia and LSU matched up in the third game of the day, and they put on quite a show. Both teams did all their scoring in the first inning, making it the first time in SEC Tournament history (554 games) that all the runs by both teams were scored in the first inning. While the Tigers scored a single run in the opening frame, the Bulldogs powered across four runs, led by Chaney Rogers who hit a two-out three-run double to give Georgia a 4-1 advantage. Eight innings later, that would be the final score. Jaden Woods (4-1) got the win for the Bulldogs. Tuesday’s finale matched Ole Miss against Auburn. Two home runs by Ole Miss, including one inside the park by Justin Bench (only the second inside the park home run in SEC Tournament history), combined with a 4-for-5 performance by shortstop Jacob Gonzalez powered Ole Miss to a 7-4 win over Auburn. Doug Nikhazy (9-2) picked up the win for the Rebels. Nikhazy retired fourteen straight Tigers at one point. Taylor Broadway (13) earned the save in 2 1/3 innings to finish the game and to put Tuesday’s action to bed. Day Two Wednesday started with Florida pounding Mississippi State 13-1. Florida had eighteen hits including at least one from every hitter in the starting lineup. Mississippi State scored their only run in the first to tie the game, and Florida led 9-1 after three innings. Hunter Barco (10-2) collected the win with a complete game, seven-inning performance. Alabama and Tennessee were the matchup for the second game on Wednesday. A low-scoring affair throughout, Alabama led 2-0 after the sixth inning. The Volunteers tied things in the seventh inning on the back of two Alabama errors. The two teams remained tied into the eleventh inning when Owen Diodati (2-for-4) hit an RBI single that would prove to be the winning run for Alabama as they took the game 3-2. Chase Lee (7-0) got the win with 4 2/3 innings pitched in relief. Arkansas and Georgia faced off in the next game, and a six-run second inning all but decided the contest. Cullen Smith (2-for-4) hit a home run to right to increase the lead to 8-0. Lael Lockhart pitched seven innings allowing just two runs; the two runs came via a long ball by Corey Collins with two outs in the seventh. Heston Tole pitched the final two innings without allowing a run; he struck out four of the six outs he recorded. Georgia had three total hits in the 11-2 loss. Vanderbilt and Ole Miss closed out the action on Wednesday with a classic ballgame that was not decided until the final pitch in the bottom of the ninth. Ole Miss scored three in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead before Vanderbilt tied the game in the bottom half of the sixth. After the Rebels added a run in the eighth, they led 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth. In the ninth, a single and a walk preceded a game-tying single by Isaiah Thomas which then put runners on the corners. Dominic Keegan then laced a 1-2 pitch to right field scoring the winning run and handing the Commodores a 5-4 walk-off win. Day Three Thursday got going with a game between Tennessee and Mississippi State. Pete Derkay keyed a four-run second inning for the Volunteers with a three-run home run. A four run-eighth by Tennessee ended the game and eliminated Mississippi State 12-2 in an eight-inning, run-rule victory. Chad Dallas (10-1) earned the win as he pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing just one run. As Ole Miss faced Georgia on Thursday, Kevin Graham got the Rebels on the board with a home run to right-center in the second inning. Jacob Gonzalez and Peyton Chatagnier both went 2-for-4 and each had an RBI. Drew McDaniel was terrific on the mound for the Rebels, pitching 6 2/3 innings, striking out eleven, and allowing just four hits. Brandon Johnson and Taylor Broadway followed McDaniel to preserve the 4-0 shutout which eliminated Georgia. Alabama and Florida squared off in Thursday’s third game. Jacob Young (3-for-5) and Nathan Hickey (2-for-5) both homered for the Gators to lead the offense, while Franco Aleman threw seven scoreless innings. Six Gators had multiple hits, and in an odd twist, no Florida batter had just one hit, every hitter had two or more hits. Alabama starter Dylan Smith allowed four runs in seven innings and struck out six and the Crimson Tide only trailed 4-0 when he departed after the seventh inning. Alabama would score two quiet runs while Florida added two more to take the game by a final of 7-2. The marquee matchup of Arkansas and Vanderbilt had the promise of a good, low-scoring game. Vanderbilt jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the game’s opening frame. Vanderbilt ace Kumar Rocker departed in the fourth inning, having given up five runs in 3 1/3 innings pitched. For Rocker, six of his ten recorded outs were by strike out, but the five runs are evidence of an uneven performance. Matt Goodheart provided three RBI for the Razorbacks while Ethan Nates drove in two of his own and Isaiah Thomas hit his twelfth home run of the year. Arkansas sent four pitchers to the mound in the contest, with Kevin Kopps tossing the final three innings and retiring all nine batters he faced, striking out five. Asked about competing for the conference championship this weekend after the win on Thursday, Kopps said, “It would be incredible, just like the conference title that we won. We’re not just cruising through this tournament. We want to win every game that we have to play.” Day Four Tennessee and Alabama played a game on Friday which was so one-sided the 11-0 final makes the game seem closer than it was. Volunteers starter Blade Tidwell threw six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and the Tennessee offense went about punishing Alabama pitching. Leading 9-0 after the fourth, the game was effectively over with Tennessee tacking on two more runs in the sixth to set up the run-rule at the end of seven innings. To close out the action on Friday and set up the Saturday semi-finals, Ole Miss took on Vanderbilt and their terrific starter, Jack Leiter. The Rebels got to Leiter in the second inning when he walked in a run and then a sacrifice fly put Ole Miss in front 2-0. Leiter was chased from the game in the seventh. Tyler Myers, who started for the Rebels, was the better pitcher on this day. In only his third career start, Myers threw seven scoreless innings against the Commodores. Kevin Graham homered for Ole Miss in the eighth for a 4-0 lead. Vanderbilt scored one, but it was not enough as the Rebels shut the door behind Brandon Johnson for the 4-1win. Leiter took the loss, only his third of the year as he fell to 8-3. Saturday will feature two games, Tennessee and Florida along with Ole Miss and Arkansas, to determine who will compete for the SEC Championship on Sunday. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

By Steve Parkhurst Eight teams made their way to Clearwater, Florida this week to take part in the double-elimination American Athletic Conference Championship. The action opened up on Tuesday morning with a temperature hovering around 85 degrees as Central Florida faced Cincinnati in the first of four games on the day. The first two innings in Clearwater were indicative of what would be a completely unpredictable first four days of championship play. Those first two innings lasted just shy of an hour as the two teams combined for six runs, five hits, four walks, and a solo home run. Central Florida led 4-2 in a contest matching the two middle seeds in the Championship. Cincinnati scored five runs in the fourth inning to lead 7-4. But a nine run eighth inning propelled UCF to a come from behind 14-10 victory. The game snuck in at just under four hours but pushed the rest of the day’s games back from initial start times. Top-ranked East Carolina faced the bottom seed Memphis in the day’s second game. The Pirates got on the board quickly as Connor Norby led off the bottom of the first with a home run to deep left. It was the last time ECU would score a run on Tuesday. Memphis was the story the rest of the game. A bases loaded walk tied the game in the top of third—the Tigers chased the ECU starter with only one out on their way to an eventual 5-1 lead. In the fifth inning, a two-run home run was followed on the next pitch by a solo shot, and a few pitches later another solo shot made it 9-1 Memphis. The Tigers tied an AAC Championship record of four home runs in a game. Carson Stinnett was outstanding on the mound for the Tigers as he went 6 1/3 innings allowing just the one run. The game ended after seven innings as Memphis run-ruled East Carolina in a seemingly improbable outcome heading into day one. In Tuesday’s third game, Tulane beat Houston 4-1 in the low-scoring game of the day. Robert Gasser led Houston while Trent Johnson took the ball for Tulane. The two sides were scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Tulane bunted home a run. Houston tied the game in the next frame on a Ryan Hernandez solo home run. The Green Wave wasted no time getting the lead back as Walker Burchfield hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. Keagan Gillies relieved Johnson for the final 1 2/3 innings, while Tulane added their final two runs in the eighth to advance with the 4-1 win. South Florida beat Wichita State 7-2 in a game that went well into the night to close out the day. The Bulls got to Shockers starter Liam Eddy in the first and chased him from the game in the first frame. Roberto Pena homered in the second inning to give USF a 5-0 lead. Bulls starter Connor Sullivan pitched 5 2/3 innings and exited with the lead. USF only used two pitchers in the win, while Wichita State used five pitchers in defeat. Norby once again led off with a home run to get his team in front of Cincinnati on day two. Norby used his second at-bat of the game to launch a three-run opposite field home run in the second inning to stake ECU to a 5-0 lead. Cincinnati stayed in the game and pieced together some runs, with Joey Bellini providing a big three-run home run as part of a five-run sixth. But ECU kept scoring runs as well. ECU won the slugfest 13-9 to eliminate Cincinnati. The Pirates used eight pitchers in the game, none pitched more than three innings. After the game Norby was asked about ECU’s mentality going into the game and he said, “Survive and advance, that was all we talked about.” Asked about hitting home runs in Clearwater at various times of the day, Norby stated, “You got to play with the wind.” In the nightcap, Wichita State eliminated Houston 5-3 in a relatively well pitched game by both sides. Houston was two outs away from being shut out in the ninth, when catcher Kyle Lovelace hit a one-out home run to left, his first career home run in his 401st career at-bat. By the end of Wednesday, Cincinnati and Houston had been eliminated and six teams remained with three days left to determine who would play in Sunday’s championship game. Thursday afternoon opened with UCF obliterating Memphis in a winners’ bracket contest 17-1. The run-rule was mercifully applied after the seventh inning, but before that, UCF’s Josh Crouch had belted two home runs, his second and third of the week. The Knights added an inside the park home run as the wheels completely fell off for Memphis. UCF hit an AAC record seven home runs in the game, surpassing by three the previous record of four home runs. Thursday’s second game featured previous winners—Tulane and South Florida. The Bulls took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run home run by Roberto Pena. That was all USF starter Jake Jasiak would need as he went 8 2/3 innings scoreless, allowing just two hits while retiring nineteen straight Green Wave batters for a stretch. Jack Aldrich pitched well for Tulane, striking out ten in 6 1/3 innings where he allowed three runs, but he was outpitched by his mound opponent. The Bulls shut out Tulane 5-0 for their second championship series win in as many games. After the game Jasiak asked about his team’s focus said, “It was a really good night, and we were locked-in from the start.” In Friday’s first game, East Carolina got out to a 2-0 lead in the second, added a run in the third and three more in the fourth. ECU starter Gavin Williams pitched a complete game while his offense piled up twelve runs on the way to a 12-0 seven-inning, run-rule shutout. The final result was almost an exact reversal of Tuesday’s first matchup between these two teams, but this time the outcome resulted in the losing team being eliminated. Tulane and Wichita State played Friday’s second game for the final spot in Saturday’s semi-finals round. Tulane sent their ace, Braden Olthoff to the mound for his first start of the week, which meant Olthoff was properly rested from his last start. The contest was close, early. Tulane scored a run in the bottom of the first. That was matched by Corrigan Bartlett’s solo home run in the second which tied the game. The Green Wave had a four-run fourth and took a 5-2 lead. In the fifth, Tulane put together hit after hit to slowly expand the lead to 12-2 going to the sixth. Olthoff did not let up and he went the rest of the way, pitching through seven innings with the run-rule in effect to close out both Wichita State and Friday’s action. So, the AAC is down to its final four teams headed into the last two days of play. Saturday will see matchups of Central Florida against East Carolina, and South Florida versus Tulane. The two Florida schools have yet to lose a game this week, if either or both lose their opening games early on Saturday, they will get to return later Saturday afternoon for the right to play for the title on Sunday. In a weekend series where anything can happen, it has, and the weekend ahead promises not to be boring. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament marches closer, and College Baseball Nation has another Field of 64 projection. Arkansas remains the number one overall seed while Vanderbilt moves up to the second seed just behind the Razorbacks. Texas and Arizona follow. Tennessee, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Stanford round out the top eight national seeds. Last 4 in: Georgia Alabama Louisville UCSB First 4 out: LBSU California Baylor FAU Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament marches closer, and College Baseball Nation has another Field of 64 projection. Arkansas remains the number one overall seed with Texas staying pat with the second seed just behind the Razorbacks. Vanderbilt and Arizona follow. Tennessee, Notre Dame, Mississippi State, and Texas Tech round out the top eight national seeds. Last 4 in: Indiana State Indiana North Carolina Louisville First 4 out: Alabama Oklahoma LBSU Air Force Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

By Steve Parkhurst The Stanford Cardinal traveled north to Eugene, Oregon this weekend for a Pac-12 showdown with the Oregon Ducks. Before the weekend series, College Baseball Nation had Oregon ranked #9 and Stanford #12 while both teams are in the hunt for the conference title. A great Friday night pitching matchup between Stanford’s Brendan Beck and Oregon’s Robert Ahlstrom offered a contrast beyond school uniforms; Beck maintains a prototypical right-handers build and look, including pant legs down to his ankles, while Ahlstrom is a tall, thin left-hander with long hair and plenty of green stocking showing from his knees down to his ankles. The two could not appear more opposite, though their accolades as top starters are similar. Friday’s game was moving briskly as both starters worked quickly, threw strikes, and got outs. Despite neither team scoring runs, the atmosphere in the ballpark was electric. The game was still scoreless going to the bottom of the seventh. Aaron Zavala singled to lead off the inning. Then, Gabe Matthews hit a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right field for his sixth home run of the season and a 2-0 Oregon lead. “I was just trying to square something up through the middle of the field," Matthews said after the game. "He threw me a curveball that hung up a little bit, and I was able to put a good swing on it." In the top of the eighth, Stanford cut their deficit to 2-1 before Kolby Somers came in to relieve Ahlstrom. Stanford was shut down in the ninth aside from a two-out walk by Somers as he preserved the 2-1 win for his tenth save over the final 1 ⅔ innings. “That's as good a Friday night ballgame as I've been a part of in some time," Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said afterward. “It was just an outstanding ballgame." Stanford head coach David Esquer said the opener, “was as high a level of college baseball game as you can play. It was two great pitchers, squaring off, and the game was going to come down to who was going to crack a little bit.” And of Beck’s one blemish Coach Esquer stated, “It wasn’t a bad pitch or a mistake. It was a good player, putting a good swing, and just kind of winning the at-bat and you have to tip your hat to that.” That “good swing” cost Beck his first defeat of the season as he fell to 6-1. Saturday’s middle game featured another formidable pitching matchup as Cullen Kafka threw for Oregon and Alex Williams did the same for Stanford. Oregon wasted no time in the bottom of the first, Josh Kasevich had a two-out RBI for an early 1-0 lead. In the top of the third, Stanford scored three unearned runs, two of them on a Christian Robinson single up the middle. The Ducks answered back immediately as Kenyon Yovan tied the game in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run to left, his thirteenth of the season. Kasevich then gave Oregon the 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly to right field. A Drew Bowser leadoff home run tied things in the fourth. Then, Stanford took the lead back in the fifth on a Bowser (3-for-4) double to right-center that one-hopped the wall. A solo home run by Tim Tawa in the sixth gave the Cardinal a 6-4 advantage. Williams got the game into the seventh for Stanford, going 6 ⅓ and allowing six hits and striking out five. The Ducks made it 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth. In the ninth, a one-out walk put the tying run on base, but Stanford went to the bullpen and reliever Joey Dixon ended the threat. Williams moved to 2-1 with the win. Sunday’s rubber match had plenty on the line as the two teams prepared to head into the final week of regular season action, and with the Arizona Wildcats holding a lead for the top spot in the Pac-12. Oregon sent Brett Walker and his 6-2 record to the mound while a “bullpen day” for Stanford was started by Quinn Mathews. The Ducks got a run in the first for a 1-0 lead and Mathews was finished having only recorded one out, but he had walked two and a wild pitch indicated Sunday was not to be. Oregon increased the lead to 3-0 in the second as the Cardinal went to their bullpen for their third pitcher in the young game. Oregon seemed to have the winning formula working, they set down the Cardinal in order in the top of the third, exactly what is wanted for a young pitcher with a sizable lead. Kasevich hit the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth over the wall in left-center. Oregon added a run on yet another Cardinal relief pitcher and had a 5-0 lead going to the fourth. Stanford got on the board in the fourth and only trailed 5-2 while their pitching kept the Ducks from doing any further damage. Walker pitched Oregon into the sixth inning before he was relieved. Stanford put together a three-run inning to tie the game at five; four of the runs were Walker’s responsibility. The two teams then held each other scoreless for the next five innings. Still tied in the twelfth, the Cardinal finally broke through with a single by Kody Huff to take a one run lead. That was almost immediately followed by a two-run home run by Christian Robinson to the opposite field that gave Stanford an 8-5 advantage. Oregon had no answer offensively in the bottom of the twelfth and Stanford took the final game, and the weekend series. Relievers Dixon and Jacob Palisch pitched the final 9 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for Stanford allowing only two hits each. Coach Esquer was happy with their outings, “When Palisch got in there, he kind of stemmed the tide for a while and did a great job.” “Dixon, who closed Saturday’s game, just came back and was just as effective and just as good as he was on Saturday,” Esquer said. Stanford leaves Eugene 31-13 overall and 15-9 in Pac-12 play and with the momentum a 2-of-3 road series win brings with it, while Oregon is now 35-13 overall, 18-9 in the conference. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Arkansas proved its worth as the nation’s top ranked team this past weekend, closing out the regular season with a sweep of Florida to claim the SEC regular season title. The Razorbacks began the first two contests trailing, as Florida scored at least one run in the first two innings of both games. But the Arkansas bats, always reliable, roared to life and powered the Razorbacks to victory. A 9-3 statement win Saturday gave Arkansas the sweep. The sweep locked in Arkansas as College Baseball Nation’s No. 1 team, as if there was any question, while Florida fell back to No. 11. It marked the first time in four weeks that the Gators slid in CBN’s Top 50. Arkansas also eclipsed the 40-win mark after winning every single series it played in the regular season, heading to the SEC Tournament with a 40-12 regular season record, and 22-8 mark in conference play. Florida finished the regular season at 35-19 overall and 17-13 in SEC play. Hoover, Alabama is the next stop for both the Razorbacks and Gators as the SEC tournament begins May 25. Florida, despite entering the week ranked No. 6 in CBN’s Top 50, will be forced to play a first-round elimination game against Kentucky on Tuesday, as the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The winner of that contest is set to face No. 3 seed Mississippi State. Arkansas has a first round bye, and will open play in Hoover May 26, facing the winner of No. 9 seed LSU and No. 8 seed Georgia. Behind the pitching of starter Tommy Mace and an early 1-0 lead, Florida made a legitimate bid to earn the win in game one. In the words of Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn, Razorbacks starter Patrick Wicklander “got off to a slow start”, allowing a solo home run from first baseman Kendrick Calilao in the second, but turned it around, with “some good innings in the middle”. Statistically, Wicklander had one of the best performances of his collegiate career, outdueling Mace with six innings of work, three hits, one walk, one earned run, and 11 strikeouts. By comparison, Mace made it through 4.2 innings, with three earned runs, five hits, four walks and eight strikeouts. Those three runs were scored in the fourth and fifth innings, as Arkansas tied the score at one in the fourth on a single to right from catcher Casey Optiz with two outs that scored center fielder Christian Franklin. The Razorbacks then took the lead on the first of right fielder Cayden Wallace’s two homers in the fifth to lead 2-1. A three-run eighth secured Arkansas’ victory, much to the delight of the crowd of 11,084. It helped Arkansas’ effort that Kevin Kopps was untouchable out of the bullpen, firing three innings of scoreless relief. In fact, Kopps did not allow a hit, and issued just one walk. Friday’s duel was much closer in the score, with Arkansas’ Charlie Welch knocking a walk-off double in the ninth to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 win. It was a moment that will remain embedded in Arkansas history, as Welch stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter and drove a 3-2 pitch to right field, resulting in the Razorbacks’ first SEC regular season title since 2004. “[Coach] has been plugging me into some big spots lately in pinch-hit at-bats,” Welch said. “I’ve been getting the job done, and he just looked at me and said, 'Are you ready?' I said, 'Yeah, let's go.’ “I knew [Florida reliever Jack Leftwich] was going to attack me with the slider,” Welch said postgame. “I spit on one earlier in the at-bat. But 3-2, I was really just looking for the fastball again and I tried to elevate it.” Welch’s late game heroics capped off a solid performance from the Razorbacks, who showed an ability to erase a deficit late. Entering the eighth, Florida led 3-2, but second baseman Robert Moore changed that with two outs in the frame. Moore’s two-strike solo homer over the right field wall tied the game, and set up the ninth-inning walk-off. Once again, Van Horn turned to Kopps, as the reliever struck out the side in the ninth inning. Prior to Kopps toeing the rubber, Caleb Bolden, Peyton Pallette and Caden Monke each threw at least an inning in the contest. Bolden earned the start, and went four innings, allowing all three of Florida’s runs. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, as catcher Nathan Hickey singled with one out. After Bolden struck out Florida slugger Jud Fabian, designated hitter Kris Armstrong pulled a 1-1 pitch down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. A base hit off the bat of Caliliao scored both Armstrong and Hickey in the following at-bat, and a solo home run from right fielder Sterlin Thompson gave Florida a 3-0 advantage in the second. Arkansas did cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the inning, behind a homer from Franklin and shortstop Jalen Battles’ sacrifice fly. With Florida held scoreless for the final seven innings, the Razorbacks were given the chance to tie the score, then take the lead, and in turn, claim the SEC West title. The series finale had the same victor, as Arkansas rolled to a 9-3 win on Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks pulled away in the seventh, with Brady Slavens’ power guiding the way. The first baseman had a 2-for-4 day in the final regular season game of his first year with Arkansas, with both hits going for home runs as he extended his total to 13 on the season. The first of the Razorbacks two runs did not come until the fourth inning, with the Razorbacks taking a 2-0 lead on a Slavens’ two-run homer past the left field wall. Florida countered with one run in the fifth and sixth innings to knot the score at two, before a seven-run outburst in the seventh from Arkansas sealed the sweep in front of a rowdy pro-Razorbacks crowd of 11,084. The seven-run seventh was highlighted by the second of Slavens’ home runs, as he stuck the dagger into the Gators with a three-run blast well over the right-center field fence to give the Razorbacks a 9-2 lead. Two at-bats before Slavens’ home run, Welch again came off the bench, and promptly drove a pitch into the gap for his second pinch-hit double of the series. His two-bagger brought two runs across the plate for Arkansas, as the Razorbacks took a commanding 6-2 lead. Welch, along with Wallace, also scored on the home run, which came with one out. Once again, the pitching was top-notch for Arkansas, with no signs of uncomfortableness or lack of composure exhibited from any of the Razorbacks’ seven pitchers. Going deep into the bullpen, Van Horn kept Florida on its toes, throwing a different arm in each of the last six innings. Jaxson Wiggins earned the start, and was the only Arkansas pitcher to throw more than one inning, as he fired three frames of scoreless baseball. Two hits were the only blemishes to his stat line, with zero walks in 11 batters faced. He also struck out two. Florida’s Franco Aleman threw five-plus innings for the fifth straight game, logging 6.1 innings on the hill. He gave up six runs and seven hits, though he held the Arkansas offense scoreless for the first three innings. Aleman also tallied eight strikeouts. Also, following Saturday’s game, Van Horn provided the media with an update on Pallette, who left Friday’s game with an apparent injury. He said that Pallette had been checked out Saturday but would also be checked out Sunday. His status entering the SEC tournament remains unclear. He faced just five batters Friday, allowing two hits in one inning of work, and was seen pointing to his elbow as trainers headed from the dugout to examine him. Florida displayed signs of being a top-10 team in Fayetteville, but Arkansas is a tough team to beat. As was witnessed by Welch’s heroics, the depth and talent on Arkansas’ roster is something special, and a balanced lineup with a mix of power and contact hitters has created the high-octane offense we saw in top shape this weekend. A lock to host a regional, Arkansas heads south to the SEC Tournament as a clear favorite. The Razorbacks have won their last four games, and have shown no signs of slowing down. “We have an idea who we’re going to start in game one,” said Van Horn on Saturday when asked about his strategy entering the SEC Tournament. “I would like to see all of our starters get on the mound in Hoover. It would be nice to play at least three games. Obviously, we want to play more. It’s also supposed to be hot, 92, 93. We haven’t played in that type of weather. We’ll monitor that; the heat, the grind. We’ll just obviously try to get through game one, and go from there. “You won’t see Kopps stretching [his outings]. Maybe once, we’ll see. If he throws 12 pitches on Wednesday, you can maybe use him one other time. [But] we’ll try to get him ready for the next weekend.” Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Editor's note: Click here to view the bubble watch updated on 5/24 The NCAA Tournament selection is later this month (5/31), and College Baseball Nation's bubble watch is in full force. With the Ivy League not playing an official season this year, there are 34 at-large bids to go around. As of now 63 teams from 19 conferences are on the bubble watch. When automatic bids and tournament "locks" are accounted for, that means 25 teams are vying for 14 spots. Conference tournaments always bring a few bid stealers, so somewhere between 10-15 deserving teams will be left out. Editor's note: This will be updated regularly throughout Saturday. ACC (10) Locks (5): Notre Dame, Florida State, NC State, Georgia Tech, Miami Should be in (2): Virginia, North Carolina Work left to do (3): Louisville, Pitt, Duke Miami swept Louisville on Saturday, and Louisville is dropping down the bubble in a hurry. Pitt, losers of six straight has also seen a serious hit to its postseason chances. Duke, winner of eight straight, is starting to look like a tournament team. Virginia Tech and Clemson drop off the bubble after getting swept. American (2) Locks (1): ECU Need a miracle (1): Cincinnati Cincinnati swept Tulane over the weekend. It probably won't be enough for the Bearcats whose RPI is at 67, and it knocked Tulane off the bubble. The American is looking like a one-bid league. ASUN (1) Should be in (1): Liberty With its RPI holding pat at 30 and a 19-2 ASUN record, Liberty should start to feel pretty good about its at-large potential, should it need it. The Flames won game one of its ASUN quarterfinal series. Atlantic 10 (1) Should be in (1): VCU VCU, winners of 18 straight games, finished its regular season at 34-14. The Rams are nearly a lock at this point. Big 12 (6) Locks (4): TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State Work left to do (1): Baylor Need a miracle (1): Oklahoma Baylor and Oklahoma have now split the first two games of their series. Should Oklahoma win, the Sooner and Bears would each need wins in the Big 12 Tournament to earn an at-large bid. If Baylor clinches the series, they should be in regardless of what happens in the Big 12 Tournament. Big East (1) Should be in (1): UConn With just one game left in its regular season, UConn has its RPI up to 25. That should be enough to get the Huskies an at-large bid. Big South (2) Work left to do (2): Campbell, South Carolina Upstate Campbell has won ten straight games and finished its regular season with a sweep of High Point and an RPI of 38. South Carolina Upstate earned a sweep of its own (over UNC Asheville) and finished with an RPI of 43. Both of those look like good resumes, but history says it's tough to get an at-large bid from the Big South. Big Ten (6) Lock (1): Nebraska Should be in (3): Michigan, Indiana, Maryland Work left to do (2): Iowa, Ohio State Who knows exactly what the NCAA Selection Committee will do with the Big Ten? Four bids seems like the floor, and there is some separation between fourth place Indiana and fifth place Iowa. No Big Ten teams were selected among the 20 potential hosts, which is not good news if you're the fifth or sixth place team in the conference in search of an at-large bid. Big West (3) Should be in (1): UC Irvine Need a miracle (2): UCSB, LBSU The magic number is down to three in order for UC Irvine to lock up the Big West. The Big West has turned into a one-bid league in recent years, so winning the regular season crown (and automatic bid in the Big West) is the only sure way in the tournament. Don't look now, but after being the last team in the country to head back on the field, Long Beach State, is at 71 in the RPI and has an outside shot at making a run in its last eight games. Colonial (1) Work left to do (1): Northeastern Northeastern at #41 in the RPI and 12-6 in non-conference play feels like a team that should be in the NCAA Tournament no matter what. However, 31 of its games have been against Q4 teams. Northeastern is 27-4 in those games, but still, its SOS is #207. Conference USA (5) Locks (4): Charlotte, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech Need a miracle (1): Florida Atlantic What a year for Conference USA. The league will almost certainly get at least four teams into the postseason. Florida Atlantic (RPI #60) moved up five spots with a midweek win over Miami. The Owls will need some wins in the CUSA Tournament. Horizon League (1) Should be in (1): Wright State Wright State is 1-7 against Q1 + Q2 teams. The #28 RPI and #129 SOS feel like just enough to get Wright State an at-large bid should it need it. All that's left on the Raiders' schedule is the Horizon League Tournament. MAAC (1) Work left to do (1): Fairfield With no non-conference play in the MAAC, RPI is meaningless. However, Fairfield's 35-1 record is tough to ignore. The Stags may earn an at-large bid if they fail to get the auto bid. Fairfield won its quarterfinal series in the MAAC Tournament. MAC (1) Work left to do (1): Ball State Ball State won its opener at Ohio and moved up to #49 in the RPI. The Cardinals have little room for error down the stretch. Missouri Valley (2) Work left to do (2): Dallas Baptist, Indiana State Losers of five of their last six games, Indiana State has gone from a sure thing, to a bubble team in a hurry. They have one game left at Evansville to try to salvage the series. Mountain West (3) Work left to do: (3) Air Force, Nevada, UNLV With a series win at Dallas Baptist and wins at LSU and Arizona, Air Force's 8-6 non-conference record is fairly impressive. Pac-12 (7) Locks (5): Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Oregon State Should be in (1): UCLA Need a miracle (1): California Cal holds on for one more week after taking a series against Stanford and started the series at UCLA with a win. The Bears will need to beat UCLA and Oregon to have a shot at an at-large bid. UCLA and Oregon State are all just a win or two away from locking up an at-large bid. SEC (9) Locks (7): Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, South Carolina Work left to do (1): LSU Need a miracle (1): Georgia Alabama was swept by Mississippi State, so the Tide finished at 12-17 in SEC play to end the year. That knocked Alabama off the bubble. Georgia salvaged its series with Ole Miss to stay on the bubble. They'll need some wins in Hoover to make it in the NCAA Tournament. West Coast (1) Locks (1): Gonzaga Gonzaga was announced as one of the 20 potential host sites. The Bulldogs are now a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Likely one-bid leagues: America East, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, WAC Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!