THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 5/13/2014

The anatomy of a national seed


The postseason situation for almost everyone around the country is still very fluid, but this time of year, we get a hefty number of questions about national seeds.


Is my team a national seed this week?


What does my team need to do to become a national seed?


How many more games do we need to win to become a national seed?


Those are all questions that load up my email inbox right now. And with that in mind, I went back and researched the last five seasons to see which teams and conferences earned national seeds, while also breaking down the individual resumes for all of the national seeds for the past four seasons.


Though this feature gives college baseball fans an idea of what the committee expects from a national seed from a resume standpoint, it obviously doesn't account for the human element – the NCAA Selection Committee.

All metrics used in this breakdown come from the NCAA's official worksheets.




PART I: National seeds by conference affiliation


College baseball fans are always asking about national seeds, specifically, how many national seeds Conference X should expect to get on Selection Monday. Though the number of national seeds a conference receives changes year to year, here's an inside look at the breakdown over the past five seasons.


Something interesting to take away from the breakdown is that while some have reserves about the Atlantic Coast Conference getting three national seeds in Virginia, Florida State and Miami, it's not that uncommon with the league earning three national seeds in two of the last five seasons. Virginia is a virtual lock for a national seed right now, while Florida State and Miami have similar resumes, with the Seminoles having the higher RPI and head-to-head series win over the Hurricanes. Still, Miami has an excellent case for a national seed with a high RPI, good resume, and of course, the best conference record in the ACC.


2009

SEC – 2 (Florida, LSU)

Big 12 – 2 (Texas, Oklahoma)

Big West – 2 (Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine)

ACC – 1 (North Carolina)

Pac-12  - 1 (Arizona State)


Like last season, the Cavaliers are expected to be a national seed. (UVa. photo)

2010

ACC – 2 (Virginia, Georgia Tech)

Pac 12 – 2 (Arizona State, UCLA)

Big 12  – 1 (Texas)

Big East – 1 (Louisville)

SEC – 1 (Florida)

Big South – 1 (Coastal Carolina)


2011

ACC – 3 (Virginia, North Carolina, Florida State)

SEC – 3 (Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt)

Big 12 – 1 (Texas)

Conference USA – 1 (Rice)


2012

SEC – 3 (Florida, LSU, South Carolina)

ACC – 2 (Florida State, North Carolina)

Pac 12 – 2 (UCLA, Oregon)

Big 12 – 1 (Baylor)


2013

ACC – 3 (North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State)

SEC – 2 (Vanderbilt, LSU)

Pac 12 – 2 (Oregon State, Oregon)

Big West – 1 (Cal State Fullerton)




PART II: Resumes of those national seeds


One of the most important aspects of the postseason selection process is how teams stack up from an RPI Top 25, RPI Top 50 and RPI Top 100 standpoint. Here's a breakdown of how all those national seeds over the past four years stacked up resume-wise.


Teams with some sort of losing mark as part of their resume are indicated in bold/italics. As you'll notice, only six of the 32 national seeds over the last four seasons had losing marks in a category.


2010

1. Arizona State – RPI: 1, 16-5 vs. RT25, 27-9 vs. RT50, 38-10 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 1

2. Texas – RPI: 3, 7-3 vs. RT25, 20-7 vs. RT50, 36-12 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 16

3. Florida – RPI: 2, 19-12 vs. RT25, 27-16 vs. RT50, 38-16 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 5

4. Coastal Carolina – RPI: 5, 2-3 vs. RT25, 13-6 vs. R50, 31-9 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 6

5. Virginia – RPI: 4, 14-7 vs. RT25, 22-10 vs. RT50, 31-13 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 14

6. UCLA – RPI: 6, 12-11 vs. RT25, 22-16 vs. RT50, 37-17 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 3

7. Louisville – RPI: 12, 3-4 vs. RT25, 8-6 vs. RT50, 19-11 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 4

8. Georgia Tech – RPI: 10, 10-6 vs. RT25, 15-12 vs. RT50, 25-12 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 17


2011

1. Virginia – RPI: 3, 12-6 vs. RT25, 18-8 vs. RT50, 25-8 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 4

2. Florida – RPI: 2, 15-12 vs. RT25, 25-14 vs. RT50, 33-15 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 7

3. North Carolina – RPI: 1, 11-7 vs. RT25, 15-10 vs. RT50, 31-14 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 1

4. South Carolina – RPI: 6, 10-7 vs. RT25, 19-11 vs. RT50, 25-12 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 5

5. Florida State – RPI: 5, 15-12 vs. RT25, 19-14 vs. RT50, 26-16 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 2

6. Vanderbilt – RPI: 4, 14-8 vs. RT25, 22-9 vs. RT50, 26-9 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 3

7. Texas – RPI: 11, 6-3 vs. RT25, 19-7 vs. RT25, 31-13 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 11

8. Rice – RPI: 12, 8-6 vs. RT25, 13-10 vs. RT50, 29-17 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 12


2012

1. Florida – RPI: 2, 21-10 vs. RT25, 23-13 vs. RT50, 33-16 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 2

2. UCLA – RPI: 1, 12-8 vs. RT25, 15-12 vs. RT50, 29-14 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 1

3. Florida State – RPI: 13-6 vs. RT25, 21-11 vs. RT50, 26-14 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 6

4. Baylor – RPI: 4, 4-2 vs. RT25, 9-10 vs. RT50, 30-11 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 11

5. Oregon – RPI: 6, 12-3 vs. RT25, 15-8 vs. RT50, 28-16 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 9

6. North Carolina – RPI:  8, 7-7 vs. RT25, 22-9 vs. RT50, 27-10 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 17

7. LSU – RPI:  10, 11-9 vs. R25, 15-12 vs. RT50, 22-16 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 16

8. South Carolina – RPI: 7, 9-11 vs. RT25, 13-13 vs. RT50, 21-14 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 14


2013

1. North Carolina – RPI: 1, 15-7 vs. RT25, 25-8 vs. R50, 36-8 vs. R100, Non-conf RPI: 1

2. Vanderbilt – RPI: 2, 15-3 vs. RT25, 24-5 vs. RT50, 30-8 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 5

3. Oregon State – RPI: 5, 6-4 vs. RT25, 12-7 vs. RT50, 23-9 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 23-9

4. LSU – RPI: 4, 11-5 vs. RT25, 27-12 vs. RT50, 34-9 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 9

5. Cal State Fullerton – RPI: 6, 6-2 vs. RT25, 12-4 vs. RT50, 27-5 vs. R100, Non-conf RPI: 3

6. Virginia – RPI: 16-8 vs. RT25, 19-9 vs. RT50, 30-9 vs. RT100, Non-conf RPI: 13

7. Florida State – RPI: 10, 10-13 vs. RT25, 14-15 vs. R50, 24-14 vs. RT100, Non-conference RPI: 4

8. Oregon – RPI: 11, 6-10 vs. RT25, 6-10 vs. RT50, 20-10 vs. RT100, Non-conference RPI: 7



Part III: How today's national seed candidates stack up


The postseason picture is much clearer than it was a few weeks ago, and teams we believe are locks to be national seeds, barring collapse, include Virginia, Oregon State, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, and potentially Louisiana-Lafayette as well. With six of the eight national seeds, at least in our eyes, accounted for at this point, here's a complete breakdown of all the teams we feel are vying for two of the eight national seeds.


Though they aren't included, watch out for Cal Poly and Oklahoma State. The Mustangs are within striking distance to get into the national seed picture, while OSU, with an RPI of 24, needs a lot of help over the next two weeks, but has a chance to sneak into the mix if it can get into the top 18 in the RPI. Washington also could get back in the mix with a series win over Oregon State this weekend.



Miami (Fla.) – RPI: 10, Non-Conference RPI 41, Conference record: 22-5, 4-5 vs. RT25, 9-8 vs. RT50, 20-9 vs. R100

The Hurricanes didn't start the season on an incredibly positive note, so that's why you see a higher than expected non-conference RPI. However, the 'Canes have the best record in the ACC, and history suggests they're more than capable of being a national seed. We have them in as one of the eight national seeds this week.


Mississippi – RPI: 15, Non-conference RPI 22, Conference record: 17-10 (second), 5-7 vs. RT25, 14-11 vs. RT50, 18-13 vs. RT100

The Rebels might soon be the leader for the tough luck award. As of right now, the Rebels are second in the SEC, and that definitely would strike the NCAA Selection Committee as loud. However, there's a little problem, and it's two-fold. First, only two teams (UC Irvine and Oklahoma in 2009) with RPIs lower than 12 have earned national seeds in the last five years, while Vanderbilt and South Carolina, both teams with higher RPIs, play this weekend in Nashville, Tenn. My feeling is Vanderbilt is in terrific shape for a national seed if it takes that series, while the Gamecocks would certainly improve their chances. If I'm an Ole Miss fan, I'm rooting for a Gamecocks road series win, while sweeping A&M on the road.


TCU – RPI: 13, Non-conference RPI 37, Conference record: 15-6 (second), 7-6 vs. RT25, 14-8 vs. RT50, 19-10 vs. RT100

The NCAA Selection Committee loves red-hot teams, and the Horned Frogs meet that criteria as winners of 14 of their last 15 contests. The Frogs still can win the Big 12 regular season crown, and that comes down to the final weekend of the regular season with Oklahoma State. Should the Frogs take care of business this weekend and show up in the Big 12 tournament, they'd absolutely be making an outstanding case for a national seed. I have to admit, I'm really intrigued to see who doesn't get one of the remaining two national seeds. There are some outstanding teams, such as TCU, in the mix right now.


Vanderbilt – RPI: 7, Non-conference RPI: 7, Conference record: 16-11 (third), 7-4 vs. RT25, 17-12 vs. R50, 22-14 vs. R100

I'll be frank when it comes to the Commodores. If Vanderbilt finishes the regular season with a home series win over South Carolina, I'll go ahead and say it: It will be a favorite to nab a national seed entering the conference tournament. Vandy is 11-4 in its last 15 games and is playing a terrific brand of baseball. Vandy, at least from my perspective, controls its own destiny moving forward.


Houston – RPI: 8, Non-conference RPI: 1, Conference record: 13-8 (third), 4-5 vs. RT25, 8-8 vs. RT50, 16-9 vs. R100

In my opinion, the Cougars control their own destiny when it comes to hosting an NCAA Regional. Sure, the Cougars are third in the American Athletic Conference, but assuming they take care of Temple this weekend, you're talking about a top 10 RPI team with the top non-conference RPI in the nation. That's good enough. Oh yeah, those Cougars also have a season series sweep over Rice, so if it comes down to that, nod UH.


Rice – RPI: 6, Non-conference RPI: 18, Conference record: 20-7 (first), 3-6 vs. RT25, 8-10 vs. RT50, 23-15 vs. RT100

The Owls have put together an impressive campaign despite a serious rash of injuries on the mound, and that should be commended. But for now, I have the Owls behind a few others in the national seed pecking order. Rice will need to finish the regular season on a high note, take care of business in the Conference USA tournament, then just hope a few teams slip up. The one thing that will be impressive to the committee is the Owls haven't skipped a beat without starting pitchers Jordan Stephens and Zech Lemond.


South Carolina – RPI: 12, Non-conference RPI: 9, Conference record: 16-11 (third), 6-6 vs. RT25, 14-10 vs. RT50, 18-11 vs.  RT100

The Gamecocks are tied with a few other teams, namely Vanderbilt, for third place in the SEC. It's pretty simple for the Gamecocks: Win the Vanderbilt series on the road, and the committee will be hard-pressed to put them in as one of the top eight national seeds. The struggle for the Gamecocks could be the SEC tournament. Here recently, the Gamecocks have struggled immensely in the conference tourney, and that needs to change to grab a national seed.


College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
Article Image
Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
Article Image
Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
Article Image
BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
Loading more articles...