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College  | Story  | 6/2/2016

College Baseball Regional Preview

Patrick Ebert      Mike Rooney     
Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information




Field of 64 | Perfect Game Top 25 | Video Vault

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Below are breakdowns of the teams playing in each of the 16 Regional sites. The sites are listed starting with the No. 1 National Seed, Florida, followed by the Regional site they are paired with for the Super Regional round. Those teams are also listed just below, with the Regional sites on the left paired through the Super Regionals with the sites on the right. The number in parenthesis is the National Seed (1-8).
Site Host Site Host
Gainesville, FL Florida (1) Tallahassee, FL Florida State
Louisville, KY Louisville (2) Nashville, TN Vanderbilt
Coral Gables, FL Miami (3) Oxford, MS Ole Miss
College Station, TX Texas A&M (4) Fort Worth, TX Texas Christian
Lubbock, TX Texas Tech (5) Charlottesville, VA Virginia
Starkville, MS Mississippi State (6) Lafayette, LA UL Lafayette
Clemson, SC Clemson (7) Columbia, SC South Carolina
Baton Rouge, LA Louisiana State (8) Raleigh, NC NC State



Gainesville, Fla., Regional

1. Florida (1)
4. Bethune-Cookman

3. UConn
2. Georgia Tech
A.J. Puk (Tim Casey)
The mighty Gators look as though they’ll only get stronger this weekend as they’re expected to get both Logan Shore (who did pitch, although in a very brief appearance due to a stomach bug) and Pete Alonso (who was out for a few weeks for a small fracture in his left hand) back in their starting rotation and starting lineup respectively. Florida continued to prove how valuable their pitching depth was throughout the SEC Tournament, overcoming an early loss to LSU to advance to the championship game against Texas A&M, which they lost. Prized draft lefty A.J. Puk continues to do what he has done each of his two previous seasons by getting stronger down the stretch.

The next best pitchers in this Regional are UConn’s Anthony Kay (the PG/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week for his performances in the American Athletic Conference Championship) and Georgia Tech’s Brandon Gold, who are likely to face one another should their rotations hold as expected. Should UConn win they can throw another lefty at the Gators on Saturday (assuming Florida also wins on Friday), freshman Tim Cate, whose upside may be even higher than that of Kay’s. William Montgomerie gives them a third impact starter to turn to, while Patrick Ruotolo has been stingy out of the bullpen.

Plus, keeping the Huskies’ bats silent is no easy trick.

The Jackets don’t have the pitching depth to match past Gold, although Matthew Gorst may be the most dominant reliever in this Regional, with a 0.41 ERA and 12 saves to his credit this year. As a result the bats are going to have to come alive should Georgia Tech look to advance, and they have the ability to do so with seven regulars with a batting average north of .300, led by sluggers Matt Gonzalez and Kel Johnson.

The MEAC champions, Bethune-Cookman, will have their hands full with Florida on Friday night, but similar to Georgia Tech they boast a starting lineup with five regulars hitting .300 or better, including a handful that can leave the yard with a single swing of the bat (such as Michael Cruz, who has 16 home runs this season). Finding the right blend of arms will be more challenging as they don’t have a single starter with an ERA below 4.00, although they did pitch well collectively in the MEAC championship.


Tallahassee, Fla., Regional

1. Florida State
4. Alabama State

3. South Alabama
2. Southern Miss
John Sansone (Larry Novey)
Although Florida State struggled somewhat down the stretch, losing their last three ACC series to Clemson, Duke and Miami, they re-grouped well in the ACC Tournament, beating NC State, Georgia Tech and Miami before falling to Clemson, again, in the championship game. Mike Martin knows what it takes to win a Regional with an incredible amount of success in the postseason, preparing his squad to play as a cohesive unit to grind out ballgames. John Sansone continues to hit at a very high level for a team that is hitting .295 as a unit. Dylan Busby, Quincy Nieporte and Jackson Lueck have supplied big hits recently while there are numerous reliable arms to turn to in the bullpen, as five different relievers have an ERA below 3.00, which could be the most important key for the Seminoles to advance.

However, they will be facing a squirrely Alabama State squad on Friday that head coach Mervyl Melendez will have prepared to take on the Regional host. Their top two starters, Joseph Camacho and Tyler Howe, are a combined 20-2 as both pound the strike zone and limit mistakes. The Hornets’ lineup is hitting .309 as a team, with Dillon Cooper leading the way with a .359 average, 20 doubles, 10 home runs and 57 RBI. Carlos Ocasio is just as dangerous, as is Ray Hernandez, who is leading the team in homers (15) and RBI (61).

The second and third seeds in the Regional, Southern Miss and South Alabama, point to just how deep this grouping of programs really is, as both squads are expected to send their top pitchers – Kevin Hill and Cord Cockrell – which will be one of the marquee pitching matchups to watch on the first day of Regional play.

How these two teams fare will be interesting to follow as they’re built in different fashions. South Alabama’s success is predicated on their pitching staff and defense with an offense built around line drive base hits, advancing runners and taking extra bases. Southern Miss can out-slug nearly any opponent, with a pair of hitters (Tim Lynch, Dylan Burdeaux) who have really stepped up after burly slugger Taylor Braley was injured.


Louisville, Ky., Regional

1. Louisville (2)
4. Western Michigan

3. Wright State
2. Ohio State
Zack Burdi (University of Louisville Sports Information)
Although Louisville didn’t factor into the ACC Championship Game, they have one of the most loaded rosters of any team in the nation, and also finished the regular seasons with one of the best records at 47-12. Plus, the Cardinals have a little more to prove this year after Cal State Fullerton knocked them out of the Super Regionals, in Louisville, last year. Nine of the team’s 12 hitters that receive regular playing time have batting averages above .300, led by second baseman Nick Solak’s .377 mark. The starting staff goes four deep with Brendan McKay, Drew Harrington, Kyle Funkhouser and Kade McClure while the bullpen offers even more depth leading up to fireballing closer Zack Burdi.

They’re going to be facing a tough arm on the first night in Western Michigan’s Keegan Akin, who throws an upper-80s to low-90s fastball that can approach the mid-90s at times, which led to a 7-3 record and a 1.46 ERA this season. Jacob Piechota was 10-3 on the year in an expanded bullpen role, although the staff overall has a cumulative 5.79 ERA, not a good sign when facing powerful lineups that Louisville, Ohio State and Wright State all have to offer.

Few hitters are as hot as Ohio State slugger Ronnie Dawson, who routinely provided key hits in last weekend’s Big Ten Championship run for the Buckeyes. The team received a big boost offensively when they moved leading hitter and third baseman Nick Sergakis to the leadoff spot and dropped Troy Montgomery to the fifth spot, who has responded well to the move. Lefthander Tanner Tully gives Ohio State an established ace with a deep and versatile staff that has posted a 3.09 ERA, tied for second best in the Big Ten.

Wright State may not have the dominant bullpen they did a year ago when they played in the Champaign Regional, but they have four accomplished starters, all of whom have an ERA of 3.06 or better. They also have several hitters that can change the course of a game with a single swing, led by outfielder Ryan Fucci’s .325-11-59 season.


Nashville, Tenn., Regional

1. Vanderbilt
4. Xavier

3. Washington
2. UC Santa Barbara
Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt Athletics)
A year ago Vanderbilt had to win their own Regional and then beat Illinois, in Champaign (where the Illini were 25-2 before being swept by the Commodores) on their way to Omaha. If Vandy intends to make it back to Omaha again, for an opportunity to make the finals for the third consecutive year, that path may just take them through Louisville. While they haven’t been as dominant this season there are still plenty of talented pieces in place, with live, powerful arms fronting the staff and a pair of big bats – outfielders Bryan Reynolds and Jeren Kendall – near the top of the order that set the tone on offense.

Live-armed lefty Zac Lowther will have the honors of facing Commodores ace fireballer Jordan Sheffield on Friday night. While Sheffield gets more draft attention, keep an eye on Lowther between now and the 2017 draft as he’s a live-armed lefty that commands his upper-80s to low-90s fastball and big 12-to-6 curveball well for the Big East champs. That said, Xavier will have their hands full in what appears to be a very challenging Regional.

Washington fell one game short of the Pac-12 title, but overall enjoyed a successful year and were in the mix for the Top 25 rankings for the last month or more of the regular season. However, they will be without arguably the most dominant closer in all of college baseball this year in Troy Rallings, who also didn't pitch last weekend in their series against Utah. Noah Bremer serves as the staff ace and will start opposite UC Santa Barbara command specialist Shane Bieber on Friday afternoon.

The Gauchos saw time in the Top 25 a couple of times this season, and similar to host Vanderbilt, while they weren’t as dominant this year as they were a year ago (when they hosted a Regional), they have very good pitching depth. That includes a pretty good closer of their own, live-armed sophomore lefthander Kyle Nelson.


Coral Gables, Fla., Regional

1. Miami (3)
4. Stetson

3. Long Beach State
2. Florida Atlantic
Zack Collins (Richard Lewis/Miami Athletics)
Similar to Louisville, Miami didn’t factor into the ACC championship game, but they did finish the regular season with one of the best records at 45-11. While the offense isn’t quite as potent as the one that carried them to Omaha a year ago, Zack Collins’ presence remains in the middle of the order as one of college baseball’s toughest outs. He walked more time (66) than he recorded a base hit (60), leading to an incredible .540 on-base percentage to go along with 12 home runs and 52 RBI. Michael Mediavilla went 10-1 as a starter and closer Bryan Garcia set the program’s all-time mark in saves with 15 more so far during his junior year.

They draw a tough game one opponent in Stetson, who rolled through the Atlantic Sun competition to claim the championship. They will turn to their ace, Mitchell Jordan, in game one, whose 4.07 season ERA may be a little deceiving in that he commands a polished three-pitch mix that includes an upper-80s to low-90s fastball, and is coming off of an impressive performance over Kennesaw State, who entered the A-Sun Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Florida Atlantic was ranked in the Top 25 for most of the regular season, led by C-USA Player of the Year, shortstop C.J. Chatham, who hit .367-8-49 while leading a potent Owls offense. While FAU had three starters with ERAs under 4.00, their bullpen is the team’s strength, leading to a cumulative staff ERA of 3.17. Close Cameron Ragsdale recorded 15 saves in 23 appearances, and is one of three relievers that made at least 20 appearances with at least 25 innings pitches and an ERA at or below 2.51.

Long Beach State had a long, cross-country trip to Coral Gables representing the Big West Conference, and like so many West Coast teams employ a small-ball approach that puts pressure on opposing team’s defense while throwing strikes on the mound and playing good defense. Darren McCaughan is coming off of a good start against the Big West champs, Cal State Fullerton, and was recently named the conference’s Pitcher of the Year after going 10-1 with a 1.98 ERA. He follows fellow sophomore Chris Mathewson in the Dirtbags’ rotation, a formidable 1-2 punch to contend with in the first two games of this Regional.


Oxford, Miss., Regional

1. Ole Miss
4. Utah

3. Boston College
2. Tulane
J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss Athletics/Joshua McCoy)
While Ole Miss was rewarded as a Regional host, they arguably received the toughest opening day matchup against the Pac-12 champs, Utah, not to mention the overall talent the four-team field offers. The Rebels offer a well-rounded team that can beat you in a variety of ways – whether that be on the mound with ace Brady Bramlett and an incredibly deep pitching staff that ends with closer Wyatt Short – or at the plate with a lethal group of hitters one-through-seven, led by red-hot sluggers J.B. Woodman and Henri Lartigue. Ole Miss played very well in Hoover at the SEC Tournament, going 3-1 with their only loss coming to eventual SEC champs Texas A&M in the semifinals.

They’ll have their hands full against Utes’ ace Jayson Rose, who went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and sits in the low-90s with his fastball and complements the pitch well with a very polished changeup that he’ll throw in any count. While Utah was 19-11 in the Pac-12 they were 25-27 overall during the 2016 season, and after Rose they could have a tough time keeping Ole Miss, and either Boston College and/or Tulane, off the scoreboard given their 4.83 staff ERA (which jumps up to 5.48 without Rose’s numbers).

Both Tulane and Boston College are built in similar fashions with very deep, accomplished pitching staffs and enough experience on offense to keep them in games. Tulane does have three sluggers – Jake Willsey, Jeremy Montalbano and Hunter Hope – who have 10 or more home runs, and two of the better up-the-middle players defensively in all of college baseball in shortstop Stephen Alemias and catcher Jake Rogers. Plus, they have four accomplished starters who are collectively 27-13 with a 2.97 ERA.

Boston College counters with three established starters of their own – Jacob Stevens, Justin Dunn and Mike King – that have given their ACC opponents fits all season long, with impressive series wins over NC State, Virginia and Louisville. Should they advance to the winners’ bracket, along with Ole Miss, live-armed BC MLB Draft first-round hopeful Justin Dunn facing the Rebels on Saturday night will provide a must-see TV moment for fans and scouts alike.


College Station, Texas, Regional

1. Texas A&M (4)
4. Binghamton

3. Wake Forest
2. Minnesota
Boomer White (Texas A&M)
Texas A&M enters Regional play as the No. 1 team in the nation, even if they were given the fourth-National Seed, fresh off of a SEC Tournament championship. For as dangerous of a lineup as they trot out onto the field each and every day – as they continue to be led by the hitting exploits of third baseman Boomer White – it has been the pitching staff that has been the most impressive down the stretch. The 1-2 punch of Brigham Hill and Kyle Simonds (who will start Friday against Binghamton) has been especially impressive as the two have grasped their roles, with a seemingly endless wealth of talent to turn to in the bullpen. That includes their nearly unhittable stopper, Mark Ecker, and the player they turn to the most to get them out of a jam, Andrew Vinson, both of whom can provide multiple innings per appearance.

Binghamton certainly will have their hands full, although they do boast a fairly lethal lineup of their own that has hit .297/.378/.429 with the ability to steal bases while playing near-flawless defense. Finding enough arms to counter the Aggies will be no easy task, although all it takes is one good performance by senior righthander Mike Bunal, who has been especially strong down the stretch, to give Texas A&M a scare.

There should be plenty of fireworks from the Friday afternoon contest between Wake Forest and Minnesota. It will be no easy task for Minnesota, or any other team in this Regional, to slow down 2015 ACC Player of the Year Will Craig, who is hitting .392-16-65 and also has eight saves serving as Wake’s closer. His surrounding cast hasn’t been as strong this year as it was last, and finding enough arms from a club that had a staff ERA of 4.99 will be no easy task, although staff ace Parker Dunshee has been one of the more reliable starters in the ACC this year.

Minnesota led the Big Ten in batting average (.324) by a wide margin, and are led by two-way talent Matt Fiedler, who is hitting .377-7-36 (and is also 7-3 on the mound with a 4.10 ERA), and catcher Austin Athmann, the team’s leading run producer with a .367-11-39 season. However, they had a very poor showing in the Big Ten Tournament as they were the first team ushered out despite entering the event as the No. 1 seed.


Fort Worth, Texas, Regional

1. Texas Christian
4. Oral Roberts

3. Gonzaga
2. Arizona State
Luken Baker (TCU Athletics)
The Horned Frogs may be hosting a Regional, but they have some stiff competition coming to Fort Worth. While their pitching staff is still plenty good, they’re lacking the clear, easily recognizable college stars that have filled their staffs in recent years. That isn’t stated to take anything away from starting Dalton Horton and Brian Howard, who are a combined 15-2, but this season it has been the offense creating more of a stir with a significant increase in power. They have slugged 48 home runs as a team while hitting .308, with several players having the ability to leave the yard with a single swing of the bat. That includes freshman phenom Luken Baker, who may not be pitching anymore this season but is coming off of a huge week at the Big-12 Tournament in which he hit four home runs on his way to being named the Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week. They also continue to steal bases seemingly at will (87 in 106 attempts).

Oral Roberts also has a nice balance between their pitching staff and their offense, hitting .306 as a team with a 3.90 staff ERA. Noah Cummings, Matt Whatley and Brent Williams are the most dangerous sluggers in the Golden Eagles’ lineup while Brady Womacks has been one of the most reliable and effective closers (1.25 ERA, 14 saves in 28 appearances) in the nation.

Like many of the other Regionals, the earlier game on Friday between the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds sould be a good one as Gonzaga takes on Arizona State.

Five-foot-10 junior righthander Brandon Bailey is coming off of a huge start for Gonzaga, a 17-strikeout, complete performance in which he out-dueled BYU ace Michael Rucker and handed him his first loss of the year. Bailey and Eli Morgan are a combined 19-5 on the season and give the Zags two very good starters to contend with.

Bailey will face ASU’s staff ace, Seth Martinez, who doesn’t blow batters away but is far from a soft-tosser either, showing advanced command and feel for a polished three-pitch mix, which allowed him to match Bailey’s 9-3 record on the season. The start between those two pitchers will be one of the more intriguing ones to watch on the first day of Regional play. Although the Sun Devils lost their season-ending series to USC, at home, they won their previous six weekend series before that which helped push them into the postseason.


Lubbock, Texas, Regional

1. Texas Tech (5)
4. Fairfield

3. New Mexico
2. Dallas Baptist
Eric Gutierrez (Texas Tech)
Texas Tech wields the best offense in College Baseball that too many people don't know about. The core of this group went to Omaha in 2014 and the six-pack of Tanner Gardner, Eric Gutierrez, Cory Raley, Tyler Neslony, Stephen Smith and Michael Davis averaged 17 doubles and 46 runs scored each this year. The Red Raiders sport three key freshman arms – Davis Martin, Steven Gingery, and Ty Harpenau – who will play a huge role in determining this weekend's outcome.

In Ray Birmingham's four previous Regional trips with New Mexico, his uber-offensive Lobos have never been sent to a hitters' park. Well, that ship has sailed and Lubbock may be the perfect setting for this very physical lineup led by the trio of Chris DeVito, Luis Gonzalez, and Carl Stajduhar. New Mexico finished fourth in the nation in slugging percentage at .496.

Dan Heefner has Dallas Baptist in their fifth Regional in six years and there is a reason why many are saying that Texas should target him in their current coaching search. The Patriots are led by one of the best two-way players in the nation in Darick Hall who has 18 home runs, 68 RBI and eight wins through 15 starts on the mound. Star Shortstop Camden Duzenack, who missed 14 games with an arm injury, is finally back healthy and that is a huge development for this team.

Fairfield is making its first-ever Regional appearance and skipper Bill Currier will lead a team into the NCAA tournament for the first time in his 27 years as a head coach. The Stags are led by senior Jake Salpietro, whose 9-for-13 performance earned him MAAC Tournament MVP honors.


Charlottesville, Va., Regional

1. Virginia
4. William & Mary

3. East Carolina
2. Bryant
Connor Jones (Virginia Athletics)
The Cavaliers are the defending National Champions and this team is led by a core group of key contributors from that team. Matt Thaiss and Connor Jones have put together huge junior years and carried this team at times. Pavin Smith, Ernie Clement, and Daniel Pinero have also been very good while junior two-way star Adam Haseley may have saved Virginia's hosting chances with his performance on the mound. The Cavaliers' vulnerability would be a lack of pitching depth, and remember, this is a team that lost seven of their first eight Sunday matchups.

William & Mary earned a trip to Charlottesville with an incredible comeback in the CAA tourney. The Tribe were down 8-1 against league juggernaut UNC Wilmington in the ninth inning, just three outs from elimination. William & Mary proceeded to win that game in 12 innings after a full day rain delay and then defeated UNCW once again 14-9 on the strength of Josh Smith's grand slam in the bottom of the eighth. However, the Tribe's potent offense is not a great fit for pitcher-friendly Davenport Field.

East Carolina won the 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament but finished a disappointing 0-2 in the Coral Gables Regional. Cliff Godwin's squad put together another fine season in 2016 finishing second in the AAC, and they won a series over host Virginia early in the season. The Pirates outstanding trio of Evan Kruczynski, Jacob Wolfe and Jimmy Boyd make up what may be the deepest rotation in this Regional.

Bryant went a staggering 47-10 in the regular season and this is a legitimate No. 2 seed as the program is making its third Regional appearance in the last four seasons. This is an older team and senior first baseman Robby Rinn put up 25 doubles and 61 RBI. Sophomore righty James Karinchak led the Bulldogs with 104 strikeouts and 12 wins and is a pitcher to keep an eye on for next year’s draft. Also keep an eye on the status of star outfielder Matt Albanese, who is enjoying a huge season (.366/.471/.639) but missed the Northeast Conference Tournament last weekend.


Starkville, Miss., Regional

1. Mississippi State (6)
4. Southeast Missouri

3. Louisiana Tech
2. Cal State Fullerton
Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State Media Relations)
The Bulldogs of Mississippi State won the SEC regular season title just one year removed from missing Hoover altogether. This roster is star-laden and they play with an edge. Dakota Hudson is a sure-fire first round pick and Jake Mangum won the SEC batting title as a true freshman. Nathaniel Lowe and Jack Kruger fly under the radar but these are two advanced college hitters with an all-fields approach. John Cohen's club has both the depth and high-end talent to go deep into the postseason.

Southeast Missouri won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and senior lefthander Joey Lucchesi was named tournament MVP. Lucchesi, who is a transfer from Chabot College of the California junior college ranks, earned 2015 OVC Pitcher of the Year and then backed that up with another great year in 2016. Lucchesi went 10-4 with a 1.87 ERA and he could be a difficult matchup for Mississippi State opposite Hudson.

Greg Goff led Campbell to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 so it's no surprise that he has Louisiana Tech back in Regional play so quickly. Goff's teams are known for an emotional, high-energy style which will fit perfectly into a Regional with edgy teams like Mississippi State and Cal State Fullerton. The Bulldogs love to run and they come into postseason play with 120 stolen base attempts.

The legend of Cal State Fullerton baseball started with exclusively road Regional victories under Hall of Famer Augie Garrido. This was because the Titans didn't have a home field at the time but this Fullerton squad plays with the same chip on their shoulder mentality that has led the program to four national titles. Timmy Richards is a star at shortstop and senior Josh Vargas is a run scorer at the top of the order. Fullerton may have the best bullpen in this Regional as Dylan Prohoroff, Chad Hockin and Scott Serigstad are three power-armed righthanders who have ERAs of 0.69, 1.11, and 1.13 respectively. They also have three reliable starters to turn to, giving them enviable depth on the mound.


Lafayette, La., Regional

1. UL Lafayette
4. Princeton

3. Sam Houston State
2. Arizona
Gunner Leger (Brad Kemp, UL Sports Information)
The Ragin' Cajuns made a late run to win the Sun Belt regular season title and then backed that up by winning the conference tourney. Tony Robichaux has quietly taken ULL to back-to-back Super Regionals and this group has the pitching to make it three in a row. Crafty lefthander Gunner Leger leads the staff with 86 2/3 innings pitched and freshman righty Nick Lee has had an outstanding rookie campaign. The offense has been inconsistent in 2016 but senior outfielder Kyle Clement has had a great year while veteran Stefan Trosclair heated up down the stretch.

Princeton has big shoes to fill as Columbia went 3-2 in the 2015 Coral Gables Regional, taking host Miami to a final elimination game. The Tigers' skipper is nine-year big leaguer Scott Bradley and this is his seventh Regional appearance as the Princeton head man. Ace Chad Powers leads the way and he went 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA over 69 2/3 innings.

We know the Selection Committee believes in intrigue and irony because Sam Houston State second-year skipper Matt Deggs previously led the offense at Louisiana-Lafayette in their record-setting 58-win season of 2014. Deggs is known for his high-energy, high-pressure offensive style and Sam Houston State is as hot as a pistol having won 35 of their last 43 games. The Bearkats are also Regional-tested, having been to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons.

Jay Johnson leads Arizona back to Regionals in his first season in Tucson and this is the Wildcats' first NCAA Tournament appearance since their 2012 National Championship season. Bobby Dalbec has struggled offensively but his eight wins and seven saves on the mound have been critical to Arizona's success. The Wildcats run an up-tempo West Coast offense under Johnson, with every variety of the "little game" imaginable. While Arizona's pitching is thin, this club plays outstanding defense, fielding to the tune of a .975 percentage.  

Clemson, S.C., Regional

1. Clemson (7)
4. Western Carolina

3. Nebraska
2. Oklahoma State
Seth Beer (Clemson)
Clemson finished 16-14 in the ACC regular season but they were hot down the stretch and that led to a 4-0 ACC Tournament run that included victories over league aces Brendan McKay and Connor Jones. The Tigers offense is physical and athletic but Seth Beer and Chris Okey jump off the page. Beer is a star and he was recently named the ACC Player of the Year, becoming the only freshman ever to win the award. Clemson is thin on the mound but swing-man Pat Krall has been dominant, even earning the slogan "Get the ball to Pat Krall."

Western Carolina head coach Bobby Moranda is a veteran of the postseason, having gone to Omaha twice as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. The Catamounts won the Southern Conference in convincing fashion in 2013 and 2014 but were eliminated in the league tournament both years, thus missing Regionals. Justice was served this year and this lineup finished in the Top 10 nationally in several categories including home runs.

Nebraska was arguably the last team in to the field and the health of slugger Scott Schreiber will be critical to their success in Clemson. Schreiber, who led the Huskers with 16 home runs and 55 RBI, missed the Big Ten Tournament but looks probable for this weekend. Center fielder Ryan Boldt has the highest draft profile among a group of very physical position players. Two-way cog Jake Meyers saved the Huskers' season by jumping into the rotation and pitching to a 1.38 ERA over eight starts.

Oklahoma State came into the year with Omaha expectations but it has been a choppy year since the beginning. The Cowboys began the season 2-5 and suffered an unbelievable four straight walkoff losses. The pitching is strong here and Thomas Hatch leads what is the best rotation in this Regional. Donnie Walton and J.R. Davis make this team go but middle-of-the-order type bats like Ryan Sluder, Jon Littell and Dustin Williams have to get going if the Cowboys are going to handle a white-out Clemson team.


Columbia, S.C., Regional

1. South Carolina
4. Rhode Island

3. Duke
2. UNC Wilmington
Clarke Schmidt (South Carolina Athletic Dept.)
South Carolina was in the hunt for a Top 8 National Seed until their 0-2 showing in Hoover but Chad Holbrook is on the short list of Coach of the Year candidates. The Gamecocks' rotation is young in grade but Clarke Schmidt has been dominant most of the year and Braden Webb has wipeout stuff. Gene Cone, Dom Thompson-Williams and Alex Destino carry this offense but John Jones may be the key to their postseason. Jones, who was a national midseason player of the year candidate, has struggled mightily in the second half.

The state of Rhode Island has two teams in the tourney (URI and Bryant) with the Rams being more under the radar than Bryant. Rhode Island dominated the Atlantic 10 regular season, winning seven of its eight conference series. Junior Martin Figueroa was the conference tournament MVP and he scored five runs in the title game alone. Ace Tyler Wilson is a scary first round matchup as he struck 111 hitters in 95 1/3 innings and has a .141 batting average against.

Chris Pollard built the program up at Appalachian State and now has Duke in a Regional for the first time since 1961. This is the smartest rotation in America as Kellen Urbon and Brian McAfee are graduate transfers from Cornell and Trent Swart has already graduated from Duke. The Blue Devils are one of the youngest teams in the field with a heavy mix of freshmen and sophomores led by two-way star sophomore Jack Labosky.

UNC Wilmington is a frightening offensive club and the Seahawks are second in the nation in slugging percentage at .520. Nick Feight is a Golden Spikes semifinalist and his 23 doubles, 21 home runs, and 90 RBI are loud in the middle of this order. UNCW also has extensive Regional experience as this is their eighth Regional appearance since 2003.


Baton Rouge, La., Regional

1. Lousiana State (8)
4. Utah Valley

3. Southeastern Louisiana
2. Rice
Alex Lange (LSU)
LSU started the season trying to break in eight new starters in the lineup and then 2015 National Freshman of the Year Alex Lange went into a funk. Paul Mainieri's squad fought through all that and we all know what happened next: a marsupial ran on the field, a huge comeback ensued and the young Tigers grew up quickly en route to winning 13 of their last 15 games and earning a Top 8 National Seed. Kramer Robertson emerged as LSU's most valuable player, solidifying the three spot in this lineup while winning an honor that put him on par with Tiger legend Alex Bregman: First Team all-SEC shortstop.

Utah Valley is a reminder of the redemption we often see in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Eric Madsen's 2012 team went an amazing 47-12 but did not earn an at-large bid that season. Fast forward to 2016 and the Wolverines went 4-0 in the WAC tourney to earn that league's automatic bid.

The Southeastern Louisiana Lions earned the first at-large bid in school history and head back to Baton Rogue where they went 1-2 in the 2014 Regional hosted by LSU. Jameson Fisher has put together an All-American caliber season, hitting .437 (which leads the nation) with a .564 on-base percentage.

Wayne Graham has Rice back in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd straight season, which is the fourth best consecutive Regional streak nationally. The Owls have been inconsistent offensively but their rotation of Jon Duplantier, Blake Fox and Ricardo Salinas matches up with anyone in this bracket. Closer Glenn Otto is the vintage-Rice power arm and he has logged 64 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.


Raleigh, N.C., Regional

1. NC State
4. Navy

3. St. Mary's
2. Coastal Carolina
Preston Palmeiro (NC State)
No team in this tournament is more motivated than the Wolfpack as this group looks to erase the memories of last season's heartbreaking Regional loss to TCU. However, NC State's pitching seems to be going the wrong direction at the wrong time as Brian Brown has struggled as of late and Elliott Avent's group will most likely be without Joe O'Donnell and Ryan Williamson for the postseason. On the flip side, this is one of the more dynamic offenses in the NCAA tournament (led by Presto Palmeiro's .327-8-48 season that includes 20 doubles) and that could win the day here.

Navy could send this bracket into a tizzy right away if ace lefthander Luke Gillingham can beat NC State in their first game. A senior lefthander who was named Perfect Game’s midseason Pitcher of the Year in 2015, Gillingham is a California kid who brings 45 career starts and 22 victories to the party.

Head coach Eric Valenzuela was part of Regional teams at both San Diego and San Diego State and now has brought the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Saint Mary's has a high-profile ace in flame-throwing Corbin Burnes but he will need to beat an explosive Coastal offense in game one for this team to have any chance of winning this Regional. The Gaels' considerable raw power should play here while sophomore second baseman Zach Kirtley is the team's best pure hitter.

The Chanticleers just missed out on hosting a Regional and they appear ready to take out their displeasure on this field. Coastal was swept by Georgia Tech in late April but finished the season on a tear, winning 13 of their last 14. This high-octane offense hit a staggering 89 home runs and stole 99 bases, making this group reminiscent of Gary Gilmore's incredible 2010 team. Because Coastal's offense is ahead of its pitching – although they do boast a very good staff ace in Alex Cunningham and one of the nation’s better closers in Mike Morrison – this may be the perfect Regional for this club.
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