THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 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 | Story | 2/6/2026

Conference Preview: Ohio Valley

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order Team  W  L  W  L  Eastern Illinois  17  77  31  22  Lindenwood  14  12  30  30  Little Rock  8  16  27  34  Morehead State  4  23  14  39  SIUE  18  8  26  28  Southeast Missouri  16  11  30  25  Southern Indiana  15  12  27  29  Tennessee Tech  18  9  37 ...
High School | General | 2/8/2026

California Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
California All Region & Top Tools Rk California 2025 Record 1 St. John Bosco 30-4 2 Orange Lutheran 23-7 3 De La Salle 29-4 4 Corona 28-3 5 Huntington Beach 24-5 6 Harvard-Westlake 19-10 7 Mater Dei 19-15 8 Aquinas 25-3 9 Norco 22-9 10 Cathedral Catholic 19-12 11 Sierra Canyon 16-13 12 St. Mary's 26-9 13 Santa Margaraita Catholic 20-14 14 La Mirada 21-7 15 Notre Dame 15-14 16 Gahr 17-13 17 JSerra Catholic 17-10 18 Eastlake 21-11-1 19 Patrick Henry 23-11-2 20 Ganesha 23-3 21 St. Ignatius College Prep 17-10-2 22 Mira Costa 28-3 23 Cypress 18-11 24 Redondo Union 16-13 25 Oaks Christian 20-9
High School | General | 2/6/2026

California All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
The 2026 class is one of the best in recent memory for the state of California, with 18 players ranking among the top 100 in the Perfect Game national rankings.  Three PG All-Americans, IF Trey Ebel, OF Isaiah Hearn and RHP Logan Georges were all edged out of places on the California All-Region Team as a result.  And although the 2027 class doesn’t look as deep, it does feature three Top Six players in SS Dylan Seward, LHP Jared Grindlinger and SS Carter Hadnot. Not surprisingly, California high schools are very well represented in the Perfect Game Pre-Season Top 50 rankings, particularly with 2025 Trinity League champion St. John Bosco beginning the season as the top ranked team in the country.  A very deep Orange Lutheran squad holds down the third spot in the rankings, with 12th ranked De La Salle being the top team from Northern California.  Corona (17th),...
College | Story | 2/6/2026

Conference Preview: Atlantic 10

Marcus Thomas
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order Team W L W L Davidson  19  12  28  29  Dayton  14  16  27  31  Fordham  15  15  25  33  George Mason  20  10  40  21  George Washington  14  16  27  27  La Salle* - - - - Rhode Island  23  8  39  20  Richmond  14  16  33  19  St. Joseph’s  17  13  24  28  St. Louis ...
High School | General | 2/5/2026

Georgia Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Georgia All Region Team & Top Tools Rk School Record 1 Etowah 34-4 2 Blessed Trinity 34-9 3 Parkview 26-11 4 Houston County 33-7 5 Lowndes 28-13 6 Walton 34-8 7 Buford 25-9 8 Pope 31-5 9 North Cobb Christian 24-11-1 10 Harrison 23-14 11 Newnan 32-5 12 North Paulding 28-10 13 Marist 30-7 14 Cartersville 32-10 15 Denmark 19-14 16 North Oconee 27-8 17 Loganville 29-8 18 Morgan County 32-10 19 North Gwinnett 35-5 20 Carrollton 23-12 21 Troup County 32-9 22 Hillgrove 21-13 23 River Ridge 25-15 24 Pickens 32-7 25 McEachern 24-8
Draft | Story | 2/6/2026

PG Draft: Mid-Major Picks to Click

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While Power 4 prospects tend to soak up the bulk of the industry buzz, there’s plenty of legitimate talent lurking at the mid-major level. These are competitive programs that are loaded with players who have real tools, physicality, and performance track records that translate beyond their conference. Below are nine mid-major prospects we expect evaluators to be in early and often on this spring. Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina (Rank: 155) Norby is an undersized left-hander, but has produced strong numbers over two years at ECU. The left-hander has produced a 3.80 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 149 1/3 innings. While the velocity does not stand out, Norby can still miss bats with the heater. It works in the low-90’s and creeps towards 95 mph at times. Quality extension for his size and high spin allow that offering to get on hitters, resulting in weak contact as well as whiffs....
High School | General | 2/5/2026

Georgia HS All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
Georgia has its usual depth of high-level athletes and Perfect Game All-Americans, although three 2027 players did make the All-Region team.  There are an unusual number of two-way prospects among the All-Region players, a testament to the big arms that the state has right now. Two Georgia high schools are ranked in the top 10 of the PG Pre-Season High School Top 50 rankings and the Georgia high school ranks are annually among the most competitive in the country.  Etowah is the highest ranked team at 5th overall, while Blessed Trinity Catholic checks in at 8th.  Parkview is the only other Georgia team in the top 50, holding down the 34th spot.   OF-RHP Dexter McCleon Jr will be fixture on the Georgia All-Region team for the next two years but the top ranked prospect in the 2028 class will have to take a back seat to his elders this year.  McCleon’s absurd...
High School | Rankings | 2/4/2026

Florida Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Florida All Region Team & Top Tools   Rk School Record 1 Stoneman Douglas 31-2 2 Tampa Jesuit 25-10 3 Trinity Christian Academy 30-5 4 South Walton 31-4 5 IMG Academy 24-1 6 Venice 29-5 7 Bishop Verot 32-3 8 American Heritage (Plantation) 29-6 9 St. Thomas Aquinas 29-6-1 10 Doral Academy Charter 27-8-1 11 North Broward Prep 23-8 12 Lincoln 24-11 13 Mater Academy 25-9-1 14 The First Academy 30-4 15 Alonso 21-13 16 St. John's Country Day 26-9 17 Bishop Snyder 23-8 18 Spruce Creek 30-4 19 Buchholz 33-3 20 Lake Mary 15-15 21 Miami Springs 28-3 22 Jupiter 25-10 23 Plant City 16-12 24 Berkeley Prep 25-10 25 Winter Park 25-6
College | Story | 2/4/2026

Conference Preview: Northeast

Jason Phillips
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L CCSU 23 7 31 17 Coppin State 13 17 15 34 Delaware State 6 24 7 34 FDU 16 14 16 37 LeMoyne 17 13 20 28 LIU 24 6 35 23 UMES 6 24 7 41 Mercyhurst 15 15 17 35 New Haven* 12 12 24 20 Norfolk State 4 26 4 38 Stonehill 18 12 20 32 Wagner 23 7 31 22 *Member Northeast-10 DII Preseason All Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Frankie Ferrentino CCSU .281-13-35, 9 2Bs, (Merrimack), Double digit HR all 3 years at Merrimack 1B Jayden Walker Mercyhurst .314-12-40, 10...
Press Release | Press Release | 2/4/2026

Baseball Meets Hollywood For Great Cause

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
BASEBALL MEETS HOLLYWOOD FOR A GREAT CAUSE    There’s no crying in baseball, but there is laughing, and there was lots and lots of it -- for a great cause -- last Saturday night in Hollywood, California. Perfect Game and its Believe in Baseball Foundation assembled a star-studded cast of comics and guests for the inaugural “In the Spirit of the Game” dinner and auction. The event was held at the iconic Laugh Factory, a historic venue that, in baseball terms, would be equivalent to Dodger Stadium or Wrigley Field. Late-night superstar Jay Leno took a turn on stage. So did comedic aces Tiffany Haddish, Nikki Glaser, Dustin Ybarra and Gary Cannon. “It was 4 ½ hours of straight laughter,” said PG commissioner Dennis Gilbert, still beaming a couple of days later. “It was a really nice success.” No one kept score at the event, but...
Loading more articles...