College Baseball Regional 2022: Results, Highlights and Bracket from Sunday
Jun 5, 2022
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MAY 26: Arizona Wildcats Infielder Nik McClaughry (11) gets a hit during the PAC12 Baseball Tournament game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Arizona Wildcats on May 26, 2022, at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, AZ. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The field continues to thin out in the 2022 NCAA baseball tournament, with only one more day remaining in the regional round.
Fifteen teams had already been eliminated before Sunday's play got underway. Each of the 16 national seeds remained, though, with seven having already advanced to the regional final.
Here's how the penultimate day of the regionals unfolded.
Regional Results
Knoxville Regional
Georgia Tech 16, Campbell 5
No. 1 Tennessee 9, Georgia Tech 6
Stanford Regional
No. 2 Stanford 8, UC Santa Barbara 4
Stanford 8, Texas State 4
Statesboro Regional
Texas Tech 3, No. 16 Georgia Southern 1
Notre Dame 2, Texas Tech 1
College Park Regional
No. 15 Maryland 10, Wake Forest 5
No. 15 Maryland 7, UConn 6 (11 innings)
Austin Regional
Air Force 9, Louisiana Tech 7
No. 9 Texas 10, Air Force 1
Chapel Hill Regional
No. 10 North Carolina 6, Georgia 5
No. 10 North Carolina 19, VCU 8
Greenville Regional
Coastal Carolina 7, Virginia 6
Coastal Carolina 9, No. 8 East Carolina 1
Stillwater Regional
No. 7 Oklahoma State 29, Missouri State 15
No. 7 Oklahoma State 14, Arkansas 10 (10 innings)
College Station Regional
TCU 6, Louisiana 1
Texas A&M 15, TCU 9
Coral Gables Regional
Arizona 7, Canisius 5
Ole Miss 2, No. 6 Miami 1
Louisville Regional
No. 12 Louisville 8, Oregon 5
No. 12 Louisville 20, Michigan 1
Hattiesburg Regional
No. 11 Southern Miss 4, Kennesaw State 3 (10 innings)
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) June 5, 2022
Blake Paugh made it a 3-0 game with a solo home run in the second inning. Yet another dinger followed in the fourth, this time of the three-run variety off the bat of Nik McClaughry.
Paugh got his second of the game in the seventh inning to provide Arizona with some breathing room after Canisius plated four runs across the fifth and sixth frames.
Quinn Flanagan shut the door on the Golden Griffins when he entered in the eighth. With a runner on second, he got Mike DeStefano to line out and then set Canisius down in order to secure the victory.
Louisville fought off Oregon's comeback attempt to secure a rematch with Michigan in the regional final.
Heading into the eighth inning, the Cardinals were cruising with a 7-2 lead.
Colby Shade and Brennan Milone led off the inning with singles for the Ducks. Shade scored on a base hit by Josh Kasevich, and Milone and Kasevich then came home on a double by Anthony Hall.
T8 | No quit in these Ducks.
Hall's double gets Oregon within two runs heading into the bottom of the eighth. #GoDucks
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) June 5, 2022
Josiah Cromwick and Sam Novitske were unable to do further damage as Louisville maintained a two-run advantage. The Cardinals also got one run back on a single by Christian Knapczyk in the bottom of the eighth.
Tate Kuehner, who had entered midway through the eighth, remained on the bump to start the ninth. Gavin Grant popped out to open the inning, and Kuehner set down Tanner Smith and Shade on strikes for the win.
A football game broke out between Oklahoma State and Missouri State. The teams combined for 44 runs and 37 hits, the bulk of both coming from the Cowboys. It was the highest-scoring game in tournament history.
OSU actually trailed 12-0 through three innings. Then the regional host outscored the Bears 29-3 the rest of the way.
Oklahoma State and Missouri State baseball have scored more runs today in Stillwater than their football teams did in their matchup last fallโฆ wild pic.twitter.com/T7TsQoYxTO
Doersching finished with six RBI, yet he wasn't the Cowboys' top offensive performer. Roc Riggio went 5-for-7 with seven RBI and three runs scored from the leadoff spot.
As the offense was firmly kicking into gear, Trevor Martin brought some stability on the mound. The right-hander threw the final 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits and striking out 16 batters.
College Baseball Regionals 2022: Results, Highlights and Bracket from Saturday
Jun 5, 2022
Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada (4) competes during an NCAA baseball game against Georgia on Friday, March 4, 2022 in Atlanta. Georgia Tech won 11-7. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
Day 2 of the 2022 NCAA baseball tournament also marked the first round of eliminations from the 64-team field.
Regionals are a double-elimination format, so the teams that lost on Friday had to win today in order to keep their season alive.
The teams that won on Day 1 have some breathing room, but another victory on Saturday moves them to the regional final and gives them a day off on Sunday while they wait to see who advances out of the loser's section of the bracket.
Here's a look at all the scores and a recap from the notable games from around the country.
Saturday Scores
Knoxville Regional
Georgia Tech def. Alabama State, 13-4
No. 1 Tennessee def. Campbell, 12-7
Statesboro Regional
No. 16 Georgia Southern def. UNC-Greensboro, 8-0 (Makeup from Friday)
Oregon broke out the bats in a big way in an 18-6 victory over Southeast Missouri State in an elimination game in the Louisville Regional.
The Ducks racked up a Pac-12 postseason and school-record 26 hits in the win. Six different players had at least three hits, led by Brennan Milone's 5-for-6 showing.
That'll wake you up!
Brennan Milone gets things started early for the Ducks! ๐ฆ
A seven-run second inning blew the game wide open for the Ducks, and they never stopped. They scored at least three runs in four different innings.
Isaac Ayon battled his way through four innings for Oregon. The right-handed sophomore allowed seven hits, five runs and three walks in the win. The bullpen was fantastic, as Matt Dallas, Stone Churby and Dylan Sabia combined to allow just two hits with four strikeouts over the final five innings.
Bryce Grossius was the only one of Southeast Missouri State's six pitchers used who didn't allow a run in the game. Starter Collin Wilma was charged with six earned runs in 1.1 innings.
Brett Graber and Wyatt Grant both had solo homers in the loss. Despite the abrupt end to their tournament run, the Redhawks are certainly a program in the rise. This was their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and third time since 2016 after making the field just once in their first 24 years as a Division I program from 1991-2015.
Oregon will take on the Louisville-Michigan loser on Sunday for the right to advance to the regional final.
Central Michigan 3, Liberty 2 (F/12)
Central Michigan kept its season alive with a 3-2 walk-off win over Liberty that took 12 innings to complete.
Danny Wuestenfeld's two-out single off Cade Hungate in the bottom of the 12th scored Zach Lechnir to give the Chippewas the victory.
The pitching for both teams was fantastic in the game. Starters Joe Adametz III (Liberty) and Jordan Patty (Central Michigan) both went six innings. Adametz allowed two earned runs and had seven strikeouts.
Patty allowed just three hits and one unearned run. Adam Mrakitsch gave Central Michigan six strong innings out of the bullpen. The left-hander did allow the game-tying run to score in the top of the eighth on Logan Mathieu's sacrifice fly, but it was the only run he allowed.
Gonzaga 11, Wright State 9
Gonzaga erased a five-run deficit to earn an 11-9 victory over Wright State in the Blacksburg Regional on Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders scored three runs in the first inning and had a 9-4 lead going into the fourth. Zane Harris and Andrew Patrick both had homers in a six-run third inning.
Goes yard โ Gives team the lead โ Nails tomahawk dunk โ
— Wright State Baseball (@WSURaidergang) June 4, 2022
Bulldogs head coach Mark Machtolf pulled Will Kempner for Owen Wild after Patrick's homer.
Wild, who threw a career-high 7.2 innings in his last start on May 26 against Loyola Marymount, was lights out yet again. The sophomore gave up just three hits and no runs over the final 6.1 innings to give Gonzaga a chance.
The offense came alive in the fifth inning with some help from Wright State's pitching. Jay Luikart and Sebastian Gongora combined to walk four hitters in the inning. Ezra Samperi drove in two runs with a two-out single to make it a 9-6 game.
After getting another run back in the top of the sixth, Gonzaga took the lead for good with four runs in the seventh. Savier Pinales put the Bulldogs ahead with a two-run double to left field.
T7 | Zags 10, Raiders 9 WE GOT A BALLGAME IN BLACKSBURG! Zags retake the lead with a 2-RBI double from Pinales! pic.twitter.com/G3IIad4q6i
The Raiders had a chance to tie the game or take the lead multiple times after that. They had two runners on base in each of the last three innings, but they were unable to capitalize all three times.
Wild struck out Avery Fisher with runners on first and second to end the game.
Michigan 7, Louisville 3
The biggest upset of the afternoon games on Saturday saw Michigan beat Louisville, 7-3, at Cardinal Stadium.
Louisville took an early lead when Logan Beard scored on Ben Bianco's groundout in the top of the second.
The Wolverines answered in the bottom of the third with back-to-back homers by Clark Elliott and Joe Stewart.
Clark The Spark Elliott is the scariest leadoff hitter in college baseball, batting over .450 with runners on base ๐ #GoBlue ใฝ๏ธpic.twitter.com/kTC6gEdmrn
Michigan added two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to open up a 7-1 lead. Head coach Erik Bakich used five different pitchers in the game. No one went more than 2.2 innings.
Walker Cleveland started the game, allowing one run in 1.1 innings. Noah Rennard and Jacob Denner also gave up one run in a combined five innings of work. Chase Allen finished out the seventh inning by recording the final two outs.
Cameron Weston closed out the win with two scoreless innings.
Louisville had a lot of opportunities to at least make the game close. The top seven hitters in the lineup all recorded at least one hit. Leadoff hitter Christian Knapczyk reached base four times (two walks, one hit, one fielder's choice).
Cardinals starter Jared Poland got hit around in his 4.2 innings of work. The right-handed senior allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits.
Michigan advances to the regional final with the win. It will take on the winner of Louisville-Oregon for the right to go to the super regional.
LSU 7, Southern Mississippi 6 (F/10)
LSU is making a habit of winning in the most dramatic fashion possible through two games in the NCAA tournament.
After scoring 10 runs in the eighth inning of Friday's 14-11 win over Kennesaw State, the Tigers walked off against Southern Mississippi with a 7-6 victory in 10 innings.
LSU scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth just to force extras. Dylan Crews and Cade Doughty both homered in the inning to make it a 6-5 score.
After Tre' Morgan was hit by a pitch, Drew Bianco pinch ran and stole second base with two outs. Jordan Thompson's single off Garrett Ramsey allowed Bianco to score the tying run.
Paul Gervase pitched a scoreless 10th inning to set up the Tigers' walk-off in the bottom half of the frame. They loaded the bases with no outs thanks to a single, hit by pitch and walk.
The Golden Eagles did get one when Jacob Berry grounded into a fielder's choice. Josh Pearson hit a high chopper that hung in the air long enough to allow Josh Stevenson to score before Dustin Dickerson's throw could get to the plate.
Southern Mississippi has to take on Kennesaw State on Sunday. The winner of the matchup will play LSU in the regional final.
College Baseball Regionals 2022: Results, Highlights and Bracket from Friday
Jun 3, 2022
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - APRIL 16: Jsxon Wiggins #22 of the Arkansas Razorbacks pitches during a game against the LSU Tigers at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field on April 16, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers 6-2. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
The 2022 NCAA baseball tournament kicked off Friday with 64 college baseball teams vying for a chance to play in the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, this summer.
The tournament kicked off with the regional round, which is a double-elimination format, on Friday. Monday marks the final day of the regional round and, at that point, just 16 teams will remain in the tournament and move on to the super regionals.
Friday's games saw some exciting action, so let's take a look at the scores, bracket and a recap of the best games from each regional bracket.
The UConn Huskies defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 8-7 in their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to put themselves in good position to come out of the College Park Regional bracket.
Wake Forest held a 2-1 lead over UConn through four innings before the Huskies broke through with a four-run fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead over the Demon Deacons. A two-run home run from shortstop Bryan Padilla and an RBI single from first baseman Ben Huber highlighted the inning.
UConn tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead over Wake Forest courtesy of a two-run shot from right fielder Casey Dana that sailed over the left field wall.
However, the Demon Deacons began cutting into the Huskies' lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when center fielder Lucas Costello hit a solo home run to make it a 7-3 ball game.
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) June 3, 2022
The Demon Deacons went on to tie the game 7-7 in with a four-run bottom of the eighth inning, highlighted by a solo home run from left fielder Adam Cecere.
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) June 3, 2022
UConn won the game on an RBI double from Huber in the top of the ninth inning. The Huskies also received solid pitching from reliever Justin Willis in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory.
UConn will face the winner of Maryland vs. LIU on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
East Carolina 17, Coppin State 1
The East Carolina Pirates defeated the Coppin State Eagles 17-1 in their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to put themselves in good position to come out of the Greenville Regional bracket.
This was pure domination from East Carolina, which received consistent run production and lights-out pitching en route to the victory.
The Pirates jumped out to and early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two RBI single from right fielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart. First baseman Josh Moylan flied out to right field to score Bryson Worrell for the 3-0 advantage.
East Carolina did most of its damage in an eight-run third inning highlighted by two home runs from Worrell. It was an incredibly impressive inning from the Pirates, but what's even more impressive is that Worrell hit one of his home runs lefty and the other righty.
East Carolina added five more runs over the remainder of the game highlighted by a solo home run from Alec Makarewicz in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Coppin State's only run came in the third inning. The Eagles had just eight hits compared to the Pirates' 14 hits. In addition, the East Carolina pitching staff struck out 11 batters and walked just two en route to the victory.
East Carolina will face Virginia, which defeated Coastal Carolina 7-2 on Friday, on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
San Diego 3, Vanderbilt 2
The San Diego Toreros defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 3-2 in their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to put themselves in great position to come out of the Corvallis Regional bracket.
San Diego led Vanderbilt 3-0 through six innings before the Commodores added one run in both the seventh and eighth innings to cut into the Toreros lead. Calvin Hewett's solo home run in the bottom of the eighth made it a one-run game
However, the Commodores attempted comeback fell short as the San Diego pitching staff remained locked-in through the remainder of the game.
Brycen Mautz pitched seven innings for the Toreros, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out five batters. Ryan Robinson and Ian Chuchill each pitched one inning in relief, allowing just one hit.
This is a huge loss for Vanderbilt as it now falls into the elimination bracket. If the Commodores can't bounce back with a win on Saturday, they'll be in serious danger of being an unexpected early exit in this tournament.
Vanderbilt will face the loser of Oregon State vs. New Mexico State.
Stanford 20, Binghamton 7
The Stanford Cardinal opened up the 2022 NCAA tournament with a stunning 20-7 win over the Binghamton Bearcats on Friday and are now in a solid position to come out of the Stanford Regional bracket.
While the Bearcats took an early 1-0 lead over the Cardinal in the first inning, Stanford responded with a massive 10-run second inning highlighted by a grand slam from third baseman Drew Bowser.
— Stanford Cardinal ๐ฒ๐ค (@GoStanford) June 3, 2022
Binghamton responded with a three-run fifth inning to make Stanford's lead 10-6, but the Cardinal got the runs back in the bottom of the fifth to take a 14-6 lead into the sixth inning.
B5 | ๐ฒ 12, ๐ป๐ฑ 6
RBI-single from @eddiepark__ and this RBI-triple from Adam Crampton has provided the response for the Cardinal!
Designated hitter Tommy Troy sent a solo shot over the left-center field wall to extend Stanford's lead in the bottom of the sixth inning before recording his second home run of the night, a three-run blast, in the bottom of the seventh for a 18-6 lead.
Joe Lomuscio put the finishing touches on Stanford's 20-7 victory with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
E6 | ๐ฒ 15 ๐ป๐ฑ 6@tommytroyfive connects for his third home run of the year - a solo shot to left-center field!
The 20 runs are a Stanford single-game postseason record and the win marked the Cardinal's 17th consecutive victory.
Stanford will face the winner of UC Santa Barbara vs. Texas State on Saturday, while Binghamton will get the loser of that game.
Oregon State 5, New Mexico State 4
The Beavers needed extra innings to
fend off an upset bid from the Aggies, who tied the game in the
bottom of the ninth before OSU walked it off in the 10th.
Ryan Brown pitched a scoreless top of
the 10th for Oregon State, which set the stage for Justin Boyd to
secure the walk-off victory, literally:
Preston Godfrey had tied the game for
New Mexico State with an RBI single in the ninth.
Eight of OSU's nine starters reached
base in the victory. Garret Forrester led the offensive charge with
three hits and two RBI as he raised his season average to .335.
Matthew Gretler also had a pair of hits.
Cooper Hjerpe struck out 10 while
allowing three earned runs across 6.2 innings for the Beavers.
Tommy Tabak paced the Aggies' attack
with two hits and three RBI. Ian Mejia racked up nine strikeouts in
7.1 innings, but allowed four earned runs on nine hits and four
walks.
Missouri State Players Rip, Post Photos of Hotel Conditions at 2022 CWS Regional
Jun 2, 2022
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MAY 25: Sunset during the PAC12 Baseball Tournament game between the Washington Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers on May 25, 2022, at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, AZ. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Players on the Missouri State baseball team posted Thursday night about the poor condition of their hotel rooms ahead of their NCAA tournament regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Relief pitcher Trey Ziegenbein shared the photos which also included images of clothes and other items that had been left behind by previous guests and a stained mattress.
According to Wyatt D. Wheeler of the Springfield News-Leader, the team was staying at the Microtel by Wyndham and about half the team changed hotels in the middle of the night to one next door, which was also housed the Grand Canyon baseball team. The other half of the remained at the initial hotel due to a lack of rooms.
Missouri State is scheduled to face hosts Oklahoma State in its first game on Friday.
The winner of Friday's game will face the winner of Arkansas and Grand Canyon in the double-elimination tournament.
According to the NCAA baseball host operations manual, tournament managers are responsible for making the travel arrangements for each team with hotels being of equal quality for all participants, per Wheeler. Visiting teams are still responsible for confirming the arrangements.
Missouri State is reportedly looking for new arrangements for Thursday night and presumably the rest of their stay in Stillwater.
The Bears have a 30-27 record on the season, clinching an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title. It secured the school's first appearance in the regional round since 2018, with three all-time trips to the super regionals.
College Baseball Regional 2022: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Players to Watch
Jun 2, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 05: Ben Joyce #44 of the Tennessee Volunteers pitches in the back eighth inning against the Baylor Bears during the Shriners Children's College Classic at Minute Maid Park on March 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
The Tennessee Volunteers stole the spotlight of the college baseball world all season long.
The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA baseball tournament garnered even more attention over the last few weeks because of how hard reliever Ben Joyce has thrown the ball.
Joyce broke an NCAA record with a pitch of 105.5 miles per hour in May. The right-handed reliever consistently throws in the 100 mph range, and he should be on full display during the Knoxville regional.
Joyce will have extra sets of eyes on him anytime he pitches over the next few weeks. He is one of a few players to watch in the regional round and beyond.
LSU slugger Jacob Berry could be the first college player off the board during the 2022 MLB draft. The Tigers will need a big weekend out of him at the Hattiesburg Regional to move on in the bracket. Berry has dealt with an injury recently, but he should be good to go for the weekend.
There are plenty of other MLB draft prospects who could make a name for themselves during regional weekend, one of which is looking to follow in his brother's footsteps as a first-round pick.
The full bracket and schedule for the regional round of the NCAA tournament can be found here on NCAA.com.
Players To Watch
Ben Joyce, RP, Tennessee
Ben Joyce is the most notable power arm for the best team in the country.
Joyce turned heads in May when he reached 105.5 miles per hour on the radar gun, but he is more than just a fastest pitch phenomenon.
Joyce owns a 2-1 record with a 2.51 ERA from 25 appearances. Opponents are hitting .157 against him. He allowed eight earned runs on 16 hits and struck out 47 batters.
The right-handed hurler will be called upon in pressure-packed situations throughout the Knoxville regional to ensure the No. 1 seed's top passage into the super regional round.
Tennessee drew a potentially tough No. 2 seed in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They would face off if the two programs win their openers against the Alabama State Hornets and Campbell Camels, respectively.
Joyce may be asked to throw multiple innings of relief in either the second or third games, that way Tennessee can avoid playing any extra contests in its home stadium.
Joyce has been a must-see player whenever he steps to the mound, and he will only attract more eyeballs over the next few weeks if he continues to throw in the triple digits.
Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, LSU
Jacob Berry could be the first collegiate player chosen in the 2022 MLB draft.
Berry's draft position could come down to how much money teams want to use in their slots in the top 10 more than his individual talent compared to others.
The LSU slugger owns a 1.134 OPS with 15 home runs and 47 RBI. He has 32 home runs and 117 RBI in his career with the Tigers.
Berry missed the SEC tournament because of a broken finger, but his prognosis for regional weekend is positive.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson said that the extra week off helped Berry and other injured LSU players, per The Advocate's Leah Vann.
"The thought was not playing them last weekend was to give them a better chance to be closer to their best this weekend and that was a tough decision. In both their cases, I didn't feel good about running them out with the status that they were at. But I felt like the extra days would get us closer to where we feel great about them playing."
LSU could use Berry's bat throughout the Hattiesburg Regional to get past No. 11 seed Southern Miss, Kennesaw State and Army.
Berry's bat could be vital for the Tigers if they go head-to-head in multiple games with Southern Miss, who won 43 games in the regular season.
Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech
Jace Jung could be the second member of his family chosen in the first round of the MLB draft in the last three years.
Jung's older brother, Josh, was chosen eighth overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2019 MLB draft out of Texas Tech.
The younger Jung brother can confirm his top-10 draft status with a solid NCAA tournament run with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Jung has a .340 batting average, 1.123 OPS, 14 home runs and 56 RBI this season. He could be the difference-maker in the loaded Statesboro regional.
Texas Tech was drawn alongside Notre Dame and No. 16 overall seed Georgia Southern. The Red Raiders face the Fighting Irish in what could be the best opening game of regional weekend.
Jung is one of the few difference-making bats across the country who could carry his team to multiple victories this weekend.
He is considered one of the top bats in the draft class. Mayo projected him to be the No. 10 pick, while McDaniel had him landing at No. 12.
Jung could go even higher if he leads Texas Tech out of the Statesboro regional and he shines in a potential super regional showdown with Tennessee.
College Baseball Regional 2022: Bracket, Schedule, Live Stream and More
Jun 1, 2022
CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 24: Camden Minacci (14) of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons pitches the ball during the ACC Baseball Championship Tournament between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and NC State Wolfpack on May 24, 2022, at Truist Field in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The road to Omaha, Nebraska, begins on Friday.
Sixty-four college baseball programs will continue their championship journeys during the regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament.
By Monday night, 16 clubs will be left in the tournament and move on to the super regional round.
The Tennessee Volunteers are the No. 1 overall seed, and they are one of 16 schools hosting the four-team, double-elimination brackets from Friday to Monday.
The four teams closest to Tennessee in the overall bracket could go through one of the toughest regional weekends.
The 16th-seeded Georgia Southern Eagles are hosting a regional for the first time in program history. They welcome two powerhouse programs in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas Tech Red Raiders to Statesboro.
The Maryland Terrapins might be in a similar situation as Georgia Southern. They were a bit of a surprise as the No. 15 overall seed and are one of the favorite seeded teams to be upset.
Regional-Round Info
The entire schedule for the regional round can be found at NCAA.com. The Knoxville, Coral Gables and Auburn regionals have the first games on Friday's schedule.
The 64-team bracket can also be found at NCAA.com. The winners of each regional round will match up with the victors from their assigned part of the bracket in the super regional round.
Georgia Southern Faces Two Tough Powerhouse Opponents
The two lowest national seeds were handed two of the toughest draws in the regional round.
Georgia Southern earned the honor of hosting a regional as a mid-major program, but it may not make it out of the first weekend.
The Sun Belt program drew a pair of teams that are ranked in D1Baseball.com's Top 25. Notre Dame is 17th and Texas Tech is 24th.
Notre Dame and Texas Tech will play each other in the opening round, and the winner will face Georgia Southern if the Eagles defeat the UNC Greensboro Spartans.
Notre Dame is only 3-2 in its last five games, but its pitching staff has the potential to shut down opponents over multiple games. The Fighting Irish won their first two ACC tournament games while conceding three total runs against the Florida State Seminoles and Miami Hurricanes.
Texas Tech is 2-4 in its last six contests, but three of those losses came to the Oklahoma Sooners, which are a No. 2 seed in the Gainesville regional.
The Red Raiders went 6-1 in the stretch prior to that and swept the Oklahoma State Cowboys, which are hosting a regional this weekend.
Whichever team wins the No. 2-versus-No. 3 contest in Statesboro, Georgia could go on to win the regional because they can be better than Georgia Southern at its best.
The Eagles had a seven-game winning streak ended at the Sun Belt tournament by the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. The 7-6 loss marked the lowest scoring total from the team since May 19.
Georgia Southern had four double-digit run totals during its last win streak, and it produced 10 or more runs in nonconference clashes with the Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Eagles' offense will be vital to reaching the second weekend, and if that happens, the team will earn a rematch against Tennessee, which swept the three-game regular-season series in February.
Maryland May Be Most Upset-Prone Seeded Team
The Big Ten came away from the NCAA baseball tournament selection show with plenty of frustrations.
The conference only got two teams in, and its best club in the regular season earned one of the final two national seeds.
Maryland's cost for being the No. 15 seed could be a first-round exit on home soil to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons or Connecticut Huskies.
An opening victory over the Long Island University Sharks is expected, but that will probably be the least stressful contest of the weekend in College Park, Maryland.
Wake Forest is a 40-win team that makes the trip up north with a 6-1 record over its last seven games. UConn has plenty of momentum from winning the Big East tournament.
The Huskies conceded three runs in their three Big East tournament games, and Wake Forest's pitching staff allowed more than three runs once in its last six victories.
The Wake-UConn opener is likely to be one of the most competitive games we see on Friday, and the winner should enter the matchup against Maryland with a ton of confidence.
The Terps scored in bunches over the last few weeks, but they also conceded five or more runs in four of their last five trips to the diamond.
If the Maryland offense slows down at any point, it could be in trouble since the Wake and UConn pitching staffs enter College Park in good form.
Maryland may not have gotten a better draw as the No. 13 or No. 14 overall seed, but it might wish another group of teams were paired with it by the time the weekend ends.
College Baseball Regional 2022: Tennessee Earns Top Seed; Full Bracket Revealed
May 30, 2022
STARKVILLE, MS - MAY 21: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate a home run during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers on May 21, 2022 at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium in Starkville, MS. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tennessee claimed the No. 1 seed for the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, with the full bracket announced Monday.
The Volunteers will host one of 16 regionals and get play underway Friday against Alabama State.
Here are the 16 national seeds and each of the regional locations:
2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament Regional Sites
No. 1 Tennessee (Knoxville)
No. 2 Stanford (Stanford)
No. 3 Oregon State (Corvallis)
No. 4 Virginia Tech (Blacksburg)
No. 5 Texas A&M (College Station)
No. 6 Miami (Miami)
No. 7 Oklahoma State (Stillwater)
No. 8 East Carolina (Greenville)
No. 9 Texas (Austin)
No. 10 North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
No. 11 Southern Miss (Hattiesburg)
No. 12 Louisville (Louisville)
No. 13 Florida (Gainesville)
No. 14 Auburn (Auburn)
No. 15 Maryland (College Park)
No. 16 Georgia Southern (Statesboro)
Tony Vitello's squad captured the SEC title with an 8-5 win over Florida on Sunday, bringing Tennessee's overall record to 53-7 heading into the tournament. Not surprisingly, the Vols are the betting favorites (+250; bet $100 to win $250) at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the College World Series.
Tennessee boasts an offense that ranks 12th in batting average (.310) and first in slugging percentage (.613), while the pitching staff is first in ERA (2.37) and WHIP (0.95) and seventh in strikeout rate (10.8 per nine innings).
Considering the Volunteers went 34-3 at home, it will be considered a major disappointment if they fail to advance past the super regionals in Knoxville to advance to the College World Series.
No matter what happens on the road to Omaha, Nebraska, a new national champion will be crowned.
Nine teams are representing the SEC in the tournament, and Mississippi State isn't one of them. Coming off their 2021 title, the Bulldogs went 26-30 overall and 9-21 in the conference in 2022.
Nevertheless, the SEC is well-represented. The conference is tied with the ACC for the most schools in the 64-team field.
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College Baseball Regional 2022: Bracket, Schedule and Hosts
May 30, 2022
STARKVILLE, MS - MAY 21: Tennessee Volunteers pitcher Kirby Connell (35) pitches during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers on May 21, 2022 at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium in Starkville, MS. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The first details of the NCAA baseball tournament bracket were released Sunday night.
The 16 sites for the regional round were announced as conference tournament play across the nation started to wind down.
The Tennessee Volunteers, who have been the best team in the country all season, headlined the list of host teams for the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Four ACC and SEC programs earned hosting privileges. The Big 12 and Pac-12 were the other conferences to earn multiple host sites.
The entire bracket will be released Monday afternoon. The release will include the seeding order and bracketing of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
Regionals take place June 3-6. Four teams are assigned to each region. The 16 winners from the double-elimination format move on to the super-regionals.
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Regional Hosts
Tennessee
Virginia Tech
Stanford
Oregon State
Texas A&M
Miami (FL)
Louisville
Oklahoma State
Maryland
Southern Miss
East Carolina
Auburn
Texas
Florida
North Carolina
Georgia Southern
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The 16 regional host sites were announced Sunday, but the order of the national seeds was not.
It is widely expected that the Volunteers will be the No. 1 seed when the full field of 64 is released Monday.
The Vols own a 53-7 record and swept the SEC regular-season and tournament championships.
Tennessee should be drawn with some of the weaker teams in the regional round because of its expected top seeding.
The winner of Tennessee's regional will go on to face the winner of the regional hosted by the No. 16 seed.
The NCAA baseball tournament bracket operates just like other knockout competitions, where No. 1 is paired with No. 16, No. 2 with No. 15 and so on.
Because a non-national seed could upset a national seed in the regional round, the super-regional sites do not get released until the end of the regionals. The expectation is for most of the top national seeds to host super-regionals if they advance.
The Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies joined Tennessee as regional hosts from the SEC.
The SEC is traditionally the toughest conference in college baseball, and it should have the most representatives in the field of 64.
Tennessee and Florida are repeat regional hosts from last season. The East Carolina Pirates, Texas Longhorns and Stanford Cardinal also fit into that category.
Texas and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are the Big 12 hosts. The Oregon State Beavers join Stanford as Pac-12 hosts. The ACC has four host teams, led by the Miami Hurricanes, who have the second-most regional hosting opportunities in tournament history behind Texas.
Eight conferences have host teams for the regional round. The American Athletic Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt each have one from the mid-major ranks.
SEC Baseball Championship 2022: Tennessee Defeats Florida for 1st Title Since 1995
May 29, 2022
STARKVILLE, MS - MAY 21: Tennessee Volunteers infielder Trey Lipscomb (21) throws to first base during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers on May 21, 2022 at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium in Starkville, MS. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tennessee has capped off one of the best regular seasons in program history with an 8-5victory over Florida in the 2022 SEC Baseball Championship Game on Sunday.
This marks the Volunteers' first SEC tournament championship since 1995. They have also won 53 games this season, the second-most in program history (54-16 in 1995).
๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ช๐ป.@Vol_Sports is the first school in @SEC history to win the women's soccer, men's basketball, and baseball tournament championships all in the same year!
After finishing their semifinal game over Kentucky around 2 a.m. ET on Sunday, the Vols had a quick turnaround as they played for a conference tournament title. They showed no signs of fatigue.
Camden Sewell threw five shutout innings, scattering six hits and recording one strikeout. The senior right-hander had his longest outing of the season in his second appearance of the SEC tournament. He threw 1.1 innings in Thursday's 10-1 win over Vanderbilt.
Camden Sewell totaled 61 pitches with 42 strikes against 20 batters.
Florida, which was playing its third game in two days, did a good job of keeping things close early. Neither team scored through the first four innings.
Carsten Finnvold was outstanding on the mound, especially considering he only pitched 4.1 innings all season coming into today. The freshman left-hander allowed nine runs and walked six in his four appearances during the regular season.
Against a Tennessee lineup that entered the game averaging 9.4 runs per game, Finnvold only allowed one hit through four innings.
Florida had an opportunity to strike first in the bottom of the fourth. Ty Evans singled and stole second with one out. Jud Fabian looked like he had a single, but Trey Lipscomb made a fantastic diving stop for the second out.
The Volunteers finally broke through in the top of the fifth with the help of some poor defense by the Gators. Colby Halter's throwing error to lead off the inning allowed Evan Russell to reach second base.
Drew Gilbert had a bases-loaded double to left field that scored three runs to give the Vols a 4-0 lead. Finnvold allowed all four runs, but none of them were earned before he was removed with two outs in the fourth.
Tennessee added three more runs in the sixth to break things wide open. Seth Stephenson and Luc Lipcius both had RBI doubles in the inning.
Florida was able to rally in the eighth inning to get on the board. The team scored three runs and sent eight batters to the plate. BT Riopelle had the big hit in the inning, a two-run homer off Ben Joyce.
Wyatt Langford and Sterlin Thompson hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the ninth to make it an 8-4 score. Thompson came around to score on an error by Evans, but Fabian fouled out to end the game.
It wound up being too little, too late for the Gators to get back in the game. They did put up a valiant effort against the best team in the SEC, but Tennessee has looked like an unstoppable machine all season.
Florida's run to the SEC title game, which included wins over Arkansas and Texas A&M, did help enhance the team's tournament resume. The Gators are projected to host a regional in the NCAA tournament, per D1Baseball.com.
The Volunteers should enter the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed when the field is announced Monday. They have won eight straight games overall and 12 of 13 dating back to May 7.
ACC Baseball Championship 2022: Vance Honeycutt Homers Twice as UNC Clinches Title
May 29, 2022
North Carolina's Vance Honeycutt rounds the bases after a three-run home run against the NC State during the second inning in an NCAA college baseball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
North Carolina completed its surprising run to an ACC baseball tournament title, defeating rival North Carolina State 9-5 in Sunday's championship game.
Vance Honeycutt stole the show for the Tar Heels with two two home runs and five RBI as the school earned its eighth conference title.
The ACC showcased its depth during a wild tournament at Truist Field in Charlotte. Eighth-seeded North Carolina and No. 10-seeded NC State advanced to the semifinals after upsets over Virginia Tech and Miami, respectively.
The Tar Heels became the last team standing as they bring a lot of momentum into the NCAA tournament.
NC State struck first in the title game with a Josh Hood RBI single in the top of the first inning.
The lead didn't last long, however, with Honeycutt hitting a two-run home run in the first and a three-run homer in the second:
Honeycutt does it again, unreal. The @DiamondHeels freshman sensation greets Willadsen with a 3-run blast, and now itโs 8-1 Heels. Thatโs Honeycuttโs second 2-homer game of the week. Have yourself a game. Have yourself a tournament. Have yourself a darn season.
Angel Zarate and Danny Serretti also drove in runs in the second inning, helping North Carolina build an early 8-1 advantage.
UNC starting pitcher Max Carlson did his part as well, putting several zeroes on the box score to hold a 9-1 lead through five. Though he ran into trouble in the sixth, he finished with three runs allowed in five-plus innings and six strikeouts with just one walk. He helped the home team build what became an insurmountable lead.
North Carolina State still gave everything it could to rally late, with a J.T. Jarrett two-run double cutting into the deficit.
Wolfpack pitcher Chris Villaman thrived with five perfect innings out of the bullpen, striking out eight with zero walks and zero hits allowed.
Two runs in the ninth inning got NC State within four before Davis Palermo finally closed out the victory for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels struggled at times during the regular season, especially at the start of conference play, but the late surge could make the team dangerous in the NCAA tournament. With a conference title on the resume, the squad has a chance to host a regional.
NC State is expected to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and could still be a sleeper to make a deep run.
