I’ll begin by conceding that one of many best strengths of school baseball, as an leisure product, can generally be a weak point: There’s simply a lot of it. On the one hand, the primary week of the NCAA Match is a baseball sicko’s paradise, with uninterrupted wall-to-wall motion from midday to midnight all weekend, and stretching into Monday.
If one recreation is out of hand early, concern not — you possibly can swap to any considered one of about six completely different streams on ESPN+, or you possibly can camp out watching Squeeze Play and chant “Quad Field! Quad Field!” at your TV till Mike Rooney morphs right into a kaiju and lays waste to downtown Omaha.
It’s one of the best weekend of TV within the baseball season, and probably the greatest sports-watching weekends on the market full cease. However coming in utterly chilly generally is a little tough. A pair years in the past, a good friend of mine discovered himself at an MLB playoff recreation regardless of figuring out barely something about baseball. So to be able to assist him slot in, I texted him speaking factors all through the sport, Cyrano de Bergerac-style, making it seem like he was following the motion.
That’s my purpose right here, to undergo all 16 regionals — eight at the moment, eight on Friday — and ship at the least one helpful little bit of details about the groups at every website. And to be able to fight my pure impulse for verbosity, I’m going to attempt to adhere to a 150-word restrict for every capsule. (I can sense Meg and/or Matt’s skepticism already, however I’m going to do my finest.)
Knoxville Regional
1. Tennessee
2. Southern Mississippi
3. Indiana
4. Northern Kentucky
You’re going to listen to rather a lot about how deep the SEC was this 12 months, with the It Simply Means Extra convention putting 11 of 14 groups within the area. Bear that in thoughts while you hear that the Vols — the no. 1 total seed — went 22-8 in convention play and 50-11 total. The highest 5 hitters on the Vols’ roster by at-bats all had an OPS over 1.000; as a group, Tennessee hit .311/.414/.600, led by second baseman Christian Moore, who hit 28 house runs this 12 months.
And as veteran school baseball observers would possibly keep in mind, this membership performs with a little bit of an edge.
I’d be stunned if anybody put a scare into Tennessee, however Southern Miss, below first-year head coach Christian Ostrander, comes into regionals on a 14-1 run. Indiana is a perpetual Large Ten energy however limped to a 32-24-1 document this 12 months. NKU is an NCAA Match debutant, having received the Horizon League event in fascinating vogue. The Norse put up 23 runs on Youngstown State within the closing with out hitting a house run, and — like Tennessee — can bang. NKU hit .320/.436/.546 this 12 months, with 125 steals on solely 142 makes an attempt. Outfielder Treyvin Moss hit .388/.450/.675 with 29 steals this season, and received Horizon League Match MVP honors by driving in 12 runs in three event video games.
Greenville Regional
1. East Carolina
2. Wake Forest
3. VCU
4. Evansville
For the draft-concerned reader, that is in all probability your regional. These 4 groups characteristic at the least 4 gamers who determine to go within the high 20 picks: Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, and Seaver King, together with ECU ace Trey Yesavage. Playing cards on the desk: Burns is my favourite participant in all of school baseball this 12 months. He’s an explosive, excitable right-hander with upper-90s velo and a plus slider. He’s struck out practically two batters per inning this season, and regardless of maxing out at 109 pitches in any begin, he’s punched out at the least 13 batters in 9 of his 15 appearances. In his previous 4 begins, Burns has allowed a single earned run in 26 innings and recorded 57 of 78 outs by strikeout. Oh, and if Wake wins this regional, Burns will face his former group, Tennessee, within the tremendous. Faculty baseball media has been virtually foaming on the mouth over that chance.
Yesavage missed the AAC Match with {a partially} collapsed lung — yikes — however will likely be again to full power for this weekend. For these of you who like multi-inning relievers, VCU’s innings chief is sophomore Brian Curley, who has a 2.51 ERA in 75 1/3 innings spanning 17 bullpen outings. Evansville has an incredible mascot identify — the Purple Aces — and a surprisingly wealthy baseball heritage, counting Kyle Freeland, Sal Fasano, and former no. 1 total choose Andy Benes amongst its alumni. Evansville can be the hometown of Don Mattingly, although he went professional out of highschool.
Norman Regional
1. Oklahoma
2. Duke
3. UConn
4. Oral Roberts
One for the basketball followers. Duke capped off an ACC Match championship run with a 16-4 win over no. 8 nationwide seed Florida State, and would possibly really feel barely aggrieved at being denied a internet hosting bid. As it’s, the Blue Devils will face Oklahoma. The Sooners overcame a midseason hamate damage to star outfielder John Spikerman to go 23-7 within the Large 12 regardless of merely common pitching. Of the highest 16 nationwide seeds, eight have been within the high 14 in workers ERA; Oklahoma was 73rd, at 5.22. Duke outscored and outhomered Oklahoma this season, and may a 1-2 recreation get shut, anticipate All-ACC nearer Charlie Beilenson to come back in to tamp down Oklahoma’s offense.
UConn is in a regional for a sixth straight 12 months off the again of the Huskies’ fourth consecutive Large East common season title. And if you happen to’re licking your chops at Oral Roberts making one other shock run to Omaha as a no. 4 seed, this group will not be that group. This 12 months’s ORU membership wanted a Cinderella run via the Summit League event to make a regional, and has the worst document (27-30-1) and RPI (266) of any group within the area.
Tallahassee Regional
1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. UCF
4. Stetson
This ought to be one of many extra aggressive regionals. Florida State has bullpen however a little bit of a chaotic rotation behind ace Jamie Arnold. Bama is headed in the correct path as a program; the Tide are thriving below first-year head coach Rob Vaughn, who was employed after the dumbest betting scandal in baseball historical past claimed the earlier coach. Alabama has received sequence towards Tennessee and Arkansas, however the group type of backed onto the bubble after dropping its closing common season sequence towards Auburn, then going out within the first spherical of the SEC Match. Stetson received the convention event to earn its bid, however its 20-10 convention document was matched by a 20-10 document towards some fairly powerful nonconference opponents. That features season sequence splits towards West Virginia, Florida, and — related to this regional — Florida State and UCF.
The massive query for Florida State is whether or not head coach Hyperlink Jarrett burns Arnold towards Stetson or tries to steal a recreation with one other pitcher and save his Friday evening man for the winner of Bama-UCF. On the one hand, why take pointless dangers towards no. 4 seed? Then again, possibly a lineup anchored by future first-rounder James Tibbs III can carry the Seminoles to the winners’ bracket the place Arnold can be way more priceless towards both Alabama or UCF.
Fayetteville Regional
1. Arkansas
2. Louisiana Tech
3. Kansas State
4. Southeast Missouri State
The Razorbacks enter regionals on their longest dropping streak since April of final 12 months — three video games. Arkansas is a machine constructed to swallow up baseball groups and spit smoke and particles out the again. No. 1 starter Hagen Smith is a surefire top-10 choose; he’s the Seaside Boys to Burns’ Rolling Stones, and is almost as prolific a strikeout artist (154 in 79 innings, 1.48 ERA, .139 opponent batting common). And it’s an incredible pitching workers basically; Arkansas leads the nation with a 3.66 ERA and held opponents to a .216 common. That makes up for a little bit of a lackluster offense by top-end SEC requirements, however the Razorbacks nonetheless managed to attain 6.6 runs per recreation, thanks to 2 .300 hitters named Peyton (Stovall and Holt).
LA Tech’s matchup towards Kansas State will likely be attention-grabbing, as a result of the Bulldogs are comparatively untested towards energy convention opposition; they went 0-4 towards such groups this season. Kansas State returns to the event for the primary time since 2013, having fought its method off the bubble. SEMO took two of three from house run-happy Morehead State to win the Ohio Valley Convention event, however like LA Tech, the Redhawks confronted a weak schedule: 0-5 towards event groups (Evansville and Dallas Baptist), with just one recreation towards energy convention opposition.
Charlottesville Regional
1. Virginia
2. Mississippi State
3. St. John’s
4. Penn
Scheduling for the NCAA Match can get somewhat wonky, as a result of after the seeds are doled out, the choice committee likes to maintain groups near house. Sadly, the groups which might be ok to host are principally within the Southeast, so many of the lower-seeded groups should get on a aircraft. Virginia is the closest factor this area has to a Mid-Atlantic host, so two perennial mid-major powers from that area (St. John’s and Penn) find yourself right here. Penn was surprisingly frisky within the Auburn regional final spring, beginning 2-0 earlier than finally bowing out within the regional closing.
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Henry Ford pus UVA up 5-1 within the fifth!
?: ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/6XYzTNd5zt
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) Could 11, 2024
In the end, I don’t assume that’s going to matter a lot, as a result of UVA is to hitting what Arkansas is to pitching. The Cavaliers are second amongst energy convention groups in house runs and runs scored this 12 months. Eleven Virginia batters got here to the plate at the least 100 instances this 12 months; the bottom batting common amongst them is .294; they hit .341 as a group. The one school sequence I used to be capable of catch in particular person this 12 months was UVA-Wake in Charlottesville in March; Burns shut Virginia down in his begin, however UVA scored a mixed 27 runs within the different two video games.
Mississippi State does have an uncommon choice for stopping the Virginia onslaught: potential first-rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje. Although he’s solely 5-foot-11, Cijntje can hit the higher 90s together with his fastball, however he’s distinctive amongst school pitchers in that he may also flip round and pitch left-handed.
Tucson Regional
1. Arizona
2. Dallas Baptist
3. West Virginia
4. Grand Canyon
Come to this regional for the flashy pitching, keep for the bureaucratic infighting.
This can be a powerful draw for host Arizona, who’ll face DBU’s customary meeting line of huge hard-throwing Texans. Dallas Baptist will not be your common no. 2 seed; the Patriots completed eighth within the nation in ERA and are seventeenth within the RPI. Additionally they feasted on high-level competitors, with a 9-2 document in matchups designated by the NCAA as Quad 1 — one of the best document within the nation (minimal 10 video games). Their 5-0 document towards the nationally seeded groups on this event features a win over Arizona on the Frisco Basic again in March.
JJ WETHERHOLT HOME RUN!!#HailWV | @jj_wetherholt pic.twitter.com/BFFSEe5aog
— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 13, 2024
With that mentioned, look out for West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt, who was a possible no. 1 total choose earlier than a hamstring damage price him about 20 video games. He hit .349/.490/.642 this season when wholesome, which he’s now. Grand Canyon’s in an odd spot; GCU dominated a weak WAC (say that 3 times quick) within the common season, however went 0-2 within the convention event. Nonetheless, the controversial establishment’s baseball group received an computerized bid as a result of WAC Match champion Tarleton State was dominated ineligible whereas transitioning to Division I. With that mentioned, GCU did mercy rule Arizona earlier this 12 months, so don’t learn an excessive amount of into current type, I suppose.
Chapel Hill Regional
1. North Carolina
2. LSU
3. Wofford
4. Lengthy Island
This regional excites me as a result of the UNC-Lengthy Island first-round matchup goes to be the Tremendous Bowl for guys who wore backwards hats and tank tops to the seaside within the 90s. However on a extra severe be aware, drawing LSU as a no. 2 seed is a nightmare for potential first-round choose Vance Honeycutt and the Tar Heels. UNC had occasional hassle with top-end competitors within the common season, going 8-9 in Quad 1 video games, and LSU is white scorching proper now.
The Tigers have been on the bubble about two weeks in the past, however they ripped off a seven-game profitable streak that solely resulted in a detailed loss to Tennessee within the SEC Match closing. There may not be a warmer group within the nation proper now. There’s no extra Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, however the Tigers did return slugging third baseman Tommy White, who’s considered one of 5 LSU gamers to obtain All-SEC honors. Two of these — outfielder Ashton Larson and second baseman Steven Milam — have been amongst my favourite highschool prospects in final 12 months’s draft.
Milam particularly is enjoyable to look at; he’s listed at 5-foot-8, because of a particularly beneficiant measuring tape. Nonetheless, he hit .328/.424/.500 in 58 video games. In case you fined individuals in SEC territory a greenback each time they noticed Milam — a brief LSU infielder from New Mexico — and introduced up Alex Bregman, you would fund an NIL collective.
BALL DON’T LIE@Monster_Milam99 | SECN pic.twitter.com/2nB778BqOx
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) Could 25, 2024
Many of the consideration on this regional will likely be on UNC and LSU — and rightly so, for my part — however Wofford might sneak up on the highest two seeds. A standard season for the Terriers includes attempting to interrupt into the highest 5 baseball applications within the state of South Carolina; this 12 months, Wofford went 41-18, completed forty sixth in RPI — one spot forward of Texas — and hit .340 as a group. That’s the third-best batting common within the nation. Additionally they completed within the high 10 in stolen bases, as junior outfielder Marshall Toole went 42-for-45.
So yeah, if North Carolina desires to make it to the Tremendous Regional, the Tar Heels should keep away from getting mauled by the Tigers or nibbled to demise by the Terriers.
Which, in conclusion, illustrates one thing I feel informal followers and newcomers would love about school baseball: There’s a real variety in type of play. I’m an analytics man — in case you couldn’t inform by the place I work — however data and effectivity typically breeds sameness. There’s simply not sufficient expertise in Division I for 64 good groups to maximise their possibilities by all doing the identical factor.
I didn’t make the phrase rely restrict for a single considered one of these capsules, by the way in which. Possibly I’ll do higher in Half 2, which runs on Friday.
