NCAA Tournament baseball bracketology entering final regular season weekend
Bracketology: It’s not just for basketball. College baseball bloggers, podcasters, and beat writers are diving into the details of the projected bracket for the 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament. Yes, it’s a 64-team tournament. There is no First Four in Dayton. A total of 16 national seeds will host four-team regionals. The 16 regional winners will meet in eight Super Regionals. The eight Super Regional winners go to Omaha, Neb., for the 2023 College World Series in June.
USC and other Pac-12 teams are finishing up the conference’s regular season slate this weekend before moving on to the Pac-12 Tournament.
Baseball bracketologists are hard at work. Here’s what College Sports Madness projected for the college baseball postseason:
TEAM NO. 65: UC IRVINE
Jun 18, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters pitcher Elliot Surrey (32) and pitcher Jimmy Litchfield (16) look over the field after the Anteaters were eliminated by the Texas Longhorns after game nine of the 2014 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Texas defeated UC Irvine 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the five teams that entered the past week on the bubble:
UC Irvine
USC
USC moved up with its sweep of Arizona State. Irvine was the first team out of the field but has a chance to play its way in.
Dec 21, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; General view of Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion during the second half of a basketball game between the Auburn Tigers and Washington Huskies. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Huskies are in line to make the field. They’re second in the Pac-12.
OREGON DUCKS: IN
Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski, center, talks strategy as the Ducks take San Francisco to extra innings at PK Park March 30, 2022.
Syndication The Register Guard
The Ducks are projected to be in the field.
USC TROJANS: IN
USC Baseball — Taylor Jones of Auburn Wire
The Trojans entered the week as a bubble team but are now projected in the field. They are listed in the Columbia regional with South Carolina, North Carolina, and St. Joseph’s.
Oregon State left fielder Wade Meckler, left, celebrates after crossing home plate to score for the Beavers Friday, June 3, 2022, at the 2022 NCAA Corvallis Regional at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
Syndication The Register Guard
The Beavers are another Pac-12 team in the field.
STANFORD CARDINAL: 10 SEED
Jun 20, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Stanford Cardinal center fielder Brock Jones (7) and Stanford Cardinal first baseman Carter Graham (31) walk off the field after the loss against the Auburn Tigers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
In basketball, being a 10 seed puts a team in the lower half of the bracket. In baseball, it’s the other way around. There are only 16 total seeds. Stanford would get a preferred placement and would host a regional.
Arizona State baseball lost to USC this past weekend.
The Sun Devils are projected to be in.
