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NCAA Division I Baseball 64-team Tournament Regions Released: What to Watch For
The conference tournaments were finished by May 26, and the 32 automatic bids were decided. The NCAA Division I Baseball bracket was filled out with the other 32 teams on the selection show aired on ESPN 2 on May 27.
Four teams are in each region, and the format is double elimination from Friday, May 31, to Monday, June 3. The winner of each region will advance to the Super Regionals, a best two-out-of-three series with the higher-ranked team hosting. The winners of the Super Regional will go to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series and be in the final eight.
The regional format began in 1954 and expanded to 64 teams in 1999. The College World Series was founded in 1947 in Omaha.
All game times will be posted in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
Region Five
Arkansas is the overall fifth seed and will host the Regional in Fayetteville at Baum-Walker Stadium at Cole Field.
Teams:
No.1 Arkansas Razorbacks—Arkansas went 0-2 in the SEC Tournament, losing to South Carolina and Kentucky. Arkansas has won the SEC Tournament twice and made the College World Series 11 times. They finished in second place twice, the most recent time being in 2018 against Oregon State.
No.2 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs—Louisiana Tech lost to Dallas Baptist in the finals of the Conference USA Tournament 17-10. Although they have won their conference tournament four times, they have never made it to the College World Series.
No.3 Kansas State Wildcats—Kansas State went 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament and lost its second game to TCU. Although it has won its conference tournament six times, it has never made the College Baseball World Series.
No. 4 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks—Southeast Missouri State won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship 9-6 against Morehead State. They have won their conference tournament six times and have never made the College World Series.
Player to Watch: Arkansas left-handed pitcher Hagan Smith struck out 154 batters this season, breaking the Arkansas single-season strikeout record. He pitched 79 innings with an ERA of 1.48. Smith is the 5th ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 150 Draft Rankings.
Schedule: Friday, May 31.
All game times will be posted in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
Arkansas (43-14) is playing Southeast Mo. St. (34-25) at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
Louisiana Tech (45-17) plays Kansas St. (32-24) at 8 p.m. on ESPN+.
Region 12
Virginia is the 12th overall seed and will host the Regional Tournament in Charlottesville in Davenport Park at Disharoon Park.
No.1 Virginia Cavaliers—Virginia was eliminated in the ACC tournament by losing to Florida State, 12-7. Virginia has won its conference tournament three times and has made the College World Series six times. They won it all in 2015 and were the runners-up in 2014.
No.2 Mississippi State Bulldogs—Mississippi State went 2-2 in the SEC Tournament and was eliminated in a 6-5 loss to Tennessee. Mississippi State has won its conference tournament seven times and made the College World Series 12 times. They won the College World Series once in 2021 against Vanderbilt.
No.3 St. Johns Red Storm—St. Johns won the Big East Championship 4-2 against Georgetown. St. Johns has won its conference tournament ten times and made the College World Series six times.
No.4 Penn Quakers—Penn won the Ivy League Tournament Championship by beating Cornell 12-6. Penn also won the Ivy League Tournament last year and has won it three times in its history.
Player to Watch- Virginia shortstop Griff O’Ferrall is the 38th-ranked prospect in MLB Pipeline’s Top 150 Draft Rankings. O’Ferrall hit a home run against Florida State and made a few great defensive plays. “Defense, I’ve been working on the little parts of it, the details that sometimes get lost. I honestly really enjoy it. So when it comes to games, I can just be athletic and let the game happen,” O’Ferall told World Baseball Network after losing to Florida State in the ACC tournament.