NCAA Baseball Tournament: 16 regional host sites officially announced

It’s Championship Sunday in college baseball, which means tomorrow we will know the full NCAA Tournament field. But first, the NCAA has released the 16 sites that will be hosting a regional in this year’s tournament.

Getting here was quite the battle. During conference tournament week, there were up to 22 teams that had at least an argument to host a regional. Even in the final games on Sunday, it felt like the last few top 16 seeds remained up for grabs.

But, finally, we now know which 16 teams will be playing at home next weekend. Of course, we don’t know the exact seeding yet, as the hosts were announced in alphabetical order by host site.

The full NCAA Tournament field will be released on Monday, May 26 at 12 noon ET. There, we will learn the final seeding for these 16 regional hosts, as well as the other 48 teams that will join them in the fight for the College World Series in Omaha.

Athens (Georgia)

Record: 42-15 (18-12 in SEC)
RPI: No. 2
Quad 1 Record: 11-11
Quad 2 Record: 8-4
Strength of Schedule: No. 6

Georgia’s resume is a strong one. Being top five in both RPI and strength of schedule likely has the Bulldogs slotting in as a top eight overall seed on Monday, setting them up to host a super regional should they advance. Georgia was one-and-done in the SEC Tournament, losing their opener to Oklahoma.

Auburn (Auburn)

Record: 38-18 (17-13 in SEC)
RPI: No. 3
Quad 1 Record: 16-12
Quad 2 Record: 4-2
Strength of Schedule: No. 1

Auburn has been top five in RPI for a while now, and it’d be surprising if they don’t wind up being a top eight national seed. The Tigers, in addition to their 16 Q1 wins and No. 3 RPI, have the No. 1-rated strength of schedule, which should lock them into the top eight on Monday.

Austin (Texas)

Record: 42-12 (22-8 in SEC)
RPI: No. 4
Quad 1 Record: 17-11
Quad 2 Record: 7-0
Strength of Schedule: No. 19

There was no doubt about Texas hosting. The regular season SEC champions have been a lock to host, and have a strong case to do so as the top overall seed in the tournament. They are one of just a couple teams with at least 17 Q1 wins on the season, and winning the SEC regular season by multiple games despite late struggles shows how dominant the Longhorns really were.

Baton Rouge (LSU)

Record: 43-14 (19-11 in SEC)
RPI: No. 10
Quad 1 Record: 13-11
Quad 2 Record: 8-1
Strength of Schedule: No. 35

LSU, to no surprise, is the next team from the SEC hosting a regional. The Tigers’ RPI dropped out of the top ten over the past couple of days, but their 13 Q1 wins and 19-11 record in the SEC have them in top eight consideration. LSU went 1-1 in Hoover, splitting their two games in the SEC Tournament.

Chapel Hill (North Carolina)

Record: 42-12 (18-11 in ACC)
RPI: No. 6
Quad 1 Record: 10-5
Quad 2 Record: 16-5
Strength of Schedule: No. 27

North Carolina has been in the top eight mix for most of the season, and it’s a virtual guarantee that’s where they’ll end up. The Tar Heels fell just short of the regular season ACC title, but won 18 ACC games, 25 games between Q1 and Q2, and swept their way through the ACC Tournament to win it.

Clemson (Clemson)

Record: 44-16 (18-12 in ACC)
RPI: No. 9
Quad 1 Record: 10-10
Quad 2 Record: 14-5
Strength of Schedule: No. 19

Clemson was trending towards being a bubble host for a bit, but they settled in late and solidified their spot as a top 16. Entering Sunday, they felt back in play for the top eight. The Tigers have 24 wins between Q1 and Q2, but the fashion in which they lost to UNC in the ACC Championship might leave a sour taste in the committee’s mouth for the top eight discussion.

Conway (Coastal Carolina)

Record: 48-11 (26-4 in Sun Belt)
RPI: No. 8
Quad 1 Record: 5-5
Quad 2 Record: 10-4
Strength of Schedule: No. 66

Coastal Carolina has had quite the year, and they’re rewarded as a regional host. The Chanticleers are 48-11 overall, went 26-4 in the Sun Belt to win the regular season, and won their way through the Sun Belt Tournament to sweep both titles. Coastal is 8 in RPI, and even with just five Q1 wins, are in consideration for the top eight.

Corvallis (Oregon State)

Record: 41-12-1
RPI: No. 7
Quad 1 Record: 11-11
Quad 2 Record: 9-0-1
Strength of Schedule: No. 42

Oregon State wasn’t slowed by an independent schedule, moving swiftly through the season and playing well throughout. The Beavers finished 7 in RPI with 20 wins across Q1 and Q2, and they are officially locked in as a regional host. How highly they finish is the question, and they have a case for the top eight.

Eugene (Oregon)

Record: 42-14 (22-8 in Big Ten)
RPI: No. 17
Quad 1 Record: 9-1
Quad 2 Record: 3-1
Strength of Schedule: No. 36

Oregon was trending towards top eight territory at one point, and might still have a shot. Still, the Ducks are rewarded for a great year by being named a regional host. They went 42-14 and won a share of the Big Ten regular season at 22-8, finishing at 17 in RPI.

Fayetteville (Arkansas)

Record: 43-13 (20-10 in SEC)
RPI: No. 5
Quad 1 Record: 14-10
Quad 2 Record: 2-2
Strength of Schedule: No. 14

It would be a massive surprise if Arkansas isn’t a top four seed when the bracket is revealed on Monday. The Razorbacks came in second place in the SEC regular season, are top five in RPI, and have 14 Q1 wins with a top 15 strength of schedule. They struggled some for a stretch, but rebounded well at the end.

Hattiesburg (Southern Miss)

Record: 44-14 (24-6 in Sun Belt)
RPI: No. 19
Quad 1 Record: 7-5
Quad 2 Record: 6-3
Strength of Schedule: No. 67

Southern Miss was on the rise entering conference tournament week, seen as a legitimate threat to steal a spot as a regional host. Now, they get the nod officially. They are 19 in RPI, went 7-5 in Q1 games and 24-6 in the Sun Belt, eventually losing in the Sun Belt Tournament title game against Coastal Carolina.

Knoxville (Tennessee)

Record: 43-16 (16-14 in SEC)
RPI: No. 11
Quad 1 Record: 14-11
Quad 2 Record: 7-5
Strength of Schedule: No. 12

Tennessee’s hosting chances have been on a rollercoaster as of late. They really stumbled in the second half of SEC play, but picked up a pair of wins in the SEC Tournament to get back in the mix. After all, the Vols have 14 Q1 wins and are 11 in RPI, and that’s more than worthy of hosting.

Los Angeles (UCLA)

Record: 42-16 (22-8 in Big Ten)
RPI: No. 15
Quad 1 Record: 3-7
Quad 2 Record: 11-2
Strength of Schedule: No. 22

UCLA was seen as a fringe host entering conference tournament week, and they played their way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship before falling to Nebraska. The Bruins have just 3 Q1 wins, but with RPI in the top 15 and a share of the regular season Big Ten title, they get the nod as a regional host.

Nashville (Vanderbilt)

Record: 42-16 (19-11 in SEC)
RPI: No. 1
Quad 1 Record: 18-14
Quad 2 Record: 11-1
Strength of Schedule: No. 2

Vanderbilt got hot at the perfect time. The Commodores finished 19-11 in SEC play, and won their way through the SEC Tournament to pick up the crown. On their way to the championship, their RPI rose to No. 1, their strength of schedule is No. 2, and they have 29 wins between Q1 and Q2. They are probably the favorite for the top overall seed.

Oxford (Ole Miss)

Record: 40-19 (16-14 in SEC)
RPI: No. 12
Quad 1 Record: 19-15
Quad 2 Record: 1-2
Strength of Schedule: No. 5

Ole Miss has been right on the verge of being a regional host for much of the year, and their run to the SEC Tournament Championship Game solidified their spot. The Rebels, despite losing, are 12 in RPI with 19 Q1 wins, which leads the nation. They have a legitimate case for the top eight.

Tallahassee (Florida State)

Record: 38-14 (17-10 in ACC)
RPI: No. 14
Quad 1 Record: 13-10
Quad 2 Record: 4-3
Strength of Schedule: No. 24

Florida State didn’t quite make it to the ACC Tournament Championship, but they still finish the year 17-10 in ACC play, 13-10 in Q1 games, and are 14 in RPI. The Seminoles are officially locked into hosting, and should slot in somewhere just outside of the top eight.