OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA baseball tournament kicks off on Friday with 16 double-elimination regionals.
Teams that win their regionals will progress to the best-of-three super regionals next week, with the final eight proceeding to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 13.
Teams on a Winning Streak
Northeastern is currently on a remarkable 27-game winning streak, the longest in Division I since Fairfield had 28 consecutive wins in 2021. The Huskies (48-9) are making their fourth NCAA appearance since 2018 under coach Mike Glavine, younger sibling of Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. As the No. 2 seed in Tallahassee, Florida, they will face Mississippi State in their first matchup.
Coastal Carolina, the No. 13 national seed with a record of 48-11, also comes into the tournament with an 18-game winning streak. The Chanticleers swept both the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament titles this season under new coach Kevin Schnall. They are set to play Fairfield in their regional opener.
Columbia (29-17) has secured nine consecutive wins and 16 out of their last 17 games. As the No. 4 seed in their regional, they will compete against the No. 16 seed Southern Mississippi.
Teams Struggling
Both Arizona State (35-22) and Kentucky (29-24) are currently on four-game losing streaks.
The Sun Devils have struggled at the plate, hitting .266 with just 12 runs and two homers in their last four games, including a 2-0 defeat to BYU in the Big 12 Tournament. Meanwhile, the Wildcats ended their regular season losing to the No. 1 seed Vanderbilt by a total of four runs and fell 5-1 to Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament.
Historic Waiting Game
East Carolina (33-25), which claimed the American Athletic’s automatic bid as a No. 6 seed, has never reached the College World Series despite 34 NCAA Tournament appearances, marking the longest such streak. This year marks the Pirates’ ninth entry in ten years.
Clemson (44-16) is looking for its first national championship in 46 attempts, having never reached the finals.
Tournament Newcomers
USC Upstate, champions of the Big South Tournament, will be making its tournament debut as a full Division I member since 2011. The Spartans boast a potent offense, scoring an average of 9.7 runs per game, with standout players Johnny Sweeney (third in RBIs with 81) and Scott Campbell (17th in batting average at .400). They will kick off their tournament run against No. 11 national seed Clemson, located just over an hour from their campus.
Challenging Regionals
The Oxford Regional, hosted by Mississippi, is considered particularly tough. The Rebels earned the No. 10 national seed following three wins in the SEC Tournament, despite losing in the finals to Vanderbilt. They expect to welcome back key players Mason Nichols and Ryan Moerman from injury.
Murray State (39-13), making its first tournament appearance since 2003 after winning the Missouri Valley Tournament, previously had a close encounter with the Rebels, having led them before losing in March. Georgia Tech (40-17), as the No. 2 seed in this regional, faces Western Kentucky (46-12), which has set a school record for wins this season.
