2023 College Baseball Tournament bracket: Who's in, what and who to know

2023-06-01 23:00

The greatest college show on dirt returns for the 2023 season, anchored by southeastern powerhouses gripping hostingsites.College baseball season is at its peak with the Road to Omaha looking much clearer for 64 teams left.https://twitter.com/NCAABaseball/status/1663222365449338888?s=20D...

The greatest college show on dirt returns for the 2023 season, anchored by southeastern powerhouses gripping hosting sites.

College baseball season is at its peak with the Road to Omaha looking much clearer for 64 teams left.

Diving into when the games begin, who to look out for and what teams should be expected to make deep runs.

When does the 2023 NCAA College Baseball Tournament begin?

Starting tomorrow, the 64 teams will compete as they are separated into 16 pods, with four teams in each that will go until June 5. The regionals round is a double-elimination tournament, where the winner from each round will advance to the next.

The Super Regionals is a best two-out-of-three-game scenario, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.

The final eight teams will compete in the CWS, beginning on June 16 to crown college's kings of the spring dirt/turf.

Who are the teams to know?

Some things in college sports never change and when it comes to the SEC, college football and baseball mirror one another as dominant forces in the sport. Seven of the 16 seeds are hosted by SEC programs, with Florida being the highest ranked at the No.2 team in the country.

The other teams include Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU.

Wake Forest opens as the No.1 team in the entire land, after putting a stranglehold on the ACC with a 22-7 record during the season after beating every series on the team's schedule.

Indiana State has been no secret to the baseball world, with 11 NCAA regionals. The Sycamores are hosting for the first time in program history after sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and conference tournament, en route to a 42-15 season.

The SEC leads the country with 10 teams in the 2023 tournament, followed by the ACC with eight, Big 12 with six, Pac 12 with five and the Sun Belt with four.

Who are the players to know?

Among the top bats in the country lies LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, who is expected to go near the top of the 2023 MLB Draft this summer.

He has hit .420 on the season with 15 home runs and 59 runs batted in. Next to him is Tommy White, who has one-upped Crews, with a blistering 20 home runs and 91 runs batted in. Expect the duo to create fireworks all throughout June.

If you're looking for an under-the-radar team with a fun hitter, look no further than the Baton Rouge region, with Sam Houston's Tyler Davis hitting .432 on the season and has swiped 13 bags on 14 attempts.

The Bearkats' offense has been one of the hottest in the country over the past week, averaging 14.8 runs per game as they posted a 5-1 record during the WAC Tournament.

On the mound, Wake Forest's Rhett Lowder has become the top ace in the sport. His 1.69 earned run average ranks second in the nation and has a 13-0 record.

Lowder has collected as many accolades as possible, with ACC Player Of the Year, First Team All-American and will be in high regard for the Golden Spikes Award, given out to the best player in the sport.

Iowa relies on its arms to get the work done, especially through strikeouts. Their over 11 strikeouts per nine innings rank top five in the country. They are led by sophomore pitcher Brody Brecht, who has struck out 101 batters in 2023. And there's no shortage of velocity in his game.

How does the field shape up?

Here are the 64 teams and what sites they will be at for the regionals.

Winston-Salem Regional, No.1 Wake Forest host

#1 Wake Forest (47-10) vs. #4 George Mason (34-25)
#2 Maryland (41-19) vs. #3 Northeastern (44-14)

Tuscaloosa Regional, No.16 Alabama host

#1 Alabama (40-19) vs. #4 Nicholls (34-22)
#2 Boston College (35-18) vs. #3 Troy (39-20)

Coral Gables Regional, No.9 Miami (Fl.) host

#1 Miami (FL) (40-19) vs. #4 Maine (32-19)
#2 Texas (38-20) vs. #3 Louisiana (40-22)

Stanford Regional, No.8 Stanford host

#1 Stanford (38-16) vs. #4 San Jose State (31-25)
#2 Texas A&M (36-25) vs. #3 Cal State Fullerton (31-22)

Baton Rouge Regional, No.5 LSU host

#1 LSU (43-15) vs. #4 Tulane (19-40)
#2 Oregon State (39-18) vs. #3 Sam Houston (38-23)

Lexington Regional, No.12 Kentucky host

#1 Kentucky (36-18) vs. #4 Ball State (36-21)
#2 West Virginia (39-18) vs. #3 Indiana (41-18)

Auburn Regional, No.13 Auburn host

#1 Auburn (34-21-1) vs. #4 Penn (32-14)
#2 Southern Miss (41-17) vs. #3 Samford (36-23)

Clemson Regional, No.4 Clemson host

#1 Clemson (43-17) vs. #4 Lipscomb (36-24)
#2 Tennessee (38-19) vs. #3 Charlotte (34-26)

Fayetteville Regional, No.3 Arkansas host

#1 Arkansas (41-16) vs. #4 Santa Clara (35-18)
#2 TCU (37-22) vs. #3 Arizona (33-24)

Terre Haute Regional, No.14 Indiana State host

#1 Indiana State (42-15) vs. #4 Wright State (39-21)
#2 Iowa (42-14) vs. #3 North Carolina (35-22)

Stillwater Regional, No.11 Oklahoma State host

#1 Oklahoma State (41-18) vs. #4 Oral Roberts (46-11)
#2 Dallas Baptist (45-14) vs. #3 Washington (34-18)

Nashville Regional, No.6 Vanderbilt host

#1 Vanderbilt (41-18) vs. #4 Eastern Illinois (38-19)
#2 Oregon (37-20) vs. #3 Xavier (37-23)

Charlottesville Regional, No.7 Virginia host

#1 Virginia (45-12) vs. #4 Army (38-16)
#2 East Carolina (45-17) vs. #3 Oklahoma (31-26)

Conway Regional, No.10 Coastal Carolina

#1 Coastal Carolina (39-19) vs. #4 Rider (35-19)
#2 Duke (35-21) vs. No.3 UNC-Wilmington (34-21)

Columbia Regional, No.15 South Carolina host

#1 South Carolina (39-19) vs. #4 Central Connecticut State (36-12)
#2 Campbell (44-13) vs. #3 North Carolina State (35-19)

Gainesville Regional, No.2 Florida host

#1 Florida (44-14) vs. #4 Florida A&M (29-28)
#2 UConn (43-15) vs. #3 Texas Tech (39-21)