64 teams set for NCAA Division I tournament
The road to Omaha is back open, and now we know the teams making the trip.
The 64 programs aiming for a shot at 2021 glory were announced by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee on Monday.
Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt snagged the top four overall seeds while Arizona, TCU, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Stanford, Notre Dame, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, East Carolina, Oregon, Florida and Louisiana Tech will host the other 12 regionals.
Games at all 16 regionals are scheduled to begin this Friday and end next Monday (if necessary). The winner of each double-elimination regional moves on to super regionals at to-be-determined locations. The Men’s College World Series begins June 19 in Omaha.
The tournament will feature some familiar names to those following MLB Pipeline’s ranking of Draft prospects. The fearsome pitching pair of Jack Leiter (No. 3) and Kumar Rocker (No. 5) are both expected to take the mound for defending national champion Vanderbilt. Similarly, No. 9 Ty Madden has a chance to lead Texas to its first NCAA title since 2005 as a right-hander with a solid four-pitch mix. No. 12 Draft prospect and UCLA shortstop Matt McLain is the highest-ranked position player forging his way to Omaha. No. 4 Henry Davis will miss out on the action after Louisville did not make the tournament for the first time since 2011.
Here is how the 2021 regionals of the NCAA Division I tournament shake out:
Fayetteville Regional
1. Arkansas
2. Nebraska
3. Northeastern
4. NJIT
Austin Regional
1. Texas
2. Arizona State
3. Southern
4. Fairfield
Knoxville Regional
1. Tennessee
2. Duke
3. Liberty
4. Wright State
Nashville Regional
1. Vanderbilt
2. Georgia Tech
3. Indiana State
4. Presbyterian
Tucson Regional
1. Arizona
2. Oklahoma State
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. Grand Canyon
Fort Worth Regional
1. TCU
2. Oregon State
3. Dallas Baptist
4. McNeese State
Starkville Regional
1. Mississippi State
2. VCU
3. Campbell
4. Samford
Lubbock Regional
1. Texas Tech
2. UCLA
3. North Carolina
4. Army West Point
Stanford Regional
1. Stanford
2. UC Irvine
3. Nevada
4. North Dakota State
South Bend Regional
1. Notre Dame
2. UConn
3. Michigan
4. Central Michigan
Columbia Regional
1. Old Dominion
2. South Carolina
3. Virginia
4. Jacksonville
Oxford Regional
1. Ole Miss
2. Southern Miss
3. Florida State
4. Southeast Missouri State
Greenville Regional
1. East Carolina
2. Charlotte
3. Maryland
4. Norfolk State
Eugene Regional
1. Oregon
2. Gonzaga
3. LSU
4. Central Connecticut State
Gainesville
1. Florida
2. Miami (FL)
3. South Alabama
4. South Florida
Ruston Regional
1. Louisiana Tech
2. NC State
3. Alabama
4. Rider