The 2025 NCAA Tournament is set to begin on May 30, with 16 regionals set to take place. Here is World Baseball Network’s preview of the Nashville, Hattiesburg, Tallahassee, and Corvallis regionals.
Nashville Regional, Hawkins Field, Hosted by Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores (42-16, 19-11 SEC, No. 1 National Seed)
Vanderbilt is on a hot streak heading into the NCAA Tournament, as they have won eight straight games. This win streak includes an SEC Tournament Championship in Hoover, Ala. as they defeated Ole Miss, 3-2.
The Commodores are a top-five fielding team in the country (based on fielding percentage) and a top-ten pitching team in the country (based on team ERA). These points of the game are emphasized by head coach Tim Corbin in his philosophy of winning national championships.
When it comes to hitting, Riley Nelson has led the way with a .358 batting average and 45 RBI. Freshman phenom Brodie Johnston is coming off a great SEC Tournament after winning the MVP award for the event in Hoover.
Vanderbilt has been tested hard during the regular season with the second-hardest strength of schedule according to D1 Baseball. This makes them a dangerous team that can go out and win the national championship.
Louisville Cardinals (35-21, 15-15 ACC, No. 2 Seed in Nashville)
Louisville is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history. All of their appearances in the NCAA Tournament have come this decade.
With Vanderbilt being their host, it is important to note that Louisville has fared well against SEC teams. They defeated both Kentucky and Vanderbilt during the regular season.
The Cardinals lean heavily on their offense to win games. They rank fifth in the ACC in team batting average, sitting at .306 on the season.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers (41-15, 14-7 SOCON, No. 3 Seed in Nashville)
East Tennessee State won both the Southern Conference (SoCon) regular season and tournament titles. The Buccaneers came back in the SOCON championship game to defeat Samford and win the tournament in Greenville, S.C.
The name to watch for ETSU will be Cooper Torres. The senior just won the Most Outstanding Player Award in the SOCON Tournament.
Wright State Raiders (38-19, 25-5 Horizon League, No. 4 Seed in Nashville)
The Wright State Raiders dominated their way to win the Horizon League Regular Season and Tournament titles. It is the 12th Division One NCAA Tournament appearance in program history for the Raiders.
Nashville Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
East Tennessee State v. Louisville – 2 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Wright State v. Vanderbilt – 6 p.m. EDT – SEC Network
Hattiesburg Regional, Pete Taylor Park, Hosted by Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (44-14, 24-6 Sun Belt, No. 16 National Seed)
In their last 19 games, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles are 18-1. The sole loss over that stretch came in their most recent game against Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt championship game.
The Golden Eagles are one of the better pitching teams in the country. They rank 11th in Division One baseball in team ERA (3.91). A lot of this effort is helped along by junior J.B. Middleton.
In 2025, Middleton has a 2.01 ERA and has struck out 114 batters in 98.1 innings. He has landed himself a spot on the Golden Spikes semi-finalist list and is a member of the first team All-Sun Belt squad.
Fans should keep an eye on Nick Monistere, the Sun Belt Player of the Year. With a .338 batting average and 19 home runs, he is a name to circle on the lineup card.
With 25 wins at home this year, Southern Miss has made playing in Pete Taylor Park a not-so-easy experience.
Alabama Crimson Tide (41-16, 16-14 SEC, No. 2 Seed in Hattiesburg)
Alabama was on the cusp of hosting for a lot of this season. Instead, they find themselves heading one state west to play in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Crimson Tide went 1-1 in Hoover, Ala. at the SEC Tournament. They defeated Missouri but lost to Tennessee.
Justin Lebron will lead the charge for the Crimson Tide offense. He has become one of the best shortstops in the country with a .315 batting average, 18 home runs, and 72 RBI.
It is also important to note that Alabama played the regional host, Southern Miss, already this season and defeated them 10-6 in Tuscaloosa.
Miami Hurricanes (31-24, 15-14 ACC, No. 3 Seed in Hattiesburg)
For the 50th time in program history, the Miami Hurricanes are in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes are looking to a super regional for the first time since 2016.
Miami is headlined by their star player Daniel Cuvet, who has a .378 batting average with 16 home runs this season. He was named first team All-ACC third baseman.
Columbia Lions (29-17, 16-5 Ivy League, No. 4 Seed in Hattiesburg)
Columbia finished as both regular season and tournament champions of the Ivy League this season. They had the most conference wins in the league alongside Yale, which also had 16.
Hattiesburg Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
Miami v. Alabama – 3 p.m. EDT – ESPN 2
Columbia v. Southern Miss – 7 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Tallahassee Regional, Dick Howser Stadium, Hosted by Florida State
Florida State Seminoles (38-14, 17-10 ACC, No. 9 National Seed)
Florida State is once again in the NCAA Tournament, having the second-most appearances of all time (only Texas has more). The Seminoles also have no national championships despite making it to the College World Series 24 times.
In short, the Seminoles are looking to break that bad luck.
It starts with star player Alex Lodise. Arguably the best player in college baseball, the Florida State shortstop has a .415 batting average and a much-improved .974 fielding percentage.
This led to him winning the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Myles Bailey is a freshman to watch. The Tallahassee-native crushed three home runs in Durham, N.C., at the ACC Tournament. His power ability is a must-watch for college baseball fans and opposing teams.
The second-winningest college baseball program ever will be looking to hunt down their first national championship ever in this tournament.
Northeastern Huskies (48-9, 25-2 CAA, No. 2 Seed in Tallahassee Regional)
Northeastern dominated the Colonial Athletic Association, winning both the regular season and tournament titles. They have won 36 of their last 37 games, making them possibly the hottest team in college baseball.
The Huskies dominate opposing teams with pitching. Their 2.92 team ERA ranks them as the best pitching team in college baseball. Their starting rotation of Will Jones, Jordan Gottesman, and Avian Cabral all have ERAs under 2.75 and have all combined for 236 strikeouts.
The question will be this for Northeastern as they roll into Tallahassee: Can they pitch this way against power conference competition?
Mississippi State Bulldogs (34-21, 15-15 SEC, No. 3 Seed in Tallahassee Regional)
To put it lightly, it has been a roller coaster type of season for Mississippi State. They fired their former head coach, Chris Lemonis, back on April 28. Since then, the Bulldogs have played better with a 9-2 record since that date.
This is the 41st appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have been playing better and have the tournament pedigree to make some noise.
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (37-21, 24-5 SWAC, No. 4 Seed in Tallahassee Regional)
The Wildcats ended the Southwest Athletic Conference Tournament in thrilling fashion with a walk-off home run to beat Florida A&M in the championship game. It is their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017.
Tallahassee Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
Bethune-Cookman v. Florida State – 3 p.m. EDT – ACC Network
Mississippi State v. Northeastern – 7:30 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Corvallis Regional, Goss Stadium, Hosted by Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers (41-12-1, No. 8 National Seed)
Despite not playing in a conference tournament this past week, the Oregon State Beavers won plenty of games to earn a regional host. It is their 8th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The top two hitters the Beavers have are Aiva Arquette and Gavin Turley, who have .348 and .338 batting averages, respectively. The two stars in the Oregon State lineup have combined for 32 home runs and 117 RBI. They are the two most potent hitters in the lineup.
Ethan Kleinschmidt and Dax Whitney are the two leading pitchers on the team. They both have 3.84 and 3.86 ERAs, respectively. The freshman phenom Whitney has an impressive strikeout rate with 89 in 60.2 innings.
The two players have contributed to the Beavers’ 4.42 team ERA, which ranks 26th in Division One baseball.
Oregon State will be hunting for their fourth national championship after winning its latest one in 2018.
TCU Horned Frogs (39-18, 19-11 Big 12, No. 2 Seed in Corvallis)
The Horned Frogs came up short in winning the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas, as they lost to Arizona. Despite that, they were on the border of being a regional host, which makes them a formidable two-seed.
A player to watch on Texas Christian is Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sawyer Strosnider. He is the hitting leader for the team with a .354 batting average, 10 home runs, and 50 RBI. Along with his teammate Anthony Silva, he is the team’s biggest steal threat with 10 stolen bases.
TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos was adamant that his team deserved a chance to host Fort Worth. This makes the Horned Frogs motivated as ever to win the Corvallis Regional.
USC Trojans (35-21, 18-12 Big 12, No. 3 Seed in Corvallis)
Southern California lost their final two series of the season to Michigan State and Washington. Despite that, they had a solid year finishing above .500 in the Big Ten in their first year in the conference.
The Trojans went 1-1 in the Big Ten tournament as they defeated Washington, but lost to Penn State before that.
St. Mary’s Gaels (35-24, 15-9 WCC, No. 4 Seed in Corvallis)
The Gaels defeated the San Diego Toreros in the West Coast Conference championship. They are playing great baseball lately, winning nine of their last 10 games.
Corvallis Regional Schedule
Friday, May 30
USC v. TCU – 3 p.m. EDT – ESPN U
St. Mary’s v. Oregon State – 8 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Important to Note
The winner of the Nashville Regional will play the winner of the Hattiesburg Regional in the super regional round.
The winner of the Tallahassee Regional will play the winner of the Corvallis Regional in the super regional round.
