The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Friday, May 29. Here is World Baseball Network’s preview of the Atlanta regional.
Atlanta Regional – Russ Chandler Stadium
No. 1 – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (48-9, 26-5 ACC) – Number Two National Seed
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are the number two national seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It has been a fantastic first season for head coach James Ramsey at the helm in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets are fresh off winning their first ACC Tournament since 2014. They also won the ACC regular-season title for the second-straight season. Georgia Tech will be hard to beat at their own ballpark in Atlanta with 30 wins at Russ Chandler Stadium this season.
The Yellow Jackets are led by outfielder Drew Burress and catcher Vahn Lackey. The two stars are top 100 MLB Draft prospects and have put together big-time seasons for Georgia Tech.
Burress has a .366 batting average with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs. During Sunday’s ACC Championship against North Carolina, he broke the all-time home run record in Georgia Tech history with 58 career home runs.
Lackey has a .410 batting average and a .527 on-base percentage this season with the Yellow Jackets. The catcher also has 18 home runs and 75 RBIs. Lackey is not the only Georgia Tech player batting north of .400. Jarren Advincula has a .431 batting average this season.
In fact, everyone in Georgia Tech’s batting lineup this season has a batting average of .290 or more. This lineup is the deepest and toughest in all of college baseball. It makes the Yellow Jackets a bona fide contender for the 2026 national championship.
No. 2 – Oklahoma Sooners (32-21, 14-16 SEC)
The Oklahoma Sooners have made the NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight season. However, they have failed to make it out of a regional for the past four seasons. The last time the Sooners went beyond a regional in the NCAA Tournament was 2022. That season, they lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in the national championship during the College World Series.
This season, Oklahoma has been great at stealing bases. The Sooners have five players with 10+ stolen bases this season. Camden Johnson leads Oklahoma in stolen bases with 26, and Brendan Brock is right behind him with 25.
Johnson has arguably been the Sooners’ best hitter this season. In 195 at-bats, he has a .323 batting average with 11 doubles, eight home runs, and 43 RBIs. The Wichita State transfer also has an on-base percentage of .410.
A key point to note is that Oklahoma is not entering the Atlanta regional on the right foot. The Sooners lost their final three weekend series to end the year. They also lost their only game in the SEC Tournament to the LSU Tigers, who finished at the bottom of the conference.
No. 3 – The Citadel Bulldogs (35-24, 11-10 SOCON)
The Citadel Bulldogs won the SOCON Tournament title in Greenville, S.C., which earned them a spot in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It was a great tournament for the Bulldogs, who scored 13+ runs in three of their five games during the SOCON Tournament.
The Bulldogs beat the Mercer Bears twice and scored a combined 23 runs in those two victories. Mercer won the SOCON regular season championship and won 44 games.
The Citadel is entering the Atlanta regional red hot with eight straight wins, which includes not only the SOCON Tournament run, but also a series sweep against VMI to end the season.
No. 4 – UIC Flames (27-27-1, 16-8 MVC)
The Illinois-Chicago Flames took home both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships during the 2026 college baseball season. This led to an automatic bid and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. The Flames have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2008.
2026 Atlanta Regional Schedule
Fri. May 29 – UIC vs Georgia Tech – noon ET – ACC Network
Fri. May 29 – The Citadel vs Oklahoma – 5 p.m. ET – ESPN+
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Georgia Tech’s Dylan Loy (37) pitches during an NCAA baseball game against Virginia Tech on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
