On Sunday night, the NCAA announced the 16 sites that will host regionals in the NCAA Tournament. Here is a breakdown of each team hosting.
The numbers next to the team names ARE NOT official national seeds or general seeding
1. Nashville Regional, Hawkins Field, Vanderbilt Commodores
Record: 42-16 overall, 19-12 SEC, 28-5 home
Vanderbilt will be one of the top national seeds in the NCAA Tournament when the full field is revealed on Monday, May 26, at noon EDT. The Commodores are just coming off their fifth ever SEC Tournament championship.
2. Austin Regional, Disch-Falk Field, Texas Longhorns
Record: 42-12, 22-8 SEC, 26-5 home
Texas is one of the best baseball teams in the country. The Longhorns won the SEC regular season title in their first season in the conference and in their first season with head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
3. Fayetteville Regional, Baum-Walker Stadium, Arkansas Razorbacks
Record: 43-13, 20-10 SEC, 32-4 home
Arkansas ended the season relatively well, winning two series against Texas and Tennessee in its final three series of the season. Their run at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. came to a quick end when Ole Miss beat them in their first game.
4. Chapel Hill Regional, Boshamer Stadium, North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 42-12, 18-11 ACC, 25-6 home
North Carolina dominated their way to winning the ACC Tournament in a 14-4 win over Clemson on Sunday. It was their ninth conference tournament championship as they played their way into earning a national seed.
5. Athens Regional, Foley Field, Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 42-15, 18-12 SEC, 29-4 home
Georgia is hosting a regional at Foley Field for the second straight season. Despite a quick exit in the SEC Tournament, the Bulldogs have seen major success under head coach Wes Johnson in his almost two full seasons.
6. Corvallis Regional, Goss Stadium, Oregon State Beavers
Record: 41-12-1, 17-2 home
Despite not having a conference tournament to play in, Oregon State finds themselves hosting in Corvallis. This is the 11th time the Beavers have hosted in their ballpark since 2005. It is also the 8th straight year they have made the NCAA Tournament.
7. Auburn Regional, Plainsman Park, Auburn Tigers
Record: 38-18, 17-13 SEC, 25-6 home
Auburn had a quick exit in the SEC Tournament. Despite that, the Tigers have major series wins to their name this season in SEC play over teams like LSU, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. They are hosting a regional for the third time in four years.
8. Baton Rouge Regional, Alex Box Stadium, LSU Tigers
Record: 43-14, 19-11 SEC, 30-5 home
LSU finds themselves hosting in Baton Rouge after a stellar season where they finished number one in the country in D1 Baseball’s rankings. The Tigers will begin the hunt for national championship number eight, after winning it all two seasons ago.
9. Conway Regional, Springs Brooks Stadium, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Record: 48-11, 26-4 Sun Belt, 24-3 home
Coastal Carolina ends a spectacular regular season after winning both the Sun Belt regular season and tournament championship. The Chanticleers have big wins over top-tier teams as well, like N.C. State and Clemson.
10. Clemson Regional, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Clemson Tigers
Record: 44-16, 18-12 ACC, 26-7 home
Clemson is hosting a regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium after a great season for head coach Erik Bakich’s team. The Tigers came up just short of winning the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C., losing to North Carolina 14-4 in the championship game.
North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes was high on Clemson, as well as other ACC teams, getting a good seed in the NCAA Tournament after the Tar Heels’ championship win.
“Anybody can beat anybody, and that hasn’t always been the case since I’ve been in the ACC,” said Forbes. “So, I’m hoping and advocating hard for all of our teams to be as high as seeds they can be.”
11. Tallahassee Regional, Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State Seminoles
Record: 38-14, 17-10 ACC, 24-7 home
Florida State went 1-1 in Durham, N.C. at the ACC Tournament as they defeated Duke, but lost to North Carolina. The Seminoles finished the regular season as runners-up in the ACC standings.
12. Eugene Regional, P.K. Park, Oregon Ducks
Record: 42-14, 22-8 Big Ten, 28-8 home
Oregon had a massively successful season for their first year in the Big Ten. The Ducks won a share of the Big Ten regular season title along with UCLA. Despite a disappointing loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament, they were one of the best teams in the conference.
13. Oxford Regional, Swayze Field, Ole Miss Rebels
Record: 40-19, 16-14 SEC, 25-8 home
Ole Miss played themselves into hosting a regional with a massive week in Hoover, Ala. during the SEC Tournament. The Rebels defeated Florida, Arkansas, and LSU before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship game.
14. Los Angeles Regional, Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA Bruins
Record: 42-16, 22-8 Big Ten, 26-7 home
The UCLA Bruins have made a name for themselves in year one in the Big Ten conference. They won a split of the Big Ten regular season title with Oregon and nearly won the Big Ten tournament, but lost to Nebraska, 5-0.
15. Knoxville Regional, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 43-16, 16-14 SEC, 29-9 home
Tennessee was on the brink of hosting or not heading into the SEC Tournament. However, two wins over Alabama and Texas for head coach Tony Vitello’s team allowed them to start their national title defense in Knoxville.
16. Hattiesburg Regional, Pete Taylor Park, Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Record: 44-14, 24-6 Sun Belt, 25-5 home
Southern Miss came up just short in winning the Sun Belt Tournament in Montgomery, Ala. as they lost to Coastal Carolina. However, prior to that game, they were riding an 18-game win streak.
Snubbed! These Teams Aren’t Hosting an NCAA Regional
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (40-17, 19-11 ACC, 26-9 home) – The Yellow Jackets were left out of hosting a regional in Atlanta after winning the ACC Regular Season title and getting 40 wins on the season.
Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall commented on his team hosting during the ACC Tournament.
“I mean, if you’re asking me, I don’t see any scenario that that doesn’t happen,” Hall said. “I can never remember a time when the regular season champion in the ACC did not host a regional.”
TCU Horned Frogs (39-18, 19-11 Big 12, 22-7 home) – The Horned Frogs finish on the brink of having 40 wins and also on the brink of winning the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field before losing to Arizona.
TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos strongly thought his team should host in Fort Worth, Texas. He voiced his opinion after the Big 12 title game.
“We have 22 wins in quad one and two,” Saarloos said. “If you stack that up against anyone else in the country, we are a deserving host.”
Up Next – The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be Monday, May 26, at noon EDT. The rest of the NCAA Tournament Field will be revealed as teams find out where they are going for postseason play.
The show can be watched on ESPN 2.
Leif Skodnick contributed reporting.
Photo: The North Carolina Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament and will host an NCAA regional at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. next weekend. (Photo Courtesy of the ACC)
