This weekend, the 64-team field in the 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament will be pared down to 16.
World Baseball Network’s Alfred Ezman and Leif Skodnick have picked a winner for each regional, some of which are surprising, and some that are not so surprising.
Here are their picks for each regional.
Nashville Regional, Hawkins Field, Hosted by No. 1 National Seed Vanderbilt
Seeds: No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 East Tennessee, No. 4 Wright State
Alfred picks: Vanderbilt. The Commodores won the SEC Tournament and gained control of the number one overall national seed. This makes them the de facto team to beat in college baseball. After out–hitting, defending, and pitching a field of SEC teams in Hoover, Ala., Vanderbilt should get through their regional for the first time since 2021.
Leif picks: Vanderbilt. They’re the No. 1 national seed for a reason. They won the Southeastern Conference tournament. Pick against them at your own risk.
Austin Regional, Ditsch-Falk Field, Hosted by No. 2 National Seed Texas
Seeds: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 UT-San Antonio, No. 3 Kansas State, No. 4 Houston Christian
Alfred picks: Texas. The Longhorns got perhaps the easiest draw out of any of the regional hosts with their field of four teams. As SEC regular season champions in season number one with head coach Jim Schlossnagle, they should handle business this round.
Leif picks: Texas. The Longhorns are 24-11 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI, and though they were one-and-done in the SEC tournament, that only afforded them more rest. With a full week to recuperate and prepare, Texas will be ready to take care of business.
Fayetteville Regional, Baum–Walker Stadium, Hosted by No. 3 National Seed Arkansas
Seeds: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Kansas, No. 3 Creighton, No. 4 North Dakota State
Alfred picks: Arkansas. The Razorbacks are perhaps the best team in college baseball with a loaded lineup and plenty of great pitching options. A heartbreaking end to their season in a regional last year will leave them motivated, and they will get to the super regional on the back of their big hitters like Kuhio and Wehiwa Aloy, along with Charles Davalan and Logan Maxwell.
Leif picks: Arkansas. My picks have been chalky, so far, I know, but Kansas, seeded second in this regional, isn’t nearly as good as Arkansas, and Creighton and North Dakota State are just happy to be there.
Auburn Regional, Plainsman Park, Hosted by No. 4 National Seed Auburn
Seeds: No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 N.C. State, No. 3 Stetson, No. 4 Central Connecticut
Alfred picks: Auburn. With an ace in Sam Dutton and a lineup with a ton of hitters that can produce, Auburn has the players that can match the great pitching seen from other teams in their regional like N.C. State and Stetson.
Leif picks: Auburn. The Tigers are battle-hardened after playing the toughest schedule of any team in Division I baseball. They have an 9-11 record against Regional hosts, which illustrates how tough their schedule was. Elliott Avent’s Wolfpack will provide a challenge, but Auburn has a deeper lineup and pitching.
Chapel Hill Regional, Boshamer Stadium, Hosted by No. 5 National Seed North Carolina
Seeds: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 4 Holy Cross
Alfred picks: North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ pitching is a pain to deal with, especially with the ACC Pitcher of the Year, Jake Knapp. North Carolina is feeling hot after an ACC Tournament title and is hungry to get back to the College World Series.
Leif picks: North Carolina. The ACC tournament champions are hot coming off a 14-4 win in the ACC championship game, where they feasted on mistakes by Clemson’s pitching staff, and got a great start from freshman Ryan Lynch. This regional will come down to Oklahoma and UNC, with the Tar Heels coming out on top.
Baton Rouge Regional, Alex Box Stadium, Hosted by No. 6 National Seed Louisiana State
Seeds: No. 1 Louisiana State, No. 2 Dallas Baptist, No. 3 Rhode Island, No. 4 Arkansas-Little Rock
Alfred picks: LSU. The Tigers’ two main pitchers, Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, will give the teams in Baton Rouge a ton to deal with. Dallas Baptist is a good mid-major. However, LSU has two of the country’s top pitchers and that can carry them into the super regionals.
Leif picks: Dallas Baptist. I think they’re going to be hungry to avenge their 7-3 loss to LSU earlier in the season, and are going to be ready to show that their two losses to Jacksonville State in the Conference USA tournament were an aberration.
Athens Regional, Foley Field, Hosted by No. 7 National Seed Georgia
Seeds: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Binghamton
Alfred picks: Georgia. The Bulldogs have been phenomenal at home. They lead the country in home runs as a team, and being at Foley Field is just going to give their offense lots of confidence.
Leif picks: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have been very streaky all year long, and have been some good teams and lost to some bad ones. But they’re 13-3 in their last 16 games, and have a puncher’s chance against Georgia and Duke. Binghamton shouldn’t be much trouble.
Corvallis Regional, Goss Stadium, Hosted by No. 8 National Seed Oregon State
Seeds: No. 1 Oregon State, No. 2 Texas Christian, No. 3 Southern California, No. 4 St. Mary’s (Calif.)
Alfred picks: Oregon State. The Beavers have two tough starting pitchers to deal with in Ethan Kleinschmidt and Dax Whitney. That, combined with playing at home and teams coming to the Pacific Northwest, gives Oregon State the edge.
Leif picks: Texas Christian. The Horned Frogs played the 18th toughest schedule in the country and have played tougher competition in the Big 12 tournament than Oregon State has over the past couple of weeks. It’s tough to fault Oregon State for their schedule as an independent, and they haven’t been playing cupcakes, but TCU has played Big 12 tournament winner Arizona four times in May, going 2-2. Oregon State hasn’t faced a team in the field since losing four straight to Oregon May 26-29.
Tallahassee Regional, Dick Howser Stadium, Hosted by No. 9 National Seed Florida State
Seeds: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Northeastern, No. 3 Mississippi State, No. 4 Bethune-Cookman
Alfred picks: Florida State. Despite the two-seed Northeastern having the best pitching in the country, they have yet to pitch to an offense like the one Florida State has. The Seminoles should advance to a super regional after a good ACC Tournament.
Leif picks: Florida State. The Seminoles have a lot power in the lineup, with Alex Lodise and Max Williams each having hit 17 homers, Myles Bailey has 15 and Drew Faurot has 14. Those four have also driven in 205 runs over the course of the season. Coupled with No. 3 draft prospect Jamie Arnold, Florida State is very tough to beat.
Oxford Regional, Swayze Field at University Stadium, Hosted by No. 10 Ole Miss
Seeds: No. 1 Ole Miss, No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Western Kentucky, No. 4 Murray State
Alfred picks: Georgia Tech. Take one look at the Yellow Jackets’ reaction during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and you will see just how motivated they are. In legendary head coach Danny Hall’s final season, Georgia Tech was a 40-win team that won the ACC regular season title. With a team that has played SEC competition, they will be up to the challenge in Oxford.
Leif picks: Georgia Tech. Danny Hall’s Yellow Jackets are going to be agitated, having been snubbed when they were deciding regional hosts. They’re pretty evenly matched with Ole Miss, and have a better record against teams in the top half of the RPI.
Clemson Regional, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Hosted by No. 11 National Seed Clemson
Seeds: No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 West Virginia, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 USC Upstate
Alfred picks: Clemson. The Tigers are at home and have the strong motivation to end the streak of seasons without going to the College World Series. West Virginia has been a team that has not played a lot of top-level competition, and Kentucky is currently on a losing streak. This leaves Clemson with the advantage.
Leif picks: Clemson. Even though they laid an egg in the ACC championship game, they’ve got a power lineup and have played a far tougher schedule than No. 2 seed West Virginia. Expect Kentucky to be the team that presses Clemson in this regional.
Eugene Regional, P.K. Park, Hosted by No. 12 National Seed Oregon
Seeds: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Cal Poly, No. 4 Utah Valley
Alfred picks: Oregon. Despite a rough ending in the Big Ten Tournament, the Ducks showed the great trajectory of their program with a share of the Big Ten regular season title to their name. With a starting ace in Grayson Grinsell and a Golden Spikes-type talent in Mason Neville, the Ducks should advance to the super regional round again in 2025.
Leif picks: Oregon. The Ducks’ pitching staff is deep, and that should be enough to get them through to a Super Regional. Arizona has had a good first season in the Big 12, but they went 0-4 against Regional hosts during the regular season, and the Wildcats just don’t have the depth to get past the Ducks.
Conway Regional, Springs Brooks Stadium, Hosted by No. 13 National Seed Coastal Carolina
Seeds: No. 1 Coastal Carolina, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 East Carolina, No. 4 Fairfield
Alfred picks: Florida. Yes, injuries have plagued this team. However, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has proven that he can direct teams to the College World Series seamlessly throughout his career, no matter what scenarios are happening in the Gators’ program. With a mid-major hosting them, this regional draw worked out well for Florida.
Leif picks: Florida. The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina come in riding an 18-game win streak, and maybe they’ve gotten it together after some early season stumbles, but they’ve lost games to opponents they should beat. Florida had a difficult start to the SEC schedule, but a lot of that can be attributed to a roster with only two seniors. The sophomores and juniors all went to Omaha last year and know what it takes to get there.
Knoxville Regional, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Hosted by No. 14 National Seed Tennessee
Seeds: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 3 Cincinnati, No. 4 Miami (Ohio)
Alfred picks: Tennessee. The Volunteers have a national championship to defend. That championship and tournament pedigree that head coach Tony Vitello has built will help carry Tennessee to their fourth straight super regional appearance.
Leif picks: Tennessee. They’re the defending national champions, and they played the 12th toughest schedule in Division I this season. Wake Forest was knocked out of the ACC tournament by California, Cincinnati is .500 against teams in the top half of the RPI, and Miami is 0-5 against teams in the field.
Los Angeles Regional, Jackie Robinson Stadium, Hosted by No. 15 National Seed UCLA
Seeds: No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 UC-Irvine, No. 3 Arizona State, No. 4 Fresno State
Alfred Picks: UC-Irvine. The Anteaters have two things helping them in the Los Angeles regional. First, they have seen the host, UCLA, twice and have beaten them once this season. Two, they do not have to travel far to get to Jackie Robinson Stadium, being in the area right around Los Angeles.
Leif Picks: UC-Irvine. The Anteaters have seven wins against teams in the top 50 of the RPI, and beat UCLA 5-3 at home on April 23. UCLA is 3-7 against teams in the top quarter of the RPI, but they’re 26-7 at home, which will be a considerable but not insurmountable advantage.
Hattiesburg Regional, Pete Taylor Park, Hosted by No. 16 National Seed Southern Mississippi
Seeds: No. 1 Southern Mississippi, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Columbia
Alfred picks: Alabama. The Crimson Tide have been battle-tested all season long by playing in college baseball’s best conference. Southern Miss is a recognizable host to them, having played them in the regular season. With a potent lineup that has the likes of Justin Lebron, Kade Snell, and Richie Bonomolo Jr., combined with the nation’s saves leader Carson Ozmer, head coach Rob Vaughn’s team is built to win this regional.
Leif picks: Columbia. In the interest of full disclosure, I do hold a master’s degree from Columbia, but the Lions have the highest RPI (they’re 60th) among No. 4 seeds. They knocked off Yale in the Ivy League tournament and are 3-0 against fellow NCAA Tournament entries in Fairfield and Holy Cross. It’s a tough regional against strong opponents, but don’t discount the Lions.
Photo: A general view of the field before the Tennessee Volunteers play the Texas A&M Aggies at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on March 24, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers will try to repeat as national champions, and will host a regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
