2025 NCAA Tournament Preview: Baton Rouge, Clemson, Knoxville, Fayetteville Regionals

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 Baton Rouge, Clemson, Knoxville, and Fayetteville regionals.  

Baton Rouge Regional, Alex Box Stadium, Hosted by LSU 

LSU Tigers (43-14, 19-11 SEC, No. 6 National Seed) – The LSU Tigers are back in the NCAA Tournament for the 13th straight year. After head coach Jay Johnson led the Bayou Bengals to the national championship in 2023, his team is in a position to accomplish the same thing this season.  

The team is headlined by a great starting pitcher duo in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. The two arms have a sub-3.55 ERA and have both combined for an astonishing 270 strikeouts.  

Their efforts have helped LSU become one of the best pitching teams in the country. The Tigers have a 3.72 team ERA that ranks 7th nationally and second in the SEC.  

LSU does not necessarily thrive on power. However, they do get some home run hitting from arguably their best hitter in Jared Jones. The first baseman has 19 long balls this season.  

Daniel Dickinson is another hitting threat to watch out for in the tournament, as he has a .332 batting average with 45 RBI. The Tigers also have one of the best freshmen in the country in Derek Curiel, who has a .336 batting average and 45 RBI as well.  

One of college baseball’s most historic programs is looking to chase down national championship number eight in their proud history.  

Dallas Baptist Patriots (40-16, 21-7 C-USA, No. 2 Seed in Baton Rouge Regional) – Dallas Baptist breezed through the regular season as it won the Conference USA regular season title. The Patriots have won a conference championship of sorts in each of the last three seasons.  

Head coach Dan Heefner’s team has five .300+ hitters on it, which include Grant Jay, Michael Dattalo, Chayton Krauss, Keaton Grady, and Nathan Humphreys. Jay and Humphreys have been their best two power options on offense with a combined 36 home runs.  

Dallas Baptist has beaten its fair share of elite competition in midweek games this season including Oklahoma and TCU. This makes them a tough two-seed in Baton Rouge.  

Rhode Island Rams (38-20, 22-8 A-10, No. 3 Seed in Baton Rouge Regional) – Rhode Island won both the Atlantic-10 regular season and tournament titles this season. They defeated George Mason to win their third ever conference tournament title.  

This is also the third time the Rams are in the NCAA Tournament, with their last appearance coming in 2016. All three of their NCAA Tournament appearances have been during this century.  

Little Rock Trojans (24-32, 8-16 OVC, No. 4 Seed in Baton Rouge Regional) – Perhaps the biggest Cinderella story in the college baseball season so far, Little Rock finished 8th in the Ohio Valley Conference in the regular season but won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament.  

Baton Rouge Regional Schedule 

Friday, May 30
Little Rock vs. LSU – 3 p.m. EDT – SEC Network
Rhode Island vs. Dallas Baptist – 7:30 p.m. EDT – ESPN+  

Clemson Regional, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Hosted by Clemson 

Clemson Tigers (44-16, 18-12 ACC, No. 11 National Seed) – Clemson baseball has had one goal in mind for quite some time: get to the College World Series. This has been a goal for the program since they last went in 2010.  

The Tigers had a solid run in the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C., as they got to the championship game before losing to North Carolina. Despite that, they find themselves playing on their home field for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  

Aidan Knaak is the ace that can take Clemson far. In 2025, he has a 9-1 record and a 4.06 ERA. He also has 106 strikeouts in 84 and 1/3 innings this season.  

He is not the only pitcher the Tigers have to take note of. Their closer, Lucas Mahlstedt, is second in the country in saves with 15 this season. His weird arm angle makes him a handful for opposing lineups.  

Cam Cannarella, Clemson’s top hitter, is known for coming alive with big-time postseason moments. This season, he has a .339 batting average and an on-base percentage of .473. Dominic Listi has been great offensively for the Tigers as well with a .306 batting average and an on-base percentage above .500.  

Head coach Erik Bakich’s team is potent enough to not only get to Omaha but also win Clemson’s first ever national championship.  

West Virginia Mountaineers (41-14, 19-9 Big 12, No. 2 Seed Clemson Regional) – West Virginia had a historically good regular season for their program’s history and won the Big 12 regular season championship.  

However, a loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas derailed their hopes of hosting a regional in Morgantown. Despite that, this is still a two seed hungry to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.  

Kyle West and Sam White lead the charge for West Virginia offensively with batting averages of .354 and .353, respectively. 

West Virginia is looking to build off a super regional appearance a season ago with another big tournament run. The Mountaineers have yet to make the College World Series in their history.  

Kentucky Wildcats (29-24, 13-17 SEC, No. 3 Seed in Clemson Regional) – Kentucky slipped into the NCAA Tournament despite being below .500 in SEC play this season. The Wildcats have lost their last four games which include being swept by Vanderbilt and losing to Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament.  

However, the Wildcats did make the College World Series for the first time ever a season ago. Head coach Nick Mingione knows what it takes to get back there, which makes them a dangerous three seed.  

USC Upstate Spartans (36-23, 19-5 Big South, No. 4 Seed in Clemson Regional) – South Carolina Upstate won the Big South regular season and tournament titles this season. The Spartans are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their history.  

Clemson Regional Schedule 

Friday, May 30
Kentucky vs. West Virginia – noon EDT – ESPNU
USC Upstate vs. Clemson – 6 p.m. EDT – ACC Network  

Knoxville Regional, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Hosted by Tennessee  

Tennessee Volunteers (43-16, 16-14 SEC, No. 14 National Seed) – The Tennessee Volunteers will begin their national championship defense at home to begin the 2025 NCAA Tournament.  

Despite losing their last five regular season series, Tennessee won two games during the SEC Tournament against Alabama and Texas to help boost a resume well-fit enough to host as a national seed.  

Liam Doyle has been one of the best pitchers in college baseball, if not the best one. The SEC Pitcher of the Year had 142 strikeouts in 83 innings and a 3.04 ERA to go with that. He has allowed an opposing batting average of .182.  

The Volunteers have been known for their home run hitting for quite some time. This season is no different. Andrew Fischer and Gavin Kilen lead the Vols in home runs with 37 combined. As a team, Tennessee has 122 this season which ranks third in the country behind only Georgia and High Point.  

A college baseball team has not won back-to-back national championships since 2010 and 2011, when South Carolina did it. Tennessee is looking to break that streak this season.  

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (36-20, 16-14 ACC, No. 2 Seed in Knoxville Regional) – Wake Forest may not have finished at the top of the ACC, but the Demon Deacons are not lacking the firepower to be a tough two seed.  

Kade Lewis and Marek Houston are the top two hitters on head coach Tom Walter’s team. Both players have batting averages above .350 and on-base percentages above .460. Both players have combined for 23 home runs this season.  

Lewis and Houston are good power options for Wake Forest, but Jack Winnay leads the Demon Deacons in home runs this season with 14.  

Wake Forest is looking to repeat what they did two seasons ago and get back to the College World Series.  

Cincinnati Bearcats (32-24, 16-14 Big 12, No. 3 Seed in Knoxville Regional) – Cincinnati won three out of their last four weekend series to end the regular season. They also added a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas as well.  

The Bearcats are headlined by Big 12 Player of the Year Kerrington Cross. He finished with a .400 batting average, an on-base percentage of .528, and 50 RBI. The senior is also a base-stealing threat with 15 swipes this season.  

Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (35-21, 23-7 MAC, No. 4 Seed in Knoxville Regional) – Miami (Ohio) won the Mid-American Conference Tournament, earning them a bid into the NCAA Tournament. It is their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 20 years.  

Knoxville Regional Schedule 

Friday, May 30
Cincinnati vs. Wake Forest – 1 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Miami (Ohio) vs. Tennessee – 6 p.m. EDT – ESPN+  

Fayetteville Regional, Baum-Walker Stadium, Hosted by Arkansas 

Arkansas Razorbacks (43-13, 20-10 SEC, No. 3 National Seed) – As a program, Arkansas is itching for a national championship. If they were to win it, the Razorbacks would have their first national championship in their team’s long proud history. 

Arkansas is one of the strongest and most complete teams in the country. As a team, they have 110 home runs, which ranks 7th in the country. This power comes from seven different players who are in double figures in home runs this season.  

The two big hitters to watch in the Razorbacks’ lineup are the Aloy brothers, Wehiwa and Kuhio. Both players have combined for 31 home runs this season and have batting averages over .340.  

Charles Davalan and Logan Maxwell both have batting averages over .340 as well. Maxwell has one of the best on-base percentages on Arkansas at .461.  

The Razorbacks have a deep pitching staff paired off with their deep lineup as well. Zach Root has been the best starter for head coach Dave Van Horn’s team with a 4.07 ERA and 106 strikeouts. Arkansas ranks 16th in the country in pitching, with a team ERA of 4.06.  

The balance and completeness of this Arkansas team makes them one of the heavy national championship favorites. Their consistency throughout their roster makes them a huge threat to win it all.  

Kansas Jayhawks (43-15, 20-10 Big 12, No. 2 Seed in Fayetteville Regional) – Despite only going 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington, Texas, the Kansas Jayhawks had a historical regular season that landed them a two seed. They are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.  

The Jayhawks finished just shy of winning the Big 12 regular season championship as only West Virginia was better than them in conference play.  

Brady Ballinger will be the big hitter to watch on this Kansas team. He was named first-team All-Big 12 and had a .363 batting average this season. Ballinger also hit 16 home runs this season and got on-base at over a .500 rate.  

Dariel Osoria was named second-team All-Big 12 and is another big Kansas hitter to watch. He had a .330 batting average with a .427 on-base percentage.  

Creighton Blue Jays (41-14, 17-4 Big East, No. 3 Seed in Fayetteville Regional) – The Creighton Blue Jays won the Big East Tournament for the second time ever. Thus, they are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.  

The Blue Jays’ offense was on fire in Mason, Ohio for their conference tournament as they scored 28 combined runs in the three games they played.  

North Dakota State Bison (20-32, 13-15 Summit League, No. 4 Seed in Fayetteville Regional) – After a lackluster regular season, North Dakota State went on a tear in the Summit League Championships and went 3-1. They got wins over Omaha and Oral Roberts twice, and they are in the NCAA Tournament for the third time ever.  

Fayetteville Regional Schedule
North Dakota State v. Arkansas – 3 p.m. EDT – ESPN+
Creighton v. Kansas – 8 p.m. EDT – ESPN+ 

Important to Note – The winner of the Baton Rouge regional will play the winner of the Clemson regional in the super regional round.  The winner of the Knoxville regional will play the winner of the Fayetteville regional in the super regional round.  

Photo: Head Coach Jay Johnson of the LSU Tigers on the field before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field on April 16, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers 6-2. LSU is looking to get back to Omaha after winning the College World Series in 2023. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)