College Baseball Regional 2017: Bracket, Schedule, Live Stream and More

[Stephan Bobb]

College Baseball Regional 2017: Bracket, Schedule, Live Stream and More

MAY 31, 2017

ROB GOLDBERG

John Raoux/Associated Press

The NCAA Division I baseball tournament is set with the top teams looking forward to a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, but if we have learned anything in recent years, there are no guarantees at this point in the year.

Coastal Carolina won the championship last year after not even being the top team in their own regional. In the two previous years, the first overall seed failed to reach the super regionals.

Oregon State is the top team in the field in 2017, but the Beavers better be prepared to compete from day one to avoid the same fate they suffered three years ago.

          

June 2 Schedule (All times Eastern)

Baton Rouge Regional hosted by LSU

#1 LSU (43-17) vs. #4 Texas Southern (20-32), 3:30 p.m., SECN

#2 Southeastern Louisiana (36-20) vs. #3 Rice (31-29), 8 p.m., ESPN3

Chapel Hill Regional hosted by North Carolina

#1 North Carolina (47-12) vs. #4 Davidson (32-24), 6 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Florida Gulf Coast (42-18) vs. #3 Michigan (42-15), 1 p.m., ESPN3

Clemson Regional hosted by Clemson

#1 Clemson (39-19) vs. #4 UNC Greensboro (35-22), 7 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Vanderbilt (33-22-1) vs. #3 St. John's (NY) (42-11), Noon, SECN

Corvallis Regional hosted by Oregon St.

#1 Oregon State (49-4) vs. #4 Holy Cross (23-27), 11 p.m., ESPNU

#2 Nebraska (35-20-1) vs. #3 Yale (32-16), 4 p.m., ESPN3

Fayetteville Regional hosted by Arkansas

#1 Arkansas (42-17) vs. #4 Oral Roberts (42-14), 8 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Missouri State (40-17) vs. #3 Oklahoma State (30-25), 3 p.m., ESPN3

Fort Worth Regional hosted by TCU

#1 TCU (42-16) vs. #4 Central Conn. State (36-20), 9 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Virginia (42-14) vs. #3 Dallas Baptist (40-19), 4 p.m., ESPNU

Gainesville Regional hosted by Florida

#1 Florida (42-16) vs. #4 Marist (32-21), 7 p.m., SECN

#2 South Florida (41-17) vs. #3 Bethune-Cookman (33-23), 1 p.m., ESPN3

Hattiesburg Regional hosted by Southern Miss.

#1 Southern Miss. (48-14) vs. #4 Ill.-Chicago (39-15), TBA, ESPN3

#2 Mississippi St. (36-24) vs. #3 South Alabama (39-19), TBA, ESPN3

Houston Regional hosted by Houston

#1 Houston (40-19) vs. #4 Iowa (38-20), 8 p.m., ESPNU

#2 Baylor (34-21) vs. #3 Texas A&M (36-21), 3 p.m., ESPN2

Lexington Regional hosted by Kentucky

#1 Kentucky (39-20) vs. #4 Ohio (31-26), Noon, ESPNU

#2 Indiana (33-22-2) vs. #3 North Carolina St. (34-23), 7 p.m., ESPN3

Long Beach Regional hosted by Long Beach St.

#1 Long Beach St. (37-17-1) vs. #4 San Diego St. (41-19), 11 p.m., ESPN2

#2 Texas (37-22) vs. #3 UCLA (30-25), 7 p.m., ESPN2

Louisville Regional hosted by Louisville

#1 Louisville (47-10) vs. #4 Radford (27-30), 6 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Oklahoma (34-22) vs. #3 Xavier (32-25), 2 p.m., ESPN3

Lubbock Regional hosted by Texas Tech

#1 Texas Tech (43-15) vs. #4 Delaware (34-21), 3 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Arizona (37-19) vs. #3 Sam Houston St. (40-20), 7 p.m., ESPN3

Stanford Regional hosted by Stanford

#1 Stanford (40-14) vs. #4 Sacramento St. (32-27), 9 p.m., ESPN3

#2 Cal St. Fullerton (34-21) vs. #3 BYU (37-19), 4 p.m., ESPN3

Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida St.

#1 Florida St. (39-20) vs. #4 Tennessee Tech (40-19), 6 p.m., ESPN3

#2 UCF (40-20) vs. #3 Auburn (35-24), Noon, ESPN2

Winston-Salem Regional hosted by Wake Forest

#1 Wake Forest (39-18) vs. #4 UMBC (23-23), 7 p.m., ESPN3

#2 West Virginia (34-24) vs. #3 Maryland (37-21), 2 p.m., ESPN3

Note: All games can be streamed on WatchESPN. Full bracket available atNCAA.com.

       

Top Teams to Watch

Oregon State

Mark Ylen/Associated Press

With 16 straight wins heading into the tournament and a 49-4 record overall, Oregon State has been simply dominant this season. However, the squad isn't letting the past success alter the mindset.

"I can't tell you that I'd ever think that anybody should be 49-4," coach Pat Casey said, per the Associated Press (via New York Daily News). "Forty-nine and four is pretty special, we get that, and we're aware of that and it's impressive. But it means nothing from here forward."

Although the offense has plenty of firepower, the pitching staff is what really separates this group.

Luke Heimlich was 10-1 this year with an incredible 0.81 ERA, and there is little drop-off to No. 2 starter Jake Thompson (12-0 with a 1.31 ERA).

These two starters can go a long way, while the deep bullpen can pretty much take care of the rest. Teams will have a hard time scoring against them throughout the tournament, giving the Beavers a great chance to make a run to the championship.

       

LSU

Although Florida has a higher seed among SEC teams, LSU is a serious threat for the title at No. 4 overall.

The Tigers have one of the top offenses in the country, which scored 35 runs in four games in the team's run to the SEC tournament title. Even before the week in Hoover, Alabama, the squad was racking up runs like no one else in the league.

Greg Deichmann is the top hitter in the middle of the lineup, with 19 home runs and 67 RBI. However, it's easy to drive in runs when the guys at the top of the order like Cole Freeman and Antoine Duplantis continually get on base and get themselves into scoring position.

With six total players hitting over .310, there are few weak spots in the lineup for opposing pitchers to attack.

If the pitchers hold up their end of the bargain, the Tigers will be a tough team to beat.

     

Wake Forest

While Wake Forest isn't one of the eight national seeds, the ACC squad will be a legitimate threat to reach Omaha and do damage from there.

Teams will not be able to slow down this offense, which hit .308 as a team this season.

Four different players are hitting over .340 coming into the NCAA tournament, while five different players have at least 12 home runs. Gavin Sheets currently ranks second in the country with 79 RBI while sitting tied for seventh with 20 home runs.

Adding in a versatile weapon like Stuart Fairchild, who can hit for power, hit for average and steal bases, and the Demon Deacons have a lot of ways they can beat you.

Considering the top two starters have a combined 16-1 record this season, this team has had a lot of success and should be able to continue it this postseason.

    

Vanderbilt

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

If there is a team that can go from not hosting a regional to the College World Series like Coastal Carolina last year, Vanderbilt might be that squad.

Jeren Kendall is one of the most exciting players in college baseball as a five-tool player who can make an impact in a lot of ways. The outfielder can change a game at the plate or with his elite defense, and he has a chance to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming MLB draft.

Joining him at the next level could be pitcher Kyle Wright, who is one of the most talented arms at this level. He and Patrick Raby represent a top of the rotation few teams will be able to match in the NCAA tournament.

Despite an early exit in the SEC tournament, Vanderbilt is a dangerous team that can beat anyone.

Even with a tough schedule that could include knocking out Clemson and Oregon State before getting to Omaha, the Commodores should not be counted out.

      

All statistics courtesy of team sites