Category: College Baseball

Image – Arkansas Razorbacks Athletics

Razorbacks to return to Globe Life Field in 2027

NEW CHAPTER IN THE LONE STAR STATE🤠

The Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is returning to Globe Life Field in 2027 with a brand-new lineup of college baseball powerhouses. We're excited to host these programs for Weekend 2!

For ticket presales and special offers⬇️
🔗:… pic.twitter.com/cO6g7vbIj6

— College Baseball at Globe Life Field (@CBS_Arlington) June 23, 2026

Image – College Baseball at Globe Life Field on X

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas baseball team will play at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, again 2027.

On Tuesday, the Razorbacks were announced Tuesday as one of six teams that have agreed to play games at Globe Life Field on Feb 26-28 in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, the second weekend of the season. Arkansas will play once against three of the other teams that weekend. Oregon, Oregon State, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Baylor will join the Hogs in Arlington.

Game times and matchups will be announced at a later date. Arkansas will stay in Arlington to play a fourth game against Tarleton State on March 1.

The Razorbacks will play at the Texas Rangers’ home ballpark for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Arkansas played as part of the inaugural college baseball event at Globe Life Field in 2021. The Hogs have played there every season since 2023 on the first or second weekend of the season.

Arkansas has a record of 12-4 at the ballpark. The Razorbacks defeated Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Tarleton State and fell to TCU in Arlington to open the 2026 season.

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Image – University of North Carolina Athletics

The Men’s College World Series is finally here after four and a half months of baseball. Two first timers — West Virginia and Troy — join four returners including North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia and Alabama.

The Rebels, Longhorns, Bulldogs, and Crimson Tide make up half of the field in Omaha as the SEC attempts to win seven consecutive championships in a row. The Mountaineers, Trojans, and Tar Heels attempt to win their first ever national championship by winning it all in just two weeks.

No matter who advances in Omaha, it will be an exciting two weeks at Charles Schwab Field. Here are all eight teams that made it to the Men’s College World Series, my predictions for their opening matchups, and finally my picks for the rest of the event:

The Omaha 8

Image – West Virginia University Athletics

No. 16 seed West Virginia (45-15)
The Mountaineers are in Omaha for the Men’s College World Series for the first time in program history after sweeping Cal Poly in the Morgantown Super Regional.

WVU dominated the Mustangs by a combined score of 29-3 in the two games played. Because they didn’t have to face No. 1 overall seed UCLA, the test of Omaha may be that much more difficult for Steve Sabin’s team. Next up for West Virginia is a Troy Trojans team that is hitting the ball almost as well as the Mountaineers are right now.

In Friday’s opener, Sophomore right-hander Cole Chansen started on the mound for WVU and he impressed in seven innings with just eight hits, two runs, and struck out 11. Graduate outfielder Sean Smith went 3-for-4 with three runs, three runs batted in and one walk to lead the Mountaineer offense in their 12-2 game 1 victory.

In game 2, seven of nine members of the WVU lineup had two hits. Junior utility player Armani Guzman was 2-for-5 with two runs and three runs batted in while sophomore utility player Gavin Kelly went 3-for-4 with three runs and one run batted in.

The Mountaineers used four pitchers including redshirt junior left-hander Maxx Yehl, who went five innings and allowed just four hits, one run, one walk, and he struck out four. Sophomore right-hander David Hagen replaced Yehl and gave up only two hits, no runs, and struck out one in two innings of relief work. They defeated Cal Poly 17-1 in the Morgantown super regional decider that sent them to Omaha for the first time in program history.

West Virginia will matchup with Troy, the winner of the Troy Super Regional in their first Men’s College World Series opener.

Image – Montgomery Advertiser

Troy (38-30)
Troy won the battle of Trojans and swept former Sun Belt foe Little Rock in their own super regional to advance to the Men’s College World Series for the first time in program history.

The Trojans dominated Little Rock in their two games by a combined score of 19-4, similar to how they dealt with No. 8 national seed Florida in the Gainesville Regional the weekend prior. Skylar Meade has his team ready to compete in Omaha for the first time ever.

Troy had two players in their lineup with three hits and runs each in game 1 against Little Rock. Senior outfielder Steven Meier was 3-for-4 with three runs and senior utility player Drew Nelson was 3-for-4 with three runs and two runs batted in. Senior left-hander Benjamin Stubbs got the Trojans on a good start, allowing only six hits, two runs, and striking out five.

Troy allowed only two runs again in their game 2 win against Little Rock with senior right-hander Tommy Egan (7.1 innings pitched) and sophomore right-hander Noah Thigpen (1.2 innings pitched) allowing only seven hits combined. Senior infielder Aaron Piasecki, redshirt senior infielder Josh Pyne, sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki, junior utility player Jabe Boroff and sophomore Houston Markham scored the runs that lifted the Trojans to their first appearance in Omaha.

An interesting matchup looms between two first timers in Omaha:

Carter’s Pick: No. 16 West Virginia 9, Troy 7

Image – LA Times

No. 5 seed North Carolina (50-12-1)
The Tar Heels came back from a game 1 loss to USC and advanced to Omaha for the second time in three seasons after a walk-off RBI double from junior outfielder Owen Hull in the bottom of the ninth inning.

After a 9-5 loss to the Trojans, the North Carolina pitching helped them win the next two games and reach Omaha for the ninth time since 2006. UNC shutout USC 4-0 in game 2 before the walk-off 4-3 victory against the Trojans in game 3. A lack of getting hits with runners in scoring position almost kept them from getting to the next round.

While the Trojans used six pitchers, Carolina’s junior right-hander Jason DeCaro pitched all nine innings of game 2 while only allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out eight. While much of the contact the Tar Heel offense was making resulted in fly outs, a few solo home runs made sure they would not bow out of the tournament in the super regionals.

In game 3, freshman right-hander Caden Glauber got off to a shaky start in the top of the first. USC gained a 1-0 lead before UNC tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on a Hull RBI double. USC retook the lead with a solo shot in the fourth before extending it to 3-1 with another hoe run in the fifth.

Despite giving up three runs, Glauber continued to pitch well, striking out 10 in seven innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Hull reached second base once again on a hit to left field with two outs. Junior catcher Macon Winslow doubled to deep center to bring Hull home, cutting the Trojan lead to just one. In the eighth, the Tar Heels got the USC lead to just one. Junior infielder Jake Schaffner hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Nicholson to even the score at 3-3. Junior infielder Gallaher walked in just five pitches to put two on base for Carolina. Hull, hit yet another double to score French from second to walk off the Chapel Hill Super Regional, 4-3.  

Now, the Tar Heels prepare for an Omaha opener against the red hot Ole Miss Rebels, who can hit with anybody in the country but struggle when they have to use a lot of pitching.

Image – Southeastern Conference

Ole Miss (41-21)
The Rebels are back in Omaha for the first time since they won their first and only national championship in 2022 after sweeping No. 4 national seed Auburn on the road at Plainsman Park.

Ole Miss got two, two-run victories against their SEC rivals and put the Tigers out in their home super regional for the second consecutive season. Mike Bianco’s club has done a little bit of everything on their road to Omaha, playing solid defense and scoring enough runs to win all five of their postseason games since losing their SEC Tournament opener against Missouri in Hoover.

In the Rebels’ 6-4 game 1 victory against the Tigers, redshirt junior ace Hunter Elliott threw 4.1 innings of six-hit, two run, and four walk baseball while striking out only two. As a result, junior right-hander Hudson Calhoun and sophomore left-hander Walker Hooks came in relief and closed out the last 4.2 innings, giving up only three hits, two runs, one walk and five strikeouts combined. Four Ole Miss batters had two hits, including junior third baseman Judd Utermark’s home run that lifted the Rebels to a game 1 victory.

Sophomore right-hander Taylor Rabe started out on the mound for Ole Miss, only allowing six hits, two runs, one walk, and striking out eight. After an inning of relief work by redshirt sophomore right-hander JP Robertson (that earned him his fifth win of the season), Hooks closed the deal again for the Rebels, allowing just one hit, one run, and striking out one to help his team get back to Omaha. Junior infielder Brayden Randle started the sixth inning with a single before junior infielder Dom Decker reached after getting hit by a pitch. Utermark delivered a two-run double to right field, again lifting the Rebels to a win against the Tigers.

A year after Decker and Murray State swept Ole Miss in the 2025 Oxford Regional, Decker and Ole Miss are back in Omaha for the first time in four years. They will matchup with No. 5 national seed North Carolina/USC in their Men’s College World Series opener.

In what should be a back and forth game, Ole Miss will take advantage of North Carolina’s lack of offense with runners in scoring position and advance to the winner’s bracket.

Carter’s Pick: Ole Miss 7, No. 5 North Carolina 5

Image – Yahoo Sports

No. 6 seed Texas (45-13)
In a highly-anticipated series in the Austin Super Regional against No. 11 seed Oregon, the Longhorns swept the Ducks.

Texas dominated Oregon 11-3 in game 1 before a late comeback lifted the Longhorns to a 6-5 victory in game 2 against the Ducks. The bats were hot in and there was more than enough pitching to lift the Austin boys to their 39th appearance in the Men’s College World Series and their first since 2022.

Texas’ ace, sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis, allowed only eight hits, two runs, four walks, and struck out 10 in the Longhorns’ game 1 victory. Junior third baseman Casey Borba and junior designated hitter Ethan Mendoza were the two Longhorns homered and helped lift them to a game 1 win.

Sunday’s game 2 was a lot closer with Texas having to pit a late comeback in the eighth inning to retake the lead and win the Austin Super Regional. Sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez hit a go-ahead two-run double, scoring freshman left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. and junior catcher Carson Tinney. Junior arm Thomas Burns and freshman Sam Cozart were the last two pitchers to come in for the Longhorns, shutting the Ducks’ offense down and striking out six combined.

The next task is dealing with a No. 3 national seed Georgia team that has the best bats in the country and maybe the sport’s top player, catcher Daniel Jackson. The two SEC foes have not faced off this season, adding to the excitement for what could be a battle between the winner of the national championship in just two short weeks.

Image – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

No. 3 seed Georgia (51-12)
In the most exciting super regional series of 2026, Georgia took down No. 14 seed Mississippi State and swept the battle of the bulldogs. UGA took down MSU 14-13 in game 1 and 11-9 in 10 innings in game 2.

After falling down 7-0 early against Mississippi State in game 1, Georgia scored nine runs in a row and got the win 13-12. UGA won a back-and-forth affair in game 2 on a home run by junior catcher Daniel Jackson in the top of the 10th inning.

In a game that included 11 home runs, Georgia did not any consistent pitching in the Athens Super Regional opener. After falling behind 7-0, three home runs and a double got the scoring going for the Bulldogs in the fourth and fifth innings and the score was quickly tied.

It was a back-and-forth affair from there until a second home run by senior Michael OShaughnessy in the eighth inning lifted UGA to the game 1 win. OShaughnessy replaced star junior Tre Phelps at third base while he was serving a suspension and he went 2-for-5 with two runs and five runs batted in.

In game 2, Georgia got a better start from their pitcher Caden Aoki, a graduate right-hander who threw 121 pitches over 5.2 innings and only allowed eight hits, four runs, a walk and struck out nine against an impressive MSU offense. UGA led the game 4-0 before a MSU home run cut the deficit to 4-2. OShaughnessy and Phelps responded with RBIs in the fourth and fifth inning respectively to grow the lead to 7-2 entering the sixth inning.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth innings continued to be an offensive battle with MSU hitting three home runs in a row in the seventh inning and another in the eighth inning. Entering the ninth, Georgia needed a run to send it to extras and they got an RBI single from senior Brennan Hudson to score sophomore Kenny Ishikawa.

Redshirt junior right-hander Justin Byrd was the only pitcher to not allow a run in his outing and in the ninth and tenth innings all he gave up was two walks and he struck out two. Byrd’s outing set up Jackson’s game-winning two-run blast to left field.

If the Bulldogs can get more production out of their pitching staff and a bigger ballpark like the one in Omaha and continue to get offensive production similar to what they have been getting throughout the postseason, they should beat SEC foe Texas. But that will be tougher and the Longhorns’ strong pitching staff and big bats of their own

Carter’s Pick: No. 6 Texas 10, No. 3 Georgia 9

Image – The Tuscaloosa News

No. 7 seed Alabama (42-19)
The Crimson Tide swept St. John’s behind a 15-2 run advantage and will make their way back to Omaha for the first time since 1999.

The Alabama defense shut down the Red Storm offense 8-0 in game 1 and 7-2 in game 2. The Crimson Tide’s pitching staff was fantastic and they made very few mistakes in the infield and the outfield. They are back in the Men’s College World Series for just the sixth time in program history.

Redshirt junior right-hander Tyler Fay delivered another fantastic performance as Alabama’s ace in game 1 versus St. John’s, throwing 113 pitches over 7.1 innings. He allowed only five runners on base and struck out nine. Three two-run doubles, one by graduate second baseman Holt in the second inning, one by redshirt senior center fielder Fowler in the fourth, and one from junior shortstop Justin LeBron in the eighth inning helped the Crimson Tide win on Saturday.

Entering the sixth inning of game 2, Alabama led the Red Storm 3-1. SJU’s Adam Agresti hit a solo shot to cut the Crimson Tide lead to one, 3-2. Senior third baseman Jason Torres answered in the seventh inning with a grand slam to right field, extending their lead to five runs; 7-2.

Alabama will get ready to get another win over Oklahoma, a team they have already beaten in an SEC series back to begin the month of April two games to one.

Image – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Oklahoma (38-22)
The Sooners took down No. 15 seed Kansas and swept the Jayhawks by a combined score of 21-4 between game 1 and game 2.

The Oklahoma pitching staff excelled and home runs were blasted across both games, helping the Sooners defeat Kansas 8-1 in game 1 and 13-2 in game 2. They are returning to Omaha for the first time since 2022, when they fell to Ole Miss in the Men’s College World Series Finals, where they were swept.

Oklahoma scored eight consecutive runs in game across the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings. All three of senior first baseman Dayton Tockey, junior third baseman Camden Johnson, and senior designated hitter Trey Gambill hit home runs. Freshman left-hander Cord Rager (6.0 innings pitched, one hit, zero runs, one walk, and six strikeouts) and junior right-hander LJ Mercerius (3.0 innings pitched, three hits, one run run, and three strikeouts) propelled the Sooners to their first of two victories against their old Big 12 rival.

Oklahoma dominated the Jayhawks again in game 2, scoring in the first, second, third, sixth and eighth innings. Four Sooners homered, including Tockey to right center in the third, junior catcher Deiten Lachance to left field and junior right fielder Dasan Harris to right center in the sixth and Gambill again to right field in the eighth inning. Freshman right-hander Xander Mercerius, redshirt junior left-hander Nate Smithburg, junior right-hander Jason Brodin and senior right-hander Jackson Cleveland held it down on the mound for the Sooners, helping them clinch the Lawrence Super Regional.

OU is back in Omaha for the first time in four seasons and Skip Johnson wants to win a national championship this time. Johnson’s offense is red hot and his pitching is giving them what they have needed to advance.

Now, the Sooners will attempt to avenge their regular season series loss to Alabama and this time, they should get things going in Omaha with a victory over the Crimson Tide.

Carter’s Pick: Oklahoma 11, No. 7 Alabama 8

Projecting the rest of the Men’s College World Series:

Bracket 1 

Friday June 12
Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Troy; 1 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 16 West Virginia 9, Troy 7

Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Ole Miss; 6 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: Ole Miss 7, No. 5 North Carolina 5

Sunday June 14
Game 5: Troy vs. No. 5 North Carolina; 1 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 5 North Carolina 8, Troy 7

Game 6: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Ole Miss; 6 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: Ole Miss 10, No. 16 West Virginia 8

Tuesday June 16
Game 9: No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 16 West Virginia; 1 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 5 North Carolina 9, No. 16 West Virginia 6

Wednesday June 17: 
Game 11: Ole Miss vs. No. 5 North Carolina; 1 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 5 North Carolina 11, Ole Miss 10

Thursday June 18:
Game 13: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Ole Miss; TBD
Carter’s Pick: Ole Miss 10, No. 5 North Carolina 7

Bracket 2

Saturday June 13
Game 3: No. 7 Alabama vs. Oklahoma; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: Oklahoma 11, No. 7 Alabama 8

Game 4: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 6 Texas 10, No. 3 Georgia 9

Monday June 15
Game 7: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 3 Georgia; 1 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 12, Alabama 8

Game 8: Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Texas; 6 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 6 Texas 10, Oklahoma 9

Tuesday June 16
Game 10: No. 3 Georgia vs. Oklahoma; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 9, Oklahoma 6

Wednesday June 17
Game 12: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Georgia; 6 p.m. on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 14, No. 6 Texas 8

Thursday June 18:
Game 14: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas; TBD
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 12, No. 6 Texas 11

Championship series
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner

Game 1: No. 3 Georgia vs. Ole Miss; 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20 on ESPN
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 10, Ole Miss 8

Game 2: No. 3 Georgia vs. Ole Miss; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21 on ABC
Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia 15, Ole Miss 12

Projected National Champion: No. 3 Georgia

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Image – Henry Harold

For the second time in two seasons, the top two seeds in the NCAA Tournament. No. 1 overall seed UCLA’s season ended in an elimination game at the Los Angeles Regional against Saint Mary’s. No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech began the Atlanta Regional 2-0 but dropped back to back games against Oklahoma, ending their season.

That means the No. 3 overall seed Georgia Bulldogs, powered by their terrified offense, is the top remaining in the tournament. Will it be the Bulldogs or the field winning it all in two weeks in Omaha? Two four seeds, Little Rock and St. John’s, advancing to the Super Regional for the first time ever suggests that Georgia may not win it all. But the Bulldogs have been impossible to beat all season.

No matter who wins the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, it’s time to focus on the time we have left. We fans and media await eight super regionals this weekend that will determine the eight participants in the 2026 Men’s College World Series. After all eight of the 2025 Omaha field’s seasons ended before the postseason or during the regional round, we will have a completely different Men’s College World Series for the first time ever.

Enjoy my preview of what should be eight entertaining super regionals:

Image – WVU Athletics

Morgantown Super Regional (Morgantown, WV)
No. 16 seed West Virginia (43-15) Big 12
Cal Poly (39-23) Big West

West Virginia welcomes Big West tournament champion Cal Poly to Morgantown for super regional action at Kendrick Family Ballpark. First pitch between the No. 16 seed Mountaineers and Mustangs is set for 11 a.m., Friday June 5, on ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Jensen Lewis (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Morgantown Super Regional will face the winner of the Troy Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Morgantown Super Regional Schedule
Friday, June 5 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2
Saturday, June 6 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2
Sunday, June 7 at TBD

Image – FOX News

Mountaineers are second straight No. 16 seed to host super regional
No. 16 seed West Virginia staved off elimination on Sunday and defeated Kentucky twice to advance to the super regional round. The Mountaineers are the second No. 16 seed in a row to host a super regional after No. 1 overall seed UCLA’s season-ended in the elimination game on Sunday. This comes after Wright State took out No. 1 seed Vanderbilt in the regional round a season ago.

In Monday’s winner-take-all game in the Morgantown Regional, West Virginia advanced to their third super regional in a row with a 6-5 win over the Wildcats in ten innings. Junior utility player Armani Guzman hit the walk-off single to score graduate student infielder Brodie Kresser for the game-winning run. Sophomore utility player Gavin Kelly was named the Morgantown Regional MVP after hitting .400, three home runs including one on Monday, and had eight runs batted in through five games last weekend.

If Guzman, Kresser, and Kelly keep up their impressive offensive play and redshirt junior right-hander Maxx Yelh pitches more consistently after Monday’s performance where he gave up only one run and struck out six and walking none, the Mountaineers can make their first appearance in the Men’s College World Series if they defeat Cal Poly this weekend.

Image – Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly wins Los Angeles Regional, reaches first Super Regional in program history
As mentioned above the top seeded Bruins were eliminated in the Los Angeles Regional, allowing Cal Poly to advance to the super regionals for the first time in program history. The Mustangs did not have to face UCLA after they fell to Saint Mary’s in game 1 of the regional, defeating Virginia Tech to open before defeating the Gaels twice to secure a trip to Morgantown.

Cal Poly overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a run in the fifth inning on sophomore infielder Nate Castellon’s RBI single to left field and four more in the sixth on junior catcher Ryan Tayman’s home run and freshman infielder Gavin Spiridonofff’s three-run home run. After missing six weeks at the start of the season due to a lower body injury, junior left-hander Josh Volmerding earned his first win of the season after six quality innings on the mound.

Tayman’s 18 home runs this season will be a big part of why Cal Poly is capable of defeating West Virginia. But the whole team needs to step up this weekend if they want to upset a West Virginia team that finished second in the Big 12 regular season and tournament play.

The Mountaineers will take care of the Mustangs in three games and make the Men’s College World Series for the first time in program history.

Carter’s Pick: No. 16 West Virginia in three games

Image – The Bama Buzz

Troy Super Regional (Troy, AL)
Troy (36-30)
Little Rock (39-26)
Troy hosts Little Rock for super regional action at Riddle-Pace Stadium. First pitch between the two Trojan squads is set for 4 p.m., Friday, June 5, on ESPNU with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Lance Cormier (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Troy Super Regional will face the winner of the Morgantown Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Image – WRUF 98.1 FM

Troy Super Regional Schedule
Friday, June 5 at 4 p.m. on ESPNU
Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. on ESPN2
Sunday, June 7 at TBD

Troy beats Florida twice, will host first-ever super regional
Despite losing their opener to Miami, Troy bounced back and scored 34 runs over the next three days, avenged their loss to the Hurricanes and dominated No. 8 national seed Florida on their way to their first super regional and their first opportunity to host a super regional in program history.

In their second of two wins against the Gators, the Trojans dominated on the mound and at the plate. While junior left-hander Hayden Smith started for Troy and gave them four innings of three-run and one earned run. While the Trojans offense was held down through the first 4.1 innings, they jumped on the Gators’ bullpen after Florida starter Caden McDonald gave up a groundout to open the sixth inning.

The Trojans put up a five-run sixth inning after Russell Sandefer stepped in for McDonald. The Regional’s Most Outstanding Player, junior catcher and utility player Jabe Boroff, broke things open with a two-run double down the left field line. In his next at-bat in the eighth, Boroff hit a three-run home run, making the game-ending statement for Troy as they advanced to their first super regional in program history. Senior left-hander Benjamin Stubbs allowed only one run in relief of Smith but no other damage against the Gators, after starting on Friday night.

If Boroff continues his hot hitting and Smith and Stuff continue to throw heat from the mound, Troy will be tough to beat this weekend at home.

Image – KTLO

Little Rock advances to super regional with 3-0 Hattiesburg run, clinches first berth
In their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Little Rock dominated the Hattiesburg Regional, beginning action with a 7-4 win against No. 9 seed Southern Miss. The Trojans defeated Jackson State twice and advanced to their first super regional in program history, setting up a matchup with their former conference foe.

Redshirt junior infielder Blake Simpson was named the Hattiesburg Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. Simpson went 8-for-14 from the plate, recorded eight hits, and six runs batted in three games this weekend. Senior first baseman Angel Cano, who starred in the Trojans’ run to the Baton Rouge Regional Final last season, hit an RBI double to extend their advantage to 3-0 against Jacksonville State on Sunday night. The Trojans totaled 10 hits in their regional-deciding victory.

The Little Rock pitching staff was impressive on Sunday night as well. Behind redshirt junior left-hander Nic Bronzini’s four innings to start and a Brody Bunting save. Both arms allowed the bases to be loaded at both the end of the first (Bronzini) and ninth (Bunting) allowed the bases to be loaded but both escaped with minimal damage and a win. Earlier in the weekend, redshirt freshman Tag Andrews delivered the final five outs for the Trojans in their first outing against the Gamecocks and allowed no hits and struck out one.

Little Rock’s strengths on offense are clear with Simpson and Cano and their pitching with Bronzini, Bunting, and Andrews but a challenge awaits against Troy in their ballpark. UALR’s 3-0 record so far is hard to look past, especially as they head to a former conference foe’s home.

In a battle of former Sun Belt team Little Rock and current member Troy, UALR will drop the opener but they will defeat Troy the final two games of the series and clinch their first Men’s College World Series bid in Omaha.

Carter’s Pick: Little Rock in three games

Image – Raleigh News & Observer

Chapel Hill Super Regional (Chapel Hill, NC)
No. 5 seed North Carolina (48-11-1)
USC (47-16)

USC travels to Chapel Hill to face off against North Carolina for super regional action at Boshamer Stadium. First pitch between the No. 5 seed Tar Heels and the USC is set for 2 p.m., Friday June 5, on ESPN2 with Mike Ferrin (play-by-play) and Gaby Sanchez (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Chapel Hill Super Regional will face the winner of the Auburn Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Chapel Hill Super Regional Schedule
Friday, June 5 at 2 p.m. on ESPNU
Saturday, June 6 at 1 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 7 at TBD

Image – Tar Heel Tribune

Tar Heels dominate Chapel Hill Regional
No. 5 overall seed North Carolina outscored their opponents 24-8 on its way to another super regional. The Tar Heels blanked VCU 8-0 in its opener before dispatching instate foe East Carolina on back to back days as they attempt to return to Omaha for the Men’s College World Series for the first time since 2024.

Junior infielder Erik Paulsen won the Chapel Hill Regional’s Most Outstanding Player with graduate student catcher Colin Hynek, junior infielder Jake Schaffner, junior outfielder Owen Hull, and sophomore right-hand pitcher Ryan Lynch joining him on the All-Chapel Hill Super Regional team.

The Tar Heels’ dominance of the All-Regional team list really speaks to their dominance of their home regional with Paulsen, Hynek, Schaffner, and Hull combining for half of their runs on the weekend. In Lynch’s start against VCU in game 1 of the regional, the gave up only two hits, no runs, four walks and struck out five Rams in 108 pitches.

With No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech eliminated and North Carolina’s dominance this past weekend, the Tar Heels have become the team the ACC needs to advance to Omaha and win a Men’s College World Series when they get there. An interesting matchup against a team on the west coast awaits them next.

Image – Orange County Register

Trojans advance to first super regional over 20 years
USC fell to Texas State 5-4 in its College Station opener but bounced back with a 19-run performance in their first elimination game against Lamar. The Trojans avenged their loss to the Bobcats before outscoring No. 12 seed Texas A&M by a combined score of 21-4 in the two games they had to win to advance to the super regionals for the first time since 2005.

To answer North Carolina’s high-scoring offense, USC can respond with sophomore catcher Augie Lopez (4 runs on five hits and seven runs batted in, in two games versus Texas A&M), junior infielder Adrian Lopez (three runs on two hits and one run batted in), and junior outfielder and infielder Kevin Takeuchi (2 runs on 3 hits and 2 runs batted in).

Despite a heartbreaking loss in their regional opener against Texas State, sophomore right-hander Grant Govel gave up only three earned runs, two walks but struck out six Bobcats. Govel will hope for a bounce back performance against a much tougher Tar Heel offense when he makes his next start Friday.

While the Trojans may not win Friday’s opener against North Carolina, the Tar Heels have not been unbeatable in the super regional round at home, with losses to Arkansas in 2022 and Arizona in 2025, preventing them from trips to Omaha. However, North Carolina has learned from those performances and Scott Forbes’ team will advance to the Men’s College World Series for the 14th time in program history with wins on Friday and Sunday.

Carter’s Pick: No. 5 seed North Carolina in three games

Image – AL.com

Auburn Super Regional (Auburn, AL)
No. 4 seed Auburn (42-20)
Ole Miss (39-21)

Auburn hosts SEC rival Ole Miss for super regional action at Plainsman Park for super regional action. First pitch between the No. 4 seed Tigers and Rebels is set for 7 p.m., Friday, June 5, on ESPN2 with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Todd Walker (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Auburn Super Regional will face the winner of the Chapel Hill Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Auburn Regional Schedule
Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 7 at TBD

Image – The Bama Buzz

Auburn bounces back, clinches sixth super regional appearance
The No. 4 national seed Tigers let up 13 runs and fell to Milwaukee on Friday but bounced back by winning four consecutive games, including back to back wins against the Panthers to become the third Alabama school to advance to the super regionals. The Tigers are now hosting a super regional for the second time in as many seasons.

Sophomore catcher Chase Fralick has hit a home run in five consecutive games and was the Most Outstanding Player in the Auburn Regional. In Monday’s regional-deciding game against Milwaukee with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth-inning, Fralick hit a tie-breaking home run to lead Auburn to an 8-3 victory. His home run led to a five-run with freshman catcher and infielder Taylor Belza hitting a single, sophomore infielder Bub Terrell hitting a double, and freshman outfielder Mason McCraine cranking a triple for the cycle in the inning.

Fralick totaled six regional home runs and 15 runs batted in, the most in program history for the Tigers. Starting pitcher Jake Marciano struck out six and allowed only two earned runs in four innings of work in the Auburn Regional’s deciding game. Ryan Hetzler only gave up three hits, one run, no walks and struck out six in four innings and LJ Cormier struck out eight while only only giving up one hit, no score, and struck out eight in five innings relief to set up the Tigers for a winner-take-all game on Saturday with their first win against the Panthers of the weekend.

Image – Sports Illustrated

Rebels upset Nebraska, reach first super regional since 2022
Ole Miss began regional play with an exhilarating win in extra innings over Arizona State 7-6 late Friday night before upsetting No. 13 seed Nebraska and defeating the Sun Devils again to win the Lincoln Regional and advance to the super regional round for the first time since 2022, when they won the national championship in Omaha. They will attempt to do it against SEC rival Auburn this weekend.

Ole Miss never led their close out game of the Lincoln Regional against Arizona State until junior infielder Dom Decker’s game-sealing sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning. Junior infielder Brayden Randle was the key for the Rebels offensively in Sunday’s game,  going 2-for-4 with an RBI and recording five hits in Lincoln during the weekend overall.

Sophomore right-hander Cade Towson got the start on the mound for Ole Miss in their second opportunity against the Sun Devils and he struck out seven in five innings. He allowed four runs, three of which were earned. Sophomore left-hander Wil Libbert redshirt sophomore right-hander JP Robertson pitched in relief of Towson with neither allowing a run and combining for four strikeouts.

While Auburn doesn’t have a consistent offense and Ole Miss’ bullpen is just okay, both of those units seem to be playing at their best as their SEC rivalry resumes in the postseason for the first time since June 18, 2022, in the opening game of the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The Rebels won that game 5-1, starting their run to their one and only Men’s College World Series Championship.

The Tigers’ Fralick is playing his best baseball of the season and because they are playing at home, Auburn will not lose at home a year after Coastal Carolina kept them from advancing to Omaha on their home field in the 2025 Auburn Super Regional. The Tigers will advance to the Men’s College World Series in three games, avenging their last postseason loss to the Rebels.

Carter’s Pick: No. 4 seed Auburn in three games

Image – JustBaseball.com

Austin Super Regional (Austin, TX)
No. 6 seed Texas (43-13)
No. 11 seed Oregon (43-16)

Texas welcomes Oregon to Austin for super regional action at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. First pitch between the No. 6 seed Longhorns and No. 11 seed Oregon is set for 7 p.m., Saturday, June 6, on ESPN with Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Kyle Peterson (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Austin Super Regional will face the winner of the Athens Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Austin Super Regional Schedule
Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. on ESPN
Monday, June 8 at TBD

Image – Houston Chronicle

Texas’ high-powered offense powers super regional berth
After losing in their own regional to UTSA a year ago, Texas made sure that did not happen again, sweeping the Austin Regional with victories against Holy Cross, Tarleton State, and UC Santa Barbara by a combined score of 42-7.

After two dominant wins to begin their regional, the Longhorns clinched their bid the super regional with a close victory over the Gauchos. Right fielder Junior Aiden Robbins went 2-for-5 with two hits and two runs batted in, sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with one run and one run batted in, and junior designated hitter Ethan Mendoza went 2-for-4 with one run and one run batted in.

Senior arm Ruger Riojas started on the mound for Texas, throwing five innings of three hits, one run, one walk, and struck out six, helping them win the super regional. Redshirt junior Ethan Walker, junior Thomas Burns, freshman Sam Cozart, and graduate student Luke Harrison combined to throw 2.3 innings of shutout baseball to clinch it.

Now, they welcome a talented No. 11 seed Oregon team, that will have to travel from the west coast to Austin.

Image – Oregon Live

Ducks beat two former Pac-12 foes to win Eugene Regional
No. 11 seed Oregon defeated Yale 14-2 to open Eugene Regional play before defeating two old Pac-12 rivals Washington State 4-0 and instate rival Oregon State 4-1 on their way to sweeping their regional. Their next step is a trip to Austin where they will have to face No. 6 seed Texas, a team that is playing its best baseball of the season, despite a quick trip to Hoover at the SEC Tournament, where they lost in their first attempt in the quarterfinals.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Cal Scolari threw 102 pitches over 4.1 innings, gave up no runs, walked five, and struck out five against Yale. Junior left-hander Toby Twist came out in relief to replace Scolari and also struck out five but in only three innings. Senior Drew Smith was 4-for-5 with two runs and one run batted in and freshman Angel Laya was also 4-for-5 with two runs and two runs batted in, in Friday’s win against Yale.

In the regional closeout game against the Beavers, junior Jack Brooks was 1-for-3 with one run batted in and one walk, leading the Ducks in a low-scoring win for them against their rival. Junior left-hander Miles Gosztola threw six innings with only five hits, one run, three walks, and struck out eight.

With Smith at bat and some quality arms, Oregon should be able to compete with Texas in this weekend’s super regional action in Austin. The Longhorns are backed with some of the best pitching in the country with sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis and freshman right-hander Sam Cozart and are capable of scoring in bunches. Given that this super is in Austin, Texas should advance to Omaha this weekend but it will take them three games against the Ducks.

Carter’s Pick: No. 6 seed Texas in three games

Image – Mississippi State Athletics

Athens Super Regional (Athens, GA)
No. 3 seed Georgia (49-12)
No. 14 seed Mississippi State (43-17)

Georgia and Mississippi State face off in SEC rematch at Foley Field for super regional action. First pitch between No. 3 seed Georgia and No. 14 seed Mississippi State is set for 10 a.m., Saturday, June 6, on ESPN with Mike Moncao (play-by-play), Ben McDonald (analyst), and Eduardo Perez (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Athens Super Regional will face the winner of the Austin Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Athens Super Regional Schedule
Saturday, June 6 at 10 a.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 7 at 11 a.m. on ESPN
Monday, June 8 at TBD

Image – Southeastern Conference

Georgia dominates Athens Regional, stands as highest remaining super regional seed
Georgia outscored Long Island and Liberty twice 30-5 on their way to their first super regional appearance since 2022, when they lost to NC State in the deciding game 3 at Foley Field in Athens. Coach Wes Johnson’s focus will be making sure that does not happen against SEC opponent Mississippi State, who they swept during the regular season from April 2-4 on the road at Dudy Noble Stadium. But the Bulldogs have a bigger goal and that is winning a national championship in Omaha in a few weeks.

Georgia has everything working for it right now after winning both SEC titles and the way both the pitching staff and lineup are working for them. Nine Bulldogs made the Athens All-Regional team including senior first baseman Brennan Hudson, junior catcher Daniel Jackson, junior designated hitter Jack Arcamone, junior right-hander Joey Volchko, who leads the Georgia pitching staff as its ace, among others.

It is important to know that Georgia star third baseman Tre Phelps was ejected from Sunday’s regional-winning game for the Bulldogs after excessively celebrating his 19th home run of the season running around the bases. He will have to cool his temper if he, Hudson, Jackson, Arcamone and Volchko are to advance to Omaha for the first time since 2008.

Image – Southeastern Conference

MSU wins Starkville Regional behind 39 runs
Like Georgia, Mississippi State totaled big offensive numbers against its Starkville Regional competition last weekend scoring 10 each against Lipscomb and Cincinnati as well as 19 against Louisiana in their closeout game.

Freshman outfielder Jacob Parker won the Starkville Regional’s Most Outstanding Player, while homering twice and driving in four runs in Sunday’s victory against Louisiana to win the Starkville Regional. Sophomore right-hander Duke Stone started the victory against Lipscomb and went six innings with three innings, did not give up any runs and struck out 10 while left-hander Tomas Valincius started Saturday’s win against the Bearcats, where he threw 112 pitches in 7.1 innings with just five hits, three runs, two walks, and 10 strikeouts. Both were on the All-Starkville Regional team after their tremendous performances.

MSU welcomed Georgia to Starkville back at the beginning of April and were only outscored 21-13 in the series. The Bulldogs versus Bulldogs rematch from SEC play could be even closer than it was in the regular season however this time they have to go on the road to Athens so it should be a more difficult series.

Stone, Valincius, and the MSU pitching staff can’t throw their pitches right over the plate to Jackson, Phelps, and the heart of the UGA lineup if they want to win this series. Jackson and Phelps should make that too difficult to do and Wes Johnson will have his first Omaha appearance as a collegiate head coach in just two games.

Carter’s Pick: No. 3 seed Georgia in two games

Image – The Crimson White

Tuscaloosa Super Regional (Tuscaloosa, AL)
No. 7 seed Alabama (40-19)
St. John’s (36-24)

Alabama welcomes Big East tournament champion St. John’s to Tuscaloosa for super regional action at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. First pitch between the No. 7 seed Crimson Tide and Red Storm is set for 8 p.m., Saturday, June 6, on ESPN2 with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Devon Travis (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Morgantown Super Regional will face the winner of the Troy Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Tuscaloosa Super Regional Schedule
Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. on TBD
Monday, June 8 at TBD

Image – Alabama Athletics

Crimson Tide make first super regional since 2023
No. 7 overall seed Alabama is back in the super regional round for the first time in three years. After a dominant 21-3 win over Alabama State, the Crimson Tide defeated USC Upstate 7-5 before doing the same to Oklahoma State 9-7 in 11 innings to clinch the Tuscaloosa Regional in just three games.

Ace Tyler Fay threw 93 pitches over 5.2 innings and gave up only six hits, three runs and one walk in Friday’s win against the Hornets. Senior catcher Brady Neal joined him on the All-Tuscaloosa Regional team and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional. Neal was the hero for the Tide against the Cowboys, as he broke a 6-6 tie in the 11th with a two-out, three-run home run. While he finished 1-for-4 on Sunday, he drove in four runs including a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch earlier in the game.

Junior shortstop Justin LeBron, redshirt senior outfielder Bryce Fowler, freshman outfielder Eric Hines, senior infielder John Lemm and redshirt senior right-hander Hagan Banks joined Fay and Neal on that list as well after successful regional performances. LeBron (5 runs), Hines (4), and Lemm (4) combined for 13 runs and Banks closed the Crimson Tide’s 9-7 win over OSU by only giving up five hits, one run, three walks, and struck out six in three innings.

As a result of advancing, Alabama will host its first super regional since 2006 when St. John’s comes to town.

Image – Yahoo Sports

Red Storm upset Seminoles, win Tallahassee Regional
Like their opponent in the super regional, St. John’s swept their way to the round for the first time since 2012. The Big East tournament champions defeated Florida State twice by a combined score of 11-9 and defeated Northern Illinois in the middle, 21-8, proving their bats can be dangerous if necessary.

The Red Storm will have to go on the road for the second consecutive weekend and defeat a national host. Alabama may not be the most talented team left in the bracket but they proved they are capable of winning this entire tournament if they play like they did last weekend. The Johnnies will hope they can get similar production from their Saturday game against the Huskies this weekend against the Crimson Tide.

In their first win against the Seminoles, St. John’s junior right-hander Liam O’Leary got the game started with 5.1 solid innings, seven hits, five runs, four walks, and struck out six. Freshman outfielder Dylan Fitzsimmons led the Red Storm’s offense, going 2-for-4 with three hits and one run batted in. In the Tallahassee Regional clincher, redshirt sophomore catcher Adam Agresti accounted for one run, one hit and four runs batted in and sophomore right-hander Evan Hoeckele gave the Johnnies five strong innings, two runs, two walks, and he struck out four.

Similar performances last weekend in Tallahassee from St. John’s against Alabama this weekend in Tuscaloosa could help them advance to Omaha. But Rob Vaughn’s team will overcome the Red Storm in three games and advance to the Men’s College World Series.

Carter’s Pick: No. 7 seed Alabama in three games

Image – Yahoo Sports

Lawrence Super Regional (Lawrence, KS)
No. 15 seed Kansas (45-16)
Oklahoma (36-22)

Kansas hosts Oklahoma in Lawrence for super regional action at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch between the No. 15 seed Jayhawks and Sooners is set for 5 p.m., Saturday, June 6, on ESPN2 with Victor Rojas (play-by-play) and Gregg Olson (analyst) on the call.

The winner of the best-of-three Lawrence Super Regional will face the winner of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional in the Men’s College World Series Opening Round on either June 12 or June 13.

Lawrence Super Regional Schedule
Saturday, June 6 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2
Sunday, June 7 at 5 p.m. on TBD
Monday, June 8 at TBD

Image – AOL.com

Jayhawks outplay Arkansas, earn super regional host
Kansas swept the first Lawrence Regional it ever has hosted with victories over Northeastern and two over Arkansas. The Jayhawks scored 24 runs and only gave up 13 on their way to their first super regional appearance. Kansas will get to host that first super regional after No. 2 Georgia Tech’s exit in the regional round last weekend.

The Jayhawks tied their school record with 45 wins in a season after their second victory over the Razorbacks in the regional-deciding game. They came back from a 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the third inning with 11 unanswered runs, matching their longest comeback of the season.

Kansas scored six runs in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to grab the lead 11-5. Arkansas added five runs over the final four innings, but the Jayhawks countered with two runs in the top of the eighth to distance themselves from the Razorbacks.

After struggling from the mound early on Sunday, redshirt junior right-hander Manning West came out of the bullpen and pitched three innings in relief to grab the win for Kansas. Riane Ritter and Boede Rahe closed out the game for the Jayhawks, recording eight combined strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings. Rahe struck out four in the last two innings, including striking out the side in the ninth.

A home run from each of Daniel Osario, Tyson Leblanc, and Josh Dykhoff lifted Kansas over Arkansas twice in as many days a year after failing to face them once in the 2025 Fayetteville Regional and bowing out in just two games.

If the Jayhawks play like a full, competitive team like they did this last weekend, they are capable of advancing to their first Men’s College World Series in program history.

Image – NCAA.com

Tockey’s walk-off homer lifts Sooners over No. 2 Yellow Jackets
Oklahoma will get ready to begin a battle against former conference mate Kansas at their ballpark this weekend. The Sooners opened the Atlanta Regional with an 8-3 win over The Citadel before dropping their first game to No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech, 9-3. They bounced back with another win against The Citadel, 15-5 before back to back victories against the Yellow Jackets, by scores of 15-8 and 8-7 victory in the deciding game in 10 innings.

In the final game against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma jumped to an early 3-0 lead on a two-run home run from junior catcher Deiten Lachance and an RBI single by junior outfielder Dasan Harris. The Yellow Jackets would score the next seven runs to build a 7-3 run into the seventh inning.

A day after erasing a six-run lead, the Sooners would claw back from Monday’s four-run deficit starting with a two-run seventh inning. Sophomore infielder Kyle Branch led off the inning with a double, followed by a single by junior outfielder Jason Walk and a fielder’s choice to junior infielder Camden Johnson helped Branch reach home plate. Junior infielder Jaxon Willits hit  a double down the left line to score Johnson from first.

In the eighth inning, a fielder’s choice and error by the GT pitcher on a comeback ball to the mound allowed OU’s sixth run to cross home. In the ninth, Willits came through again after Johnson led off the inning with a walk. The junior shortstop singled to right field to tie the game at seven and send the game to extras.

OU senior right-hander Jackson Cleveland threw three scoreless innings, including one in the ever-important 10th inning, setting up senior infielder Dayton Tockey’s 454-foot solo home run to eliminate the Yellow Jackets.

Junior left-handed pitcher LJ Mercurius, Willits, and Lachance were named to the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team with Lachance being crowned the weekend’s Most Outstanding Player. He hitt .318 in the regional with two home runs and seven runs batted in.

In what should be a back and forth series, the home crowd will help Kansas overcome Oklahoma and get to Omaha for their first Men’s College World Series appearance in program history.

Carter’s Pick: No. 15 seed Kansas in three games

For more news, analysis, and coverage, visit https://carterbhuffsports.com, follow @cbhsports_ on X and Instagram, and subscribe to cbhsports on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@cbhsports_.

Image – Whole Hog Sports

Arkansas (37-20) faces Missouri State (34-19) for the third time this season to begin NCAA Tournament play, this time at Hoglund Park in the NCAA Lawrence Regional.

First pitch between the No. 2 seed Razorbacks and the No. 3 seed Bears is set for 5 p.m. Friday, May 29, on ESPNU with (play-by-play) and (analyst) on the call. With a win, Arkansas would play the winner of the other NCAA Lawrence Regional opener, No. 1 seed Kansas or No. 4 seed Northeastern at 12 p.m. Saturday, May 30, on ESPN+. A loss against Missouri State would pit them against the loser of that game on Saturday 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30, on ESPN+.

NCAA Lawrence Regional
Friday, May 29
Game 1 – No. 15 Kansas vs. Northeastern – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2 – Arkansas vs. Missouri State – 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

Saturday, May 30
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sunday, May 31
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Monday, June 1
Game 7 – If the Game 5 Winner Wins Game 6 – TBD

On the Mound
Friday, May 29
Missouri State – LHP Max Knight (4.69 ERA)
Arkansas – RHP Gabe Gaeckle (3.99 ERA)

Arkansas’ Gabe Gaeckle will start on the mound Friday night against Missouri State. The right-hander from Aptos, Cali. has made 19 appearances this season, including 11 starts on the hill this season with a 6-3 record, 3.99 ERA, and 80 strikeouts in 67.2 innings of work. Gaeckle, who is holding opposing hitters to a .277 batting average, came out of the bullpen against Texas in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals and earned his sixth win of the season, tying his career high with six innings pitched and matching his season best with nine strikeouts in the Razorbacks’ 8–1 victory. .

Tune In
Victor Rojas (play-by-play) and Connor Wanhanen (analyst) have the call of the entire NCAA Lawrence Regional on the ESPN family of networks. Arkansas’ opening game of the regional against Missouri State will air nationally on ESPNU. The matchup between the Razorbacks and Bears can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst) on the call from inside Hoglund Ballpark.

History Lesson
Arkansas is 60-32 against Missouri State with a 38-16 mark in games played inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium. In games played under Dave Van Horn, the Razorbacks are 22-13 and 14-9 at home against the Bears.

Arkansas split their regular season meetings with Missouri State. On March 31 on the road in Springfield, the Razorbacks lost a lead in the 10th inning and fell 15-14 to the Bears. A few weeks later, the hogs avenged their loss to Missouri State with a 12-4 victory on April 21 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas doesn’t just have a storied history with Missouri State in the regular season. The Razorbacks will face the Bears for the 10th time ever in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks and Bears are in the same regional for the fourth time since the NCAA went to its 64-team format in 1999.

Missouri State defeated Arkansas once in the 1999 Fayetteville Regional before winning the crazy 2017 Fayetteville Regional, which was played despite many rain delays. The Razorbacks and Bears were both in the 2022 Stillwater Regional but they did not end up facing off.

Missouri State has a 5-4 advantage on Arkansas in the postseason. The Razorbacks will look to change that in Friday night’s game.

For more news, analysis, and coverage, visit https://carterbhuffsports.com, follow @cbhsports_ on X and Instagram, and subscribe to cbhsports on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@cbhsports_.

Image – JustBaseball.com

It is time for postseason college baseball and the road will end in Omaha like it always does in just a few weeks. Enjoy my preview of all 16 regionals in the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament below:

Image – Daily Bruin

Los Angeles Regional (Los Angeles, CA)
No. 1 seed UCLA 51-6 (28-2) Big Ten
(4) Saint Mary’s 34-25 (15-12) West Coast
(2) Virginia Tech 30-24 (15-15) ACC
(3) Cal Poly 36-22 (22-8) Big West

UCLA was the pre-season favorite to win the national and they followed through, winning 51 of their 57 games between the regular season and Big Ten Tournament, on their way to both a Big Ten regular season and conference tournament title.

Shortstop Roch Cholowsky is the engine of the Bruins offense, slashing .329/.461/.662 with 71 runs, 72 hits, 10 doubles, 21 home runs, 59 runs batted in and 35 walks. Senior right-hander Michael Barnett and junior right-hander Logan Reddeman anchor the UCLA’s weekend pitching rotation, striking out a combined 153 batters to only 37 walks.

The Bruins went 3-0 against SEC tournament teams Tennessee, Texas A&M and Mississippi State while they swept USC and won three of four games against No. 11 national seed Oregon. They will be a favorite alongside national No. 2 seed Georgia Tech to win it all.

Saint Mary’s will attempt to pull an incredible upset by defeating UCLA. The Gaels won the West Coast conference tournament with a 5-0 record and wins over Pepperdine, Gonzaga, and San Francisco twice to clinch an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Sophomore catcher Ian Armstrong (15 home runs and 49 runs batted in) and redshirt sophomore infielder Jacob Johnson (12 home runs and 50 runs batted in) power the Gaels offense while senior right hander John Damonzonio leads their pitching staff with a 2.71 era, 7-2 record, and 81 strikeouts to only 19 walks through 76.1 innings pitched.

The two seed in the Los Angeles Regional is Virginia Tech, who won 30 games during the regular season, with half of them being in ACC play. The Hokies’ took single losses to No. 12 national seed Texas A&M, No. 14 national seed Mississippi State, and the No. 2 seed headed to Chapel Hill Tennessee, and lost series to national No. 2 Georgia Tech, the No. 2 seed headed to Hattiesburg Virginia, and the No. 2 seed headed to Athens Boston College. So, the Hokies weren’t as successful as they wanted to be in conference play but they made it in and must take advantage of their opportunity if they want to advance.

Freshman infielder Ethan Ball is far and away the power guy in the Virginia Tech offense, recording 41 runs, 61 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs. Senior Luke Craytor, juniors Madden Clement and Brett Renfrow, and sophomore Chase Swift are four arms that the Hokies trust as they begin their run across country against Cal Poly.

Cal Poly will make the short three-hour trip to Los Angeles as the three seed in the Los Angeles Regional. Similar to Virginia Tech, the Mustangs rely on one power bat to hit nukes and get the ball deep in the park. That guy is Ryan Tayman, who is slashing .355/.444/.664 with 48 runs, 78 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 53 runs batted in and an impressed 27 walks. Three players headline the Cal Poly pitching staff including redshirt junior Carson Turnquist junior Griffin Naess and freshman Corden Pettey.

The Mustangs defeated the No. 3 seed headed to the Eugene Regional, Washington State, two out of three times, were swept by the No. 2 seed on their way to the College Station Regional, USC, and the no. 2 seed going to the Eugene Regional, Oregon State but dominated the Big West on their way to sharing the regular season championship and a conference tournament championship.

With UCLA’s offensive firepower and athletes on the diamond, they should dominate their opponents in the Los Angeles Regional. Virginia Tech, Cal Poly, and Saint Mary’s don’t have the arms or bats to match the Bruins firepower.

The winner of the Los Angeles Regional will play the winner of the Morgantown Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 1 UCLA in six games

Image – Sports Illustrated

Morgantown Regional (Morgantown, WV)
No. 16 seed West Virginia 39-14 (21-9) Big 12
(4) Binghamton 31-20 (17-7) America East
(2) Wake Forest 38-19 (16-14) ACC
(3) Kentucky 31-21 (13-17) SEC

The runner-up in the Big 12 for both the regular season and tournament titles is the West Virginia Mountaineers. West Virginia swept No. 15 national seed Kansas, the winner of both the regular season and tournament titles in the Big 12 but the Jayhawks defeated them win the Big 12 Tournament Championship game.

The Mountaineers offense is not strong top to bottom as some other national hosts are but sophomore utility player Gavin Kelly, who slashed .379/.480/.680 with 54 runs, 77 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 48 runs batted in and 36 runs batted in. Redshirt junior left-hander Maxx Yehl, sophomore right-hander Chansen Cole, and graduate senior right-hander Ian Korn lead the weekend pitching rotation.

West Virginia’s opponent is No. 4 seed Binghamton, who won both the America East regular season and tournament championships. The Bearcats did not get much experience against NCAA Tournament competition so they must come ready to play against the Mountaineers. Binghamton’s top bat is sophomore outfielder Matt Bolton, who slashes .349/.456/.568 with 46 runs, 67 hits, 16 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 44 runs batted in, and 37 walks. Junior arm Conner Griffin leads the Bearcats in innings pitched with 57.1 and a 3-3 record.

The no. 2 seed headed to Morgantown is Wake Forest, who won 16 of their 38 games in ACC play. The Demon Deacons lost a series to the No. 2 seed headed to Hattiesburg, Virginia, the No. 2 seed headed to Gainesville in No. 2 seed Miami, but defeated the No. 2 seed on their way to Tallahassee, Coastal Carolina.

The Wake Forest offense is powered by four position players. Sophomores Luke Costello (17 home runs and 61 RBIs), Dalton Wentz (17 home runs and 51 runs batted in), and Matt Conte (10 home runs and 46 runs batted in), and junior Kade Lewis (13 home runs and 55 runs batted in) have powered the Demon Deacons offense. Sophomore right-hander Chris Levonas, who recorded a 2.90 earned run average, a 10-3 record, 110 strikeouts, and only gave up 42 hits, 24 runs, 22 earned runs, and 32 walks over 68.1 innings pitched and junior left-hander Matthew Dallas recorded a 2.45 earned run average, a 2-0 record, 14 strikeouts, and only gave up seven hits, two runs and earned runs, and three walks will anchor the Wake Forest weekend rotation.

The Demon Deacons’ opponent is the No. 3 seed going to Morgantown, the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky was apart of the last four in the NCAA Tournament this season and still made it in despite only two SEC series wins and series losses to the two bottom teams in the league, Missouri and South Carolina. The Wildcats must prove their worth with a win against Wake Forest and potentially advancing on through the Morgantown Regional.

Kentucky has a balanced offense, with junior infielder Ethan Hindle slashing .306/.434/.622 with 47 runs, 55 hits, 18 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 47 runs batted in and 27 walks. Wildcat ace Jaxon Jelkin has recorded an 8-3 record with 46 runs, 37 earned runs, and only 20 walks and 98 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.

This is a regional West Virginia can definitely win but watch out for Wake Forest, Kentucky and Binghamton. If Wake Forest matches up with the the Mountaineers in the 1-0 game on Saturday, the Demon Deacons will advance to the super regionals but it will take seven games.

The winner of the Morgantown Regional will play the winner of the Los Angeles Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Wake Forest in seven games

Image – WRUF 98.1 FM

Gainesville Regional (Gainesville, FL)
No. 8 seed Florida 39-19 (18-12) SEC
(4) Rider 33-18 (22-8) MAAC
(2) Miami 38-18 (16-14) ACC
(3) Troy 32-29 (17-13) Sun Belt

Florida has been playing fantastic baseball of late. The Gators defeated SEC regular season and tournament champion Georgia during the regular season and had a 6-0 lead on them in the SEC Tournament Semifinals before losing the lead in that game and losing 8-7. Kevin O’Sullivan’s team is always going to be playing baseball in May and June as long as he is in charge and they are capable with the combination of their offense, pitching staff, and overall defense.

Florida has four bats that stood out this season in sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson (11 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, and 43 runs batted in), sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec (14 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, and 61 runs batted in), Blake Cyrl (15 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs and 56 runs batted in) and junior outfielder Hayden Yost (10 home runs and 22 runs batted in).The Gators’ top two arms Aidan King (84.0 innings pitched) and Liam Peterson (79.1 innings pitched) combined for 196 strikeouts so far this season.

Florida’s opponent on Friday is the Rider Broncs. The regular season and conference tournament champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference don’t have much experience this season against NCAA Tournament competition but they sure earned their bid to the tournament after dominating their conference this season. The Rider offense does not have an overlying star but were still able to put together a 3-1 week to win the league tournament title. Seniors Christian Aiello and PJ Craig anchor the Broncs’ pitching and will have to step up if they want a shot against Florida.

Miami, the No. 2 seed headed up north for the Gainesville Regional on Friday, fell to the Gators twice at the end of February before 16 wins in the ACC regular season and a run to the tournament semifinals.

The Hurricanes have three impressive position players that can swing the bat. Junior catcher Alex Sosa, who slashes .332/.447/.663 with 60 runs, 69 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 66 runs batted in and 40 walks. Graduate senior outfielder Derek Williams slashes .376/.466/.673 with 52 runs, 76 hits, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 66 runs batted in and 28 walks. Junior infielder Daniel Cuvet slashes .305/.437/.649 with 49 runs, 46 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 45 runs batted in and 33 walks. Senior left-hander Rob Evans and sophomore right-handers AJ Ciscar and Lazaro Collera will be important pitchers for the Hurricanes if they want to get past Florida and advance to the Super Regionals.

Another Sun Belt team, the Troy Trojans, are in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Gainesville Regional. Troy won 16 games in a tough Sun Belt and despite losing to Southern Miss in the tournament, they are here in the NCAA Tournament ready to make their run. The Trojans have two offensive stars including sophomore catcher Jimmy Janiki (22 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs and 73 runs batted in) and senior infielder Blake Cavill (10 doubles, 12 home runs and 44 runs batted in). Senior left-hander Benjamin Stubbs and senior right-hand pitcher Tommy Egan will anchor the Troy pitching staff this weekend as pitchers with the two most innings pitched on the team.

Given that Florida continues its success against Miami from earlier in the season, the Gators will advance to the super regionals fairly easily. The Hurricanes have the bats to keep up with their instate rival but will they have the arms? That will determine the result of the Gainesville Regional. I favor Florida to advance to the Super Regional round.

The winner of the Gainesville Regional will play the winner of the Hattiesburg Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 8 Florida in six games

Image – Southern Miss Athletics

Hattiesburg Regional (Hattiesburg, MS)
No. 9 seed Southern Miss 44-15 (22-8) Sun Belt
(4) Little Rock 36-26 (16-11) Ohio Valley
(2) Virginia 36-21 (14-16) ACC
(3) Jacksonville State 46-13 (23-7) Conference USA

Southern Miss won the Sun Belt regular season title by one game and also took care of the conference tournament, clinching a hosting spot though not as a national seed in the top eight. Head coach Christian Ostrander continues the great tradition of baseball in Hattiesburg. Eyes are on this team making it to Omaha for the Eagles this season.

Southern Miss has four position players with over four home runs including senior infielder Kyle Morrison (16 home runs), senior designated hitter and outfielder Joey Urban (14), redshirt junior outfielder and designated hitter Davis Gillespie (13) and senior infielder Matthew Russo (11) to power the Eagle offense. Southern Miss has a lot of reliable pitchers including sophomore Camden Clark (8-0) and Grayden Harris (8-1 record) plus senior Colby Allen (7-1). All three of those guys can give good innings for the Eagles.

Little Rock should pose problems for Southern Miss like they did for reigning national champion LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional last year. The Trojans forced a winner-take-all game 7 in the regional a year ago and fell just short against the Tigers, who would go on to win their second championship in the last three seasons.

The star of last season’s run for Little Rock was senior first baseman Angel Cano. Cano slashes .299/.365/.515 with 42 runs, 69 hits, 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 29 runs batted in and 14 walks. Redshirt freshman right hander and Arkansas transfer Tag Andrews stood out and won the Most Valuable Player of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last week. Andrews has a .307 earned run average, a 4-2 record, and he has struck out 41 batters this season.

The No. 2 seed heading to Hattiesburg is Virginia. The Cavaliers made the NCAA Tournament even after losing head coach Brian O’Connor to Mississippi State. Former Duke head coach Chris Pollard won 36 games overall but only 14 in the ACC regular season. The Cavaliers defeated Pollard’s old school to open the ACC Tournament but quickly bowed out against No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech in their final game in Charlotte.

Junior outfielder AJ Garcia, junior outfielder Joe Tilroy, and junior first baseman and outfielder Sam Harris all have hit 14 home runs and have accounted for 40 or more runs batted in this season for Virginia. Sophomore left-hander Henry Zatkowski, graduate senior right-hander Lucas Hartman, and freshman right-hander John Paone will eat up innings for the Cavaliers.

Jacksonville State is the three seed that will be matching up with Virginia in Hattiesburg. The Gamecocks dominated the Conference USA with 46 overall wins and half of them being in conference (23). Jacksonville State challenged No. 7 national seed Alabama during the regular season as well.

There is no true standout on the Gamecock offense but senior infielder Brady Thomas, who slashes .316/.470/.632 with 42 runs, 48 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in and 32 walks is a guy that can really swing the bat. Senior left-hander Steven Cash leads the Jacksonville State pitching staff with 93 strikeouts in 82.2 innings pitched.

Southern Miss got a bad draw with the Trojans, Cavaliers, and Gamecocks coming into their regional. This regional should definitely be seven games and there is always a three seed that wins a regional so give me Jacksonville State to do so. The Gamecocks would pull the upset with some incredible pitching.

The winner of the Hattiesburg Regional will play the winner of the Gainesville Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Jacksonville State in seven games

Image – University of North Carolina Athletics

Chapel Hill Regional (Chapel Hill, NC)
No. 5 seed North Carolina 45-11-1 (22-8) ACC
(4) VCU 37-23 (20-10) Atlantic-10
(2) Tennessee 38-20 (15-15) SEC
(3) East Carolina 36-22-1 (17-10) American

North Carolina earned another top eight national seed after finishing second in the ACC during the regular season and were the runner-up in the ACC Tournament, losing to No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech after winning a series in Atlanta versus the Yellow Jackets during the regular season.

The Tar Heels’ offense includes four notable name. Juniors Cooper Nicholson, Gavin Gallaher, and Erik Paulsen make up one of the best offensive infields in the country with a combined 37 home runs and 146 runs batted in. Right-hander Caden Glauber won ACC freshman of the year behind a 1.93 earned run average and 80 strikeouts.

Their opponent will be VCU, a team that dominated the Atlantic-10 throughout the entire season, winning 20 of their 37 games in conference play. The Rams lost both of their opportunities to the No. 2 seed headed to the Tallahassee Regional, Coastal Carolina, and lost a single game to the No. 2 seed going to the Los Angeles Regional, Virginia Tech.

Two power bats in the VCU lineup are sophomore catcher Jacob Lee (14 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs and 56 runs batted in) and junior outfielder Michael Petite (14 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, and 43 runs batted in). Redshirt senior right-hander Patrick Steitz, redshirt senior right-hander Elias Holbert and sophomore right-hander Cooper Campbell eat up innings on the mound for the Rams.

In Josh Elander’s first season as head coach at Tennessee following Tony Vitello’s exit, the Volunteers won 38 games and went .500 in the SEC. The Volunteers was able to salvage a game versus No. 3 overall seed Georgia, they swept No. 14 overall seed Mississippi State, and they won two out of three against No. 7 national seed Alabama and No. 6 national seed Texas.

Junior infielder and outfielder Henry Clark, who slashes .300/.364/.609 with 50 runs, 70 hits, 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 56 runs batted in and 25 walks, Levi Clark, who slashes .245/.359/.527 with 42 runs, 45 hits, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 44 runs batted in and 26 walks, and sophomore outfielder Blaine Brown, who slashes .243/.312/.473 with 43 runs, 54 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, 42 runs batted in and 20 walks. Sophomore right-hander Tegan Kuhns, senior left-hander Evan Blanco, and freshman left-hander Cam Appenzeller headline Tennessee’s weekend rotation.

East Carolina had to win the American tournament just to make sure they were not left out of this season’s NCAA Tournament after an okay regular season based on the Pirates’ normal expectations. East Carolina won game two and tied game three against the Tar Heels during the regular season back at the end of February.

The Pirates’ all-conference junior Ethan Norby leads the pitching staff with a 7-3 record with 120 strikeouts in 83.2 innings. With an up and down regular season, there was no standout bat in the East Carolina lineup. Senior outfielder Jack Herring leads the way in home runs (9) and runs batted in (51) for the Pirates but the rest of the lineup must be better if they want to advance through Chapel Hill.

All four teams in the Chapel Hill Regional could advance through to the super regionals but North Carolina has been consistent this season and I don’t see the Tar Heels being eliminated this weekend. North Carolina will advance after a tough seven games and will get to host a super regional if they do.

The winner of the Chapel Hill Regional will play the winner of the Bryan-College Station Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 5 North Carolina in seven games

Image – Sports Illustrated

College Station Regional (College Station,TX)
No. 12 seed Texas A&M 39-14 (18-11) SEC
(4) Lamar 34-25 (19-11) Southland
(2) USC 43-15 (16-14) Big Ten
(3) Texas State 36-24 (16-14) Sun Belt

Texas A&M is joined by a 43-win USC and two other schools in the state of Texas in their regional this season. After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, second year head coach Michael Earley made sure the Aggies did not miss the tournament back to back seasons. Texas A&M fell to No. 1 overall seed UCLA back on Feb. 28 in Arlington but won SEC series against instate rival No. 6 overall seed Texas, No. 8 overall seed Florida, and No. 14 overall seed Mississippi State.

The Aggies have one of the stronger offenses in the SEC with juniors Caden Sorrell (17 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs and 74 run batted in) and Graham Grahovac (16 double, three triples, 19 home runs and 71 runs batted in), freshmen Nico Partida (eight doubles, 12 home runs, and 41 runs batted in) and Jorian Wilson (six doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 32 runs batted in). The pitching staff has stronger starters in sophomores Gavin Lyons (9-0 record) and Aiden Sims (8-1) but must get production out of their up and down bullpen if they want to close out this regional and advance.

There is no true offensive star for Lamar but senior right-handers Chris Oliver (88.0 innings pitched) and Travis Lutz (59.1) have struck out a combined 170 batters this season. The Cardinals fell to Texas A&M 25-5 back on Feb. 24, meaning they will have to have a different approach if they want to defeat the Aggies and get to the 1-0 game on Saturday. Other notable results for Lamar include a 14-4 loss to No. 6 overall seed Texas on Feb. 17, being swept by the No. 2 seed heading to the Eugene Regional Oregon State from April 2-4, but they were able to defeat No. 15 overall seed Kansas in a single game, 4-1 on Feb. 18.

USC is in the NCAA Tournament for back to back years since the 2001 and 2002 seasons. The Trojans won an incredible 43 games but a lack of quad 1 wins kept them from being a regional host. That led them to be sent to College Station, where they are capable of advancing to the super regionals. The Trojans did fall to Oregon State in a single game, were swept by in city rival No. 1 UCLA and No. 13 overall seed Nebraska, and lost the series to No. 11 overall seed Oregon. The Trojans blanked Michigan State 7-0 to open the Big Ten Tournament but fell to the Bruins again to end their stay in Omaha.

Junior left-hander Mason Edwards has stood out on the mound for USC this season. Edwards has an 8-0 record with 160 strikeouts and just 39 walks in 88.1 innings pitched. Four bats pace the Trojan lineup. Sophomore catcher Augie Lopez leads the way with 17 home runs and 48 runs batted in, junior infielder Adrian Lopez pitches in with 11 home runs and 41 runs batted in, senior outfielder Jack Basser has accounted for 10 home runs and 36 runs batted in and junior outfielder and infielder Andrew Lamb has hit 10 home runs and has accounted for 33 runs batted in.

In their last season in the Sun Belt, Texas State won 16 of their 36 games in conference play. The Bobcats defeated the No. 3 seed heading to the Eugene Regional this weekend, Washington State, in a series on March 6th and 8th before falling to No. 6 national seed Texas on March 10 and again on March 31. Texas State upset Texas A&M back on April 7 but if they want to challenge the Aggies again both teams will have to win their first round games.

The Bobcats offense has immense power with seven of the nine bats in their lineup with double-digit home runs so far this season. Junior infielder and outfielder Jaquae Stewart (16 home runs) leads Texas State while junior infielder Manny Salas (15), sophomore infielder and right-hand pitcher Dawson Park (13) lead the way are right behind him. Freshman right-hander Cooper Wade (66 strikeouts), redshirt junior left-hander Jesus Tovar (65), and graduate senior Kyle Froehlich (63) lead the Bobcats’ pitching staff in punch outs.

If the Aggies’ get down in the 1-0 game of this regional, their bullpen will have to step up while their offense attempts to stage a comeback. That makes me think USC can and will win this regional but they have not proven it, not being able to win an important Big Ten series this season. With the help of the home crowd, Texas A&M will get it done in seven games.

The winner of the Bryan-College Station Regional will play the winner of the Chapel Hill Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 12 Texas A&M in seven games

Image – MSN

Auburn Regional (Auburn, AL)
No. 4 seed Auburn 38-19 (17-13) SEC
(4) Milwaukee 25-31 (14-10) Horizon League
(2) UCF 31-21 (19-11) Big 12
(3) North Carolina State 32-22 (14-16) ACC

Auburn’s No. 3 ranked RPI and top ranked strength of schedule paired with their 17 SEC wins and run to the SEC Tournament Semifinals helped them lock up the national No. 4 seed. The Tigers defeated No. 10 overall seed Florida State in Arlington on Feb. 21 and won a series against No. 14 overall seed Nebraska from Feb. 27-March 1 in non-conference play. Despite series losses No. 6 overall seed Texas and No. 7 overall seed Alabama, they bounced back with series wins over the No. 2 seed heading to the Lawrence Regional, Arkansas, No. 8 overall seed Florida, the No. 2 seed going to the Atlanta Regional Oklahoma, No. 12 overall seed Texas A&M,and No. 14 overall seed Mississippi State.

Auburn’s pitching staff is full of great arms that can get them through the regional, especially the fact that they only gave up three runs in three games at the SEC Tournament in Hoover. Sophomore Jake Marciano has only allowed 62 hits, 29 runs, 24 earned runs, 17 walks, and has struck out 100 over 81.2 innings pitched. Junior Alex Petrovic has only allowed 62 hits, 30 runs, 29 earned runs, 19 walks, and struck out 81 over 81.1 innings pitched. Sophomore outfielder Bub Terrell has been a highlight reel all season for the Tigers, hitting home runs (16) and robbing them in left field. Sophomore catcher Chase Fralick also is a solid offensive piece with 16 doubles, 14 home runs, and 45 runs batted in and junior infielder Eric Guevara does his thing too with 11 home runs and 42 runs batted in.

The way Auburn’s pitching staff is dominating lineups right now, Horizon League Tournament champions Milwaukee may not have a great chance to beat them on Friday. The Panthers finished six games under .500 and won 14 out of 24 games in their league. They defeated the top seed in their conference tournament with a walk-off home run from senior catcher and first baseman Joey Spence. Spence has only hit four home runs and batted 33 runs home this season but his teammates senior outfielder Charlie Marion (12 home runs and 54 runs batted in) and junior catcher and outfielder Dominic Kibler (11 home runs and 59 runs batted in) do enough to lead the Panther offense.

No. 2 seed UCF won an impressive 31 games, including 19 of their 30 games against Big 12. The Knights lost both of their games against the No. 2 seed headed to the Gainesville Regional, Miami, but bounced back with series wins in conference against the No. 2 seed going to the Tuscaloosa Regional, Oklahoma State, and No. 15 overall seed Kansas. UCF’s John Smith III (12 home runs and 49 runs batted in) and Andrew Williamson (12 home runs and 41 runs batted in) stand out in their lineup. Arms Camden Wicker (72.0 innings pitched) and Mateo Gray (57.1) struck out a combined 108 batters so far this season while only giving up a combined 43 walks.

Elliott Avent gets to start his last NCAA Tournament run as the head coach of North Carolina State at the Auburn Regional. Longtime assistant coach Chris Hart was already promoted to replace Avent as he retires. But the focus must be on making a last run, especially in a tough regional. The Wolfpacks have proven they can compete, after series wins against the No. 2 seed going to the Athens Regional, Boston College, and the No. 2 seed headed to the Gainesville Regional, Miami.

Sophomore outfielder Ty Head leads the NC State offense with eight doubles, 14 home runs, 48 runs batted in and 56 walks. Junior infielder Luke Nixon also has impressed this season for the Wolfpack with 16 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 44 runs batted in and 31 walks. Junior left-hander Cooper Consiglio and junior right-hander Heath Andrews have both pitched 59.2 innings this season. While both of their earned run averages are above five, Cooper has struck out 71 and Andrews has struck out 55 batters.

If Auburn continues to pitch the way it has over the past few weeks, they will advance to the super regional round with ease. The Tigers cannot look past anybody in their regional, but the combination of Marciano and Petrovic on the mound and Terrell, Fralick, and Guevara are swinging the bat makes me think they will advance in six games.

The winner of the Auburn Regional will play the winner of the Lincoln Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 4 Auburn in six games

Image – On3

Lincoln Regional (Lincoln, NE)
No. 13 seed Nebraska 42-15 (23-7) Big Ten
(4) South Dakota State 24-31 (12-15) Summit League
(2) Ole Miss 36-21 (15-15) SEC
(3) Arizona State 37-19 (19-11) Big 12

Nebraska impressed this season in the Big Ten with 42 wins overall and 23 in a Big Ten that also had No. 1 overall seed UCLA and No. 11 seed Oregon as hosts. The Corn Huskers welcome Ole Miss, Arizona State, and South Dakota State to Lincoln this weekend for their regional. They will attempt to advance to the super regional round for the second consecutive season. Senior infielder Dylan Carey is the one clear star of the offense for Nebraska, slashing .342/.414/.610 with 52 runs, 79 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 63 walks and 19 runs batted in. Redshirt sophomore right-hand pitcher Carson Jasa recorded 81.1 innings pitched and has struck out 109 batters so far this season.

Their opponent is South Dakota State, who finished seven games under .500 overall and three games under .500 in Summit League play. That meant the Jackrabbits had to win their conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament and they did so by beating Oral Roberts two out of three times in Minneapolis last weekend. SDSU lost to the Cornhuskers 5-4 back on March 4 but they will get another shot to defeat them on Friday.

The Jackrabbits’ lineup is paced by junior infielder Luke Luskey, who slashes .303/.326/.559 with 47 runs, 59 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 55 runs batted in and 25 walks. Seniors Sam Schlect (72.0 innings pitched) and Ty Madison (66.1), and junior Sam Novotny (63.1) led the SDSU pitching staff.

Ole Miss’ hosting chances ended after a 10-8 loss to Missouri last week in Hoover at the SEC Tournament. While the Rebels probably wanted to host, they are capable of advancing to Omaha no matter how they have to. They swept the No. 3 seed headed to the Lawrence Regional, Missouri State, from Feb. 20-22, won series against No. 8 national seed Florida, and the No. 2 seed going to the Chapel Hill Regional Tennessee, and No. 12 national seed Texas A&M.

They have two position players with 20 home runs. Senior infielder Judd Utermark and outfielder Tristan Bissetta also drove in more than 40 runs each. Redshirt junior left-hander Hunter Elliott leads the Rebels pitching staff, striking out 96 hitters in 71.0 innings.

Arizona State will face Ole Miss on Friday as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln Regional. Four bats the Sun Devil lineup have hit 16 or more home runs. Sophomore infielder Landon Hairston (20 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs and 79 runs batted in), redshirt junior infielder Nu’u Contrades (15 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in), graduate senior outfielder Dean Toigo (15 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs, and 52 runs batted in) and junior infielder Dominic Smaldino (13 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, and 49 runs batted in) lead the Arizona State offense. Junior left-hander Cole Carlon has struck out 124 hitters in 77.0 innings and senior right-hander Kole Klecker has struck out 65 hitters in 61.0 innings, anchoring their pitching staff.

Ole Miss did not finish the regular season well but if their bats wake up, watch out. Arizona State also has a strong lineup so it will be difficult for Nebraska to advance out of their home regional. The Rebels will advance through to the super regionals, potentially matching up with No. 4 seed Auburn.

The winner of the Lincoln Regional will play the winner of the Auburn Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Ole Miss in seven games

Image – JustBaseball.com

Austin Regional (Austin, TX)
No. 6 seed Texas 40-13 (19-10) SEC
(4) Holy Cross 25-28 (13-13) Patriot League
(2) UC Santa Barbara 38-18 (22-8) Big West
(3) Tarleton State 37-19 (12-6) WAC

Jim Schlossnagle’s Texas Longhorns earned a top eight national seed and the right to host through the super regionals assuming they advance through this season. Texas fell to UTSA a year ago in this same round. It does not feel like any of the other three teams heading to Austin this weekend are as capable of defeating the Longhorns as the Roadrunners were a year ago.

Texas had an early exit in the SEC Tournament just like a season ago but something tells me Schlossnagle will have his team better focused on the job to advance this season with the roster they have now. Juniors Carson Tinney (10 doubles, 20 home runs, 54 runs batted in and 45 walks), Aiden Robbins (nine doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 53 runs batted in and 32 walks), and redshirt senior Casey Borba (10 doubles, 17 home runs, 55 runs batted in and 31 walks) head up the Longhorn offense. Sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis is one of the best pitchers in the country with an 8-1 record and 109 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched.

Texas’ opponent is the champion of the Patriot League Tournament, Holy Cross. The Crusaders finished three games under .500 overall and at 13-13 in the league during the regular season. Senior right-hander Jaden Wywoda (79 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched) leads their pitching staff and Gianni Royer (32 runs, 46 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 28 runs batted in and 15 walks) leads the offense.

UC Santa Barbara is the No. 2 seed that will be in Austin this weekend. Despite losing to UC San Diego in the Big West Tournament, the Gauchos are the team that is likeliest to be able to compete with Texas this weekend if they can get through their first game against Tarleton State with a win. Senior catcher Nate Vargas (31 runs, 40 hits, 10 doubles, 11 home runs, 36 runs batted in and 19 walks) and graduate outfielder Noah Karliner (28 runs, 37 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, 27 runs batted in and 24 walks) headline the UCSB lineup offensively. Junior right-hander Jackson Flora has dominated the innings for the Gauchos with 124 strikeouts in 94.1 innings pitched.

No. 3 seed Tarleton State will face UCSB on Friday and attempt to make a run after potentially winning that game. The Texans won the WAC Tournament after an impressive regular season that saw them win 37 games and 12 in the regular season in the conference. Sophomore utility player Rayner Henrich leads their offense with 22 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 18 walks. Junior right-hander Ethan Wendel tops the TSU pitching staff with 41 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched. They will need to be at the top of their games if they want to advance through the Austin Regional.

If Texas does not advance through their regional with relative ease, I would be shocked. The Longhorns have the arms and the bats to advance deep into this tournament so they should get to the super regionals by winning the Austin Regional in just six games.

The winner of the Austin Regional will play the winner of the Eugene Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 6 Texas in six games

Image – The Register-Guard

Eugene Regional (Eugene, OR)
No. 11 seed Oregon 40-16 (20-10) Big Ten
(4) Yale 30-13-1 (14-6-1) Ivy League
(2) Oregon State 43-12 Indepedents
(3) Washington State 30-26 (15-9) Mountain West

Despite being slated as the No. 14, 15, or 16 seed in late tournament projections, the tournament committee decided on Oregon as the No. 11 national seed. The Ducks won 40 games overall and half of them in the Big Ten, taking one game from No. 1 national seed UCLA and won a series against in-city rival USC to close out the regular season. They lost to instate rival Oregon State back on March 3 and may get a chance to avenge that loss in the 1-0 or elimination game on Saturday depending on Friday’s results.

Senior infielder and outfielder Drew Smith (15 home runs), freshman outfielder Angel Laya (14), junior infielder Maddox Molony (12) and redshirt freshman infielder Naulivou Lauaki Jr. (12) top the Oregon offense. Junior right-hander Will Sanford and sophomore right-hander Collin Clarke will do the same for the Ducks’ pitching staff, striking out a combined 91 batters.

Yale has made the cross-country trip to Eugene after winning 30 games in the regular season, 14 in the Ivy League regular season, the tournament against Brown. The Bulldogs don’t have much experience against the tournament field but will need to be ready to face Oregon on Friday. Overall, the Yale offense plays small ball with sophomore infielder and catcher Jack Dauer heads up the Bulldog offense with 17 doubles and 48 runs batted in. Tate Evans leads the Yale pitching staff with 78 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. They will have to play their A game if they want to defeat the Ducks.

Like mentioned above, No. 2 seed Oregon State defeated their instate rival at the beginning of March. Despite 43 wins on the season, they did not get a hosting spot, likely due to the fact that they are not in a conference. That will likely change next year if the Beavers want to win another Men’s College World Series, which would be their first since 2018.

Oregon State relies on a balanced offense with senior catcher Bryce Hubbard, who slashes .272/.402/.467 with 33 runs, 46 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, 33 runs batted in and 28 walks and senior infielder AJ Singer slashing .290/.394/.478 with 48 runs, 60 hits, 15 doubles, eight home runs, 54 runs batted in and 33 walks. While the Beaver offense does not have much power, their pitching staff should make the difference. Junior left-hander Ethan Kleinschmit (88 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched) and junior right-hander Eric Segura (72 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched) are the guys to look out for this weekend for Oregon State’s staff.

No. 3 seed Washington State will begin NCAA Tournament play against a team that is in their conference and serves as a big rival in every other sport, Oregon State. While the Beavers remain an Independent on the diamond, the Cougars are in the Mountain West, winning the conference tournament against San Diego Stateto clinch a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Making their first regional since 2010, redshirt sophomore Nick Lewis has dominated the innings pitched for Washington State with 91.1 with 65 strikeouts. Senior right-hander Luke Meyers also is a big contributor to the Cougars pitching staff, with 58 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched. Senior corner infielder Ryan Skjonsby is a big part of their offense, slashing .333/.425/.518 with 43 runs, 65 hits, 10 doubles, one triples, eight home runs, 57 runs batted in and 23 walks.

In a regional with a lot of Pac-12 flavor, Oregon State will make the short trip and win the Eugene Regional in seven games, taking down Oregon, Washington State, and Yale on the way. The Beavers’ pitching staff will be the difference as they advance to the super regionals.

The winner of the Eugene Regional will play the winner of the Austin Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Oregon State in seven games

Image – Georgia Bulldogs

Athens Regional (Athens, GA)
No. 3 seed Georgia 46-12 (23-7) SEC
(4) Long Island 30-20 (26-7) Northeast
(2) Boston College 36-21 (17-13) ACC
(3) Liberty 41-19 (21-9) Conference USA

Hot-hitting Georgia attempts to make it back to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time since 2008, when they were national runners-up. Head coach Wes Johnson has the Bulldogs as a consistent NCAA Tournament team but they have not made it to the Super Regionals since 2024. Johnson and the Bulldogs have the bats and the arms to do just that. SEC Player of the Year Daniel Jackson was incredible this season, slashing .391/.485/.813 with 77 runs, 88 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 79 runs batted in and 38 walks. Junior third baseman Tre Phelps slashes .376/.491/.679 with 74 runs, 82 hits, 10 doubles, 1 triple, 18 home runs, 55 runs batted in and 20 walks. While Jackson and Phelps power the Bulldogs’ offense, ace Joey Volchko leads the Georgia pitching staff with a 8-2 record, 71 hits, 37 runs, 35 earned runs, 39 walks, and he struck out 88 over 75.1 innings pitched.

Georgia dominated the SEC with 23 conference wins and four sweeps. The Bulldogs won both the regular season and tournament championships. They will be a tough out for the other three opponents Boston College, Liberty and Long Island to advance to the Super Regionals. The Bulldogs’ opponent is No. 4 seed Long Island. The Sharks won 26 of their 30 overall games in Northeast Conference and tournament play. They must play their A game if they even want to complain with the regional’s top seed.

Boston College is the No. 2 seed that will be in Athens this weekend. The Eagles own 17 ACC wins including a series win over the No. 2 seed headed to Hattiesburg, Virginia, but ended their season with four losses in a row. Graduate infielder Nick Wang leads the Boston College offense with 16 home runs and 61 runs batted in. Senior left-hander AJ Colarusso (76.0 innings pitched) and graduate left-hander Tyler Mudd (59.1) will be the differences on the mound for the Eagles if they want to advance through Athens to the super regional round.

No. 3 seed Liberty went through Conference USA play easily, winning 21 of their 41 games in conference play. The Flames won one out of three games against the No. 3 seed going to Lawrence Missouri State, lost to both the No. 2 seed heading to Morgantown, Wake Forest, and the No. 2 seed going to the Hattiesburg Regional, Virginia. So, much better play will be expected from Liberty this weekend if they want to win the Athens Regional this weekend.

Georgia should not have many problems advancing through the Athens Regional this weekend if they continue to play as well as they have been. The Bulldogs should easily dispatch Long Island before coasting to the Super Regionals, behind the bats of Jackson and Phelps.

The winner of the Athens Regional will play the winner of the Starkville Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 3 Georgia in six games

Image – The Clarion-Ledger

Starkville Regional (Starkville, MS)
No. 14 seed Mississippi State 40-17 (16-14) SEC
(4) Lipscomb 29-24 (19-11) Atlantic Sun
(2) Cincinnati 37-20 (17-13) Big 12
(3) Louisiana 39-23 (16-14) Sun Belt

Mississippi State hosts their first regional in Starkville since they went all the way and won their first national championship in Omaha in 2021. The Bulldogs were on the hosting bubble entering Selection Monday and were selected to do so despite a 1-6 record against NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season. Their No. 13 RPI ranking and tough SEC schedule are two reasons why the committee chair said they selected Mississippi State to host this weekend.

A sold out Dudy Noble Stadium crowd will be ready to see junior infielder Ace Reese, who slashes .327/.424/.691 with 65 runs, 73 hits, 21 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 runs batted in and 38 walks in addition to freshman outfielder Jacob Parker, who slashes .315/.412/.651 with 36 runs, 47 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 51 runs batted in and 23 walks. Sophomore left-hander Tomas Valincius leads the Bulldogs pitching staff with a 10-2 record and 120 strikeouts over 86.0 innings pitched.

Lipscomb will face Mississippi State on Friday. The Bisons have already been swept by the Bulldogs back from March 5-7, where they scored a combined seven runs across three games and were shut out 26-0 in game 3.

The Bisons do not have a powerful offense but junior outfielder Jordan Thomas has recorded 11 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, and 40 runs batted in. Senior left-hander Alexander Llinas (75.0 innings pitched) and freshman left-hander Jackson Lee (54.0) will be trusted to pitch against top bats this weekend for the Cincinnati, Louisiana and the Bulldogs.

Cincinnati is the two seed in Starkville this weekend after a 17-win season in the Big 12. The Bearcats defeated No. 4 national seed Auburn and bowed out early in the Big 12 tournament but are ready for a run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bearcats’ offensive power is in two of their guys. Sophomore infielder Quinton Coats (13 doubles, 28 home runs and 78 runs batted in) and junior catcher Jack Natili (14 doubles, 16 home runs and 59 runs batted) will have to produce like they have all season if they want to advance through this regional. Nate Taylor leads the Cincinnati pitching staff with a team-leading 112 strikeouts through 84.0 innings pitched.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns impressed in the Sun Belt this season with 16 conference wins and had a deep run in the conference tournament. Louisiana won one of three games against the No. 3 seed headed to the Lawrence Regional, Missouri State, but did not get many good series outside of the tough Sun Belt conference play.

The Rajin’ Cajuns’ offense is highlighted by junior outfielder Donovan LaSalle, who slashes .230/.342/.461 with 39 runs, 44 hits, 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 41 runs batted in and 19 walks. Graduate senior left-hander Andrew Herrmann (108 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched) and junior left-hander Ty Roman (84 strikeouts in 80.1 innings pitched) lead the Louisiana pitching staff.

Like I wrote about, Mississippi State was on the hosting bubble and most experts had the Bulldogs as the No. 16 overall seed. That being said, Mississippi State has the crowd behind them to elevate their performance as they look to advance deep into the NCAA Tournament in Brian O’Connor’s first season as head coach. If the Bulldogs offense shows up, they will advance but it will take them seven games against the group of Bisons, Bearcats and Rajin’ Cajuns.

The winner of the Starkville Regional will play the winner of the Athens Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 14 Mississippi State in seven games

Image – Tide 100.9 F

Tuscaloosa Regional (Tuscaloosa, AL)
No. 7 seed Alabama 37-19 (18-12) SEC
(4) Alabama State 34-21 (20-10) SWAC
(2) Oklahoma State 37-20 (18-12) Big 12
(3) South Carolina Upstate 33-28 (13-11) Big South

Rob Vaughn has put Alabama back on the map on the diamond. The Crimson Tide won 37 games overall and an impressive 18 in the always difficult SEC. They defeated Alabama State 2-1, the No. 4 seed in their regional back on Feb. 18 and swept No. 8 national seed Florida and instate rival No. 4 overall seed Auburn during conference play.

Alabama’s offense has been inconsistent much of the season outside of junior shortstop Justin LeBron, who is a likely top 10 pick in this summer’s MLB Draft. LeBron is s inconsistent in the field making throws to first but he is a fantastic hitter, slashing .266/.384/.522 with 52 runs, 55 hits, 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 40 runs batted in and 26 walks. The rest of the offense will have to step up around LeBron if the Crimson Tide want to get through to the super regionals. Senior right-hander Tyler Fay has been Alabama’s ace this season, recording a 9-4 record with a team-high 104 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched.

Alabama State might have fallen to the Crimson Tide during the regular season but they dominated the Southwest Athletic Conference during both the regular season and the tournament, going 5-0 on their way to clinching a tournament bid. Sophomore catcher and first baseman Trey Callaway is the top bat in the Hornets’ lineup with 36 runs, 45 hits, two doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 46 runs batted in and 23 walks. Senior left-hander Jorhan LaBoy powers the Alabama State pitching staff with 65 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched.

Josh Holliday and Oklahoma State are NCAA Tournament regulars but they have not made it back to the College World Series since 2016. The Cowboys have 37 overall wins and 18 in the Big 12 this season. Six Cowboys position players have 10 or more home runs this season with junior outfielder Kollin Ritchie (29), senior infielder Aiden Meola (17), senior first baseman Colin Brueggeman (16), Alex Conover (14), junior outfielder Garrett Shull (14) and sophomore midfielder Brock Thompson (10). Sophomore left-hander Ethan Lund (77.0 innings pitched) and senior right-hander Pesca Mario (65.2 innings pitched) lead the OSU pitching staff with a combined 202 strikeouts and 76 walks.

South Carolina Upstate’s 33-28 overall record and 13-11 record in the Big South. The Spartans have already lost opportunities against No. 3 national seed Georgia, were swept by No. 6 seed Texas, and took a single loss to the No. 2 seed going to Chapel Hill, Tennessee during the regular season. Senior utility player Wylie Waters (35 runs, 62 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 50 runs batted in) and fifth year senior Johnny Sweeney (50 runs, 51 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 54 runs batted in) head up the USC Upstate batting order. Junior left-hander Chris Torres (69 strikeouts in 71.2 innings), Brent Stukes (50 strikeouts in 73.0 innings), and Max Kaplan (64 strikeouts in 71.2 innings).

Oklahoma State’s lineup’s offensive power will overtake Alabama, USC Upstate, and Alabama State and win the Tuscaloosa Regional in seven games. The Cowboys will do what they have not in the past and have a chance to advance to the Men’s College World Series by appearing in the super regionals next weekend.

The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional will play the winner of the Tallahassee Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Oklahoma State in seven games

Image – Seminoles.com

Tallahassee Regional (Tallahassee, FL)
No. 10 seed Florida State 38-17 (19-11) ACC
(4) St. John’s 33-24 (15-6) Big East
(2) Coastal Carolina 37-21 (21-9) Sun Belt
(3) Northern Illinois 35-17 (21-12) Mid-American

Florida State will get to host another regional with Coastal Carolina, Northern Illinois, and St. John’s coming to Tallahassee this weekend. The Seminoles won an impressive 38 games overall and 19 in the ACC and are in line for 40+ wins with another run in the NCAA Tournament. They lost both games to instate rival No. 8 seed Florida but swept the No. 2 seed heading to the Morgantown Regional, Wake Forest, and a series win against the No. 2 seed going to the Gainesville Regional, Miami, before a short trip to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament.

Florida State has two true power bat in its lineup and has some strong arms that can help the Seminoles advance through this regional. Their top bats are sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey (13 home runs and 33 runs batted in) and Brayden Dowd (10 home runs and 34 runs batted in). Junior left-handers Wes Mendes (89.0 innings pitched and 117 strikeouts) and Trey Beard (64.0 innings pitched and 88 strikeouts), and junior right-hander Bryson Moore (62.2 innings pitched and 59 strikeouts) serve as FSU’s most trusted pitchers.

FSU’s opponent on Friday is St. John’s, the champion of the Big East Tournament. The Red Storm won 15 of 21 league games during the regular season and defeated Creighton in the tournament championship game. Sam Agresti powers the SJU offense with 14 doubles, 17 home runs, 48 runs batted in and 43 walks. Junior right-hander Liam O’Leary, has throw 68 strikeouts in 100 innings so far this season, redshirt junior left-hander Evan Chafee has thrown 74 strikeouts in 76.0 innings, and junior right-hander Ian Mowad has thrown 34 strikeouts in 5o.1 innings to lead the Johnnies pitching staff.

Coastal Carolina finished second in the Sun Belt standings during the regular season and a short trip to their conference tournament. They will look to return to Omaha for the Men’s College World Series after being swept by LSU in the championship series last June. They will begin their run against No. 3 seed Northern Illinois on Friday. Sophomore outfielder Rex Watson slashes .295/.378/.556 with 43 runs, 61 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 64 runs batted in and 14 walks to headline the Chanticleers lineup. Right-handers Luke Jones, Ross Norman, and Cam Flukey anchor the weekend pitching rotation for CCU.

Northern Illinois played out their final season in the Mid-American Conference before they move to the Mountain West going forward. The Huskies won 35 games overall, 21 in conference, before winning their conference tournament. NIU will face Coastal Carolina on Friday. If they win that game, a run could begin for them. Graduate outfielder and first baseman Gavin Baldwin and senior outfielder Caden Robertson have combined for 29 home runs and 115 runs batted in, helping the Huskies win games with their offense. Senior pitcher Max Vaisvila leads their pitching staff with an 8-0 record and 85 strikeouts in 83.0 innings pitched.

On the backs of their pitching staff, Florida State will outlast Coastal Carolina, Northern Illinois, and St. John’s and get to the super regionals in seven games. The Chanticleers should be the Seminoles top competition and it will get to an extra game but they will still advance.

The winner of the Tallahassee Regional will play the winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 10 Florida State in seven games

Image – Kansas Athletics

Lawrence Regional (Lawrence, KS)
No. 15 seed Kansas 42-16 (23-7) Big 12
(4) Northeastern 38-20 (22-8) CAA
(2) Arkansas 39-20 (17-13) SEC
(3) Missouri State 34-19 (20-10) Conference USA

The Lawrence Regional gives memories of the 2022 Stillwater Regional with a Big 12 host, a No. 2 seed Arkansas, Missouri State, and it is paired with an ACC team in the Super Regional round. No. 15 overall seed Kansas won the Big 12 regular season and tournament title, earning Lawrence a host site for the first time in program history. A year ago, they went to the Fayetteville Regional and lost back-to-back games, ending their season. Head coach Dan Fitzgerald has this program even better than it was a year ago when they were the No. 2 seed in Arkansas’ regional so it should go better than last season. That being said, the Razorbacks, Bears, and the Northeastern Huskies are all almost regional locks annually, so it won’t be easy for the regional’s top seed.

The Jayhawks are paced by four position players with 14 or more home runs including senior first baseman and right-hand pitcher Josh Dykoff (15), junior infielder and outfielder Tyson LeBlanc (21), junior catcher Augusto Mungarrieta (15) and sophomore outfielder and catcher Tyson Owen (14). Junior right-hander Dominic Voegel, sophomore Mason Cook, and junior Kannon Carr will attempt to get Kansas started on the right foot from the mound against the Huskies, Razorbacks, or Bears.

The Jayhawks’ opponent on Friday is Northeastern. The Huskies are a consistent NCAA Tournament team under head coach Mike Glavine. Northeastern took chances against NCAA Tournament quality teams during the regular season but did not have much success. If they are going to upset Kansas, they will have to have everything working against the Big 12 regular season and tournament champions.

One hitter stand out for the Huskies and that is redshirt senior outfielder Harrison Feinberg. Feinberg slashes .330/.443/.599 with 63 runs, 75 hits, 13 doubles, 16 runs batted in, 63 runs batted in and 37 walks. Graduate right-hand pitcher Andrew Wertz leads Northeastern in earned run average at 2.84.

The two seed headed north to Lawrence is Arkansas, who many believed deserved to host a regional. Losses to Stetson, Arkansas State, and UT-Arlington mixed with a No. 21 RPI kept them out of contention, per the committee chair. The Razorbacks still won seven of 10 SEC series and made a run all the way to the SEC Tournament Championship game thanks to wins over the No. 2 seed headed to Chapel Hill Tennessee, No. 6 overall seed Texas and No. 4 overall seed Auburn.

Junior shortstop Camden Kozeal, who slashed .322/.409/.622 with 56 runs, 74 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, a team-leading 20 home runs and 34 walks, has powered the Arkansas offense, especially this last week at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, where he recorded three home runs and seven runs batted in. The Razorbacks can win the Lawrence Regional if junior catcher Ryder Helfrick, senior left fielder Damian Ruiz, senior right fielder Zack Stewart, and junior third baseman TJ Pompey step up offensively to help Kozeal after junior designated hitter Kuhio Aloy’s season-ending injury in Hoover last week.

The pitching is all on Friday night starter Hunter Dietz, who is the only Arkansas starter that has been consistent this season. The left-handed redshirt sophomore was the first to record 100 strikeouts this season in the SEC and he has an impressive 7-3 record. In last week’s SEC Tournament Quarterfinal win against Texas, Dietz took a 105-mile hit to his leg, prompting him to leave the game injured. Head coach Dave Van Horn said he is doing well in press conferences but it is reassuring that sophomore right-hander Steele Eaves and junior right-hander Gabe Gaeckle came in relief and threw a combined no-hitter to dispatch the Longhorns. The Razorback pitching depth will tested no matter if Dietz’s status is headed into the Lawrence regional.

Their opponent is the No. 3 seed Missouri State Bears. Arkansas and Missouri State split their regular season meetings in 2026 and will play again on Friday night to determine who will advance to the 1-0 game of the Lawrence Regional. Bears head coach Joey Hawkins always has good offenses and this team is just that. Senior utility player Taeg Gollert, who slashed .254/.368/.549 with 43 runs, 54 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 64 runs batted in and 30 walks and senior catcher Carter Bergman, who slashed .260/.381/.566 with 45 runs, 45 hits, five doubles, 16 home runs, 44 runs batted in, and 20 walks. The Bears pitching staff has struggled at times this season, with no pitcher throwing below a 4.69 earned run average.

There is no doubt that Kansas will not have an easy path to win this regional with Arkansas and Missouri State as two teams that finished in the top 25 of the RPI. One of those three teams should advance past Northeastern in seven games. With Dave Van Horn’s 24 years of experience as the head coach in Fayetteville, Arkansas should use the fact that they aren’t a regional host, play well in Lawrence, and advance to the super regionals.

The winner of the Lawrence Regional will play the winner of the Atlanta Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: Arkansas in seven games

Image – Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlanta Regional (Atlanta, GA)
No. 2 seed Georgia Tech 48-9 (25-5) ACC
(4) Illinois-Chicago 27-27–1 (16-8) Missouri Valley
(2) Oklahoma 32-21 (14-16) SEC
(3) The Citadel 35-24 (11-10) Southern

Georgia Tech’s impressive 48-9 overall record and 25 wins in the ACC had them in contention for the No. 1 overall seed just days leading up to Selection Monday. But they ended up getting No. 2 overall and that is okay. The Yellow Jackets’ offense is one of if not the best in the country and they pitched well enough to win every conference series, win the regular season ACC Championship and defeated North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship game.

Georgia Tech has four players that have 10 or more home runs and two more with nine. The Yellow Jackets’ junior third baseman Ryan Zuckerman has slashed .350/.445/.757 and recorded 66 runs, 75 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 76 runs batted in and 35 walks. Junior center fielder Drew Burress slashed .366/.478/.660 and he has 78 runs, 87 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 56 runs batted in, and 45 walks. Junior right-handers Tate McKee, Jackson Blakely and sophomore left-hander Carson Ballard headline the Yellow Jackets’ weekend rotation and will be crucial in making sure they advance to the Super Regionals.

Georgia Tech’s first opponent is Illinois-Chicago, the winner of the Missouri Valley conference tournament. The Flames don’t have much experience against NCAA Tournament competition so they must get used to it when they begin play on Friday versus the Yellow Jackets.

Illinois-Chicago has one of the best offenses in the Missouri Valley conference with three position players with over 10 home runs and two of those players have north of 50 runs batted in. Junior infielder and right hand pitcher Jake Busson slashed .273/.366/573 with 36 runs, 60 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 52 runs batted in and 15 walks. Junior first baseman Ashton Kampa slashed .367/.426/.734 and recorded 44 runs, 65 hits, 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 47 runs batted in and 14 walks. Junior catcher and outfielder Thomas Curry slashed .317/.412/.594 with 49 runs, 64 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 53 runs batted in and 25 walks. The starting arms for the Flames are senior left-hander Brandon Bak, senior right-hander Kendall Lyons, and junior right-hander Mason Lei. .

The No. 2 seed headed to Atlanta is Oklahoma, who won only 14 SEC games but swept their opening-weekend of Big 12 teams at Globe Life Field in Arlington and have series wins against national No. 12 seed Texas A&M. The Sooners also had a quick trip to Hoover at the SEC Tournament, losing to LSU on May 19.

Oklahoma has an average SEC offense but junior catcher Deiten LaChance, who slashed .335/.417/.612 and recorded 37 runs, 63 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 51 runs batted in and 28 walks and junior infielder Camden Johnson, who slashed .323/.410/.533 with 47 runs, 63 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 43 runs batted in and 24 walks serving as important players in the Sooners’ lineup. Pitchers LJ Mercerious allowed only 61 hits, 43 runs, 38 earned runs, 21 walks, and struck out 82 batters over 60.2 innings and Cameron Johnson has given up 39 hits, 30 runs, 24 earned runs, 42 walks, and struck out 72 batters over 53.2 innings pitched.

The Sooners’ opponent is the Southern Conference champion The Citadel. The Bulldogs have four batters with 40 or more runs batted in, including junior first baseman Zach Hunt (47), senior utility players TJ Anderson (43) and Michael Gibson (40), and redshirt sophomore Christian Stratis (41). Left-hander Will Holmes and right-handers Andrew Bufkin and Trip Brown are the arms the Bulldogs rely on to start them out in weekend action on the mound.

The Bulldogs did not have much success against regional hosts No. 10 Florida State, No. 3 Georgia, or regional teams No. 3 seed in the Morgantown Regional Kentucky but at least they have the experience against those teams, especially going into a regional where they wouldn’t have to face No. 2 overall Georgia Tech until their second game, if both teams win and advance to the 1-0 game.

The Yellow Jackets should advance to the Super Regionals fairly easily on the back of their impressive offense that can out-swing anybody in the country. Oklahoma’s up and down pitching staff will not be able to control Georgia Tech’s bats, assuming both teams make it there for the 1-0 game and The Citadel and Illinois-Chicago just don’t have the depth to win three or four games against James Ramsey’s team.

The winner of the Atlanta Regional will play the winner of the Lawrence Regional in the best-of-three super regionals from June 5-7 or June 6-8.

Carter’s Pick: No. 2 Georgia Tech in six games

Check out the NCAA Baseball Tournament Regionals schedule here.

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Image – Whole Hog Sports

Arkansas heads to NCAA Lawrence Regional

Image – Kansas Athletics

Arkansas baseball punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 37th time in program history.

Arkansas (39-20), the No. 17 overall seed, and the No. 2 seed in the Lawrence Regional, is set to travel to face No. 15 national seed and top regional seed Kansas (42-16), No. 3 seed Missouri State (34-19), and No. 4 seed Northeastern (38-20) from May 29-June 1 inside Hoglund Ball Park in Lawrence, Kansas. Arkansas opens tournament play against MSU at Friday, May 29, at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Razorbacks will get face the Bears for a third time this season after splitting the regular season matchups. On March 31 in Springfield, Arkansas lost to Missouri State 15-14 in 10 innings. The Razorbacks’ defeated the Bears 12-4 in Fayetteville on April 21. Arkansas will play in the same regional as Missouri State for the first time since 2022, when both teams were in the NCAA Stillwater Regional.

The Razorbacks head to Lawrence to play in Kansas’ regional a year after hosting them in their own NCAA Fayetteville Regional. On their run to Omaha in 2025, Arkansas did not face the Jayhawks after they lost back to back games to Creighton and North Dakota State in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.

Arkansas will play in the same regional as Northeastern for the first time since the two teams played in 2021 NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas advanced to the super regionals while the Huskies lost back to back games to Nebraska and NJIT to end their season.

The winner of the Lawrence Regional will play the winner of the Atlanta Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 5-7 or June 6-8. No. 2 national seed and top regional seed Georgia Tech (48-9) hosts No. 2 seed Oklahoma (32-21), No. 3 seed The Citadel (35-24) and No. 4 seed Illinois-Chicago (38-20) this weekend in Atlanta, Ga..

A History Lesson
The Razorbacks will not host a regional and go on the road for the first time since the 2022 season, when they went to the Stillwater Regional and won the highest-scoring regional in seven games, highlighted by winning two out of three games versus Oklahoma State.

Arkansas advanced to face No. 10 national seed North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, who they swept with strong pitching. Brady Slavens’ walk-off RBI-single in game 2 sent them back to Omaha for the College World Series for the seventh time in the Dave Van Horn era.

The Razorbacks’ run would end in the semifinals at the College World Series after losing two games to SEC rival Ole Miss. Now, Arkansas attempts to make a run to the College World Series as a two seed for the second time in four years.

NCAA Lawrence Regional
Friday, May 29
Game 1 – No. 15 Kansas vs. Northeastern – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2 – Arkansas vs. Missouri State – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday, May 30
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sunday, May 31
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 – 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Monday, June 1
Game 7 – If the Game 5 Winner Wins Game 6 – TBD

Image – Whole Hog Sports

Left-hand pitchers Hunter Dietz, Ethan McElvain, and catcher Ryder Helfrick all earned All-SEC honors on Monday. Dietz earned a first-team selection, McElvain was on the second team, and Helfrick was named to the all-defensive team.

After each of their all-conference honors, Arkansas now has 70 All-SEC selections in program history. The trio helped Dave Van Horn earn 60 SEC honorees for his tenure with the Razorbacks. Under Van Horn, at least one Hog has received an All-SEC nod in each of the last nine full seasons (2017-present), and in 21 of his 23 full seasons at the helm (excludes shortened 2020 season).

It is the fourth consecutive season that an Arkansas starting pitcher has been on the All-SEC first team. It is the longest such streak since LSU did so from 2012-2015. With Hagen Smith (2023-2024), Zach Root (2025), and Hunter Dietz (2026), the Razorbacks are the first team in league history with a first-team All-SEC left-handed starting pitcher in four straight years.

Since joining the staff ahead of the 2019 staff, Matt Hobbs has developed 12 All-SEC pitchers in his tenure on the Hill. Those names include Matt Cronin (2019), Connor Noland (2019, 2022), Patrick Wicklander (2019, 2021), Kevin Kopps (2021), Peyton Pallette (2021), Smith (2022-24), Brady Tygart (2022), Gage Wood (2023), Gabe Gaeckle (2024), Root (2025), Dietz (2026) and McElvain (2026).

Dietz makes the first team

Image – Sports Illustrated

After two seasons hampered by injury, Dietz appeared on the All-SEC first team after an impressive redshirt sophomore regular season. He has a 7-3 record with a 3.32 ERA. His 117 strikeouts lead the conference in 78.2 innings through 14 starts.

Dietz is holding opponents to a .221 batting average and has logged an SEC-leading nine quality starts, the most by a Razorback pitcher since Hagen Smith in 2024.

The left-hander has already been named a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy.

McElvain appears on second team

Image – Whole Hog Sports

McElvain becomes the first Razorback relief pitcher to be named on an All-SEC team since Kopps in 2021. He recorded an impressive 5-0 record with a 1.24 ERA, 45 strikeouts, and a team-leading five saves. He recorded his numbers in 29.0 innings across 17 appearances. The Vanderbilt transfer is holding opposing batter to a small .165 batting average.

Helfrick makes all-defensive team

Image – Arkansas Razorbacks

Helfrick is the first Arkansas catcher to be named an All-SEC player since Grant Koch in 2018. Helfrick, Koch, and Jack Wise (2014) are the only three catchers in Razorback history to be named to the all-defensive team.

The junior is also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy as well as the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award. Helfrick has started all 54 games of the regular season, slashing .292/.437/.568 with .292/.437/.568 with 37 runs, 53 hits, six doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 48 runs batted in, and led Arkansas in walks at 53.

2026 SEC Player of the Year
Player of the Year: Daniel Jackson, Georgia
Pitcher of the Year: Aidan King, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Robbins, Texas
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Wes Johnson, Georgia

2026 All-SEC Teams

First Team
C: Daniel Jackson, Georgia
1B: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
2B: Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
2B: Chris Rembert, Auburn
3B: Tre Phelps, Georgia
3B: Ace Reese, Mississippi State
SS: Tyler Bell, Kentucky
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
OF: Aiden Robbins, Texas
OF: Rylan Lujo, Georgia
DH/Util: Noah Sullivan, Mississippi State
SP: Dylan Volantis, Texas
SP: Aidan King, Florida
SP: Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State
SP: Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
RP: Sam Cozart, Texas
RP: Walker Hooks, Ole Miss
RP: Clayton Freshcorn, Texas A&M

Second Team
C: Carson Tinney, Texas
1B: Will Furniss, Ole Miss
1B: Ethin Bingaman, Auburn
2B: Mike Mancini, Vanderbilt
3B: Judd Utermark, Ole Miss
SS: Kolby Branch, Georgia
SS: Steven Milam, LSU
OF: Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
OF: Derek Curiel, LSU
OF: Bryce Chance, Mississippi State
DH/Util: Brady Neal, Alabama
SP: Cade Townsend, Ole Miss
SP: Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
SP: Jaxon Jelkin, Kentucky
SP: Tyler Fay, Alabama
RP: Jackson Sanders, Auburn
RP: Ethan McElvain, Arkansas
RP: Ben Davis, Mississippi State

2026 All-SEC Freshman Team
Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
Sam Cozart, Texas
Jorian Wilson, Texas A&M
Ethin Bingaman, Auburn
Cam Appenzeller, Tennessee
Omar Serna Jr., LSU
Jacob Parker, Mississippi State
Trent Grindlinger, Tennessee
Myles Upchurch, Alabama
Nico Partida, Texas A&M
Mason Braun, LSU
Jack Bauer, Mississippi State

2026 All-SEC Defensive Team
C: Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
1B: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
2B: Mike Mancini, Vanderbilt
3B: Eric Guevara, Auburn*
3B: Tre Phelps, Georgia*
SS: Steven Milam, LSU
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
OF: Derek Curiel, LSU
OF: Jason Walk, Oklahoma
P: Hunter Elliott, Ole Miss

*Tie

Image – World Baseball Network

Image – Whole Hog Sports

Dave Van Horn gives an update on Carson Wiggins
FAYETTEVILLE – Sophomore right-hand pitcher Carson Wiggins is unlikely to pitch in a game this season, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said Monday at the Swatter’s Club Luncheon.

Until recently, Van Horn thought Wiggins would be able to pitch in May or June. Wiggins underwent Tommy John surgery last May after suffering an injury against Florida on April 27.

“Carson has been to the doctor and he’s 100% healthy, but as of right now, they’re not going to let him pitch,” Van Horn said. “That’s all I’m going to say. I’m not real happy about it.”

The draft-eligible sophomore, who will turn 21 on June 1, could be selected in the early rounds of this year’s MLB Draft regardless of whether he pitches this season. MLB Pipeline ranks Wiggins the No. 83 draft prospect this year and Baseball America has him at No. 141. 

Before suffering an injury last season, Wiggins made 14 appearances on the mound, posted a 1-1 record with a 3.21 earned run average and 20 strikeouts in 14.0 innings. He logged three saves and limited opposing hitters to a .152 average.

Because Wiggins could return for his junior season, Van Horn has said he is hopeful he will return to improve his draft stock in 2027.

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn addressed the situation surrounding pitcher Carson Wiggins, making it clear that financial considerations and medical decisions are playing a major role in whether he returns this season.

“They’re going to have to pay him a lot of money,” Van Horn said. “I’m sure he’ll go to the [draft] combine. He wasn’t happy. He’s not happy about it, believe me. He wants to pitch. That’s probably about all I should say on it.”

When pressed for clarification on who he meant by “they” in determining Wiggins’ availability, Van Horn pointed directly to the medical side of things.

“Who do you think?” Van Horn replied. “The doctor.”

Van Horn also expressed skepticism about any change in that decision as the season progresses, indicating it’s unlikely Wiggins will be cleared to return.

Asked if he thought the doctor, the surgeon who performed Wiggins’ surgery in Dallas, would change his mind before the season ended, Van Horn said, “I doubt it.”

Image – Whole Hog Sports

Van Horn hires staffer DJ Baxendale as General Manager
Van Horn said former Arkansas pitcher DJ Baxendale (2010-12) will become the Razorbacks’ general manager on July 1.

Baxendale has spent the last seven seasons in a support staff role with the Razorbacks as the director of analytics.

“He’s very smart and his part-time job, besides helping us, is working at a law firm with some agent-type people,” Van Horn said. 

Van Horn said Baxendale will work as part of Remy Cofield’s office. Cofield was hired as a deputy athletic director and general manager to oversee the Razorbacks’ Name, Image and Likeness operations. 

We need somebody to be able to handle a lot of things — talking with the guys that are on our team … toward the end of the season, talk to their advisors and then maybe even the kids that are coming in, the high school kids or the transfers. We have to talk to them and you just have to get some things straightened out. It’s the way it should be.” 

Van Horn added that Baxendale is a good fit for the role because he is familiar with the program, professional baseball and many agents.

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn explained that adding a general manager would ease the workload for both him and his staff, particularly with the growing demands off the field.

“Van Horn said a GM will take a lot of off his plate and that of his assistant coaches. During a SiriusXM interview last month, Van Horn said coaches are “fundraisers now, we’re GMs now. We’d really like to coach our teams. The teams that get the most help, they have a little bit of a head start on a lot of people.”

He also pointed out how significantly the administrative side of college baseball has evolved in recent years, emphasizing the increased responsibilities that now come with the job.

On Monday, Van Horn said the front office aspect of baseball has changed a lot in five years with “just the phone calls and all the things that are involved there. It’s so needed now.”

Even with those added resources, Van Horn noted that coaches will continue to play a role in fundraising efforts moving forward.

Van Horn said coaches will still be involved in the fundraising aspect.

Image – Sports Illustrated

Other Injury Updates
Arkansas first baseman Reese Robinett might be able to play within the next two weeks. 

Robinett injured his knee while sliding into home plate during a game against Northwestern State last Wednesday. He did not play in any three games the Razorbacks played against Ole Miss over the weekend. 

“When it first happened we thought he might be done for the year,” Van Horn said. “I don’t know all the details. … It’s a little different injury, but I think they’re going to make a brace for him where he can play in it when the swelling goes down and knee gets better. It’s getting a lot better.” 

Van Horn said Robinett is “iffy … at best” to play against Oklahoma this weekend but did not entirely rule him out. 

“Maybe he could just come in and play defense; I don’t know,” Van Horn said. “We’re giving them today off, tomorrow off … and we’ll probably know more [Wednesday].” 

Van Horn said freshman left-hander Joey Lorenzini is also injured after a fan asked him his status. 

“He is hurt, but he wasn’t pitching very good when he wasn’t,” said Van Horn, who later added, “I like him, though.” 

Lorenzini allowed 5 runs on 5 hits, including 2 home runs, over 1 inning against Oral Roberts and Northern Colorado in March. He did not record an out against Northern Colorado on March 18 and has not pitched in a game since. 

Image Courtesy: Ethan Doan

Arkansas Razorback baseball returns to the diamond tomorrow against Oklahoma State in Arlington, TX. But, first let’s recap 2025:

Arkansas entered SEC play with a 16-1 record last spring. The Razorbacks went 5-1 to open conference play with series wins over Ole Miss and South Carolina. Then, the Razorbacks dropped their first midweek game of the season against Missouri State at home, 14-13. They quickly bounced back with a sweep over Vanderbilt in Nashville to wrap up March before starting April on a six-game win streak.

The final victory of the streak was game 1 against a talented Georgia team that defeated Arkansas the last two games of the series. The Razorbacks returned home and dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff in midweek action before losing a series against Texas A&M.

Back to back wins over Little Rock did not help Arkansas on the road against Florida. The Gators won two of three games against the Razorbacks like the Aggies had done the weekend before.

Arkansas bounced back in a big way by sweeping then No. 1 Texas in Fayetteville to begin May. Then, the Razorbacks dropped two out of three in Baton Rouge against eventual national champion LSU.

Arkansas won two out of three games to close the regular season against former Razorback assistant Tony Vitello and Tennessee. The Razorbacks went out quickly in Hoover in the SEC Tournament but clinched the No. 3 overall seed after a successful regular season in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas swept through their home stretch in the NCAA Tournament with victories over North Dakota State and Creighton in the Fayetteville Regional and swept Tennessee in a rematch of their final regular season series in the Fayetteville Super Regional.

A rematch with LSU to open things in Omaha at the College World Series did not end well. Arkansas was forced to win games against Murray State and UCLA to gain another rematch versus the Tigers.

The season ended again with a loss in the national semifinals against LSU.

Now, let’s move onto 2026:

Dave Van Horn and Arkansas baseball are again focused on winning the big one in 2026. But it must start with consistent play in the regular season but the Razorbacks are already used to that.

Arkansas has won 43 or more games, 18 or more SEC games in each complete season since 2018 and have made it to Omaha for the College World Series four times in that time period.

So, the Razorbacks are definitely capable of getting there. That’s the hard part. Then, luck is what rules your chances from there.

Arkansas had 11 players drafted and two more signed as undrafted free agents at the 2025 MLB Draft. Among the roster, the Razorbacks lost their top two arms from 2025, Zach Root and Gage Wood (who threw a no-hitter in the 2025 MCWS against Murray State) in addition to Golden Spikes’ winner Wehiwa Aloy, who leaves a big hole to fill at shortstop. Lead-off man and left fielder Charles Davalan is gone as well so it will be up to Van Horn to find the man to start the Razorbacks’ offensive production with someone new in 2026.

Pitching wise, Gabe Gaeckle will be called upon again to lead the staff as an ace. Gaeckle started 2025 in the role but he was better suited out of the bullpen last spring, prompting Root and Wood to their Friday and Saturday starter roles. Van Horn did not pitch Gaeckle last fall, hoping that would help him prepare for the upcoming season as a permanent starter.

Hunter Dietz, Cole Gibler, and Colin Fisher are options to round out the starting rotation on SEC weekends and Parker Coil, Tate McGuire, and Vanderbilt transfer Ethan McElvain, Steele Eaves, and Jackson Kircher, and Oregon State transfer James DeCremer will be trusted to make up a bullpen full of inexperienced talent.

Catcher Ryder Helfrick, infielders Reese Robinett, Camden Kozeal, Texas Tech transfer TJ Pompey, Nolan Souza, and outfielders Kuhio Aloy, Lamar transfer Damian Ruiz, and Marshall transfer Maika Niu will be trusted to pick up the offense where Aloy and Davalan lead it in 2025.

Arkansas does not face traditional rivals LSU, Tennessee, Texas, or Texas A&M, or Vanderbilt in 2026 but they will still face six D1Baseball pre-season top 25 teams and the normal SEC gauntlet including No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 13 Florida, No. 9 Auburn, No. 15 Georgia, and No. 18 Kentucky.

No matter what happens this spring, Arkansas baseball has one of the top rosters in the country and as long as Dave Van Horn is the head coach in Fayetteville, there’s a chance for the Razorbacks to succeed.

Projected Opening Day Starters
Catcher: Ryder Helfrick, Junior
Pitchers:
Friday: Gabe Gaeckle, Junior
Saturday: Hunter Dietz, Sophomore (RS)
Sunday: Colin Fisher, Junior
Notable Relief Pitchers:
Parker Coil, Senior
Cole Gibler, Sophomore
Tate McGuire, Junior
Ethan McElvain, Junior
James DeCremer, Sophomore (RS)
Steele Eaves, Sophomore
Jackson Kircher, Sophomore
1B: Reese Robinett, Junior (RS)
2B: Camden Kozeal, Junior
SS: TJ Pompey, Junior
3B: Carson Brumbaugh, Freshman
RF: Kuhio Aloy, Junior
CF: Maika Niu, Senior
LF: Damian Ruiz, Junior (RS)
DH: Nolan Souza, Junior

2025 Class (Rankings according to Perfect Game)
68.SS Landon Schaefer Fayetteville, AR Fayetteville High School
73.RHP Jordan Martin Jefferson City, MO Jefferson City High School
75.SS Carson Brumbaugh Edmond, OK Edmond Santa Fe High School
159.RHP Peyton Lee Maumelle, AR Maumelle High School
167.SS Alexander Peck Franklin, TN University School of Tennessee
176.OF Jaison Delamar Fayetteville, AR Fayetteville High School
209.LHP Joey Lorenzini Rocklin, CA Rocklin High School
236.RHP McLane Moody Fort Smith, AR Northside High School
249.LHP Tye Briscoe Abilene, TX Wylie High School
255.3B Luke Cornelison Springdale, AR Har-Ber High School
259.RHP Mark Brissey Fayetteville, AR Fayetteville High School
282.LHP Jack Schwab Overland Park, KS Blue Valley High School
297.RHP Grant Wren Melbourne, AR Melbourne High School
379.OF Christian Turner Haughton, LA Haughton High School
388.3B Cayden Mitchell Arlington, TX Mansfield Timberview High School
440.C Carter Rutenbar Midlothian, TX Midlothian Heritage High School
500.RHP Kevin Landry Farr Proctor, AR North Point Christian High School
500.SS Walt Jones Ashdown, AR Ashdown High School
500.SS Hudson Roberts Ozark, MO Ozark High School

Entered Transfer Portal (New School)
INF Michael Anderson (Penn State)
RHP Tag Andrews (Little Rock)
C Zane Becker (Texas A&M)
LHP Jackson Farrell ()
RHP Ross Felder (Missouri State)
INF Gabe Fraser (Florida State)
C Elliott Peterson (Nebraska)
LHP Luke Williams (Oral Roberts)

Transfer Additions (Old School)
RHP Jackson Wells (Little Rock) (Signed undrafted free agent deal)
LHP Ethan McElvain (Vanderbilt)
INF Dylan Grego (Ball State)
RHP Jackson Kircher (Oklahoma)
OF Zack Stewart (Missouri State)
INF TJ Pompey (Texas Tech)
OF Maika Niu (Marshall)
OF Damian Ruiz (Lamar)
C Brendan Kleiman (Eastern Michigan)
RHP James DeCremer (Oregon State)

JUCO Signees (Old School)
RHP Isaac Godard (McLennan)
INF Sherman Johnson II (McLennan)
LHP Jacob Imoto (Palomar)

Razorbacks selected in 2025 MLB Draft
RHP Gage Wood – Round 1, Pick 26 – Philadelphia Phillies
SS Wehiwa Aloy – Round 1, Pick 31 – Baltimore Orioles
LHP Zach Root – Round 1, Pick 40 – Los Angeles Dodgers
OF Charles Davalan – Round 1, Pick 41 – Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP Christian Foutch – Round 5, Pick 148 – Boston Red Sox
RHP Aiden Jimenez – Round 5, Pick 158 – Kansas City Royals
LHP Landon Beidelschies – Round 6, Pick 187 – Atlanta Braves
3B Brent Iredale – Round 7, Pick 203 – Pittsburgh Pirates
RHP Ben Bybee – Round 8, Pick 236 – San Francisco Giants
OF Justin Thomas Jr. – Round 11, Pick 336 – Houston Astros
RHP Parker Coil Round 16, Pick 485 – Milwaukee Brewers
Signed Free Agent Deal
RHP Dylan Carter – San Francisco Giants
OF Logan Maxwell – New York Yankees

Razorback signees selected in 2025 MLB Draft
SS Dylan Grego – Round 13, Pick 400 – San Diego Padres
RHP McLane Moody – Round 15, Pick 443 – Pittsburgh Pirates
LHP Denton Biller – Round 16, Pick 484 – Baltimore Orioles
SS Landon Schaefer – Round 20, Pick 611 – Philadelphia Phillies
Signed Free Agent Deal
RHP Jackson Wells – Houston Astros

Checkout my recap of the Razorbacks’ 2025 MLB Draft performance back in July here.

2026 Schedule (Rankings below are based on the 2026 D1 Baseball Top 25)
Feb. 13 Oklahoma State (Arlington; Shriners Children‘s College Showdown)
Feb. 14 10.TCU (Arlington; Shriners Children‘s College Showdown)
Feb. 15 Texas Tech (Arlington; Shriners Children‘s College Showdown)
Feb. 16 Tarleton State (Arlington)
Feb. 20-22 Xavier
Feb. 24-25 Arkansas State
Feb. 27-March 1 UT-Arlington
March 3 Oral Roberts
March 6-9 Stetson
March 13-15 4.Mississippi State
March 17-18 Northern Colorado
March 20-22 @ South Carolina
March 24 Central Arkansas
March 27-29 13.Florida
March 31 @ Missouri State
April 2-4 @ 9.Auburn
April 7 Little Rock
April 10-12 @ Alabama
April 14 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (North Little Rock)
April 16-18 15.Georgia
April 21 Missouri State
April 23-25 @ Missouri
April 28-29 Northwestern State
May 1-3 Ole Miss
May 8-10 Oklahoma
May 14-16 @ 18.Kentucky
May 19-24 SEC Tournament (Hoover)

Schedule Thoughts and Projections:

Feb. 13-16
vs. Oklahoma State, 10.TCU, Texas Tech, and Tarleton State
Arkansas will open the 2026 season like they normally do in Arlington, TX against some of the Big 12’s best including Oklahoma State, No. 10 TCU, and Texas Tech before a Monday game against Tarleton State. The Razorbacks have been successful there of late which makes me think they go 3-1 to open the season with the lone loss coming to the Horned Frogs. We will find out how much the Arkansas offense will have to improve after losing some hitting depth and needing Gaeckle, Dietz, and Fisher to step up in place of Root and Wood.

Projected Record: 3-1

Feb. 20-March 9
vs. Xavier, Arkansas State, UT-Arlington, Oral Roberts, Stetson
The Razorbacks normally return to Baum-Walker Stadium to play a long home stand before SEC play begins in mid-March. The 2026 season will be no different. Arkansas will play 13 games at home before welcoming No. 4 Mississippi State to Fayetteville to open conference play. During that stretch, they should win each series but may take a few losses along the way. This part of the schedule will be important for not only freshman Carson Brumbaugh to settle into his shortstop position but for the inexperienced pitching depth to gain experience. Arkansas should go no worse than 11-2 in this stretch.

Projected Record: 14-3

March 13-18
vs. 4.Mississippi State and Northern Colorado
The Bulldogs will come into Baum-Walker Stadium to open SEC play against a Razorback team that would be 14-3 based on the way I have picked these games so far. Mississippi State’s new head coach, Brian O’Connor, was successful for years in the same position at Virginia and as I said in last week’s SEC Baseball Mailbag, O’Connor retained third baseman Ace Reese, who won the conference’s newcomer of the year last spring and added four Cavaliers that contributed for him last season.

Arkansas has been successful against Mississippi State in recent history. The Razorbacks are 10-2 against the Bulldogs in series since 2020. The two teams did not meet in 2025 after divisions were eliminated following the additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the league.

The Razorbacks should not have to worry about another non-conference series until their trip for a single game against Missouri State on March 31, who they lost to at home in 2025. Arkansas should sweep Northern Colorado.

Despite their recent success against Mississippi State, this is a different Arkansas team than those that dominated the Bulldogs. O’Connor’s team will come into Baum-Walker Stadium and grab two out of three from the Razorbacks but they will bounce back in midweek action with a sweep of Northern Colorado.

Projected Record: 17-5 (1-2) SEC

March 20-24
@ South Carolina, vs. Central Arkansas
Next up for Arkansas is a trip to South Carolina, another place where the Razorbacks have had success. The last time they went to Columbia, Hagen Smith’s dominated pitching helped them win two out of three against the Gamecocks. As Arkansas gets going in SEC play, I expect them to do the same thing they did two seasons ago. The Razorbacks will take two of three from South Carolina and win a single game against instate foe Central Arkansas two days later.

Projected Record: 19-6 (3-3) SEC

March 27-31
13.Florida, @ Missouri State
After dropping two of three against Florida in Gainesville last season, Arkansas welcomes the Gators to town to close out conference play in March. After dropping their SEC home opener against Mississippi State, Arkansas will grab another series win against Florida, who they have defeated in series the last two times they’ve welcomed them into Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Razorbacks will close out March with a trip to Springfield to face Missouri State. Last season, the Bears defeated the Razorbacks 14-13 in a high scoring affair that went to ten innings. Also, Arkansas’ return trip to Missouri State that was scheduled for April 29 was cancelled due to bad weather.

Former Bear outfielder Zack Stewart was an important piece in his three seasons there. But could he be a spark plug as Arkansas attempts to avenge their loss to the Bears on March 31? He may be or he may not be but Arkansas needs to take care of business and they should as they enter a tough April stretch of SEC play.

Projected Record: 22-7 (5-4) SEC

April 2-7
@ 9.Auburn, Little Rock
Arkansas returns to “The Plains” to face Auburn for the first time since the spring of 2024. The Razorbacks are 7-2 the last three series they have faced the Tigers but Butch Thompson’s teams always keep it close with Dave Van Horn’s teams.

The Tigers returners include pitchers Ryan Hetzler, Christian Chatterton, and Griffin Graves. Position player Bub Terrell, Chris Rembert, Chase Fralick, and Cade Belyeu anchor one of the SEC’s top teams. As a result, Auburn’s veteran leadership will help them defeat Arkansas and give the Razorbacks their second SEC series loss.

Like they’ve done in previous midweek games, Arkansas should take care of another midweek game against an instate opponent, this time against Little Rock. The Razorbacks will need to come out victorious against the Trojans as they return to Alabama for the second consecutive weekend to face the Crimson Tide the next weekend.

Projected Record: 24-9 (6-6) SEC

April 10-14
@ Alabama, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (North Little Rock)
Arkansas has failed to win many games in Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa against Alabama of late. The Razorbacks are 2-4 the last two series they have met the Crimson Tide on the road.

Now, Rob Vaughn may have the best team he has coached Alabama since leaving Maryland with one of the best shortstops in the country, Justin LeBron manning the middle of the infield for the Crimson Tide. Arkansas’ offense will outduel LeBron’s and Alabama’s to get their first series win in Tuscaloosa in awhile.

Next up, the Razorbacks will take care of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in North Little Rock, continuing their success against out of conference competition in the Natural State.

Projected Record: 27-10 (8-7) SEC

April 16-21
vs. 15.Georgia, Missouri State
Arkansas returns home for what will be a pivotal series between a two teams that should be ranked in the top 25. Arkansas native Wes Johnson has turned Georgia into a consistent program and his Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks two games to one in Athens just a season ago.

Arkansas must reverse that this year in front of big Baum-Walker Stadium crowds. If the Razorbacks are only 8-7 in the SEC through 15 games like I have them right now, they will need to win this series at least to clinch another top eight national seed in the NCAA tournament.

After Georgia opens the series with a game one victory over Arkansas, the Razorbacks will send their former pitching coach back to Athens with a series loss with back to back. Then, the Razorbacks will sweep the season series against Missouri State when they make their return trip to Fayetteville and extend their win streak to three games entering the last week of April.

Projected Record: 30-11 (10-8) SEC

April 23-29
@ Missouri, vs. Northwestern State
Arkansas will continue their three game winning streak with a sweep of annual opponent Missouri on the road in Columbia. Kerrick Jackson has the Tiger program improving as they were able to sweep a Texas A&M team that defeated the Razorbacks in a series last season but Arkansas needs to win all three games to get themselves into top eight seed conversations entering May.

The Razorbacks will finish non-conference play with a sweep of Northwestern State, finishing non-conference play with an exclamation point and continue their winning streak to seven games.

Projected Record: 34-11 (13-8) SEC

May 1-3
vs. Ole Miss
Arkansas begins May and a two weekend home stand by hosting their other annual opponent, Ole Miss. The Rebels have struggled to beat the Razorbacks of late with the last time they defeated Arkansas in a series being on Sunday, March 31, 2019 in Baum-Walker Stadium.

That same season, the programs went 1-1 versus each other at the SEC Tournament and the Razorbacks won two out of three games in the Fayetteville Super Regional to advance to Omaha and the College World Series.

Seven years later, Mike Bianco’s team returns to Fayetteville to face Dave Van Horn’s squad in another series. Bianco may have a national championship and Van Horn may not but Arkansas has been the far more impressive program overall.

That being said, the Razorbacks will get a good weekend out of their starting pitching from Gaeckle, Dietz, and Fisher and they will shut down Rebel hitters as they move their focus to Oklahoma.

Record: 36-12 (15-9) SEC

Projected Record:

May 8-10
vs. Oklahoma
Relief pitcher Jackson Kircher will hope to help Arkansas against his former team, Oklahoma to close out regular season play in the 2026 season at Baum-Walker Stadium. On top of losing Kircher, the Sooners lost ace Kyson Witherspoon to the pros and will need expected weekend starters Mason Bixby, Cameron Johnson, and Reid Hensley to step up in his place.

The series versus the Sooners could be the most competitive since their battle versus Georgia for the Razorbacks. Oklahoma has athletes that can match Arkansas’ and even have Cayden Brumbaugh, the brother of Arkansas freshman shortstop Carson Brumbaugh, expected to start at the designated hitter position.

The Razorbacks should handle the Sooners but it will be close all the way through with Arkansas clinching 17 SEC wins, one win away from another 18 conference win season.

Projected Record: 38-13 (17-10) SEC

May 14-16
@ 18.Kentucky
The Razorbacks make the return trip to Lexington over two years after their last one against Kentucky. The Wildcats lost game one to Arkansas with an incredible performance from former ace Hagen Smith before winning the next two games to clinch the series.

Nick Mingione has established a solid program at Kentucky. Back to back series wins over the Razorbacks in Lexington would mean big things for the Wildcats heading into the SEC Tournament the next week.

History will repeat itself and Gabe Gaeckle will pitch an incredible game and lead Arkansas to a game one victory. But Kentucky’s “small ball” offense that is speedy will steal bases consistently in games two and three to finish the series and the Razorbacks will finish regular season play with back to back losses.

Projected Record: 39-15 (18-12) SEC

May 19-24
SEC Tournament (Hoover)
In the second season of the SEC’s new single-elimination style tournament, Arkansas will win a game, unlike they did last season to bounce back after a tough ending to the regular season in Lexington.

But the Razorbacks will want to prepare for the NCAA Tournament so they will take a second round loss and head back to Fayetteville. They will wait to see what their seed and bracket look like on Selection Monday just days later.

Then, a run to Omaha would begin the next weekend either in Fayetteville or another regional depending on Arkansas’ draw.

Projected Record going into the NCAA Tournament: 40-16 (18-12) SEC

Image Courtesy: NCAA.com

The 2026 college baseball season is just a week away and now that I am finally covering the sport, I want to answer some questions about the sports’ best league, the Southeastern Conference. The SEC has won six consecutive national championships and has had countless MLB draft picks. But let’s focus on this upcoming season. First, who will win the SEC? Also, what are the chances that the SEC wins another national championship? Next, how much will Tony Vitello’s exit to the pros impact Tennessee? Finally, will Arkansas finally get it done in Omaha? Here are my answers:

Who will win the Southeastern Conference in 2026?
The SEC has been the best baseball league in America for some time. As I have previously mentioned, a team from the SEC has won the last six national titles. Five different schools have won or shared the regular season title and four different teams have won the tournament title since the spring of 2021.

Here are the favorites:
LSU
The Tigers have won two of the last three national championships and have the likely player of the year in the conference, outfielder Derek Curiel, leading off. LSU does lose its top two arms in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson after they dominated batters from February until they got the final out in Omaha. Anderson and Eyanson are MLB bound but don’t worry there are arms in the wings for Jay Johnson’s program that continues to dominate the diamond.

Texas
Dylan Volantis appeared as the top arm out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2025 as the Longhorns won the SEC regular season title and clinched the number two overall seed in the NCAA Tournament last summer. A regional loss is a tough way to go out for Texas’ first year coach Jim Schlossnagle, especially after he came over after leading the ‘Horns arch rival, Texas A&M, all the way to the championship series the season before.

A more talented roster is in Austin this season for Schlossnagle but the nine expected hitters in his order are expected to have less power than his 2025 team.

Mississippi State
The Bulldogs fired head coach Chris Lemonis to end April last season and replaced him with Brian O’Connor, who served as Virginia’s coach for over 20 years. O’Connor retained last year’s SEC Newcomer of the year Ace Reese returning in the infield and brought four former Cavaliers over to Starkville, including All-ACC freshman team pitcher Tom Valincius. The Bulldogs are national championship contenders with O’Connor coaching them.

Arkansas
The Razorbacks were a top eight national seed for the sixth time in the last seven full seasons in 2025 and had their best offense in the Dave Van Horn era last spring. Golden Spikes winner Wehiwa Aloy, leadoff hitter Charles Davalan, and weekend starters Zach Root and Gage Wood are off to pro baseball.

But transfers Maika Niu, TJ Pompey, and Damian Ruiz join a lineup that already has Camden Kozeal, Kuhio Aloy, and Reese Robinett. Questions will have to be answered with the pitching staff with Root and Wood gone, Gabe Gaeckle will have to step up as the Friday night starter the mound.

Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Florida could all contend for the league title and it would not surprise me either.

What are the chances the SEC wins their seventh consecutive national championship?
Over the last seven seasons (2019-2025, excluding the COVID shortened 2020 season), the SEC has ruled college baseball with the most teams in the NCAA Tournament, the most teams in Omaha at the Men’s College World Series, and seven consecutive national titles.

The streak could be a year longer if Arkansas was able to finish the job against Oregon State in the MCWS in 2018. Had the Razorbacks caught a foul pop up, they would have the SEC’s streak at seven national championships already.

However, it did not happen that way. A year later, Vanderbilt eliminated Michigan to win the national championship. In 2020, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Mississippi State claimed their first national championship in any sport when they defeated Vanderbilt. The next June, Ole Miss beat Arkansas in the national semifinals before taking down future SEC foe Oklahoma in the championship series.

In 2023, LSU defeated Florida in an exciting championship series in three games. Tennessee defeated Texas A&M in another SEC versus SEC clash, a day before the Aggies’ Jim Schlossnagle left to take the head coaching job at new SEC arrival Texas.

LSU won its second ring in three seasons when they eliminated Coastal Carolina in a sweep last June. The Tigers are the easy favorite to do the same next summer in Omaha with their strong pitching depth.

Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Texas, and Vanderbilt have been in Omaha consistently in the past and it would not shock me if Auburn and Georgia join them with an appearance in the MCWS in summer 2026.

How much will Tennessee be impacted by Tony Vitello’s exit to the MLB?
The Volunteers will definitely miss former head coach Tony Vitello no matter the result of their 2026 season. As I wrote in a post when the San Francisco Giants hired him as their new manager, Vitello led Tennessee to the most amount of success that they have ever had with two Omaha runs and a national championship in 2024.

Associate head coach and hitting coach Josh Elander took over the program from his old boss and did not lose any top players from his roster even though Vitello’s pitching coach Frank Anderson went to San Francisco with him.

The Vols lost top arm Liam Doyle and hitting Andrew Fischer to the pros but a group of returners, transfers, and freshmen are waiting in the wings for Elander and his staff against another tough conference schedule coming up this spring.

Can Arkansas win the program’s first national championship in 2026?
There is no doubt that Razorback baseball will at least have success in the regular season under Dave Van Horn.

Above, I mentioned what’s changing with Arkansas’ roster ahead of the important 2026 season. With many of their top names and impressive hitting depth gone, the Razorbacks will have to hope Gaeckle steps into the Friday role on the mound and a combination of Cole Gibler, Hunter Dietz, and Colin Fisher the rest of the weekend.

The other question is the hitting depth. There was not a better overall lineup in the country last season than Davalan, Aloy, Kozeal, Logan Maxwell, Kuhio Aloy, Ryder Helfrick, Brent Iredale, Justin Thomas, among others. Aloy, Kozeal, and Helfrick return but it will be up to transfer bats Niu, Pompey, Ruiz, and freshman Carson Brumbaugh to make up for the losses.

While Arkansas can and probably will contend for another berth to the Men’s College World Series this season, it will all be dependent on the Razorbacks’ success with a new look lineup and pitching rotation behind Gaeckle if the Razorbacks want to win it all in June.

Image Courtesy: On3

On Oct. 18, The Athletic reported that “Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello [was] closing in on [a] deal to become the San Francisco Giants manager.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the San Francisco Giants formally announced his hiring.

Vitello is not the first college baseball coach to become a manager of a Major League Baseball team. Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy coached at Notre Dame and Arizona State before joining the San Diego Padres’ staff.

However, Vitello’s move is unprecedented — a sitting college baseball coach jumping directly into a major-league managerial position. The last comparable case came when Dick Howser left Florida State in 1979 to manage the New York Yankees in 1980, though he had already been the Yankees’ bench coach and even served as interim manager in 1978.

Before taking over as head coach at Tennessee in 2018, Vitello worked as an assistant at his alma mater Missouri, TCU, and Arkansas.

Vitello has turned Tennessee into an SEC powerhouse since arriving on Rocky Top. He first led the Volunteers to the Omaha in 2023 before winning the College World Series a year later. Vitello has a 341-131 overall record, including a 125-85 mark in SEC play.

The Giants went 81-81 this season before firing manager Bob Melvin. He came over after two seasons with the division rival San Diego Padres. During his tenure, San Francisco went 161-63 and they finished third and fourth in the NL West during that time.

Image Courtesy: Ethan Doan

The 2026 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball schedule was announced today. The slate is headlined by 56 overall games, a trip to the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, an 18-game homestand, and 10 SEC series.

Arkansas enters next spring as the winningest program in the country since 2017 with 383 victories. The Razorbacks ended their 2025 campaign with their 12th consecutive College World Series appearance and eighth of Dave Van Horn’s tenure.

The Diamond Hogs will face 12 teams that made the NCAA Tournament this past season and begin their 2026 slate at Globe Life Field from February 13-15 in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. They will face three Big 12 teams – Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech over three days at the Texas Rangers’ ballpark.

The next day, Arkansas will play one more game at Globe Life Field against Tarleton State (Feb. 16) before returning to Baum-Walker Stadium for their home opener and a long 18-game homestand. The Razorbacks open with Xavier (Feb. 20-22) before Arkansas State (Feb. 24-25), UT-Arlington (Feb. 27-March 1), Oral Roberts (March 3), Stetson (March 6-9), Mississippi State (March 13-15), and Northern Colorado (March 17-18) all come to town.

The non-conference portion of the season also includes Central Arkansas (March 24), Little Rock (April 7), Missouri State (April 21), and Northwestern State (April 28-29). The Razorbacks will also travel to two professional stadiums for midweek action including another game with Missouri State (March 31) at Hammons Field, home of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals in addition to UAPB (April 14) at CHI St. Vincent Field at Dickey-Stephens Park, home of the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A affiliate Arkansas Travelers, in North Little Rock, Ark.

Arkansas’ home SEC slate includes the aforementioned Mississippi State series, Florida (March 27-29), Georgia (April 17-19), Ole Miss (May 1-3), and Oklahoma (May 8-10). The Razorbacks’ roadtrips include South Carolina (March 20-22), Auburn (April 2-4), Alabama (April 10-12), Missouri (April 24-26), and Kentucky (May 14-16).

Notably, longtime rivals LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M did not make Arkansas’ 2026 slate. In addition, former Arkansas hitting coach Tony Vitello and Tennessee did not either. The Razorbacks faced LSU and Tennessee a combined ten times last season including the NCAA Tournament. They swept Tennessee in the Fayetteville Super Regional and were defeated by LSU twice at the College World Series.

Arkansas finishes the season again at the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (May 19-24) in Hoover, Ala.

2026 Arkansas Baseball Schedule
Feb. 13-15 Shriners Children’s College Showdown (Arlington)
Feb. 16 Tarleton State (Arlington)
Feb. 20-22 Xavier
Feb. 24-25 Arkansas State
Feb. 27-March 1 UT-Arlington
March 3 Oral Roberts
March 6-9 Stetson
March 13-15 Mississippi State
March 17-18 Northern Colorado
March 20-22 @ South Carolina
March 24 Central Arkansas
March 27-29 Florida
March 31 @ Missouri State
April 2-4 @ Auburn
April 7 Little Rock
April 10-12 @ Alabama
April 14 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (North Little Rock)
April 17-19 Georgia
April 21 Missouri State
April 24-26 @ Missouri
April 28-29 Northwestern State
May 1-3 Ole Miss
May 8-10 Oklahoma
May 14-16 @ Kentucky
May 19-24 SEC Tournament (Hoover)