9 ACC Teams Selected to the NCAA Baseball Tournament
The 64 team field was announced yesterday for the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament, and while the ACC is well represented with 9 teams, most of the discussion is around a team that didn't make the field. NC State was left out of the field despite having a tournament-worthy resume. Despite making an impressive run to the finals of the ACC Tournament, finishing above .500 in conference, and having an RPI of 33, the Wolfpack will be at home while teams like Grand Canyon (RPI 54), Texas Tech (RPI 45), and UCLA (RPI 44) all received at-large bids. The greatest rivalry in the sport right now might be NC State vs The NCAA.
But... I'm not here to talk about the teams that aren't in, I'm here to discuss the teams that will be playing this weekend. Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, and Louisville will all be #1 seeds and hosting regionals, Notre Dame, Virginia, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are 2 seeds, and Florida State is a 3 seed. Regional play begins this Friday with double-elimination play through Sunday or Monday with the winner advancing to the Super-Regionals which are hosted by the higher seed of each matchup. Below are the 9 regionals that the ACC teams will be playing in and a link to the entire bracket can be found here: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/baseball/d1/2022
Blacksburg Regional
#4 Virginia Tech (41-12)
Gonzaga (36-17
Columbia (30-16)
Wright State (30-25)
Virginia Tech is the #4 National Seed after winning the regular season ACC title and having one of the more explosive offenses in the country after hitting 110 home runs on the season. Gonzaga was being considered for a regional host for most of the year, and even though they slipped back a bit towards the end of the season, they will be the Hokies biggest challenge in the region. Virginia Tech should have a pretty good chance to make their first ever Super Regional, where they would host the Gainesville Regional next weekend.
Virginia Tech opens Regional play on Friday at 7 PM vs Wright State on ACCN
Coral Gables Regional
#6 Miami (39-18)
Arizona (37-23)
Ole Miss (32-22)
Canisius (29-23)
Miami begins looking for their 26th trip to the College World Series as a regional host. Miami was able to secure a top 8 seed despite finishing the regular season 2-6, going winless in the ACC Tournament, and having an RPI of 16. Even though they were given a great seed, the selection committee did not give them an easy draw. Arizona and Ole Miss are both solid teams that competed well in 2 of the better baseball conferences in the country. Miami will have to play like they were towards the middle of the season if they want to advance. If they can advance to the Super Regionals, they will host the winner of the Hattiesburg Regional next weekend.
The Hurricanes begin Regional play on Friday at 12 PM vs Canisius on ESPN+
Chapel Hill Regional
#10 North Carolina (38-19)
Georgia (35-21)
VCU (40-18)
Hofstra (30-21)
North Carolina is on absolute fire right now. They just won the ACC Tournament Championship, have won 15 of their last 17 games (7 straight), worked their way up to #3 in the RPI, and were rewarded with hosting a regional. Georgia also has a top 20 resume, but it's going to be hard to stop Carolina right now. I think the Tar Heels have a deep run in them and could be headed to Omaha in a couple weeks. The Chapel Hill Regional winner will face off against the Stillwater Regional in the Supers.
North Carolina begins Regional play on Friday at 2 PM vs Hofstra on ESPN+
Louisville Regional
#12 Louisville (38-18-1)
Oregon (35-23)
Michigan (32-26)
Southeast Missouri St. (37-20)
The 4th and final ACC host is Atlantic Division Champion, Louisville. The Cardinals are top 5 in the league in scoring and fielding, and have a legit Ace in Jared Poland. That's a pretty good combination for a postseason run. Their 2 biggest challengers in the region are Oregon and Michigan. Oregon was top 20 in the RPI before going winless in their conference tournament, while Michigan made a surprise run to the Big Ten Championship. If Louisville can get out of the region they will play the winner of the College Station Regional.
The Cardinals begin Regional play on Friday at 2 PM vs SEMO on ESPN+
Knoxville Regional
#1 Tennessee (53-7)
Georgia Tech (34-22)
Campbell (40-17)
Alabama State (34-23)
Georgia Tech has had a really nice season. They finished .500 in league play, hit 110 home runs, and finished 21 in the RPI. Unfortunately, they were rewarded with being placed in Tennessee's region. The Vols have been the best team in the country all year. They lead the NCAA in ERA (2.35) and home runs (141). That's a scary combo. Tennessee is far and away the favorite to win the College World Series. If Georgia Tech or a pretty good Campbell team can knock them off, the winner of our next region would be VERY happy.
Georgia Tech begins regional play on Friday at 12 PM vs Campbell on ESPN+
Statesboro Regional
Georgia Southern (40-18)
Notre Dame (35-14)
Texas Tech (37-20)
UNC Greensboro (34-28)
It's pretty cool that Georgia Southern was rewarded with a host site, but this Regional probably should be played in South Bend. The Irish are #12 in the RPI, just made it to the ACC Semis, and had 14 top 50 wins on the year. That would be good enough for a host resume, but the Irish still have a good opportunity to win this region. Georgia Southern was the last Nationally ranked team and Texas Tech has an RPI in the 40s. If Notre Dame can advance, they'll likely have to play Tennessee.
Notre Dame begins regional play on Friday at 2 PM vs Texas Tech on ACCN
Greenville Regional
East Carolina (42-18)
Virginia (38-17)
Coastal Carolina (36-18-1)
Coppin State (24-28)
Virginia looked like they were going to be a lock for a host site halfway through the season, getting all the way up to #2 in the country, before losing 4 of their last 6 weekend series and going 0-2 at the ACC Tournament. ECU on the other hand, is on an absolute tear. The Pirates have won 18 straight games. Virginia still finished 2nd in the ACC in ERA and 4th in runs scored. If the Hoos can play up to their potential they are good enough to knock off ECU. Coastal Carolina is a strong 3 seed as well with an RPI of 30. The winner of this regional will face off against the Austin Regional winner.
Virginia begins regional play on Friday at 6 PM vs Coastal Carolina on ESPN+
College Park Regional
#15 Maryland (45-12)
Wake Forest (40-17-1)
UConn (46-13)
Long Island (37-19)
Wake Forest is another team that made a great, late-season push and just missed out on being a Regional host. They've won 6 of their last 7 games including an impressive 16-3 win over Miami in the ACC Tournament last week and are actually all the way up to #6 in the RPI. Maryland is the host of this regional and ran through an average Big Ten conference before slipping up in the conference tournament. Wake Forest has much more experience playing better teams this year, and I think they can use that to knock off the Terps and advance to the Super Regionals. If they can, they'll play the winner of the Stanford Regional.
Wake Forest begins regional play on Friday at 1 PM vs UConn on ESPNU
Auburn Regional
#14 Auburn (37-19)
UCLA (38-22)
Florida State (33-23)
SE Louisiana (30-29)
This Regional is completely up for grabs. Auburn was a questionable choice for a host site and are only ranked #25 over at D1 Baseball, UCLA played well in the PAC 12, and are ranked #19 in the country, but are only 44 in the RPI, and Florida State was in the hosting conversation before slipping up a little to end the season. This is still a dangerous Florida State team with a ton of potential that can absolutely win this region. Keep an eye on Auburn this weekend. The winner will face off against the Corvallis Regional winner.
Florida State begins regional play on Friday at 12 PM vs UCLA on ESPN2