College Baseball Regionals 2015: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Predictions
The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee officially unveiled the full 64-team field for the 2015 baseball tournament, thus ending all of the drama and paving the way for the road to Omaha, Nebraska, to begin.
Of course, before we can get to the College World Series, teams will have to navigate through the regional and super regional, the former of which is a double-elimination tournament format and the latter of which is a best-of-three clash.
The regional games begin on Friday, with 32 games sprinkled throughout the day. The times and viewing info for each clash are available on NCAA.com. Since the matchups for the next round of play are dependent on Friday's results, the rest of the regional slate is up in the air.
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Here's a quick preview for the regional round.
Bracket
You can view the full tournament bracket on NCAA.com.
Regional Hosts
| LSU | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Illinois | Champaign, Illinois |
| Texas A&M | College Station, Texas |
| Miami (Fla.) | Coral Gables, Florida |
| Dallas Baptist | Dallas, Texas |
| TCU | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Cal State Fullerton | Fullerton, California |
| Florida | Gainesville, Florida |
| Houston | Houston, Texas |
| UC Santa Barbara | Lake Elsinore, California |
| UCLA | Los Angeles, California |
| Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Missouri State | Springfield, Missouri |
| Oklahoma State | Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| Florida State | Tallahassee, Florida |
Predictions
Miami Hurricanes Will Rebound Well from ACC Tournament Disappointment
Given how well they looked in the regular season, it was obviously a surprise to see the Miami Hurricanes fall short in pool play during the ACC tournament. Miami quite literally threw away its chances of advancing to the title game after a throwing error allowed N.C. State's Preston Palmeiro to score the game-winning run in a pivotal defeat for the 'Canes.
As if Miami didn't have enough to motivate it during the NCAA tournament, the Hurricanes players will be looking to atone for their ACC tourney misfortune.
Miami boasts one of the best offenses in the country. The team ranks fifth in batting average (.315) and seventh in slugging percentage (.474).
George Iskenderian, David Thompson and Zack Collins are the biggest stars in the lineup. Iskenderian is hitting .379, while Thompson and Collins have combined to hit 34 home runs and drive in 145 runs. When that trio is hitting, the Hurricanes are nearly impossible to beat.
As if Miami doesn't pose a big enough threat in the regional, it has the comfort of playing at home, something that isn't lost on Iskenderian.
"Any time you’re playing at (Mark Light Field), you just feel at home. It’s just very relaxed," the second baseman said, per Christy Cabrera Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel. "You have the fans on your side, so I think we’re very excited to play in front of our home fans. Hopefully, we’ll give them something to cheer about."
Miami should have little trouble advancing.
Dansby Swanson Will Strengthen His Case to Be Among Top Picks in 2015 MLB Draft
Looking ahead to the 2015 MLB draft, Dansby Swanson will be one of the first college stars off the board. ESPN's Keith Law listed him No. 1 in his most recent mock draft. On MLB.com, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo had Swanson go eighth and third, respectively. John Manuel of Baseball America put Swanson at No. 2 to the Houston Astros.
In short, Swanson is earning rave reviews for his offensive prowess and above-average glove. The reigning College World Series Most Outstanding Player is batting .350 with 13 homers, 58 RBI and a .654 slugging percentage. He also has a .974 fielding percentage, per Vanderbilt's official site.
Swanson only did himself more favors with his great performance at the SEC tournament despite the Commodores coming up just short of a conference title. Baseball America's Michael Lananna felt no player played better than Swanson:
Swanson won't tumble down draft boards with a poor NCAA tournament, but he might be able to consolidate his draft position if he can produce impressive numbers.
Florida State Will Be Most Vulnerable Top Seed
The old adage goes that pitching wins championships. If that theory holds true in the NCAA tournament, then the Florida State Seminoles could be in trouble. The 'Noles rank 80th in the country in team earned run average (3.81) and 91st in hits allowed per nine innings (8.82).
Of course, FSU boasts a very good offense, but that alone might not be able to get the job done. Beyond Boomer Biegalski, the Seminoles don't have that one dominant starter to call upon in a crucial game.
This could be a serious problem if Florida State faces the College of Charleston in a do-or-die situation. The Cougars are third in home runs per game (1.21), second in slugging percentage (.492) and ninth in runs (426).
You could make a compelling argument that the College of Charleston was a deserving regional host rather than No. 2 seed.
Florida State fans are probably looking ahead to the super regional, which could mean a date with the Florida Gators, but the Seminoles will have their hands full in the regional round.
Note: Stats are courtesy of NCAA.com.
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