College Baseball Regional 2016: Bracket, Schedule, Live Stream and More
On Monday, the selection committee revealed the 2016 College Baseball Regional bracket dominated by ACC and SEC schools.
Seventeen teams from those two conferences (10 ACC, seven SEC) earned a spot in the NCAA's 64-team field. They'll also host 13 of the tournament's 16 regions. As noted by ESPNU, none of the regional action will occur west of Lubbock, Texas.
The action begins on Friday with a jam-packed slate featuring every contestant. One team will survive each quadrant during the double-elimination regionals, creating eight best-of-three showdowns in the super regionals.
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Here's a look at Friday's opening schedule. The full bracket can be found on NCAA.com.
| Gainesvile | (1) Florida vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman | Friday, June 3 | 6 p.m. |
| Gainesvile | (2) Georgia Tech vs. (3) UConn | Friday, June 3 | 1 p.m. |
| Tallahassee | (1) Florida State vs. (4) Alabama State | Friday, June 3 | 6 p.m. |
| Tallahassee | (2) Southern Miss vs. (3) South Alabama | Friday, June 3 | Noon |
| Raleigh | (1) NC State vs. (4) Navy | Friday, June 3 | 7 p.m. |
| Raleigh | (2) Coastal Carolina vs. (3) Saint Mary's | Friday, June 3 | 2 p.m. |
| Baton Rouge | (1) LSU vs. (4) Utah Valley | Friday, June 3 | 3 p.m. |
| Baton Rouge | (2) Rice vs. (3) Southeastern Louisiana | Friday, June 3 | 8 p.m. |
| Lubbock | (1) Texas Tech vs. (4) Fairfield | Friday, June 3 | 3 p.m. |
| Lubbock | (2) Dallas Baptist vs. (3) New Mexico | Friday, June 3 | 7 p.m. |
| Charlottesville | (1) Virginia vs. (4) William & Mary | Friday, June 3 | 1 p.m. |
| Charlottesville | (2) Bryant vs. (3) East Carolina | Friday, June 3 | 6 p.m. |
| Fort Worth | (1) TCU vs. (4) Oral Roberts | Friday, June 3 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fort Worth | (2) Arizona State vs. (3) Gonzaga | Friday, June 3 | 3 p.m. |
| College Station | (1) Texas A&M vs. (4) Binghamton | Friday, June 3 | 9 p.m. |
| College Station | (2) Minnesota vs. (3) Wake Forest | Friday, June 3 | 4 p.m. |
| Louisville | (1) Louisville vs. (4) Western Michigan | Friday, June 3 | 6 p.m. |
| Louisville | (2) Ohio State vs. (3) Wright State | Friday, June 3 | 2 p.m. |
| Nashville | (1) Vanderbilt vs. (4) Xavier | Friday, June 3 | 8 p.m. |
| Nashville | (2) UC Santa Barbara vs. (3) Washington | Friday, June 3 | 3 p.m. |
| Columbia | (1) South Carolina vs. (4) Rhode Island | Friday, June 3 | 7 p.m. |
| Columbia | (2) UNC Wilmington vs. (3) Duke | Friday, June 3 | 1 p.m. |
| Clemson | (1) Clemson vs. (4) Western Carolina | Friday, June 3 | 7 p.m. |
| Clemson | (2) Oklahoma State vs. (3) Nebraska | Friday, June 3 | Noon |
| Starkville | (1) Mississippi State vs. (4) Southeast Missouri State | Friday, June 3 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Starkville | (2) Cal State Fullerton vs. (3) Louisiana Tech | Friday, June 3 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Lafayette | (1) Louisiana-Lafayette vs. (4) Princeton | Friday, June 3 | 8 p.m. |
| Lafayette | (2) Arizona vs. (3) Sam Houston State | Friday, June 3 | 2 p.m. |
| Oxford | (1) Ole Miss vs. (4) Utah | Friday, June 3 | 8 p.m. |
| Oxford | (2) Tulane vs. (3) Boston College | Friday, June 3 | 4 p.m. |
| Coral Gables | (1) Miami vs. (4) Stetson | Friday, June 3 | 7 p.m. |
| Coral Gables | (2) Florida Atlantic vs. (3) Long Beach State | Friday, June 3 | 1 p.m. |
All games are available for live-streaming on WatchESPN.
Most Intriguing Regions
Charlottesville
In order to successfully defend its title, Virginia must first advance past a group of dangerous small-conference schools.
Despite suffering one-run losses to Clemson and Wake Forest during the ACC tournament, the 37-20 Cavaliers will welcome Bryant, East Carolina and William & Mary to Charlottesville. Sporting a .301 team average and a 4.15 ERA, Virginia must hit its way into the second stage.
It stumbled in the AAC tournament, but the East Carolina Pirates still pose a threat to Virginia. Along with ranking No. 36 in RPI, the No. 3 seed took two out of three games against the Cavs early in the season.
While Bryant is far less battle-tested, the Northeast powerhouse has decimated inferior competition. The Bulldogs cruised to a conference title, finishing the season 47-10 with a 10-game winning streak. Led by junior outfielder Matt Albanese and senior first baseman Robby Rinn, their offense wields an exceptional .324/.418/.490 line.
The Bulldogs haven't faced elite competition, but a plus-269 run differential deserves recognition regardless. The winner of Friday's clash between ECU and Bryant won't let Virginia coast to another championship run.
Raleigh
Would anyone have batted an eye if the selection committee awarded Coastal Carolina hosting duties?
The Chanticleers enter the regionals with a 44-15 record and 10 straight victories. They rate No. 12 in RPI, two spots behind top-seeded North Carolina State. Opposing pitchers will especially hate seeing them in their grouping.
Their 89 home runs place first among tournament participants and second in the nation behind Mercer's 93. With senior outfielder Connor Owings (.383/.492/.701) leading the charge, they boast an .897 OPS.
Yet they weren't their usual selves during the Big South tournament, scoring 17 runs combined over four victories. They had tallied 23 in their previous contest, so head coach Gary Gilmore took notice of their offensive mortality, per the Myrtle Beach Sun News' Ryan Young:
"We’ve got some work to do offensively to get our swings tightened up a little bit. We were a little sloppy with the bat this weekend and stuff. The pitching was better as well, and it’s going to be in a regional. Velocity is going to pick up, pitchability is going to pick up. So we’ll take a day or so off and we’ll get back at it and really see if we can’t be hitting on all cylinders next Friday.
"
Before worrying about Coastal Carolina's thunderous bats, NC State must circumvent No. 4 Navy, which wields a 2.78 team ERA. Let's not forget the No. 3 Saint Mary Gaels, who earned their first NCAA tournament bid by scoring 34 runs en route to securing the West Coast Conference championship.
Lafayette
One of three regions not headlined by an ACC or SEC powerhouse, the Lafayette grouping will usher an outsider into the final 16.
An unassuming host, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ripped through the Sun Belt to earn a 41-19 record. The Ragin' Cajuns should benefit greatly from staying at home, where they went 22-5.
Their biggest competition, No. 2 Arizona, is returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since winning it all in 2012. While the Wildcats are light on power—hitting a combined 19 home runs with a .400 slugging percentage—they reach base at a .384 percent clip.
Sam Houston State, their opening opponent, also relies on contact and speed over power. Senior outfielder Bryce Johnson sets the table, hitting .347 with 20 stolen bases. With limited firepower, Arizona and Sam Houston still rank No. 21 and 34, respectively, in RPI.
No. 4 Princeton is a long shot, but a region without a titan could cause some chaos.
Stats courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise indicated.
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