College Baseball Regional 2016: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Players to Watch
While a few teams have stood out throughout the college baseball season, it doesn't mean anything if they can't succeed in the NCAA tournament.
In each of the last two seasons, the top overall seed failed to escape the regional round. Maryland knocked out UCLA last year, while Oregon State couldn't get past UC Irvine the year before. As good as No. 1 Florida has been this season, nothing is guaranteed with 64 teams all hoping to win the College World Series.
Before we can crown a champion, here is what you need to know for the opening set of games as the field narrows down to just 16.
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NCAA Tournament Round Dates
Regionals: June 3-6
Super Regionals: June 10-13
College World Series: June 18-29
| Gainesville | No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Bethune-Cookman | 6 p.m. | SECN |
| Gainesville | No. 2 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Connecticut | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Tallahassee | No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 4 Alabama State | 6 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Tallahassee | No. 2 Southern Miss vs. No. 3 South Alabama | noon | ESPN3 |
| Raleigh | No. 1 North Carolina State vs. No. 4 Navy | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Raleigh | No. 2 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 3 Saint Mary's | 2 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Baton Rouge | No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Utah Valley | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Baton Rouge | No. 2 Rice vs. No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Lubbock | No. 1 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Fairfield | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Lubbock | No. 2 Dallas Baptist vs. No. 3 New Mexico | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Charlottesville | No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 William and Mary | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Charlottesville | No. 2 Bryant vs. No. 3 East Carolina | 6 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Fort Worth | No. 1 TCU vs. Oral Roberts | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Fort Worth | No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Gonzaga | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| College Station | No. 1 Texas A&M vs. No. 4 Binghamton | 9 p.m. | SECN |
| College Station | No. 2 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Wake Forest | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Louisville | No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Western Michigan | 6 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Louisville | No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Wright State | 2 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Nashville | No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. No. 4 Xavier | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Nashville | No. 2 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 3 Washington | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Columbia | No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Rhode Island | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Columbia | No. 2 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 3 Duke | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Clemson | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Western Carolina | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Clemson | No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Nebraska | noon | ESPNU |
| Starkville | No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 4 Southeast Missouri State | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Starkville | No. 2 CS Fullerton vs. No. 3 Louisiana Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Lafayette | No. 1 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. No. 4 Princeton | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Lafayette | No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 3 Sam Houston State | 2 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Oxford | No. 1 Mississippi vs. No. 4 Utah | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Oxford | No. 2 Tulane vs. No. 3 Boston College | 4 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Coral Gables | No. 1 Miami (Fl) vs. No. 4 Stetson | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Coral Gables | No. 2 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 3 Long Beach State | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 |
Full bracket available courtesy of NCAA.com.
Players to Watch
Logan Shore, P, Florida
ESPN.com's Keith Law predicts Florida pitcher A.J. Puk to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming MLB draft. However, he hasn't even been the best starter on his own team this season.
That honor goes to Logan Shore, who has a 10-0 record in 15 starts, including three complete games. He also has a 2.41 ERA thanks in part to tossing just 13 walks in 86 innings. His coach believes his play boosts the Gators when he is on the mound.
"It’s a hard thing to explain. Some guys just give off a vibe, and it’s just contagious throughout your club," Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said, per Aaron Fitt of D1Baseball.com. "Your at-bats are better, your defense is a little bit better. It’s weird, it’s hard to explain. He’s just that type of guy."
The Gators now come into the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, so it's clear the team is doing something right.
Shore has been a major part of the success and will likely be on the mound for the biggest games going forward. If he and Puk perform at their best, this will be a hard team to beat.
Brendan McKay, 1B/P, Louisville
While Louisville has a lot of good players, it's safe to say it would not be here without the play of Brendan McKay.
McKay has been one of the best pitchers in the country this year, tallying an 11-3 record and 2.25 ERA to go with 109 strikeouts. If all he did was pitch, he would still be valuable. However, he also comes through with the bat on his off days.
The first baseman is batting .330 with four home runs and a team-high 19 doubles. Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs summed up the sophomore's play:
This isn't just a hitter who pitches sometimes in relief or a part-time player who provides versatility. McKay is legitimately elite as both a hitter and a pitcher, and he will be one of the top players to watch throughout the postseason.
Zack Collins, C, Miami
Miami is one of the top contenders for the national championship thanks to the offense—specifically, Zack Collins.
Christy Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel broke down the catcher's numbers this season:
Just for good measure, he ranks second on the team in batting average (.364) behind Brandon Lopez. Considering the level of competition in the ACC, his OPS of 1.170 for the season is unreal.
Collins is far from a one-year wonder after tallying 15 home runs and 70 RBI as a sophomore last season. In three years, he has an impressive 38 home runs and has already put himself on the list of the best hitters in school history.
With Collins and Willie Abreu in the middle of the lineup, the Hurricanes will remain a dangerous team.
Note: All statistics courtesy of team websites.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.
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