College Baseball Regional 2018: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Players to Watch

The 2018 NCAA Division l baseball tournament begins on Friday as 64 teams will compete in 16 different regionals around the country in pursuit of a spot at the College World Series a few weeks from now.

Florida is the team to beat as it finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in the nation and will look to become the first team since South Carolina in 2010 and 2011 to win back-to-back national titles.

The regional portion of the tournament is a double-elimination format, with the winner from each region advancing to Super Regionals, where the field will be whittled to the final eight who will compete in this year's College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.

As always, this year's field features a number of exciting individual talents. With the MLB draft right around the corner on June 4, this weekend will serve as a preview of sorts for some of the nation's top young talent.

Players to Watch

Auburn Athletics

Let's take a look at some of the players to watch in this year's tournament.

Ahead is a list of the players who will be active in regionals and rank among the top 100 prospects in the upcoming draft, according to Baseball America:

1. RHP Casey Mize, Auburn
3. 2B Nick Madrigal, Oregon State
4. RHP Brady Singer, Florida
6. 3B Jonathan India, Florida
8. LHP Shane McClanahan, South Florida
17. RHP Jackson Kowar, Florida
19. RHP Logan Gilbert, Stetson
21. LHP Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss
26. SS Jeremy Eierman, Missouri State
27. OF Trevor Larnach, Oregon State
31. RHP Tristan Beck, Stanford
32. OF Steele Walker, Oklahoma
36. RHP Blaine Knight, Arkansas
40. LHP Kris Bubic, Stanford
42. SS Nico Hoerner, Stanford
46. 1B Seth Beer, Clemson
48. OF Jameson Hannah, Dallas Baptist
50. OF Griffin Conine, Duke
54. LHP Tim Cate, UConn
60. LHP Konnor Pilkington, Mississippi State
63. SS Cadyn Grenier, Oregon State
66. OF Zach Watson, LSU
67. SS Tyler Frank, Florida Atlantic
73. RHP Isaiah Campbell, Arkansas
74. RHP Cole Sands, Florida State
75. RHP Colton Eastman, Cal State Fullerton
77. OF Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
78. C Cal Raleigh, Florida State
81. RHP Adam Hill, South Carolina
87. RHP Zack Hess, LSU
99. RHP Mitchell Kilkenny, Texas A&M
100. RHP Nolan Kingham, Texas

Top Tools

Best Hitter: Nick Madrigal, Oregon State

The 5'7" Madrigal hit .380/.449/.532 during his sophomore season, and he's picked up right where he left off after missing time early this spring with a broken wrist. In 29 games since returning to action, he's hitting .395/.459/.563 with just five strikeouts in 135 plate appearances.

His line-drive approach will make him more of a doubles threat at the next level than a home run hitter, but all signs point to a perennial .300 hitter who could potentially challenge for a batting title or two.

Best Power: Seth Beer, Clemson

While he's no longer a candidate to go No. 1 in this draft after bursting onto the scene as a freshman, Beer still has tantalizing power from the left side of the plate.

The 6'2", 195-pound first baseman has slugged 54 home runs in his three seasons on campus, including 20 this spring—tied for fourth in the nation.

Oregon State outfielder Trevor Larnach (1.084 OPS, 17 HR) has also shown plenty of playable raw power.

Best Speed: Kyler Murray, Oklahoma

A candidate to go in the first round of the 2015 draft, Murray instead withdrew his name from consideration to honor a commitment to play both baseball and football at Texas A&M as one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation.

He was overmatched last spring and in the Cape Cod League, but he's begun to tap into his vast potential this season, hitting .296/.398/.556 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

Murray is in the mix to be the starting quarterback at Oklahoma this fall, and even with his significant improvements on the diamond, he might not be ready to walk away from his football career. Regardless, his 70-grade speed makes him an electric athlete in both sports.

Best Defender: Cadyn Grenier, Oregon State

The aforementioned Madrigal is undersized, but he would likely be playing shortstop for most college programs, and he may get a chance to try his hand there once he begins his pro career.

However, at Oregon State, he's clearly behind current shortstop Cadyn Grenier in terms of infield defense.

MLB.com wrote: "Grenier has established himself as one of best defensive shortstops in the college game. There is no doubt he can stay at the premium position long term, with an outstanding internal clock, good hands, above-average speed to give him excellent range and more than enough arm to make throws from anywhere on the infield."

LSU center fielder Zach Watson is another player who has a chance to be a Gold Glove-caliber defender at the next level.

Best Fastball: Shane McClanahan, South Florida

McClanahan sits consistently in the upper 90s and routinely touches triple-digits with his fastball.

The 6'1", 173-pound left-hander has racked up 221 strikeouts in 147 innings during his two seasons pitching for the Bulls and his plus changeup makes his fastball even tougher to hit.

Command remains an issue, as he's walked batters at a 5.6 BB/9 rate this spring, but his stuff is electric.

Best Breaking Ball: Tim Cate, UConn

While he is not part of the first-round conversation due to his undersized 6'0", 167-pound frame, Cate is one of the top college lefties in this class and that should allow him to be drafted in the second or third round.

A devastating hammer curveball has helped him rack up 264 strikeouts in 204 career innings at UConn, despite an average fastball/changeup pairing.

Florida ace Brady Singer also boasts an excellent slider that serves as his strikeout pitch.

Best Changeup: Casey Mize, Auburn

Technically, Mize throws a splitter, but he uses it like a changeup.

The pitch features dynamic late-breaking action and simply falls off the table, helping him rack up 140 strikeouts in 102.2 innings this spring.

It's a legitimate 70-grade pitch right now and with an above-average fastball and slider to back it up, it's no surprise Mize is the leading candidate to go No. 1 overall.

Best Command: Casey Mize, Auburn

Along with his excellent three-pitch repertoire, Mize shows smooth mechanics with his 6'3" frame and commands all three of his pitches well.

He's walked just 10 batters this spring and 37 total in 254 career innings, en route to a stellar 8.3 K/BB ratio during his time on campus.

All stats courtesy of The Baseball Cube, unless otherwise noted.