College Baseball Regional 2019: Bracket, Schedule and Hosts
UCLA earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2019 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, but there are 63 other teams with the chance to bring home a national championship.
While top-seeded teams always enter the postseason with great resumes, they often struggle once they get to the big stage. Only one first overall seed has ever won the College World Series—and that was in 1999 when Miami won it all in the first year of this format.
The rest of the seeded teams often struggle to even get out of the regional rounds.
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This year could be different, but fans should expect a lot of excitement over the next few weeks. Here is what you need to know about the upcoming tournament.
Bracket
Interactive bracket available at NCAA.com.
NCAA Tournament Schedule
Regionals: May 31 - June 3
Super Regionals: June 7-10
College World Series: June 15-22
CWS Finals: June 24-26
First-Round Matchups
Los Angeles Regional
No. 1 UCLA vs. Omaha
Baylor vs. Loyola Marymount
Nashville Regional
No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. Ohio State
Indiana State vs. McNeese
Atlanta Regional
No. 3 Georgia Tech vs. Florida A&M
Auburn vs. Coastal Carolina
Athens Regional
No. 4 Georgia vs. Mercer
FAU vs. Florida State
Fayetteville Regional
No. 5 Arkansas vs. Central Connecticut
California vs. TCU
Starkville Regional
No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Southern
Miami vs. Central Michigan
Louisville Regional
No. 7 Louisville vs. UIC
Indiana vs. Illinois State
Lubbock Regional
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. Army
DBU vs. Florida
Stillwater Regional
No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. Harvard
Connecticut vs. Nebraska
Greenville Regional
No. 10 East Carolina vs. Quinnipiac
North Carolina State vs. Campbell
Stanford Regional
No. 11 Stanford vs. Sacramento State
UC Santa Barbara vs. Fresno State
Oxford Regional
No. 12 Ole Miss vs. Jacksonville State
Illinois vs. Clemson
Baton Rouge Regional
No. 13 LSU vs. Stony Brook
Arizona State vs. Southern Miss
Chapel Hill Regional
No. 14 North Carolina vs. UNCW
Tennessee vs. Liberty
Morgantown Regional
No. 15 West Virginia vs. Fordham
Texas A&M vs. Duke
Corvallis Regional
No. 16 Oregon State vs. Cincinnati
Creighton vs. Michigan
Teams to Watch
UCLA
Despite the apparent curse that comes from earning the No. 1 seed, UCLA certainly has the talent to go all the way this season.
The Bruins set program records with 47 overall wins and 24 conference wins in Pac-12 play.
What sets this team apart is the pitching staff, which led the country with a 2.59 ERA. Ryan Garcia and Jack Ralston have shut down lineups throughout the season while Holden Powell has been nearly automatic as a closer.
To make things tougher on other teams, the Bruins have a deep lineup of hitters.
The regular-season success has only created a higher goal for the postseason.
"Now the stakes are higher and certainly the expectations are higher," head coach John Savage said, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Daily News. "For what type of season we had, it’s clear that we still have a lot of work to be done."
With plenty of ability and experience, this team has a chance to make a deep run over the next month.
Vanderbilt
Few teams are coming into the NCAA tournament on a bigger high than Vanderbilt.
The Commodores won the SEC championship in walk-off fashion after trailing 9-1 in the game:
Considering the strength of the SEC, which features 10 teams in the tournament—including five seeded teams—earning a conference title is no small feat. They also have a nine-game winning streak going into the NCAA tournament.
With one of the best offenses in the country, this team is never out of any game.
JJ Bleday leads college baseball with 26 home runs to go with his .357 average. Austin Martin is one of the better table-setters in the country with his .414 batting average and 17 stolen bases.
With the team hitting .319, this lineup has a chance to outscore anyone it faces.
East Carolina
Three losses in the last four games are enough to cause many to doubt East Carolina. The squad couldn't win the American Athletic Conference tournament while a 43-15 record isn't too impressive considering the relatively weak schedule.
Still, you don't want to bet against talent.
The team has seven regulars who hit .299 or better, led by Alec Burleson at .370. Pitcher Jake Agnos has a chance to shut down anyone he faces after finishing the year with a 10-2 record, 2.00 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 90 innings.
The Pirates have a difficult draw, but they have players who can come through in big moments and help the team keep winning games.
This could be enough to at least reach the College World Series.
Note: Statistics courtesy of team sites and NCAA.com.
