College baseball NCAA Regional predictions: Who advances to the College World Series?
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- UCLA secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after a 48-6 regular season and winning the Big Ten tournament, with Regional play starting Friday and winners advancing through Super Regionals to the College World Series.
- Key teams and players highlighted include Virginia Tech's freshman Ethan Ball with 16 home runs, Georgia Tech leading the nation in batting average and runs scored, and Alabama State's historical struggles against Alabama.
- Notable pitching performances include Texas freshman Sam Cozart's exceptional WHIP and batting average against, Georgia's high home run rate, and USC's Mason Edwards leading in strikeouts per nine innings.
- Several teams are making significant tournament appearances or milestones, such as UIC in their first Regional since 2019, Northern Illinois in their first NCAA appearance since 1972, and Kansas hosting a Regional for the first time.
- Predictions favor top seeds like UCLA, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma State, Florida, and others to advance from their respective Regionals.