Last Eight In: Tulane, Cal State Fullerton, Auburn, Tennessee, Washington, Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas
First Eight Out: Arizona, Duke, Georgia, Indiana, Long Beach State, NC State, Nevada, Notre Dame
The third weekend did little to sort out the potential teams battling for at-large spots. Teams like Notre Dame, Duke, Arizona and Long Beach State all continued their hot starts but will need to continue to have success as conference play starts up in the upcoming weeks. At 10-1, Notre Dame is off to a great start, but things will get significantly tougher in ACC play. Same for 9-1 Duke. Out west, Arizona (10-4) and Long Beach State (8-3) both are playing well but still have things to prove. Arizona has failed to make the NCAA Tournament since winning the National Title in 2012 and they will have to prove they are an improved team in conference play. Long Beach State made the tournament last year as one of four Big West teams and if the conference can secure 3-4 bids again, you can bet the Dirtbags will be among those teams. Cal Poly and UC Irvine are both down this year and that could leave the door open for Long Beach State to emerge as a Big West power again.
This week is also a great time to look at some under the radar schools that are making some noise this year. Coming off their school record 58 win season, Louisiana-Lafayette is still a solid ball club and showed that by taking two of three from Alabama last weekend. UCF continued its hot start by taking two of three from Ole Miss, and the College of Charleston has held its own against top-notch competition despite losing two-thirds of its weekend rotation from a year ago. Behind those teams are a trio of schools that people should keep an eye on this year. Dallas Baptist has a loaded pitching staff and looks to be the team to beat in the Missouri Valley, while Florida Atlantic is off to a nice 9-2 start with a win over Miami. Tulane could be a real sleeper. In a new conference with a new head coach, Tulane hasn’t missed a beat as they are 10-2 with series wins over Pepperdine and Creighton. The Green Wave could be a potential threat to UCF or Houston in the American Athletic race this season if they continue to play this well.
See the Projected Baseball NCAA Tournament Bracket
ACC: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia
American: Houston, UCF, Tulane
Big East: St. John’s
Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech
Big Ten: Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska
Pac-12: Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington
SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
A-10: Davidson
America East: Stony Brook
A-Sun: Kennesaw State
Big South: Liberty
Big West: Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara
CAA: Charleston
C-USA: Rice, Florida Atlantic
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Columbia
MAAC: Canisius
MAC: Central Michigan
MEAC: Bethune-Cookman
MVC: Dallas Baptist
MWC: New Mexico
NEC: Bryant
OVC: Southeast Missouri
Patriot: Army
Southern: Western Carolina
Southland: Sam Houston State
Summit: South Dakota State
Sun Belt: Louisiana
SWAC: Jackson State
WAC: Sacramento State
WCC: Loyola Marymount
See the Projected Baseball NCAA Tournament Bracket
