The 2017 NCAA Baseball Tournament is underway, and we have completed the first round of play, known as the regional tournaments. The tournament started with 64 teams playing at 16 sites around the nation. We are now down to just 16 teams, who are playing this round at eight sites. Here is a preview of the Super Regional Round.

Corvallis Super Regional: Vanderbilt @ Oregon State

Vanderbilt

The Commodores enter the Super Regional with a 36-23-1 record with the tie coming against Alabama. After losing in the SEC Tournament, they were placed in the Clemson Regional, where they almost went undefeated, but they lost to Clemson in the first game of the championship. The bounced back in the next one and won 8-0 to advance to the Super Regional round.

They are led by Will Toffey, who has a .350 average with 11 home runs and 13 doubles. Jeren Kendall leads the team with 15 home runs, while Julian Infante leads them with 65 runs batted in. The top pitcher is Patrick Raby, who has a 10-3 record with a 2.36 ERA. Kyle Wright leads the team with 113 strikeouts while Drake Fellows has given up the least amount of walks.

Oregon State

The Beavers entered the NCAA Tournament as the national No. 1 seed, partly thanks to their 15-game win streak to end the season. In the Corvallis Regional, they were not challenged, as they beat Holy Cross 8-2, Yale 11-0, and again defeated Yale in the Regional final by a score of 8-1.

The Beavers are led by Nick Madrigal, who has a batting average of .380 with 18 doubles. They had no players with a lot of home runs, as KJ Harrison led the team with six home runs. On the mound, Luke Heimlich was their ace, compiling a record of 11-1 with an ERA of 0.76 with 128 strikeouts in 118.1 innings pitched.

Long Beach Super Regional: CSU Fullerton @ Long Beach State

CSU Fullerton

The Titans entered the NCAA Tournament with a 34-21 record, with a 15-9 mark in Big West Conference Play. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament by finishing third in the conference, behind conference champion Long Beach State and runner-up Cal Poly. The Big West doesn’t conduct a playoff tournament.

They began the NCAA Tournament in the Stanford Regional, where they opened with a 13-2 win over BYU. Their next game was against Stanford, and they won that 4-1 to put them in the regional final, where they had a rematch with Stanford. In the final, they once again defeated Stanford, this time by a final score of 4-2 to advance to the Super Regional.

The Titans are led at the plate by freshman Sahid Valenzuela, who has a .338 average with five doubles and three triples. Junior Scott Hurst led the team with 12 home runs, and 39 runs batted in. On the mound, they are led by Colton Eastman, who has a 1.38 ERA in just 26 innings pitched. Their ace starter is Connor Seabold, who is 11-4 with a 2.91 ERA and 116 strikeouts.

Long Beach State

The Dirtbags enter the Super Regional round with a 41-18-1 record. They hosted their Regional, where they started with a 6-0 win over San Diego State. They followed that up with a 5-3 loss in 12 innings to Texas but came back with a 7-4 win over San Diego State. That set them up with a matchup with Texas where they needed two wins to advance. They picked up the first win 4-3, and in the final game, they won 2-1 to advance.

They are led by Ramsey Romano, who is batting .325 with two home runs and 10 doubles. The home run leader is Lucas Tancas, who has nine home runs and a .311 batting average. Their pitching staff is led by Dave Smith, who has a 9-1 record with a 1.32 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched. The team leader in strikeouts is Darren McCaughan, who has 97 strikeouts thus far in the season.

Tallahassee Super Regional: Sam Houston State @ Florida State

Sam Houston State

The Bearkats bring a 41-21 record into the Super Regionals, and are the champions of the Lubbock Regional, defeating Texas Tech twice in the regional championship game. Their lone loss in the regional was a 6-0 loss to Texas Tech in the second round.

They are led by Bryce Johnson, who has a .350 average with 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in. The two top home run hitters are Robie Rojas and Andrew Fregia, who both have seven. Clayton Harp leads the team with 50 runs batted in. The top pitcher is Heath Donica, who is 9-2 with a 1.90 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 108.1 innings pitched.

Florida State

The Seminoles bring a record of 43-21 into the Super Regionals. They lost their first game of the regionals to Tennessee Tech, though they fought back through the losers bracket to win the regional title and advance.

They are led by Dylan Busby, who is batting .317 with a team-high 14 home runs, while Quincy Nieporte leads them with 73 runs batted in. The pitching staff is led by Tyler Holton, who is 10-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 105.1 innings pitched.

Baton Rouge Super Regional: Mississippi State @ LSU

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have compiled an overall record of 40-25, with a 17-13 conference mark. They also hosted their Regional round, where they lost their first game to South Alabama, but were able to come back through the losers bracket to advance to the Super Regional round.

The Bulldogs are led by Brent Rooker, who is batting an outstanding .395 batting average with a team-high 23 home runs in 243 at-bats. The top pitcher is Spencer Price, who has a 4-1 record with a 2.41 ERA with 40 strikeouts. The team leader in strikeouts is Konnor Pilkington, who has 107 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.26.

LSU

The Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament with a 46-17 overall record and a 21-9 record in the SEC. They qualified for the tournament by virtue of winning the SEC Tournament with a 4-2 win over Arkansas. They hosted their NCAA Regional, and went through it without a scratch, bearing Texas Southern 15-7, beating Southeastern Louisiana 11-6, and winning the championship game 5-0 over Rice.

They are led at the dish by Cole Freeman, who is batting .335 with two home runs and 12 doubles on the season. Greg Diechmann is right behind him with a .328 average and a team-leading 19 home runs. Deichmann also leads the team with 69 runs batted in. On the mound, they are led by Alex Lange, who has a 9-5 record and a 2.87 ERA. Their entire rotation is good, however, as Jared Poche has a 10-3 record while Eric Walker has a 7-1 record.

Gainsville Super Regional: Wake Forest @ Florida

Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons also hosted the Regional Tournament, and they won all three games, including two wins over West Virginia. The Demon Deacons enter the Super Regionals with a 42-18 record. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament through an at-large bid after losing in the ACC Tournament to Miami.

Wake Forest is led by Stuart Fairchild, who has a .359 average with 17 home runs. Jake Mueller is hot on his trails, as he has a .358 average. Overall, they have six players hitting over .300. Their top starting pitcher is Connor Johnstone, who is 8-0 with a 3.36 ERA. Their other top starter is Parker Dunshee, who has a 9-1 record with a 4.14 ERA.

Florida

The Gators bring in a record of 44-17, with a 27-9 record at home. They won the Gainesville Regional with a 6-1 win over Bethune -Cookman in the regional final. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament through an at-large bid after being routed 16-0 to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament championship game.

The top hitter for Florida is Nelson Maldonado, who is batting .331 with six home runs and eight doubles. The top home run hitter is JJ Schwarz, who has 10 home runs. The top pitcher is Michael Byrne, who is 2-4 with a 1.69 ERA. Jackson Kowar leads the team with 12 wins and zero losses.

Fort Worth Super Regional: Missouri State @ TCU

Missouri State


The Missouri State Bears have compiled a 43-18 record so far in the season, with 18 conference wins. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid after losing to Illinois State in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.

They were placed in the Fayetteville Regional, where they started with a 6-5 win over Oklahoma. From there, they defeated Arkansas to put them in the regional title game, where they again faced Arkansas. This time they lost, setting up a third and final game, which saw Missouri State win 3-2 to advance.

They are led by Jake Burger, who has a .335 average with 12 home runs. Other top batters are Justin Paulsen (.333), and Blake Graham (.327).On the mound, they are led by Jake Fromson who has an 8-3 record with an ERA of 1.98.

TCU

The Horned Frogs have a 44-16 record so far this season and were selected to host their Regional, where they defeated Central Connecticut, Virginia, and Dallas Baptist en route to the Super Regionals.

Their top batter is Austen Wade, who has a .358 average. Evan Skoug leads the team with 17 home runs and 59 runs batted in. On the mound, they are led by Jared Janczak, who is a perfect 9-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched.

Louisville Regional: Kentucky @ Louisville

Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats bring a 43-21 record into the Super Regional round. They had to come from the losers bracket in the Regional round after losing 5-4 to NC State in the second round. To their credit, they came roaring through after that, and beat NC State twice in the championship game to advance to the Super Regional round.

The Wildcats have two players tied for the highest batting average, as Tristan Pompey and Evan White both have a .368 average. Riley Mahan leads the team with 15 home runs and 67 runs batted in. Their top pitcher is Zack Thompson, who is 8-2 with a 3.52 ERA. Sean Hjelle leads the team with 99 strikeouts on the season in 103.1 innings pitched.

Louisville

The Cardinals were the top seed in the Louisville Regional, and it showed, as they won all three games, with their closest being an 8-7 win over Xavier in the Regional Final. They enter the Super Regional round with a 50-10 record and qualified through an at-large bid after losing in the ACC Tournament.

The Cardinals are led by Drew Ellis, who is batting .370 with 17 home runs and 18 doubles. In total, four Cardinals have batting averages over .300, with Brendan McKay having 17 home runs to tie Ellis for the team lead.

College Station Super Regional: Davidson @ Texas A&M

Davidson

The Davidson Wildcats are this year’s Cinderella team, as they were the four seed in the Chapel Hill Regional, but they ran the tables, opening with an 8-4 win over host North Carolina. They followed that up with a 2-1 win over Florida Gulf Coast before defeating the Tar Heels in the Regional Championship 2-1. In the regular season, they compiled a 35-24 record and qualified for the tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The Wildcats celebrate their win. (Davidson Athletics)
The Wildcats celebrate their win. (Davidson Athletics)

The Wildcats are led by Will Robertson, who is batting .33 with 18 home runs and 18 doubles. His slugging percentage is .648, which leads the team. The top starter for Davidson is Durin O’Linger, who is 9-3 with a 2.94 ERA. He has thrown two complete games and opponents are batting just .272 against him.

Texas A&M


The Aggies bring a record of 39-21 into the Super Regionals. They made it here after being placed in the Houston Regional, where they went 3-0 including a 4-3 win over the host Cougars in the championship game. They made the tournament as an at-large team after losing in the SEC Tournament to Missouri.

Their top batter is Braden Shewmake, who has compiled a batting average of .333 with 11 home runs, both of which lead the team. He also has a team-high 17 doubles entering this round. The top pitcher is Kaylor Chatin, who has a 7-2 record and a 2.42 ERA. The team leader in strikeouts is Brigham Hill, who has 101 strikeouts on the season.

The Super Regionals are this weekend and will end with eight teams qualifying for the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Those eight will vie for the national championship.

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About the author
Stevie Larson
NASCAR Editor, Minnesota sports fan. Contact: [email protected]