Ranking the three hardest, easiest regionals in the 2023 NCAA Tournament

The 2023 NCAA Tournament field has been set, and this weekend the country will be watching the road to the College World Series. The tournament begins with 16 regionals, and some certainly stand out above the rest.

We have had a day to look over the regional matchups across the country, and some have caught everybody’s attention for differing reasons. Some because they appear to be harder fields, and others because they look to be easier.

Ahead of the start of regional play on Friday, we have ranked the three hardest and the three easiest regionals in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Three hardest regionals in the NCAA Tournament

Stillwater Regional

Oklahoma State got the nod as a regional host as the No. 11 national seed, but they were not gifted with an easy field. The Cowboys, who were 41-18 this season and 15-9 during the Big 12 regular season, made it to the Big 12 Tournament championship game, losing to TCU. Oklahoma State is led by a pretty potent offense. Three players have double-digit home runs – Roc Riggio (17), Nolan Schubart (16) and David Mendham (14) and eight players hitting .310 or better on the season. For everyone else in the regional, that’s scary.

But Oklahoma State isn’t going to have it easy. Dallas Baptist is the No. 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional, and the Patriots actually have the highest RPI (No. 16 compared to No. 17 for Oklahoma State) in this field. Dallas Baptist won 45 games this season, including 25 in Conference USA games. They have 109 home runs as a team, with five players in double digits including Grant Jay (21) and Ethan Mann (20), both of whom have at least 20.

Washington is the No. 3 seed in Stillwater, and the Huskies are a well-balanced club. They are 34-18 on the season, and went 17-12 in the Pac-12 regular season. For a lot of the last month, Washington was viewed as a potential strong No. 2 seed, but they instead fall to three and make a tough regional even tougher in Stillwater.

The No. 4 seed in the Stillwater Regional is Oral Roberts, who are 46-11 on the season. While they haven’t played strong competition – having the No. 274 strength of schedule overall – Oral Roberts is used to winning. They went 23-1 in The Summit League this season.

Columbia Regional

South Carolina wasn’t sure if it would host, but they got the nod as the No. 15 seed. The Gamecocks are a scary team for the other teams in Columbia, as they are 39-19 on the season and went 16-13 in SEC play. South Carolina has 110 home runs as a team, a lot of which are from Ethan Petry (22) and Gavin Casas (19). Although they struggled down the stretch, the Gamecocks are going to be a strong contender to go on a run.

Joining South Carolina is a team that probably should have hosted in No. 2 seed Campbell. The Fighting Camels finished No. 13 in RPI this season after winning 44 games, including 22 in the Big South. Campbell can hit with anybody in the country, with a team average of .318 to go along with 116 home runs. They are led by a strong heart of the order, anchored by Lawson Harrill and Jarrod Belbin, among many others. Campbell also has some quality top-end arms that could make them dangerous to go far beyond a regional.

NC State is the No. 3 seed in Columbia, and this is a team that’s always dangerous once they get into the postseason. After winning 35 games this season, NC State finished with the No. 23 RPI. This is a dangerous No. 3 seed, and could make some noise if they get on a roll.

The No. 4 seed in Columbia is Central Connecticut State, who won 36 games this season including a 25-5 record in the Northeast Conference.

Clemson Regional

Clemson is probably the hottest team in the country, and that reflected with their No. 4 overall seed. The Tigers have 43 wins on the season, 20 of which came during the ACC regular season, and they also won the ACC Tournament title. Clemson is strong across the board, with strong offensive numbers to go along with a deep pitching staff. They have nine players with a sub-4.00 ERA to go along with a .308 team batting average.

Tennessee comes to Clemson as the No. 2 seed, making the field one of the hardest regionals in this year’s tournament. The Vols are far better at home (33-5 at home vs. 4-12 on the road), but they have the talent to go deep if they are on their game. With power spread across the lineup and a few of the best arms in college baseball, Tennessee is one of the most dangerous No. 2 seeds you’ll come across.

Charlotte might not come across as scary with a 34-26 overall record, but the 49ers have one of the best players in all of college baseball. That would be Cam Fisher, who is hitting .352 with 30 home runs and 64 RBI. Having a player of that caliber is enough to seriously scare the entire field.

Lipscomb comes to Clemson as the No. 4 after winning 36 games overall including 23 in the ASUN.

Three easiest regionals

Conway Regional

Coastal Carolina is hosting as the No. 10 overall seed, and the Chanticleers find themselves in one of the lightest regionals in this year’s tournament. Coastal won 39 games this season, including a 23-7 record in the Sun Belt. They also played the toughest non-conference schedule. But their numbers won’t blow anyone away. Pitching wise, Coastal has just one player with at least two appearances on the season with a sub-3.00 ERA. The staff ERA is 6.17 with a 1.63 WHIP. They can hit, though, with a team .310 average and 100 home runs.

Coastal Carolina’s No. 2 seed is Duke, a team that was in the mix to host until the final week or two of the regular season. The Blue Devils are a scrappy team offensively, with a nice mix of power, contact and speed. They also have a few great arms on the pitching staff, notably Fran Oschell III and James Tallon out of the bullpen. Both have sub-2.00 ERAs with a sub 1.00 WHIP.

UNC Wilmington is a sneaky No. 3 seed. The Seahawks only have 70 home runs as a team, but a strong lineup that’s led by Jac Croom, Trevor Marsh and Tanner Thach could be scary for opposing pitchers. UNCW is also red hot, having won six games in a row that led them to a CAA Tournament title.

Rider, who went 35-19 overall and 14-7 in the MAAC, is the No. 4 seed in the Conway Regional.

What makes this one of the “easiest” regionals is the fact that any of the top three seeds could win it. Not one team blows you away, and it’s one of the weaker regionals in this year’s tournament from top to bottom.

Stanford Regional

Stanford earned a No. 8 national seed, and the Cardinal seemingly were gifted with a light regional. That might have something to do with the fact that this is the only regional out west, but regardless, Stanford can’t be too upset with this draw. The Cardinal’s strength is certainly at the plate, with a .317 team average with 102 home runs as a club. They have reliable hitters from 1-9, and won’t be an easy out.

A few weeks ago, Texas A&M was on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and maybe even on the outside looking in. Now, after a strong finish and a run to the SEC Tournament title game, the Aggies are Stanford’s No. 2 seed. They aren’t exceptionally strong in any one area, but they do have a couple of top bats in their lineup. As a whole, Texas A&M is probably one of the weaker No. 2 seeds. They went 14-16 in the SEC regular season.

Stanford’s No. 3 seed is Cal State Fullerton, the winners of the Big West Tournament. The Titans were likely on the outside of the bubble without that win, with an RPI of No. 65. They won 20 games in the Big West, but as a whole, there are some stronger No. 3 seeds out there.

The No. 4 seed in the Stanford Regional is San Jose State, who earned the automatic bid out of the Mountain West.

Baton Rouge Regional

LSU is the No. 5 overall seed, and the Baton Rouge Regional is an interesting one to say the least. The Tigers are one of the deepest teams in the country, led by SEC Player of the Year Dylan Crews and SEC Pitcher of the Year Paul Skenes. Those are your likely first two picks in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, as well. And given the opposition in Baton Rouge, it would be tough to envision LSU losing this regional.

Oregon State is the No. 2 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional. The Beavers were a contender to host at various points during the season, but they ultimately struggled in the end and finished No. 37 in RPI. With a staff ERA of 4.65, a team average of .290 and 79 home runs as a team, Oregon State doesn’t exactly scare a team like LSU.

Sam Houston, the No. 3 seed in Baton Rouge, has two players hitting above .400, which could be scary in the postseason. The team doesn’t hit for a lot of power, though, and a staff ERA of 5.26 is concerning given who they could have to face. Finishing No. 70 in RPI after winning 22 games in the WAC, Sam Houston is a low-end No. 3 seed.

LSU’s matchup in the opening round will be Tulane, a team that went 19-40. The Green Wave went 7-23 in non-conference games and followed it up by going just 8-16 in the American. Regardless, Tulane got hot when it mattered and won the grueling AAC Tournament.