NCAA Baseball Tournament: Predicting the winner of all 16 regionals

The road to the 2024 College World Series in Omaha has officially been set. On Monday, the full NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket was released. Now, it’s time to predict who will win each regional and get one step closer to advancing to the CWS.

On the hosting line, five teams from both the ACC and SEC were selected to host a regional. The Big 12 and Pac-12 have two hosts, while the AAC and Big West each have one.

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Overall, the SEC set a NCAA Tournament record with 11 teams making the Field of 64. The ACC is second with eight bids, followed by the Big 12 (6), Sun Belt (4), Big Ten (3) and Pac-12 (3). There are also two teams represented in the AAC, Big East, Big West, Conference USA and Missouri Valley.

It’s time to go through each regional and predict a winner.

Knoxville Regional

1. Tennessee (1)
2. Southern Miss
3. Indiana
4. Northern Kentucky

This regional features a potentially familiar matchup, specifically between Tennessee and Southern Miss. The two teams met in Knoxville for a super regional last season, with the Vols winning it in three games. This year, it should be a fun matchup again. Tennessee has hit the most home runs in the country, and their offense poses a serious threat to not just every team in this field, but every team in the postseason. Southern Miss could give them a good fight, but ultimately Tennessee should advance and bring another super regional back to Knoxville.

Prediction: Tennessee wins over Southern Miss

Greenville Regional

1. East Carolina (16)
2. Wake Forest
3. VCU
4. Evansville

The potential of a Chase Burns vs. Tennessee rematch in super regionals is a top storyline in the postseason, but Chase Burns vs. Trey Yesavage on Saturday might be the most exciting part of regionals. ECU has concerns on the pitching front, though. Yesavage missed last week with a partially collapsed lung, but should return this weekend. Zach Root and Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman also have missed significant time, but both should be available. Evansville is a sneaky four seed too, as they are capable of pulling off an upset. Ultimately, we expect Wake Forest and ECU to meet in the regional final with the Demon Deacons squeaking it out in a tight one.

Prediction: Wake Forest over East Carolina

Lexington Regional

1. Kentucky (2)
2. Indiana State
3. Illinois
4. Western Michigan

Indiana State is a top ten RPI team, so it was surprising to see them shipped to Kentucky, the No. 2 overall seed. Still, that should give us a pretty entertaining regional. Kentucky wins games in a variety of ways, but it won’t be easy against either Indiana State or Illinois. Either of those two teams could push Kentucky in the regional final. We’ll predict Illinois to make it to the regional final, but fall short against Kentucky.

Prediction: Kentucky over Illinois

Corvallis Regional

1. Oregon State (15)
2. UC Irvine
3. Nicholls
4. Tulane

The Corvallis Regional might be one of the most underrated in this field. Oregon State and UC Irvine are both Omaha-caliber clubs, while Nicholls is a solid 3 seed and Tulane is capable of winning a couple of games as a 4. Still, we are predicting this one to come down to Oregon State and UC Irvine in what could be a very entertaining final. Largely due to the Beavers’ offense, we will give them the nod.

Prediction: Oregon State over UC Irvine

College Station Regional

1. Texas A&M (3)
2. Louisiana
3. Texas
4. Grambling

If you’re talking about fun regionals, does it get better than College Station? There’s the obvious storyline of Texas A&M and Texas, but Louisiana is a very strong team as well. We expect the Aggies to get past Grambling in the opener, and Louisiana’s pitching should carry them to a win against Texas. If it comes down to Texas A&M and Louisiana, both teams strike out a lot at the plate while striking a lot of batters out on the mound. Ultimately, the power in the Aggies’ offense will be too much for them to fall.

Prediction: Texas A&M over Louisiana

Santa Barbara Regional

1. UC Santa Barbara (14)
2. San Diego
3. Oregon
4. Fresno State

The Santa Barbara Regional feels like one where any of the four teams could win. UCSB had a great year and ran through the Big West, while San Diego did the same in the WCC. There is some pretty strong pitching in this field from all four teams. Ultimately, we will predict Oregon to get past San Diego in the opener, and the Ducks are certainly capable of winning this regional if they stay in the winner’s bracket. That’s what we are predicting them to do.

Prediction: Oregon over UC Santa Barbara

Chapel Hill Regional

1. North Carolina (4)
2. LSU
3. Wofford
4. Long Island

Wofford has some impressive offensive numbers, but they got a tough draw going up against a red hot LSU team in the opener in Chapel Hill. With the way LSU is playing right now, they are going to be a tough out for anyone. But, North Carolina is a top four seed for a reason. The Tar Heels have a deep pitching staff and a loaded lineup, and the depth to their bullpen gives them the edge over the Tigers. Still, it should be a very entertaining regional.

Prediction: North Carolina over LSU

Tucson Regional

1. Arizona (13)
2. Dallas Baptist
3. West Virginia
4. Grand Canyon

In Tucson, it feels like another regional with multiple teams that can win it. Arizona is the top seed after winning the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles. Dallas Baptist and West Virginia could give them serious trouble, though. We like Dallas Baptist to get through West Virginia in the first game, matchup up with Arizona in the winner’s bracket. It should be a great matchup, but we like Dallas Baptist to advance.

Prediction: Dallas Baptist over Arizona

Fayetteville Regional

1. Arkansas (5)
2. Louisiana Tech
3. Kansas State
4. Southeast Missouri State

Arkansas has some questions offensively, but not many, if any teams can match what they have on the mound. Hagen Smith makes it almost feel inevitable for them to win that second game in the winner’s bracket. Louisiana Tech should match up well against Kansas State, and we predict them to be one of the final two teams left standing in Fayetteville. Ultimately, due to Arkansas’ pitching, we’re picking the Razorbacks to advance to super regionals.

Prediction: Arkansas over Louisiana Tech

Charlottesville Regional

1. Virginia (12)
2. Mississippi State
3. St. John’s
4. Penn

Mississippi State believed they should be hosting, and there’s a pretty good argument for that. In the end, they aren’t and they are in Charlottesville as a 2 seed. St. John’s could give the Bulldogs trouble in the opener, but we like Mississippi State to win that matchup. Virginia should make it to the regional final, and we’re going to predict them to meet Mississippi State there. Virginia has a high-powered offense, though questions on the mound. Ultimately, Virginia might be able to simply outscore Mississippi State and that could be the difference.

Prediction: Virginia over Mississippi State

Clemson Regional

1. Clemson (6)
2. Vanderbilt
3. Coastal Carolina
4. High Point

This is an interesting regional, to say the least. Clemson has questions on the mound, while Vanderbilt has struggled offensively and Coastal Carolina has been maybe the most inconsistent team in this year’s tournament. Vanderbilt is playing well right now, though, and we like them over Coastal Carolina. Clemson should be able to overpower High Point, setting up an intriguing regional final against Vanderbilt. We’re picking the Tigers to outlast the Commodores.

Prediction: Clemson over Vanderbilt

Stillwater Regional

1. Oklahoma State (11)
2. Nebraska
3. Florida
4. Niagara

Florida making the tournament has drawn plenty of criticism, but now that they are here, they are capable of making some noise. That doesn’t mean that they will, though, and they don’t have an easy matchup against a strong Nebraska team. Both Oklahoma State and Nebraska have strong pitching staffs, and for that reason we predict them to meet in the regional final. It should be a good battle, and perhaps a low scoring one, but we’re going to ride with Nebraska.

Prediction: Nebraska over Oklahoma State

Athens Regional

1. Georgia (7)
2. UNC Wilmington
3. Georgia Tech
4. Army

The headline in Athens is the potential matchup between Georgia and Georgia Tech. The two teams met earlier in the year, with the Bulldogs taking both. Some were surprised to see UNCW as a 2 seed, but they have a lot of talent and are capable of making a run here. The UNCW vs. Georgia Tech matchup should be a very good one, and we like UNCW to make it to the regional final against Georgia. The Bulldogs just have too much star power on offense, headlined by Charlie Condon. For that reason, we like them to move on.

Prediction: Georgia over UNC Wilmington

Raleigh Regional

1. NC State (10)
2. South Carolina
3. James Madison
4. Bryant

NC State has been inconsistent on the mound, and has had to overcome some injuries. Bryant is capable of hitting for power, but their pitching will likely struggle against the Wolfpack offense. South Carolina and James Madison are also capable of hitting for power and putting up runs. The Gamecocks should have the edge, and we predict them to face NC State in the regional final. Ultimately, we’re taking NC State in what should be a high-scoring end to the Raleigh Regional.

Prediction: NC State over South Carolina

Tallahassee Regional

1. Florida State (8)
2. Alabama
3. UCF
4. Stetson

Both Alabama and UCF struggled through some inconsistency this season, and that’s an interesting matchup on Friday. Alabama’s offense is better, and even though UCF’s pitching might be better, we like the Tide to win that one. Stetson has taken some midweek games from some good teams this year, and while we don’t think they’ll win the opener against Florida State, they could definitely win a couple of games to make it to the regional final. In the end, Florida State’s offense looks to be enough to just overpower the rest of this field.

Prediction: Florida State over Stetson

Norman Regional

1. Oklahoma (9)
2. Duke
3. UConn
4. Oral Roberts

Duke was though to be a likely host heading into the selection process, but instead they find themselves as the 2 seed in Norman. While UConn has a solid pitching staff, Duke’s offense is just too good to not score. The Blue Devils have a deep pitching staff as well, and they match up well against just about anyone in a postseason setting. Oklahoma is a really good team, but Duke is built for the postseason. We’re predicting them to win the Norman Regional.

Prediction: Duke over Oklahoma