Previewing 2026 college baseball regionals: Top players, predictions and more
The road to Omaha begins!
Regionals will feature jam-packed action across the board, but will anyone be able to dethrone the SEC, winners of seven straight Men’s College World Series titles? Well, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and No. 2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will certainly put up a worthy fight.
The SEC does lead all conferences with 12 teams, followed by the ACC with nine, the Big 12 with six, the Sun Belt with five and the Big Ten with four included in the 64-team field. But which teams and stars should we be paying attention to? Does Oklahoma State have enough juice to make a deep run? And which regional in addition to Chapel Hill has the toughest road to the MCWS?
Our college baseball experts break down everything to watch this weekend plus offer some predictions for this year’s tournament.
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Top storylines | Toughest road
Must-watch players
Under-the-radar teams | Predictions
1. What are you most excited about for this year’s regionals?
Chris Burke: Let’s go! Regionals are here, and there are a couple of incredible, super intriguing, Day 1 matchups that have me fired up. Wake Forest vs. Kentucky is a matchup of two of the best aces in this field: Chris Levonas (Wake) vs. Jaxon Jelkin (UK). Levonas is top-10 in the country in K’s and Jelkin has been a giant killer for the Cats. Expect this game to be one of the best pitching duels of the weekend. The other matchup I’ll be dialed in on is Ole Miss vs. Arizona State. Ole Miss has one of the most talented pitching staffs in the country, and Arizona State has a top-10 offense and is led by Landon Harrison, the Big 12 player of the year and should-be Golden Spikes finalist. It’s a 2-seed vs. 3-seed, but both of these teams could win the Lincoln Regional.
Mike Rooney: The selection committee seeded teams 17-32 in 2026, and that made a world of difference. This bracket has balance and a fresh feel that is awesome. I love the Pac-12 revival weekend happening in Eugene with Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State. And the scenes in Lawrence, Morgantown and Lincoln should be epic. Potential pitching matchups like Jelkin vs. Levonas and Dylan Volantis (Texas) vs. Jackson Flora (UC Santa Barbara) are must-see television. One more appetizer: Hunter Elliott (Ole Miss) and his 2022 national championship ring will likely face ASU’s Landon Hairston on Friday night. A legendary pitcher vs. “Harry Bonds.”
David Dellucci: The committee did an impressive job narrowing nearly 300 baseball teams down to a competitive and balanced 64-team bracket. Bubble teams were rewarded for tough nonconference schedules and victories against other teams that made the NCAA tournament. The committee also used additional metrics like KPI and DSR instead of just relying on RPI. The selection process is never flawless, but this first round promises to be full of excitement. Now that the field is set, will UCLA go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country?
Kiley McDaniel: From my draft-focused lens, the top two seeds, UCLA and Georgia Tech, are both loaded with pro talent. Can these favored teams with tons of early-round prospects perform at the level of their talent? These teams will get a lot of attention, because they also have the two top college prospects in the 2026 draft, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.
2. Which regional has the toughest road to Omaha?
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Can Tennessee use elite pitching to escape the Chapel Hill Regional?
Burke: For a top-five seed, North Carolina drew a loaded field. Tennessee, which really finished strong, and East Carolina, which went 1-1-1 vs. the Tar Heels this season, are both programs with a ton of postseason pedigree. And 4-seed VCU is a familiar opponent that won’t be intimidated by playing at the Bosh. Buckle up if you’re a Tar Heels fan, because this is going to be an exciting weekend!
Rooney: If the Tar Heels advance to Omaha, they will have earned it. Tennessee is one of the more dangerous 2-seeds in the tournament, and 3-seed ECU is in the regionals for the 10th time in 11 years. 4-seed VCU created havoc in the 2024 Greenville Regional by defeating Wake Forest in its opening game — that Demon Deacons team had three top-10 picks including reigning AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. Finally, teams like Texas A&M or USC could await UNC in a super regional. In other words, a top-five offense or a top five-pitching staff. Buckle up.
Dellucci: Good news for Kansas: It’s hosting its first regional in school history. The bad news? It faces a hot Northeastern team that has won 12 of its past 15 games. Also in its bracket is a dangerous Missouri State squad that slugged 104 home runs and boasts a deep pitching staff, and to top it off an Arkansas team that felt snubbed as a host comes into Hoglund Ballpark with a regular-season record of 17-13 and SEC tournament wins over Tennessee, Texas and Auburn.
McDaniel: Four hosts have tough regionals with two real threats to move on to the super regional: West Virginia (Wake Forest and Kentucky), North Carolina (Tennessee and East Carolina), Nebraska (Mississippi and Arizona State) and Auburn (UCF and NC State). Of that group, West Virginia and Nebraska have the toughest roads, but I think the Mountaineers have a slightly better squad, so Nebraska has the toughest road.
3. Which players should we be paying attention to?
Burke: Flora (UCSB) and Mason Edwards (USC) are the top two pitchers in the field. Edwards leads the country in strikeouts, and Flora leads in ERA (1.05) and will be a top-10 pick in this year’s MLB draft. From a hitting standpoint, dial in on Georgia, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. They have the top three offenses in the country. All three are loaded with power and athleticism, when you see them on don’t turn the channel.
Rooney: Three of the projected Golden Spikes Award finalists are in the field: Cholowsky (UCLA), Landon Hairston (Arizona State) and Daniel Jackson (Georgia). The catchers in this tournament include Jackson, Gavin Kelly (West Virginia), Ryder Helfrick (Arkansas), Lackey (Georgia Tech) and Carson Tinney (Texas). That might be the best set of backstops in college baseball in the past decade. Finally, the nation’s top four pitchers by ERA will be in play for regionals: Flora, Edwards, Caden Glauber (North Carolina) and Volantis, respectively. Stars, stars and more stars.
Dellucci: Besides the big names like Jackson, Hairston, Burress and Cholowsky, keep an eye on these three guys: Florida’s Blake Cyr (.337 13 HRs) is scorching hot, hitting .692 over his past three games with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and eight runs batted in. Edwards (1.43 ERA) is the nation’s strikeout leader (160 K’s) and may face a Texas A&M offense that averages nine runs per game, is batting .301 with 114 home runs, and has the third-fewest strikeouts in the SEC. Lastly, Lackey (.410, 18 home runs) is batting .645 in his past nine games and will need to continue his hot streak to protect Burress and Jarren Advincula in the Georgia Tech batting order.
McDaniel: One reason Arizona State is a dangerous team as a 3-seed is that it has arguably the best hitter in the country in Hairston, who leads the country in OPS (1.415) and was fourth with 28 homers. He would go in the top 10 and possibly the top five picks if he were eligible for the MLB draft this season. He’ll be eligible next season.
4. What under-the-radar teams could make a surprise run?
Burke: I think Oklahoma State is a 2-seed to watch! Led by Kollin Ritchie and his 29 homers, the Pokes are second in the country with 137 long balls. The Cowboys head to Alabama, which has been up and down this year. If they catch the Tide on a down weekend and ace Ethan Lund brings his best stuff, don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys in the supers.
Rooney: For the “under the radar” category, I restricted myself to 3-seeds and 4-seeds. Jacksonville State is CUSA’s double champion and this squad is top of mind. The offense is more about on-base percentage than slug, but the Gamecocks’ 116 doubles are significant. Their team batting average of .299 ranked 43rd nationally. This group is also tough to strike out and its 99 HBP reminds us that not all heroes wear capes. Left-hander Eli Pillsbury is the headliner on a pitching staff led by five seniors who pitch in prominent roles.
Dellucci: Jacksonville State is a dangerous 3-seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, sitting at 46-13. No strangers to lively atmospheres, the Gamecocks swept top-8 host Auburn in a home-and-away series and took Alabama to the wire twice, losing by one run in each contest. With 116 doubles to go along with that .299 batting average, Jax State ended the season by winning the Conference USA baseball tournament, run-ruling fellow NCAA tournament participant Liberty for the championship.
McDaniel: With LHP Cole Carlon back from an injury scare, Arizona State is a good candidate. Cincinnati has a tough matchup in Starkville, but is an underrated 2-seed with a real shot to spring an upset. I also think Oklahoma State is possibly the most dangerous 2-seed, playing at another SEC site in Tuscaloosa.
5. Give us one wild prediction for this year’s tourney!
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Bold SEC predictions on who advances on the Road to Omaha
Burke: My wild prediction is that we are going to have a bunch of regional Game 7s. It feels like there is a ton of parity in the sport, so I’m expecting plenty of drama on The Road to Omaha!
Rooney: The Big Ten has won three consecutive national titles in football. The league won both the men’s and women’s titles in basketball in 2026. But baseball has been the SEC’s party. The Southeastern Conference has won seven of the past eight Men’s College World Series. Given that fact, let’s walk before we run. The Big Ten has sent just three teams to the MCWS since the turn of the century: Indiana (2013), Michigan (2019) and UCLA (2025). Here’s the prediction: the Big Ten will occupy two of the eight spots in Omaha this June. UCLA is the No. 1 overall seed, and Oregon and Nebraska have earned the right to host regionals, but I also have a gut feel on the USC Trojans making a run. Put me down for two.
Dellucci: In the first round of the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament, seven host teams were knocked out in their own regionals. Despite the 2026 bracket being extremely balanced, I predict only four teams will end their season at home, setting up some historic super regional matchups.
McDaniel: 2-seed Oklahoma State makes a run to Omaha. Lund is the ace, there’s some depth to the staff, and the lineup is anchored by Ritchie, Alex Conover and Brock Thompson.
