It was another successful season for the Hook C. Jim Penders and UConn are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time this decade and third time in four seasons after a 36-22 regular season and a runner-up finish in the American Athletic Conference tournament. Now the Huskies are in Oklahoma City as the two-seed in the Stillwater region (the devastating storms across Oklahoma forced the site to be moved to OKC), as one of three teams from Connecticut in the tournament, along with Central Connecticut State and Quinnipiac.
As the Huskies look to get to its first College World Series since 1979, here are the teams in the regional and (with any luck) Super Regional they’ll have to go through:
Oklahoma State:
The Cowboys earned the right to host, receiving the 9th of 16 national seeds. The Pokes went 36-18 in the regular season, winning the Big 12 Tournament last weekend in OKC, at the same Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark the regional this weekend will be played. Oklahoma State is red-hot, winning its final three series and four of its last five, including an impressive road sweep at Oregon State. Colin Simpson, Trevor Boone and Andrew Navigato (46 combined home runs) form a formidable middle of the order.
Nebraska:
The Huskies open NCAA Tournament play on Friday against the third-seeded Huskers. Nebraska is 31-22 on the year and coached by former major leaguer Darin Erstad. They don’t hit the ball overly well, with a .256 team average and 33 home runs, but they have an ace in Nate Fisher (7-3, 2.88 ERA) and a very good number two in Matt Waldron (6-4, 3.11).
Harvard:
It’s likely that the loser of UConn-Nebraska will look to stay alive in the tournament against the Crimson, barring an upset of the top-seeded Cowboys. Harvard is in its first NCAA Tournament since 2005. Ivy League Player of the Year Jake Suddleson leads the way, hitting .382 with 11 homers and setting a program record with 53 RBIs. First baseman Patrick McColl, meanwhile, slugged a dozen homers and batted .399 for the year.
Now, in many instances, watching your name pop-up on the selection show after such a drought would incite a near-riot in the team room. Alas, the Crimson had… well… basically the opposite of a raucous reaction upon hearing its name called.
Texas Tech:
Should UConn make it out of the Oklahoma City regional, a trip to Lubbock likely awaits. The Red Raiders are (obviously, given the location) the top-seed in the Lubbock region and eighth seed overall in the tournament. At 39-17 overall, Tech won its final four weekend series in the regular season and boasts a lethal lineup with three All-Big 12 First Team selections, including Co-Player of the Year and likely first-round MLB Draft pick Josh Jung (.332, 11 home runs, 53 RBIs, .471 on-base percentage).
On the hill, Caleb Kilian was also a first-team honoree (8-3, 3.89 ERA), but it’s the bullpen that really gets it done. Five different Red Raiders have sub-3.50 ERAs out of the pen – a rarity in college baseball – and closer Clayton Beeter has 38 strikeouts in just 19.1 innings of work.
Dallas Baptist:
The Patriots largely compete at the Division II level, but baseball is the exception. It’s the sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance for DBU, who won the Missouri Valley Conference in the regular season behind five first-team selections. Designated hitter Bryce Hall led the league with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs, outfielder Luke Bandy hit .350 for the year and shortstop Jimmy Glowenke batted .318 with five homers.
Florida:
Normally the Gators are a host-worthy team fighting for a top-eight seed, but this year they were battling just to make it into the tournament. A home loss on May 12 to Tennessee dropped the overall record to 30-23 and on the outside looking in. Then a sweep at Missouri changed everything, as the Tigers were among the first four teams out of the tournament, while the Gators snuck in.
Brady McConnell leads the team in average (.357), homers (15), RBIs (47) and slugging (.594), and the Gators can tee off, hitting 70 round-trippers on the season. The pitching staff, meanwhile, has a collective 5.22 ERA, with their best weekend starter sitting at 4.99 in Tommy Mace.
