NCAA Regionals Review
Ten Southeastern Conference teams made the NCAA tournament, but only two advanced to the Super Regionals. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt both went undefeated in the opening weekend of the tournament. Vanderbilt hosts Stanford this weekend in Nashville, while Ole Miss travels to take on the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.
The Rebels knocked off Jacksonville State, 12-2, in their opening game, dominating the Gamecocks right from the start. Ole Miss twice defeated Washington in the following two days.
The Rebels won the first matchup, 2-1, thanks to a home run from center fielder Austin Bousfield. In the rematch, Ole Miss first baseman Sikes Orvis hit a go-ahead RBI triple in the top of the tenth inning to give the Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Huskies. Orvis later was named MVP of the Oxford Regional.
Vanderbilt defeated Xavier, 11-0, in its opening game, and the Commodores followed that up with a 7-2 win over Oregon. The ‘Dores played the Ducks in a rematch, with Vandy edging past Oregon with a 3-2 victory.
Eight SEC teams saw their seasons come to a close, including top seeds Florida, South Carolina and LSU. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Kentucky also lost.
Alabama lost its opening game to Kennesaw State but responded with an upset win over top-seeded Florida State. The Crimson Tide then defeated Georgia Southern to earn a rematch against Kennesaw State, which they won 4-1. Unfortunately, Alabama had to defeat the Owls again to advance, and Kennesaw State won their third meeting, 4-2, on a questionable third strike call to end the game. Alabama finished the year at 37-24.
LSU lost twice at home to Houston, while Florida lost at home to both College of Charleston and North Carolina. South Car-olina lost twice at home to Maryland. Both Texas A&M and Kentucky were ousted by rivals Texas and Louisville, respectively. Mississippi State dropped two straight games to Louisiana-Lafayette, while Arkansas lost two games to Virginia.
Super Regionals Preview
The Super Regionals are a best of three series featuring the 16 remaining teams. The winner of each Super Regionals advances to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Super Regional Matchups (home team listed first)
Oklahoma State vs. UC- Irvine
Winner: Oklahoma State 2-1
Texas vs. Houston
Winner: Texas 2-1
Louisville vs. Kennesaw State
Winner: Louisville 2-0
Vanderbilt vs. Stanford
Winner: Vanderbilt 2-0
Texas Tech vs. College of Charleston
Winner: College of Charleston 2-1
TCU vs. Pepperdine
Winner: TCU 2-0
Louisiana Lafayette vs. Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 2-1
Virginia vs. Maryland
Winner: Virginia 2-0