Tonight is Christmas Eve for the dedicated fans of college baseball. Tomorrow, 64 teams begin the quest that they hope will wind them up in TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. After this weekend, however, only 16 of those teams will remain.
Here's which 16 teams I think will advance to next weekend's super regionals:
Gainesville, Florida Regional
1. Florida
4. Bethune-Cookman
2. Georgia Tech
3. Connecticut
Prediction: Florida
The Gators have the most talented starting pitching in the entire country. Florida's pitching averages almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings. The top national seed Gators will use that deep rotation to cruise through to the super regionals.
Tallahassee, Florida Regional
1. Florida State
4. Alabama State
2. Southern Miss
3. South Alabama
Prediction: Florida State
The Seminoles have averaged over seven runs per contest throughout a brutal schedule in the ACC. Florida State won't win this regional with ease, but the Seminoles will prevail by the end of the weekend.
Raleigh, North Carolina Regional
1. North Carolina State
4. Navy
2. Coastal Carolina
3. St. Mary's
Prediction: Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers consistently make it into the field year-in and year-out, and I sincerely believe this is a year that Gary Gilmore's team will break into its third super regional since he's been the skipper. The Chanticleers' were second in the country this season in home runs with 89 on the year. That power will be on display this weekend and will allow for a super regional berth.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Regional
1. LSU
4. Utah Valley
2. Rice
3. Southeastern Louisiana
Prediction: LSU
The Tigers started off conference play with some growing pains after replacing eight of nine starters from last year's team. LSU has come on strong, and the Tigers have won 14 of their last 16 games.
Lubbock, Texas Regional
1. Texas Tech
4. Fairfield
2. Dallas Baptist
3. New Mexico
Prediction: Texas Tech
The Red Raiders dominated the Big 12 this season and are the only team outside of the SEC or ACC to earn a national seed. There might be some tight games in this regional, but Texas Tech will be the team to advance.
Charlottesville, Virginia Regional
1. Virginia
4. William & Mary
2. Bryant
3. East Carolina
Prediction: Virginia
I do think the defending national champions will have a difficult time making it to the super regionals, but it's hard to pick against a team that's made it to the championship series that past two seasons. The Cavaliers will have to beware of the two-seed Bryant, as the Bulldogs have been an exciting team to watch this season.
Fort Worth, Texas Regional
1. TCU
4. Oral Roberts
2. Arizona State
3. Gonzaga
Prediction: TCU
TCU has turned their game up a notch down the stretch, going 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Horned Frogs will be able to get the job done among this field if they take care of business in game one against Oral Roberts. However, I think Oral Roberts has the best shot among any of the four-seed teams in the tournament.
College Station, Texas Regional
1. Texas A&M
4. Binghamton
2. Minnesota
3. Wake Forest
Prediction: Texas A&M
The Aggies tore through the SEC Tournament in Hoover after losing their opener against Vanderbilt. This team is the real deal with a solid combination of pitching and hitting that's going to make the Aggies a real contender to dog pile again after winning another championship in Omaha.
Louisville, Kentucky Regional
1. Louisville
4. Western Michigan
2. Ohio State
3. Wright State
Prediction: Louisville
The Cardinals are behind just Florida with the second national seed. Like I said about Texas A&M, this team is another that's the absolute real deal. The Cardinals left the ACC Tournament a bit disappointed, but they return to play on the field where they lost just one game all season long.
Nashville, Tennessee Regional
1. Vanderbilt
4. Xavier
2. UC Santa Barbara
3. Washington
Prediction: Vanderbilt
The Commodores will welcome some unfamiliar foes from out west into the Music City this weekend. Vanderbilt's excellent pitching staff won't waste any time getting them into what will be an epic super regional against Louisville.
Columbia, South Carolina Regional
1. South Carolina
4. Rhode Island
2. UNC-Wilmington
3. Duke
Prediction: South Carolina
The Gamecocks suffered from their usual woes in Hoover again this season, going 0-2. Chad Holbrook will have to get his club swinging the bat like they did throughout the regular season. Clarke Schmidt and Braden Webb will need to get back to normal, and the Gamecocks will have to play better defense behind them than they did in the SEC Tournament.
Clemson, South Carolina Regional
1. Clemson
4. Western Carolina
2. Oklahoma State
3. Nebraska
Prediction: Clemson
The Tigers might be the hottest team in the country right now fresh off winning an ACC Championship. Monte Lee's team will need to focus on the task at hand, however, as this regional will present some challenges to the Tigers. At the end of the day, Clemson moves on to host bitter rival South Carolina in what will be an exciting rematch from the regular season in the form of a super regional.
Starkville, Mississippi Regional
1. Mississippi State
4. SE Missouri State
2. Cal State Fullerton
3. Louisiana Tech
Prediction: Mississippi State
The Bulldogs will have to conquer one of the best pitching staffs in the country in Cal State Fullerton, but the regular season SEC Champion will use their powerful offense that uses a great mix of veteran presence and freshman talent to move on to the super regionals.
Lafayette, Louisiana Regionals
1. Louisiana Lafayette
4. Princeton
2. Arizona
3. Sam Houston State
Prediction: Arizona
Arizona will utilize its talented pitching staff to pick a part a very interesting regional. The Cats are my pick in a toss-up between them and the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana Lafayette.
Oxford, Mississippi Regional
1. Ole Miss
4. Utah
2. Tulane
3. Boston College
Prediction: Tulane
This might be the toughest regional in the entire tournament. Ole Miss will have their hands full from the start with a Utah team that won the PAC-12's automatic bid by winning the regular season championship. Tulane will take this regional with some excellent performances on the mound. That being said, even Boston College has a chance to make noise in this regional. I'm sticking with the Green Wave, though.
Coral Gables, Florida Regional
1. Miami
4. Stetson
2. Florida Atlantic
3. Long Beach State
Prediction: Miami
The Hurricanes were in the conversation earlier in the season to be the top national seed. Miami stumbled a little bit, which isn't odd considering the tough competition they faced week-in and week-out in the ACC. The Hurricanes can win pitching duels and high-scoring games, and I'd be very surprised if they aren't a team that's bound for Omaha.
So there you have it with my predictions for each regional. I didn't make a bold "Stony Brook" pick this season, but this year's field will have some incredible games that we'll be reminiscing about for a long time.
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo this weekend for my thoughts on this weekend's action!
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