An initial look at the 2017 NCAA Baseball Championship…
›The field is set. With the tournament bracket now locked in, here a few numbers worth noting related to the breakdown of teams. The SEC led the way in tournament bids (8), while the ACC eclipsed every other league in host sites (5). These two power conferences reversed roles, trailing each other by one in those respective categories.
Here’s a full breakdown:
Teams: SEC (8), ACC & Big 12 (7), Big Ten (5), Pac 12 (4), American (3), Big East, Big West, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, Southland (2). All others received automatic bids only.
Hosts: ACC-5 (Clemson, FSU, Louisville, UNC, Wake), SEC-4 (Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, LSU), Big 12-2 (TCU, Texas Tech), Pac 12-2 (Oregon State, Stanford), American Athletic (Houston), Conference USA (Southern Miss), Big West (Long Beach St)
National Seeds: Oregon State, UNC, Florida, LSU, Texas Tech, TCU, Louisville, Stanford.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Coastal Carolina won the College World Series last year without hosting either preliminary round. (The Chanticleers traveled to both NC State and LSU)
- The Big 12 received just 3 total tournament bids last season, all three schools (Oklahoma St, TCU, Texas Tech) survived and advanced to Omaha.
- Only 2 of the last 13 National Champions were tabbed as top eight national seeds.
These little nuggets serve as a perfect bridge to First Glances’ next observation…
›Parity is real in college baseball. Only 4 of the 31 college baseball conferences crowned repeat champions this season. The sport has become so competitive that post-season staples like Miami (snapping a 44 year run simply known as “the streak”) and South Carolina (back to back national titles with three straight championship game appearances from 2010-12) were left out of the regional field and historically dominant programs like Arizona State (5-time national champions) and USC (12-time national champions) are finding it difficult to even finish in the top half of their league. In fact, three of last year’s Omaha eight, including the REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPS, are not even among the 64 NCAA Tournament participants this time around. Despite posting a 37-19 record and claiming the SunBelt’s regular season crown with 22 conference wins, last year’s playoff darlings from the Big South were left on the outside looking in after failing to win the league’s tournament. Though their new conference home was unkind, the Chanticleers impact may yet be felt in the post-season. It remains to be seen what lasting legacy Coastal Carolina’s improbable run to the title will have created for a newly confident crop of mid-majors still alive in 2017.
›Oregon State is a unanimous favorite to win the title. The top overall national seed closed out the season with just four losses total on the year. Pat Casey’s club ended an impressive campaign high atop both the RPI rankings and all five major collegiate polls. Oregon State dominated the rankings for the majority of the season as they steamrolled through the Pac12 Conference. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Beavers back to back titles in 2006 and 2007. Perhaps the post-sesaon magic will return for a club hungry to bring another trophy home to the fans in Corvallis.
›New Faces, Old Friends. Yale and Holy Cross will be making their return to the NCAA Tournament field after long absences. The Bulldogs twenty-four year hiatus marked the longest wait among Ivy League schools. Former champs from the tournament’s early years, Holy Cross, last made the field in 1978. In an immediate challenge, the Crusaders will be welcomed back by this year’s favorite to win the title, facing Oregon State in Corvallis on Friday. Also last appearing in the mid 1990’s, West Virginia and UNCG (former FSU star Link Jarrett’s club out of the Southern Conference), will making first tournament appearances of the new millennium. The only two first time clubs are Florida Gulf Coast and Davidson from the Atlantic Sun and Atlantic 10 respectively.
›Post-Season action begins this weekend around the country. The long awaited journey toward TD Ameritrade Park now has a clear path laid out in front of 64 clubs who will enter play with hopes and dreams still in tact. Games will be available across the ESPN family of networks as well as via the WatchESPN app. Let the games begin. Destination Omaha.