What D1Baseball thinks the postseason race looks like.
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• For now, I view the top eight seed situation like this. Here are you top-eight seed absolute locks at the moment: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Texas, Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Arizona. Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Texas are pretty self-explanatory, while Notre Dame will certainly cause some discussion. The Fighting Irish lost just one series in ACC play this spring, but also don’t have a single win vs. an RPI Top 25 team. Remember, the impact of the RPI is diminished a great deal this season, especially for teams like the Fighting Irish, which were unable to play many non-conference games. Still, Notre Dame dominated the ACC and should be a top-eight seed. Mississippi State won 20 SEC games and finished a sweep over Alabama this weekend, and Arizona clinched its first Pac 12 regular season crown since 2012 with a win over Oregon State on Sunday The Bulldogs should be in the top eight. That leaves one top-eight seed left to fill with Oregon, TCU, Texas Tech and let’s throw East Carolina into the mix for good measure. Stanford also could get into the discussion with a strong showing the final weekend of the regular season, along with some help elsewhere.
• In terms of the other Top 16 seeds, these teams are locks to be regional hosts, at least in my eyes: Oregon, TCU, Texas Tech, East Carolina, Florida, Ole Miss, Stanford and, likely, Gonzaga. The Zags won a series over San Francisco this weekend and continue to play at a high level. That would leave one spot with teams such as Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi, Charlotte and South Carolina in the mix. The pecking order of those three Conference USA teams will likely hinge on who plays the best in the conference tournament next week in Ruston. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks were a hit or two away from taking a home series from Tennessee that likely would’ve put them in position to host. Even with that, the Gamecocks have a strong shot to host with an RPI of 13 and a standing just one game behind Florida. The Gamecocks just need to avoid going one and done in Hoover. My feeling as of right now? Charlotte and South Carolina in that order, but very much to be determined. Stay tuned.
— The Red Raiders got a scare in one game against Kansas this weekend in Lubbock but bounced back in a big way to take the series finale. Tech finished the regular season three games behind Texas Tech and TCU in the league standings, but its RPI of 7 and a head-to-head series win over TCU could loom large. Ultimately, I would give a slight edge to the Red Raiders, but next week’s conference tournament could be the deciding factor.
10. Oregon
— The Ducks won the series opener against Stanford before dropping the second game on Saturday. UO is still squarely in the mix to get the Pac 12’s top-eight seed, but it will need to find a way to edge out Arizona for the Pac 12 regular season crown. Remember, the Ducks lost the head-to-head series against the Wildcats.
11. Florida
— Well, the Gators’ top-eight seed chances are finished after losing all three games to Arkansas over the weekend, but they’ll still be a host and one of the Top 16 seeds. UF’s RPI is down to 21 with a 17-13 league record. UF could’ve gotten back into the top-eight discussion with a series win over the Hogs.
12. East Carolina
— The Pirates are still in excellent shape to be a Top 16 seed, but it’s hard to view them as a contender for a top-eight seed with three series splits in American Athletic Conference play, including a series split against South Florida — which has a losing record — this weekend.
13. Ole Miss
— There’s no doubt the Rebels’ stock is on an upward trend right now. Ole Miss took a home series against Vanderbilt last weekend before hitting the road this weekend and taking two of three from Georgia. The Rebels won 18 SEC games in the regular season and could jump into the top-eight mix with an incredible showing in Hoover.
14. Stanford
— The Cardinal dropped the series finale to Oregon on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday with an impressive win. Stanford is still in strong shape to be a Top 16 seed with a terrific overall record and solid RPI. Dave Esquer’s club probably won’t move around much from this spot.
15. Gonzaga — TBD
16. Louisiana Tech
— The Bulldogs played a two-game weekend series against Old Dominion this weekend and lost both games. The RPI is still an issue here, and Tech will need to play well in the Conference USA tournament at home next week to be a Top 16 seed.
• South Carolina had a chance to take a home series from Tennessee today and put itself in a strong spot to be a Top 16 seed on Selection Monday. However, the Volunteers prevailed, and the Gamecocks have some work to do in Hoover with a 16-14 league record. With that said, they still have a lucrative RPI of 13.
• Charlotte was down to its final out in a home series rubber match against UNC Wilmington but got a base-clearing hit to beat the Seahawks 15-14 and to take the series. That series win might’ve saved Charlotte’s hosting chances. The Niners still need to play well in Ruston but are sitting in solid shape with an RPI of 18.
• Pittsburgh as a potential host seems like ancient history at this point. The Panthers got swept by Wake Forest this weekend and are completely out of the mix for a host site after dropping to 51 in the RPI. The Panthers are 16-17 in the ACC and will need a solid showing in Charlotte just to make the NCAA tournament.
• We mentioned this last night, but Southern Miss is off this weekend to prepare for the Conference USA tournament.
Sunday D1 Digest: Postseason Stock Report • D1Baseball
The final weekend of the regular season is done for most, and we take a quick look at the Top 8, Top 16, regional host and bubble races.
• For now, I view the top eight seed situation like this. Here are you top-eight seed absolute locks at the moment: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Texas, Notre Dame, Mississippi State and Arizona. Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Texas are pretty self-explanatory, while Notre Dame will certainly cause some discussion. The Fighting Irish lost just one series in ACC play this spring, but also don’t have a single win vs. an RPI Top 25 team. Remember, the impact of the RPI is diminished a great deal this season, especially for teams like the Fighting Irish, which were unable to play many non-conference games. Still, Notre Dame dominated the ACC and should be a top-eight seed. Mississippi State won 20 SEC games and finished a sweep over Alabama this weekend, and Arizona clinched its first Pac 12 regular season crown since 2012 with a win over Oregon State on Sunday The Bulldogs should be in the top eight. That leaves one top-eight seed left to fill with Oregon, TCU, Texas Tech and let’s throw East Carolina into the mix for good measure. Stanford also could get into the discussion with a strong showing the final weekend of the regular season, along with some help elsewhere.
• In terms of the other Top 16 seeds, these teams are locks to be regional hosts, at least in my eyes: Oregon, TCU, Texas Tech, East Carolina, Florida, Ole Miss, Stanford and, likely, Gonzaga. The Zags won a series over San Francisco this weekend and continue to play at a high level. That would leave one spot with teams such as Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi, Charlotte and South Carolina in the mix. The pecking order of those three Conference USA teams will likely hinge on who plays the best in the conference tournament next week in Ruston. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks were a hit or two away from taking a home series from Tennessee that likely would’ve put them in position to host. Even with that, the Gamecocks have a strong shot to host with an RPI of 13 and a standing just one game behind Florida. The Gamecocks just need to avoid going one and done in Hoover. My feeling as of right now? Charlotte and South Carolina in that order, but very much to be determined. Stay tuned.
REGIONAL HOSTS
9. Texas Tech— The Red Raiders got a scare in one game against Kansas this weekend in Lubbock but bounced back in a big way to take the series finale. Tech finished the regular season three games behind Texas Tech and TCU in the league standings, but its RPI of 7 and a head-to-head series win over TCU could loom large. Ultimately, I would give a slight edge to the Red Raiders, but next week’s conference tournament could be the deciding factor.
10. Oregon
— The Ducks won the series opener against Stanford before dropping the second game on Saturday. UO is still squarely in the mix to get the Pac 12’s top-eight seed, but it will need to find a way to edge out Arizona for the Pac 12 regular season crown. Remember, the Ducks lost the head-to-head series against the Wildcats.
11. Florida
— Well, the Gators’ top-eight seed chances are finished after losing all three games to Arkansas over the weekend, but they’ll still be a host and one of the Top 16 seeds. UF’s RPI is down to 21 with a 17-13 league record. UF could’ve gotten back into the top-eight discussion with a series win over the Hogs.
12. East Carolina
— The Pirates are still in excellent shape to be a Top 16 seed, but it’s hard to view them as a contender for a top-eight seed with three series splits in American Athletic Conference play, including a series split against South Florida — which has a losing record — this weekend.
13. Ole Miss
— There’s no doubt the Rebels’ stock is on an upward trend right now. Ole Miss took a home series against Vanderbilt last weekend before hitting the road this weekend and taking two of three from Georgia. The Rebels won 18 SEC games in the regular season and could jump into the top-eight mix with an incredible showing in Hoover.
14. Stanford
— The Cardinal dropped the series finale to Oregon on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday with an impressive win. Stanford is still in strong shape to be a Top 16 seed with a terrific overall record and solid RPI. Dave Esquer’s club probably won’t move around much from this spot.
15. Gonzaga — TBD
16. Louisiana Tech
— The Bulldogs played a two-game weekend series against Old Dominion this weekend and lost both games. The RPI is still an issue here, and Tech will need to play well in the Conference USA tournament at home next week to be a Top 16 seed.
• South Carolina had a chance to take a home series from Tennessee today and put itself in a strong spot to be a Top 16 seed on Selection Monday. However, the Volunteers prevailed, and the Gamecocks have some work to do in Hoover with a 16-14 league record. With that said, they still have a lucrative RPI of 13.
• Charlotte was down to its final out in a home series rubber match against UNC Wilmington but got a base-clearing hit to beat the Seahawks 15-14 and to take the series. That series win might’ve saved Charlotte’s hosting chances. The Niners still need to play well in Ruston but are sitting in solid shape with an RPI of 18.
• Pittsburgh as a potential host seems like ancient history at this point. The Panthers got swept by Wake Forest this weekend and are completely out of the mix for a host site after dropping to 51 in the RPI. The Panthers are 16-17 in the ACC and will need a solid showing in Charlotte just to make the NCAA tournament.
• We mentioned this last night, but Southern Miss is off this weekend to prepare for the Conference USA tournament.
