The opening day of baseball for the 2026 NCAA Tournament isn’t quite finished, as three games have been rescheduled for Saturday due to rain delays.
However, enough games took place to draw some interesting early insights.
Georgia Tech’s Offense Shines
Entering the NCAA Tournament as the second overall seed, Georgia Tech boasted one of the top offenses in the country and its program’s history.
On Friday, their potential became evident.
After a 2-0 loss to UIC early in the day, the Yellow Jackets turned things around, dominating with a 22-5 victory in their next game. In that match, five hitters, including Parker Brocious, Carson Kearse, Van Lackey, Jalen Advincula, and Alex Hernandez—who hit three homers—led the charge. Georgia Tech amassed 22 runs on 22 hits, with nearly all the starters contributing at least one hit.
Interestingly, the only starter without a hit was Drew Burress, who recently became the all-time single-season home run leader for the program. He’s likely to show up on the stat sheet soon, though.
As for the Yellow Jackets’ next matchup? Well, we’ll have to wait and see. The weather has already delayed the game between The Citadel and Oklahoma, but with such a powerful lineup, Georgia Tech seems poised for a deep run.
Georgia Tech Isn’t Alone
While Georgia Tech’s offense took center stage, they weren’t the only team to impress on Friday.
Texas, ranked sixth overall, capitalized on their momentum against Holy Cross, accumulating 21 hits for a decisive 19-1 victory—highlighted by home runs from Aiden Robbins, Anthony Pack Jr., and Jayden Duplantier.
Alabama, holding the seventh seed, also shone bright, putting up 21 runs in a 21-3 rout of Alabama State. The Crimson Tide racked up 15 hits, with Bryce Fowler, Justin LeBron (who might be a top-10 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft), Brady Neal, and Luke Bourne hitting homers. Fowler even tripled during the game, which started off tightly at 3-2 but expanded dramatically after Alabama scored six runs in the fourth.
Oregon was another team to watch. Many expected them to challenge 2025 All-American Jake Orman, as the selection committee didn’t do them any favors by placing them alongside Oregon and Washington State, not to mention Yale. Yet, the Ducks faced Orman directly and capitalized, scoring five runs in the first four innings and adding eight more in the eighth. The final score: Oregon 14, Yale 2, with designated hitter Nauribou Rauaki sealing the game with a homer.
Note: At the time of this article, Georgia State holds an 18-1 lead against Long Island, so they could join this offensive party as well. They’ve already notched nine homers, with Brennan Hudson and Ryan Wynn each contributing two.
In this tournament format, 64 teams are split into 16 double-elimination brackets, with each team seeded from one to four within their respective regions. This allowed for 16 matchups on Friday, featuring top teams as ranked by the committee.
We’re still waiting on the outcome of the Georgia vs. Long Island game, which was postponed, but four No. 4 seeds faced surprising defeats on Friday.
St. John’s edged out Florida State with a close 6-5 score, while Little Rock triumphed over Southern Miss 7-4. But the most striking upsets came later. Milwaukee shocked Auburn by building an early 10-0 lead before ultimately winning 13-8. This defeat means Auburn joins a select group of teams, becoming the sixth top-four national seed to lose their regional opener.
A few hours afterward, UCLA faced a similar fate, having entered the tournament as the top-ranked team, only to fall to St. Mary’s 3-2. This marked a noteworthy moment for the Bruins, as they became the first No. 1 overall seed to lose in a regional opener in NCAA Tournament history.
Jacksonville State Surprises
When the Field of 64 was revealed on Monday, many were taken aback by Jacksonville State’s placement as a third seed. With a solid 46-13 record in Conference USA and a respectable RPI of 25, the committee’s decision seemed a bit puzzling, possibly due to scheduling considerations.
This led to a matchup in Virginia with the second seed from the Hattiesburg area.
The Jaguars wasted no time, scoring two runs in the second inning, adding two in the third, and racking up five in the fifth to secure a 15-7 win. Caleb Johnson went 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs, while Brady Thomas also shined, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.
With Southern Miss falling to Little Rock, Jacksonville State is now set to face the No. 4 seed on Saturday, with the opportunity for a future super regional in the cards.
