NCAA Baseball Tournament Pathways Diverge for UCLA and USC
UCLA and USC have found themselves on strikingly different trajectories as they head into the College World Series, following the announcement of the regional brackets on Monday.
UCLA, unsurprisingly, achieved the top spot in the rankings, having clinched both the Big Ten Conference regular season and tournament championships, positioning them as the No. 1 overall seed.
Conversely, the Trojans were not afforded the same recognition. Despite an admirable No. 9 ranking in the RPI, USC was overlooked as a regional host school, unlike their counterparts at UCLA.
The Trojans’ defeat to the Bruins in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament proved pivotal; historically, the highest eight RPI teams have hosted the regional tournament in 223 out of 224 instances since 1999, a staggering 99.6% success rate.
“It’s uncommon not to host with our RPI,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz commented, although he added, “What can we do? We can’t dwell on it. We need to prepare for Texas.”
USC (43-15) will compete against Texas State (36-24) in the College Station Regional this Friday at 6 p.m. PDT, with the game set to air on ESPN+. Earlier that day, host Texas A&M (39-14), the No. 12 national seed, will face Lamar (34-25).
The absence of a home advantage affects USC significantly, given their impressive home record of 32-1 compared to 10-13 on the road, compounded by their struggle against top-tier teams, having recorded just a single win out of 11 attempts in Quad 1 games.
“We fell short when we probably shouldn’t have. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” said Stankiewicz. “We’ll go where we’re sent.”
On the other hand, UCLA (51-6) will kick off their tournament at home, coming off a historically successful regular season. They are set to face West Coast Conference champions Saint Mary’s (34-25) in their opening game on Friday at noon, broadcasted on ESPNU.
The regional also features Caltech and Virginia Tech, but it’s clear that UCLA will be a formidable opponent, showcasing resilience with 28 come-from-behind victories this season.
However, they’ll be without center fielder Will Gasparino, who has a .316 batting average, 19 home runs, and 62 RBIs due to a one-game suspension for an ejection related to a collision with an Oregon player.
If the Bruins advance to the Super Regional, they’ll face the winner from the Morgantown Regional, which includes No. 16 West Virginia, Wake Forest, Kentucky, and Binghamton.
UCLA is also awaiting the return of their ace, Logan Redman, who hasn’t pitched since April 17 due to an arm strain. Coach Jon Savage mentioned last week that Redman could potentially return to the bullpen during the tournament, though he didn’t pitch in the Bruins’ recent games.
Aiming for another College World Series appearance, UCLA is highly motivated, while USC seeks to return to Omaha for the first time since 2001. With a noteworthy starting pitcher duo in Mason Edwards and Grant Goebel, who have a combined record of 18-2, the Trojans are seen as a clever pick to advance past their division.
USC is certainly showing signs of progress, making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in over two decades.
“Since our arrival four years ago, we’ve built something solid,” Stankiewicz noted. “Every year has seen improvement, which is a key measure for any program. Are we getting better? Are we becoming more competitive?”
Yet, Stankiewicz has even loftier goals in mind, considering USC’s rich history of claiming 12 national titles, more than any other team in collegiate baseball.
“I came into this position with a clear understanding of the expectations here. I’m proud of our players and our staff, but I also realize that this program is built to win national titles, not just reach the regionals. However, we need to make it to the regionals first to have a shot at Omaha,” he said.
