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The Arizona State baseball team finished the season in third place in the Big 12, compiling a 37-19 overall record and a 19-11 record in the conference and showing a lot of power with its bats.
And yet, ASU baseball was only seeded as a No. 3 seed in its NCAA regional because of a low RPI.
How dangerous are the Sun Devils in the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament?
Check out what some college baseball writers are saying about coach Willie Bloomquist's team's chances in the Lincoln Regional against Nebraska, Ole Miss and South Dakota State, including one writer who calls Arizona State a "legitimate" contender for the 2026 College World Series.
ASU baseball begins its regional play against Ole Miss on Friday, May 29.
NCAA Baseball Tournament 2026: Regional predictions | Regional schedule/TV | Regional odds | College World Series odds | Tickets
Carter Bahns writes: "Haymarket Park is the place to be this weekend. A Nebraska fan base that has been aching to host a regional for the last 18 years is about to be unleashed. In addition to what promises to be an unforgettable environment, the baseball should be incredible. The only thing is, it might come at the Cornhuskers' expense. They are every bit deserving of a national seed in what has been their best campaign in ages, but Ole Miss and Arizona State are legitimate College World Series contenders. The Rebels' pitching staff is phenomenal, and so is the Sun Devils' offense. Landon Hairston, with his .413 batting average and 28 home runs, will be the best player in the regional. His supporting cast absolutely mashes, too."
Jacob Rudner writes: "Nebraska drew such a difficult regional that it might not even qualify as a true upset if the Cornhuskers fail to advance. Toward the end of the regular season, we identified Arizona State and Ole Miss as arguably the two most dangerous non-host teams in the entire field, clubs capable of making legitimate championship runs despite being sent on the road. Somehow, both ended up in Lincoln. And the challenge hardly stops there. Four-seed Northeastern has been one of the steadiest one-bid league representatives in the country and enters the tournament fully capable of making life uncomfortable for anyone in the bracket. That is an absolutely brutal draw for a host. Nebraska earned the right to play at home. It just might not have received much of a reward for doing so."
Who wins? Lincoln Regional picks, predictions for NCAA Baseball Tournament 2026
Mark Schofield writes: "When the Sun Devils were announced as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln region, many were surprised. Including the bright minds at Baseball America. In their rankings of all 64 teams in the tournament, they placed Arizona State at No. 14 overall, the highest of any team in the Lincoln Regional. The Sun Devils are led offensively by sophomore Landon Hairston, one of the semifinalists for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award. Hairston enters the NCAA tournament among baseball’s leaders in several offensive categories, including batting average (.413, fifth in the nation), hits (92, tied for fifth), on-base percentage (.518, tenth in the nation), home runs (28, tied for fourth in the nation), and slugging percentage (.897, best in the nation). But this is a lineup that can hit from top-to-bottom, as the Sun Devils have the sixth-best batting average as a team in the nation, as well as the sixth-best slugging percentage as a team in the nation. They might be the No. 3 seed in their region, but this is a team that could truly make it to Omaha."
Taylor Hodges writes: "Nobody should be surprised if the Sun Devils leave Lincoln with the regional title. As good as Nebraska is at the plate and as good as Ole Miss is at hitting home runs, Arizona State is just as good if not better. … If the pitching gets hot and the offense plays at its average, Arizona State will be a very hard out this weekend."
How to watch: Lincoln Regional schedule, TV for Nebraska, Ole Miss, Arizona State
Jacob Rudner writes: "Ole Miss and Arizona State are two of the hardest-hitting teams in the country by average exit velocity. Both launch home runs in bunches and both lineups revolve around star-level bats: Landon Hairston, a legitimate Player of the Year contender for Arizona State, and Judd Utermark alongside Tristan Bissetta for Ole Miss. Both clubs also miss bats on the mound better than all but a handful of staffs nationally. Historically, teams built around power stuff and over-the-wall offense are the types most capable of generating postseason chaos. Nebraska just happened to draw two of them in the same regional."
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Sign up for azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State baseball 'legitimate' contender in 2026 Lincoln Regional
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And yet, ASU baseball was only seeded as a No. 3 seed in its NCAA regional because of a low RPI.
How dangerous are the Sun Devils in the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament?
Check out what some college baseball writers are saying about coach Willie Bloomquist's team's chances in the Lincoln Regional against Nebraska, Ole Miss and South Dakota State, including one writer who calls Arizona State a "legitimate" contender for the 2026 College World Series.
ASU baseball begins its regional play against Ole Miss on Friday, May 29.
NCAA Baseball Tournament 2026: Regional predictions | Regional schedule/TV | Regional odds | College World Series odds | Tickets
CBS Sports: ASU baseball 'legitimate' College World Series contender
Carter Bahns writes: "Haymarket Park is the place to be this weekend. A Nebraska fan base that has been aching to host a regional for the last 18 years is about to be unleashed. In addition to what promises to be an unforgettable environment, the baseball should be incredible. The only thing is, it might come at the Cornhuskers' expense. They are every bit deserving of a national seed in what has been their best campaign in ages, but Ole Miss and Arizona State are legitimate College World Series contenders. The Rebels' pitching staff is phenomenal, and so is the Sun Devils' offense. Landon Hairston, with his .413 batting average and 28 home runs, will be the best player in the regional. His supporting cast absolutely mashes, too."
Baseball America: Arizona State Sun Devils among 'most dangerous non-host teams' in NCAA Tournament
Jacob Rudner writes: "Nebraska drew such a difficult regional that it might not even qualify as a true upset if the Cornhuskers fail to advance. Toward the end of the regular season, we identified Arizona State and Ole Miss as arguably the two most dangerous non-host teams in the entire field, clubs capable of making legitimate championship runs despite being sent on the road. Somehow, both ended up in Lincoln. And the challenge hardly stops there. Four-seed Northeastern has been one of the steadiest one-bid league representatives in the country and enters the tournament fully capable of making life uncomfortable for anyone in the bracket. That is an absolutely brutal draw for a host. Nebraska earned the right to play at home. It just might not have received much of a reward for doing so."
Who wins? Lincoln Regional picks, predictions for NCAA Baseball Tournament 2026
SB Nation: Arizona State baseball can 'truly make it to Omaha'
Mark Schofield writes: "When the Sun Devils were announced as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln region, many were surprised. Including the bright minds at Baseball America. In their rankings of all 64 teams in the tournament, they placed Arizona State at No. 14 overall, the highest of any team in the Lincoln Regional. The Sun Devils are led offensively by sophomore Landon Hairston, one of the semifinalists for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award. Hairston enters the NCAA tournament among baseball’s leaders in several offensive categories, including batting average (.413, fifth in the nation), hits (92, tied for fifth), on-base percentage (.518, tenth in the nation), home runs (28, tied for fourth in the nation), and slugging percentage (.897, best in the nation). But this is a lineup that can hit from top-to-bottom, as the Sun Devils have the sixth-best batting average as a team in the nation, as well as the sixth-best slugging percentage as a team in the nation. They might be the No. 3 seed in their region, but this is a team that could truly make it to Omaha."
Hottytoddy.com: Don’t be surprised if Arizona State wins NCAA regional
Taylor Hodges writes: "Nobody should be surprised if the Sun Devils leave Lincoln with the regional title. As good as Nebraska is at the plate and as good as Ole Miss is at hitting home runs, Arizona State is just as good if not better. … If the pitching gets hot and the offense plays at its average, Arizona State will be a very hard out this weekend."
How to watch: Lincoln Regional schedule, TV for Nebraska, Ole Miss, Arizona State
Baseball America: Arizona State puts Nebraska on upset watch in Lincoln Regional
Jacob Rudner writes: "Ole Miss and Arizona State are two of the hardest-hitting teams in the country by average exit velocity. Both launch home runs in bunches and both lineups revolve around star-level bats: Landon Hairston, a legitimate Player of the Year contender for Arizona State, and Judd Utermark alongside Tristan Bissetta for Ole Miss. Both clubs also miss bats on the mound better than all but a handful of staffs nationally. Historically, teams built around power stuff and over-the-wall offense are the types most capable of generating postseason chaos. Nebraska just happened to draw two of them in the same regional."
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Sign up for azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State baseball 'legitimate' contender in 2026 Lincoln Regional
Continue reading...
