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The field of 64 is set, and the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament begins this weekend with regional tournaments across the country.
UCF returns for the second time in three seasons but will head out-of-state for regionals for the first time in a quarter-century. The Knights (31-21), who won a program-record 19 games in the Big 12, are grouped with No. 4 national seed Auburn, North Carolina State and Milwaukee at Plainsman Park.
UCF opens double-elimination tournament action against N.C. State at 6 p.m. on May 29.
So, how far will the Knights go? Which national seeds are on upset alert? And who's gonna win the College World Series next month in Omaha?
The News-Journal's trio of Chris Boyle, Chris Vinel and Zach Allen are here to answer the important questions and provide their predictions for the NCAA Tournament.
Double elimination from Friday-Monday (May 29-June 1) at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama:
Friday's games
Saturday's games
Sunday's games
Monday's game
* If necessary
How far will UCF go — Auburn Regional final. With its head coach, Elliott Avent, announcing plans to retire prior to the NCAA Tournament, and its somewhat controversial inclusion despite underwhelming credentials, N.C. State uses some of that us-against-the-world mentality to upset UCF in the opening game. However, the Knights will bounce back with a win over Milwaukee and then send the Wolfpack packing before falling to host Auburn.
Upset alert — Oregon got an absolutely chaotic draw in the Eugene Regional with arch nemesis Oregon State and Washington State, the two jilted programs left in the Pac-12 rubble when most of the conference's members split for either the Big Ten or Big 12. Oregon State had a case to host a regional of its own, going 43-12 and finishing No. 7 in the D1Baseball and USA TODAY Coaches Polls. The Beavers split two head-to-head, midweek meetings with the Ducks, including a 10-6 win in Eugene on March 3. Oh, and they have the nation's best pitching staff in terms of ERA (3.29).
Dark horse — Texas earned the No. 6 national seed, but the selection committee did them no favors in sending UC Santa Barbara to Austin. Right-hander Jackson Flora leads the nation with a 1.05 ERA, and he is the No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline's 2026 draft board. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder touches triple digits with his fastball, sitting around 96-97 mph, and he has two variations of sliders with plus potential.
Tournament winner — Georgia Tech. When in doubt, take the team that leads the nation in offense. The Yellow Jackets mash to the tune of a .358 team batting average and .636 slugging percentage; both marks are best in the country. Catcher Vahn Lackey, outfielder Drew Burress and second baseman Jarren Advincula are all potential first-round MLB draft picks. The pitching staff might not be elite, but it's been good enough for a 48-9 record, ACC regular-season and tournament titles and the No. 2 national seed.
How far will UCF go — Auburn Regional final. The Knights have shown an ability to compete on the national stage. They reached No. 12 in the polls during the middle of the season and won seven of their 10 series in the Big 12. But Auburn's pitching staff ranks fourth in the country with a 3.45 ERA. In a Regional, where every game is crucial, those arms are scary.
Upset alert — Southern Miss. The No. 9 seed needs to watch out for Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks captured the Conference USA title with a 46-13 record and the No. 25 RPI. Their pitching staff ranks eighth nationally in ERA (3.77), and they're also top 50 in runs.
Dark horse — Let's stick with Jacksonville State. It beat No. 4 Auburn twice during the regular season, including one victory via a 15-4 mercy rule. The Gamecocks also played No. 7 Alabama to one-run losses twice. They can compete with anyone.
Tournament winner — I'm with Chris. Georgia Tech has scored 75 more runs than anyone else in the country at 616. It averages nearly 11 a game. Plus, it's not like the Yellow Jackets were doing this against scrubs. They're battle-tested, sitting No. 2 in the country in RPI after claiming the ACC crown.
How far UCF will go — Auburn Regional final. UCF has been a pesky squad that earned a spot in the polls after consecutive series wins over Oklahoma State, TCU, Arizona and, most notably, West Virginia, an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Knights will get past N.C. State in the first round with a pitching staff that ranks No. 26 in the country in ERA (4.37), while the Wolfpack rank 121st (5.63) in the same metric. The hosting Tigers will be too much with the home crowd and one of the nation's best rotations, but expect the Knights to keep it close.
Upset alert— Florida. The Gators have been one of the most unpredictable teams all season. Florida is entirely capable of winning the whole thing with an impressive 15-7 record against ranked opponents, including a 10-2 away mark with sweeps of No. 12 Florida State and No. 4 Arkansas. But the Gators are actually more prone to losing to unranked teams as their 23-12 mark has a lower winning percentage (.657) than their .681 tally against ranked opponents. Florida lost a series to High Point, both nonconference games against Jacksonville and a home game to Bethune-Cookman. That could cause problems in a bracket with unranked, but dangerous, Miami and Troy.
Dark horse — UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos got one of the easier draws in the Austin Regional, ranked as the third-easiest by average RPI. Chris Boyle already went over UCSB's pitching staff, which combines for the No. 5 ERA in all of Division I baseball (3.45) and is the reason it's my dark horse selection. The Gauchos also have one of the best wins in the country with a 4-0 victory over No. 1 UCLA on April 14.
Tournament winner — UCLA. It's not an exciting pick, but it's hard to argue against a team that is 51-6 and won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. If that wasn't enough, the Bruins are No. 1 in ERA and top 30 in on-base percentage in the country.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NCAA baseball tournament predictions, Auburn Regional picks
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UCF returns for the second time in three seasons but will head out-of-state for regionals for the first time in a quarter-century. The Knights (31-21), who won a program-record 19 games in the Big 12, are grouped with No. 4 national seed Auburn, North Carolina State and Milwaukee at Plainsman Park.
UCF opens double-elimination tournament action against N.C. State at 6 p.m. on May 29.
So, how far will the Knights go? Which national seeds are on upset alert? And who's gonna win the College World Series next month in Omaha?
The News-Journal's trio of Chris Boyle, Chris Vinel and Zach Allen are here to answer the important questions and provide their predictions for the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn Regional bracket, schedule
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Double elimination from Friday-Monday (May 29-June 1) at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama:
Friday's games
- Game 1: Auburn vs. Milwaukee, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
- Game 2: UCF vs. N.C. State, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday's games
- Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, TBD
- Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, TBD
Sunday's games
- Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3, TBD
- Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, TBD
Monday's game
- Game 7: Rematch of Game 6*, TBD
* If necessary
Chris Boyle's NCAA baseball tournament predictions
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How far will UCF go — Auburn Regional final. With its head coach, Elliott Avent, announcing plans to retire prior to the NCAA Tournament, and its somewhat controversial inclusion despite underwhelming credentials, N.C. State uses some of that us-against-the-world mentality to upset UCF in the opening game. However, the Knights will bounce back with a win over Milwaukee and then send the Wolfpack packing before falling to host Auburn.
Upset alert — Oregon got an absolutely chaotic draw in the Eugene Regional with arch nemesis Oregon State and Washington State, the two jilted programs left in the Pac-12 rubble when most of the conference's members split for either the Big Ten or Big 12. Oregon State had a case to host a regional of its own, going 43-12 and finishing No. 7 in the D1Baseball and USA TODAY Coaches Polls. The Beavers split two head-to-head, midweek meetings with the Ducks, including a 10-6 win in Eugene on March 3. Oh, and they have the nation's best pitching staff in terms of ERA (3.29).
Dark horse — Texas earned the No. 6 national seed, but the selection committee did them no favors in sending UC Santa Barbara to Austin. Right-hander Jackson Flora leads the nation with a 1.05 ERA, and he is the No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline's 2026 draft board. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder touches triple digits with his fastball, sitting around 96-97 mph, and he has two variations of sliders with plus potential.
Tournament winner — Georgia Tech. When in doubt, take the team that leads the nation in offense. The Yellow Jackets mash to the tune of a .358 team batting average and .636 slugging percentage; both marks are best in the country. Catcher Vahn Lackey, outfielder Drew Burress and second baseman Jarren Advincula are all potential first-round MLB draft picks. The pitching staff might not be elite, but it's been good enough for a 48-9 record, ACC regular-season and tournament titles and the No. 2 national seed.
Chris Vinel's NCAA baseball tournament predictions
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How far will UCF go — Auburn Regional final. The Knights have shown an ability to compete on the national stage. They reached No. 12 in the polls during the middle of the season and won seven of their 10 series in the Big 12. But Auburn's pitching staff ranks fourth in the country with a 3.45 ERA. In a Regional, where every game is crucial, those arms are scary.
Upset alert — Southern Miss. The No. 9 seed needs to watch out for Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks captured the Conference USA title with a 46-13 record and the No. 25 RPI. Their pitching staff ranks eighth nationally in ERA (3.77), and they're also top 50 in runs.
Dark horse — Let's stick with Jacksonville State. It beat No. 4 Auburn twice during the regular season, including one victory via a 15-4 mercy rule. The Gamecocks also played No. 7 Alabama to one-run losses twice. They can compete with anyone.
Tournament winner — I'm with Chris. Georgia Tech has scored 75 more runs than anyone else in the country at 616. It averages nearly 11 a game. Plus, it's not like the Yellow Jackets were doing this against scrubs. They're battle-tested, sitting No. 2 in the country in RPI after claiming the ACC crown.
Zach Allen's NCAA baseball tournament predictions
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How far UCF will go — Auburn Regional final. UCF has been a pesky squad that earned a spot in the polls after consecutive series wins over Oklahoma State, TCU, Arizona and, most notably, West Virginia, an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Knights will get past N.C. State in the first round with a pitching staff that ranks No. 26 in the country in ERA (4.37), while the Wolfpack rank 121st (5.63) in the same metric. The hosting Tigers will be too much with the home crowd and one of the nation's best rotations, but expect the Knights to keep it close.
Upset alert— Florida. The Gators have been one of the most unpredictable teams all season. Florida is entirely capable of winning the whole thing with an impressive 15-7 record against ranked opponents, including a 10-2 away mark with sweeps of No. 12 Florida State and No. 4 Arkansas. But the Gators are actually more prone to losing to unranked teams as their 23-12 mark has a lower winning percentage (.657) than their .681 tally against ranked opponents. Florida lost a series to High Point, both nonconference games against Jacksonville and a home game to Bethune-Cookman. That could cause problems in a bracket with unranked, but dangerous, Miami and Troy.
Dark horse — UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos got one of the easier draws in the Austin Regional, ranked as the third-easiest by average RPI. Chris Boyle already went over UCSB's pitching staff, which combines for the No. 5 ERA in all of Division I baseball (3.45) and is the reason it's my dark horse selection. The Gauchos also have one of the best wins in the country with a 4-0 victory over No. 1 UCLA on April 14.
Tournament winner — UCLA. It's not an exciting pick, but it's hard to argue against a team that is 51-6 and won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. If that wasn't enough, the Bruins are No. 1 in ERA and top 30 in on-base percentage in the country.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NCAA baseball tournament predictions, Auburn Regional picks
Continue reading...
