NCAA Baseball Tournament: Auburn receives No. 4 national seed, Tide headed to Hattiesburg

There were times over the weekend when it looked like our state could have five teams in this year’s NCAA Baseball Tournament including two regional hosts.

But Sunday’s events didn’t shake out in the way many people in Alabama hoped they would. Still, two schools will start their road to Omaha later this week as Auburn + Alabama both heard their names called during Monday’s selection show.

Keep reading to find out more about the regional round for both schools + see how the SEC made even more history on the diamond.

Auburn Regional

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Auburn Baseball (@auburnbaseball)

While it was not a surprise to see Auburn get a regional, some were surprised to see the Tigers earn the No. 4 national seed. It’s the highest seeding for an NCAA Tournament the program has ever received, tying the 2003 team.

“A top four national seed is absolutely a big deal, but every road is a tough road. Every team that’s made this field has done something amazing. Four teams stand in our way of a return trip to Omaha. It’s nice that it starts right here at Plainsman Park on Friday.”

Butch Thompson, Auburn coach

The Tigers are currently 38-18 overall after losing their first game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover last week. But the team is 25-6 at Plainsman Park this season + they’re hoping to add to that win total this weekend.

The three teams joining the Tigers in the Auburn Regional are:

• North Carolina State
• Stetson
• Central Connecticut

You can find more information about the regional + stay up to date with any schedule changes at the Auburn Regional Central.

Alabama baseball

Entering the SEC Tournament, Alabama was right on the edge of being named a regional host according to most projections. The Crimson Tide went 1-1 in Hoover, pushing its record to 41-16 overall.

“I think that resume should speak for itself. But it’s in the hands of the committee now, and we’ll get back to Tuscaloosa, get back to work, and be prepared for whatever comes next week.”

Rob Vaughn, Alabama coach after losing in the SEC Tournament

But when the regional sites were announced Sunday night, Alabama learned it would be hitting the road this week. When the full bracket was released Monday, the Tide saw just how close they came to hosting.

Southern Miss was selected as the No. 16 national seed + Alabama was selected as the 2 seed in the Hattiesburg Region. Here’s the full schedule for the double-elimination bracket:

• Friday, May 30
• Game 1 – (2) Alabama vs. (3) Miami | 2PM | ESPN2
• Game 2 – (1) Southern Miss vs. (4) Columbia | 6PM | ESPN+
• Saturday, May 31
• Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 2PM | Network TBD
• Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 8PM | Network TBD
• Sunday, June 1
• Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 2PM | Network TBD
• Game 6 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 | 6PM | Network TBD
• Monday, June 2
• Game 7 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary) | TBD | Network TBD

SEC sets new record

For the first time in college baseball history, 13 teams from a single conference have made it to the NCAA Tournament. The SEC is the only conference with 10 or more teams in this year’s tournament including eight regional hosts.

The conference will be represented by:

• No. 1 Vanderbilt
• No. 2 Texas
• No. 3 Arkansas
• No. 4 Auburn
• No. 6 LSU
• No. 7 Georgia
• No. 10 Ole Miss
• No. 14 Tennessee
• Alabama
• Florida
• Oklahoma
• Kentucky
• Mississippi State

An SEC team has won the national championship in five straight years with an all-SEC final happening in four of those seasons.

Head over to the NCAA website to see the full bracket + keep up with results throughout the tournament.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Southeastern Conference (@sec)

Which SEC team do you think will win the NCAA Baseball Championship this year? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.