NCAA baseball regionals: Who has the best chances to go to Omaha?

Buckle up, shot fans. We're successful for 1 of the wildest NCAA regionals yet.

The 2025 NCAA shot tourney begins connected Friday, and the way to the Men's College World Series successful Omaha is stacked with dense favorites and imaginable upsets.

Vanderbilt secured the No. 1 wide effect with an emphatic SEC tourney triumph -- its archetypal apical effect since 2007. Reigning nationalist champ Tennessee is seeded astatine No. 14, portion preseason No. 1 Texas A&M missed retired entirely.

Outside the SEC and its grounds 13 berths to the nationalist tournament, the ACC has 3 determination hosts, and a slew of MLB prospects are slated to instrumentality the field. Our experts interruption down the 64-team tract and stock their apical teams and players to watch, arsenic good arsenic things to support an oculus connected arsenic the MCWS comes further into view.

Jump to: Toughest road | Players and teams to watch
Underdogs | Potential supers matchups | Bold predictions

Which determination has the toughest roadworthy to Omaha?

Chris Burke: The Conway Regional feels wide open. Host Coastal Carolina rolled done the Sun Belt Conference this twelvemonth and boasts 1 of the champion pitching staffs successful the state (No. 2 ERA). However, it drew No. 4 effect Fairfield, which is nary alien to determination play, and No. 2 and 3 seeds -- Florida and ECU, respectively -- which travel successful reddish hot. Florida has won its past six SEC bid and is coming disconnected a agelong wherever it has played immoderate of the champion shot successful the country, including bid wins versus Arkansas and Texas. ECU has the astir determination appearances ever to not play successful the MCWS and is coming successful caller disconnected moving done the American Conference tournament. Watch retired for the Conway Regional; it's gonna beryllium a blast!

Mike Rooney: The Knoxville Regional should beryllium a blast. The Vols whitethorn person the astir talented roster successful the country. The Cincinnati wrong crippled could beryllium problematic for some Wake Forest and Tennessee. Wake Forest brings precocious endowment connected some sides of the ball, and determination whitethorn beryllium leftover play from prima RHP Chase Burns' transportation from Knoxville to Winston-Salem. Finally, Tony Vitello's Vols mysteriously mislaid their past 4 location bid this year. Tennessee's prize for surviving these travel wires? A sojourn to Fayetteville with a travel to Omaha connected the line.

David Dellucci: The toughest roadworthy to Omaha goes done Oxford, Mississippi. All 4 teams person prima powerfulness and are nary strangers to this environment. Murray State bushed Kentucky successful Lexington and mislaid by 1 tally successful other innings vs. the Rebels successful Oxford. Western Kentucky won 46 games down Conference USA Player of the Year Ryan Wideman. Georgia Tech tops the ACC with a .315 batting mean and 2 Golden Spikes semifinalists successful Drew Burress and Kyle Lodise. Ole Miss is led by a starting rotation that won a nationalist rubric and finished the SEC tourney playing successful the title crippled aft beating Florida, Arkansas and LSU. The victor of this determination perchance volition spell to Athens and look the high-powered Georgia Bulldogs that pb the federation successful squad location runs (133) and are 29-4 astatine home.

Ryan McGee: I'm calling the Conway determination the "Brawl astatine the Beach." I thought Coastal Carolina had an statement for a top-eight seed, but the Chanticleers person ever tally precise blistery oregon precise acold erstwhile hosting postseason games. Then there's Florida, who has been a roller coaster each season. East Carolina looked similar it mightiness cleanable location midseason and past ran done the AAC league tourney. And if I'm being honest, I cognize thing astir Fairfield but that it won the MAAC, and it has an awesome nickname (the Stags). Throw successful immoderate brackish h2o taffy and immoderate Carolina formation music, and this feels similar the spot to be.

Kiley McDaniel: It mightiness beryllium a cop-out to accidental the 16th-seeded big has the toughest path, but I deliberation the reply is the Hattiesburg Regional. Southern Miss, Miami, Alabama and Columbia are arguably the astir evenly matched foursome of teams ... and whoever gets retired of that dogfight apt has to look top-seeded Vanderbilt connected the road.

What squad oregon subordinate are you astir excited to ticker this weekend?

Burke: Kade Anderson had the champion three-inning agelong I've ever seen astatine the SEC tournament. He ran done Texas A&M's lineup to the tune of 8 strikeouts successful the archetypal 9 hitters. He finished the crippled with 12 strikeouts, becoming the nation's leader. Two years ago, LSU rode the dominance of Paul Skenes to a rubric -- could Kade Anderson beryllium that feline this year?

Rooney: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is the alpha who drives the Bruins. His enactment helped this squad instrumentality to the postseason for the archetypal clip successful 3 seasons. The Bruins did it successful style, earning a stock of the Big Ten regular-season rubric portion besides securing a big site. Cholowsky volition beryllium successful the speech for archetypal prime wide successful the 2026 MLB draft, arsenic helium displayed his high-end endowment (.369-23-69) and his fearless cognition (20 HBPs) successful 2025.

Dellucci: Cam Cannarella is simply a fearless subordinate who excels successful clutch situations. He comes into the Clemson Regional hitting .344, but implicit the past month, helium has turned it up, hitting .448. Cannarella tin triumph a ballgame with his bat, mitt and speed; arsenic the unit builds, truthful does his performance.

McGee: The "Bash Bruddahs" astatine Arkansas, Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy, are must-see TV. Heartbreak ever seems to descend connected Fayetteville, arsenic the Hogs erstwhile again travel up abbreviated of winning it all. If they are yet led to the hardball promised onshore by a mates of brothers from Maui, idiosyncratic should commencement penning a Hollywood screenplay immediately.

McDaniel: I mentioned successful my recent mock draft that Arkansas RHP Gage Wood could beryllium the subordinate successful enactment to marque the astir wealth this postseason, with a changeable to interruption into the top-20 picks if helium has aggregate beardown starts.

What imaginable Cinderellas should we beryllium watching?

Burke: Cinderella astir apt isn't the close connection for the No. 16 seed, but successful today's world, it feels similar immoderate non-power league squad fits the bill. With that said, I'll spell with Southern Miss to beryllium the non-power league schoolhouse to support your oculus on. The Golden Eagles person 4 legit starters and an discourtesy that features six guys with 10+ homers. Also, they finished the play winning 18/19. Don't beryllium shocked if they find their mode to a ace oregon beyond.

Rooney: Western Kentucky is simply a unsafe No. 3 effect successful Oxford. Center fielder Ryan Wideman is simply a 6-foot-5 dynamo who looks similar helium missed his assignment astatine the NFL combine, and skipper Marc Rardin won 3 nationalist titles astatine inferior assemblage powerhouse Iowa Western. Historic brands Arizona State and Oklahoma State are No. 3 seeds with endowment and pedigree, and some clubs' champion shot whitethorn beryllium up of them. No. 4 effect Murray State won 39 games with a top-20 offense, and the Racers are 1-0 versus the SEC this twelvemonth ... conscionable saying.

Dellucci: Mississippi State made 1 of the biggest turnarounds successful assemblage baseball. The Bulldogs are 9-2 aft caput manager Chris Lemonis was relieved of his duties. The caller Mississippi State location tally king, Hunter Hines, combined with Ace Reese (21 location runs) presents problems for each pitching unit successful the country, portion Pico Kohn and Evan Siary are a formidable 1-2 punch successful the starting rotation.

McGee: I don't cognize if they officially suffice arsenic an underdog, but Wake Forest truly intrigues me. Not truthful agelong ago, we were entering the tourney watching the Demon Deacons enactment unneurotic a title run, and they astir delivered. This squad is not that team, but successful their 4th consecutive tourney appearance, they won't beryllium intimidated by Knoxville. If the Deacs get connected a heater, they person an Omaha tally successful them.

McDaniel: I similar Western Kentucky arsenic a No. 3 seed, but getting past Georgia Tech and Ole Miss is simply a gangly task. Fellow No. 3 effect Arizona State has a somewhat easier way (in the Los Angeles Regional) with UCLA, UC Irvine and Fresno State arsenic an improbable but imaginable upland to climb.

What imaginable ace determination are you hoping for?

Burke: This 1 is easy. The imaginable for an Arkansas vs. Tennessee ace is arsenic bully of a imaginable ace arsenic I tin remember. Two teams that person been ranked No. 1 astatine immoderate constituent this year, 2 instrumentality bases that don't similar each different and 2 rosters that person arsenic galore apical draught prospects arsenic immoderate successful the country. This would beryllium a ace determination for the ages.

Rooney: Clemson astatine LSU lights up the spicy metre successful a large way, and some sets of Tigers look the portion of an Omaha club. Alex Box Stadium successful Baton Rouge volition bring world-class vigor for this matchup. Oregon astatine North Carolina feels similar a Men's College World Series pairing that would beryllium happening a week excessively soon.

Dellucci: I'm hoping for a Tennessee vs. Arkansas ace regional. Both teams are precise similar: occurrence throwing pitchers who tin propulsion successful the triple digits, precocious powered offenses featuring assemblage baseball's premier sluggers and 2 caput coaches with a batch of history. Liam Doyle vs. Wehiwa Aloy with a travel to Omaha connected the enactment volition beryllium electric.

McGee: LSU vs. Clemson. Tiger Rag vs. Tiger Rag. Death Valley vs. Death Valley. Great shot programs, sure. But this is astir 2 of assemblage baseball's astir perfectly bonkers grandstand fanbases being successful the aforesaid spot astatine the aforesaid time. I conscionable privation to spot the outer imagery of each the barbecue fume rising up from the bayou similar a unreality pillar from the Old Testament.

McDaniel: I'll springiness you three. Florida vs. Auburn and Tennessee vs. Arkansas could some beryllium SEC slugfests successful supers. Florida State vs. Oregon State would beryllium a fascinating SEC-less, draft-oriented matchup with 2 top-10 locks successful LHP Jamie Arnold and SS Aiva Arquette successful a cross-country tussle.

What are your bold predictions for regionals?

Burke: While I won't beryllium amazed if a fewer determination hosts autumn astatine home, I'm having a hard clip seeing excessively galore upsets connected the mode to Omaha. That said, it's been a beauteous foggy representation this twelvemonth astatine the top, truthful I'm excited to spot however it each shakes out. There's nary clear-cut favourite to triumph it each ... fto the chaos begin!

Rooney: My archetypal bold prediction is that the victor of the Knoxville-Fayetteville pod volition triumph the nationalist title. My 2nd bold prediction is that we volition spot a non-SEC squad (as presently constituted) interruption done to the MCWS Finals for the archetypal clip since 2019 erstwhile Michigan faced Vanderbilt. Finally, this determination circular volition nutrient astatine slightest 2 ace regionals that see zero one-seeds.

Dellucci: Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina are not lone talented teams that person each mounted 18-game triumph streaks this twelvemonth and volition beryllium precise pugnacious to bushed arsenic determination hosts. Omaha volition dwell of 5 teams from the SEC.

McGee: We're going to acceptable a grounds for other inning games successful the archetypal round. Too galore bully first-day pitchers not to person a slew of extended nights!

McDaniel: UC Irvine oregon Arizona State are some distinctly imaginable spoilers for big UCLA. A Georgia vs. Georgia Tech ace is besides a juicy and chiseled possibility, to the dismay of Ole Miss fans. Maybe it isn't bold, but I'd beryllium frightened to look Tennessee oregon LSU. Both are imaginable favorites successful Omaha that aren't top-5 nationalist seeds.