Regional Reaction: LSU, Ole Miss highlight best and worst SEC draws
05/26/2025
(Photo Credit: Nate Bell)
By Chris Marler
There weren’t any egregious decisions from the selection committee. The biggest gripes come from two decisions: Auburn being a top four seed and Oregon State being awarded the last top eight national seed.
The complaint about Auburn is valid, and if I were a North Carolina fan I would be upset. The Tigers were the only top eight national seed to win fewer than 40 games, which stuck out like a sore thumb. The Tar Heels also just won the ACC tournament with a 14-3 win over No. 11 seed Clemson. However, conference tournament titles are way more impactful for bubble teams and lower ranked seeds than the national elite. Auburn may have finished the year with just 38 wins, but they also finished with the No. 1 ranked strength of schedule, No. 3 RPI, and 16 Quad 1 wins.
The argument for Oregon State is a little more tough, but the perennial power was rewarded nonetheless. The Beavers played as an independent this year after being left out in the cold during conference realignment a year ago. The Beavers finished the year 41-12-1 and were swept by rival Oregon in the four games they played this season. The Beavers also played the 43rd ranked strength of schedule which was 12th out of the 16 regional hosts.
However, the argument for Oregon State lies primarily with the fact that the roster is loaded with first round talent as usual. The Beavers also had the unenviable task of playing only 19 home games due to having to schedule on the fly because of the aforementioned conference realignment issues.
Here’s a look at the national seeds.
- Vanderbilt
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- North Carolina
- LSU
- Georgia
- Oregon State
- Florida State
- Ole Miss
- Clemson
- Oregon
- Coastal Carolina
- Tennessee
- UCLA
- Southern Miss
The bracket is set, and the #RoadToOmaha starts now. ⚾️🏆
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📲 https://t.co/D9Ga3efNbI pic.twitter.com/JDSX3QhtuM— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 26, 2025
Agony for Aggies
Texas A&M did the unthinkable. A team that was one win away from a national championship a season ago will have to watch this year’s tournament from the couch. The Aggies became the first team since 1997 to start as the preseason No. 1 and fail to even make the postseason NCAA tournament. They’re one of just three SEC teams to not make the tournament, along with Missouri and South Carolina.
Eight SEC teams are hosting regionals this upcoming weekend while 13 teams made the field of 64.
No. 2 Seeds
Alabama – Hattiesburg, MS Regional
Florida – Conway, SC Regional
Oklahoma – Chapel Hill, NC Regional
No. 3 Seeds
Mississippi State – Tallahassee, FL Regional
Kentucky – Clemson, SC Regional
Best Draw – LSU
It felt like LSU was deserving of being a higher seed than No. 6. However, what they lacked in seeding they got in matchups. LSU is the only top eight national seed that will face a team with a losing record in the regional. They’ll open the regional with Little Rock, who finished the season 24-32, but won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 8 Seed.
The other two teams are Rhode Island and Dallas Baptist. Rhode Island won 38 games which is impressive. DBU has been a G5 power of sorts in college baseball over the last decade, but they’ve already faced LSU and lost 7-3. RIU and DBU have the 68th and 20th ranked RPIs in the country respectively, but if you’re reading this, LSU could probably throw you on the mound and win their opening round game against Little Rock.
BREAKING: Tigers earn No. 6 national seed, host DBU, Rhode Island and Little Rock
MORE HERE: https://t.co/K8tRSldjLQ pic.twitter.com/I24Ei14Asy
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) May 26, 2025
Worst Draw – Ole Miss
It felt like a reach for Ole Miss to go from a lock to be on the road for regional play to not only hosting, but a top ten national seed. However, if the selection committee was going to reward the Rebels with that seed and a regional hosting spot, the favors certainly seemed to stop there.
The Rebels will open with Murray State, making their first tournament appearance in 22 years. However, the team they’ll face in the potential marble game feels like a nightmare scenario. The No. 2 Georgia Tech were the ACC Champions in the regular season and many thought deserving of a regional hosting bid. They’re also playing in what is legendary head coach Danny Hall’s last year at the helm.
Then there’s Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers won 46 games this season and rank 14th in the NCAA with a .314 batting average and third in ERA (3.14).
Non-No. 1 Seed with best chance to advance – Alabama
At first glance, this looked like a less than desirable draw for Alabama. The Tide are the No. 2 Seed in the Hattiesburg Regional. They’ll get an opening round game against Miami which is playing their worst baseball of the season, losing six of their last seven games. The regional host is Southern Miss, who Alabama has already beaten once this year. USM is 1-3 this season versus SEC teams with those three losses coming by 26 combined runs.
Looking ahead, if Alabama were to win the Hattiesburg Regional, they’d potentially travel to Nashville to play the No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt has been arguably the hottest team in the SEC to close the season. However, when the teams met earlier this month, they split the first two games before Vanderbilt won the runner match. The Tide allowed seven runs in the final two innings to blow a 7-2 eighth inning lead.