Complete Notes | Bracket
UConn (35-20-1), ECU (43-16), Houston (36-23) and USF (35-20-1) were among the 64 teams announced to compete in the 2018 NCAA Baseball Championship. The American’s four selections are the most for the conference since 2015 and are tied for the fourth-most bids (with the Big Ten and Pac-12) among the 31 NCAA Division I conferences.
ECU will host the Greenville Regional, while UConn and USF were chosen as No. 2 seeds in the Conway Hill and DeLand Regionals, respectively. Houston was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional. Friday’s opening games can be streamed live on ESPN3.
The American has had at least three NCAA tournament teams in each of the last four seasons. Current members of the American Athletic Conference have made a combined 16 appearances in the College World Series. Wichita State leads the conference with seven appearances, while UConn has made five. The Shockers won the national championship in 1989, while Houston was the national runner-up in 1967. The last team among The American’s current membership to reach the CWS was Tulane, which advanced to Omaha in 2005.
Houston and Louisville both advanced to the Super Regional round in the 2014 NCAA Championship, while ECU reached the Super Regionals in 2016. The American has one CWS appearances to its credit. Louisville advanced to Omaha in 2014, when the Cardinals competed in the conference.
The nine American Athletic Conference teams have made a combined 152 appearances in the NCAA Championship, including the 2018 season’s four bids. ECU has made 29 appearances, followed by Wichita State (27), Tulane (21), Houston (21), UConn (20), USF (13), UCF (12), and Cincinnati and Memphis (five each).
The American enters the NCAA Championship with the fourth-best RPI ranking in the country. Eight of the nine conference teams are top-100 RPI programs. The American is one of three conferences (with the ACC and SEC) to boast three top-20 RPI teams: ECU at No. 12, UConn at No. 16 and USF at No. 18.
Four American Athletic Conference players were All-America selections from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. UConn southpaw Mason Feole was placed on the Collegiate Baseball’s first team and Baseball America’s third team, while The American Player of the Year Bryant Packard of ECU made the first team for Baseball America and second team for Collegiate Baseball. USF 3B David Villar was placed on the Collegiate Baseball’s third team, and Wichita State’s Alec Bohm earned second team recognition from Baseball America.
ECU is the third conference team to host a regional. A conference team has hosted a regional in four of the past five seasons, including when Houston was a host last year. ECU hosted a regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium in 2009, and also hosted opening round regional tournaments on two occasions at different venues. Houston (2017 and 2015) and Louisville (2014) are the two other American Athletic Conference teams to have hosted a regional over the league’s five-year span.
The Pirates took home their second American Championship last Saturday with a 4-3 win over UConn. ECU went 4-1 in conference tournament play, as Spencer Brickhouse was named Most Outstanding Player. The Pirates enter this week's action ranked in all five national polls for the 11th-straight week, coming in a No. 10 in the NCBWA. The Pirates have qualified for regional competition in 15 of the last 20 seasons and three times under head coach Cliff Godwin. ECU will take on No. 4-seeded UNC Wilmington to in the opening round on Friday. ECU owns a 77-59 all-time record against UNC Wilmington (37-21) and has won five-straight in the series.
UConn is set to make its 20th NCAA tournament appearance and fifth appearance since 2010. The Huskies will square off against No. 3 seeded Washington on Friday. The two Huskies programs are joined in the regional by No. 1 seeded Coastal Carolina and No. 4 seeded LIU Brooklyn. UConn set a program record with 22 road wins, which is tied for No. 2 in the nation. For the first time this season, UConn was featured in all five national polls with its highest ranking coming from Baseball America at No. 21.
Houston will embark on its 22nd NCAA regional appearance and fourth in the last five years when it opens play in the Chapel Hill Regional. The Cougars will take on No. 2-seeded Purdue on Friday. Houston put together a strong overall resume, highlighted by its second outright American Athletic Conference regular-season crown and 10 wins over Top-50 RPI teams, including a series sweep at ECU and a series win at UConn. DH Joe Davis broke the Houston all-time home run record at The American Championship with his 32nd long ball of his career. Todd Whitting earned his first American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honor in his eighth season at the helm. For a third-consecutive week, Houston was placed on all five national polls with its best ranking on Baseball America’s list at No. 19.
After advancing to its first American Athletic Conference semifinal game, USF will head to its third NCAA regional in the last four seasons, where it will face No. 3-seeded Oklahoma State on Friday. The Bulls have won at least one game in each of the last six regionals. Villar leads USF’s offense that finished second in the country during the regular season with 142 doubles and first in the conference in batting average (.299), hits (581) and slugging (.469). Preseason All-America pitcher Shane McClanahan finished the regular season tops in the country with 15.06 strikeouts per nine innings.
NCAA Championship
Greenville Regional • Greenville, N.C.
Friday, June 1 (ESPN3)
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 South Carolina - 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 4 UNC Wilmington at No. 1 ECU - 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 2
Elimination Game - Noon
Winner's Bracket - 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
Elimination Game - Noon
Regional Final - 6 p.m.
Monday, June 4
Regional Final (if necessary) - 4 p.m.
Chapel Hill Regional • Chapel Hill, N.C.
Friday, June 1 (ESPN3)
No. 4 North Carolina A&T at No. 1 North Carolina - 2 p.m.
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 2 Purdue - 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 2
Elimination Game - 1 p.m.
Winner's Bracket - 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
Elimination Game - 1 p.m.
Regional Final - 6 p.m.
Monday, June 4
Regional Final (if necessary) - 4 p.m.
DeLand Regional • DeLand, Fla.
Friday, June 1 (ESPN3)
No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 2 USF - 1 p.m.
No. 4 Hartford at No. 1 Stetson - 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 2
Elimination Game - 1 p.m.
Winner's Bracket - 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
Elimination Game - 1 p.m.
Regional Final - 7 p.m.
Monday, June 4
Regional Final (if necessary) - 1 p.m.
Conway Regional • Conway, S.C.
Friday, June 1 (ESPN3)
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 2 UConn - Noon
No. 4 LIU Brooklyn at No. 1 Coastal Carolina - 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 2
Elimination Game - Noon
Winner's Bracket - 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
Elimination Game - Noon
Regional Final - 6 p.m.
Monday, June 4
Regional Final (if necessary) - 1 p.m.
all times Eastern