Baseball America puts Missouri State in the field as a No. 3 seed in its final projection. That would be great news for the Bears and the MVC. I think the Bears would be shocked. The Springfield News-Leader lays out MSU’s resume.
The best guess is WSU will go to Norman, probably along with Oral Roberts and somebody else (Arkansas?) as a No. 2 seed. However, no guarantees. As a No. 4 seed, the Shockers could end up almost anywhere.
Baseball America gives Missouri State a shot, which will come as a surprise to everybody in maroon and white. I don’t think there’s any doubt the MVC’s pod system hurt the top-seeded Bears. In a double-elimination, the top seed has more room for error and more room for its superior depth to win out. That and the loss of catcher Dallas Hord to injury hurt MSU. Over the course of the season, the Bears were the MVC’s best. The pod system also amplified the importance of WSU sweeping Creighton on the last weekend to move to No. 3 and avoid playing in MSU’s pod.
NCAA Regionals
Monday - Bracket announcement, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN, Ch. 32). WSU players and coaches will watch the selection show at A.J.’s Sports Grill, 3232 N. Rock Road. The public is invited.
Sites
Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.)
Cal Irvine (Irvine, Calif.)
Cal State Fullerton (Fullerton, Calif.)
Clemson (Clemson, S.C.)
East Carolina (Greenville, N.C.)
Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
Louisville (Louisville, Ky.)
Mississippi (Oxford, Miss.)
North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Oklahoma (Norman, Okla.)
Rice (Houston)
Texas (Austin, Texas)
TCU (Fort Worth, Texas)