- Kentucky (39-20, 19-11)
RPI: 9
2017 Season Review:
Things didn’t begin so great for Kentucky as they were swept by North Carolina to start the year. However, if you watched that series (as I did) you could tell there was something special about the Wildcats. They lost all three of those games by a combined four runs, so it’s not like they were blown out. In fact, four of their first five losses were by one run. They started winning some of those close games and won 14-of-15, including a sweep of Texas A&M to start conference play. From beginning to end, the Kentucky offense was outstanding. They finished the regular season hitting .317 as a team with 438 runs scored. They will need a big performance from that group in this regional to advance.
Players to Watch:
- Tristan Pompey: .369, 64 R, 9 HR, 40 RBI
- Evan White: .366, 39 R, 8 HR, 38 RBI
- Zach Reks: .356, 40 R, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 14 SB
- Riley Mahan: .325, 52 R, 14 HR, 56 RBI
- Sean Hjelle: 9-3, 3.87 ERA, 93 IP, 91 K
- Justin Lewis: 6-3, 3.28 ERA, 85 IP, 67 K
- Logan Salow: 1.72 ERA, 10 SV, 47 IP, 64 K
- Indiana (33-22-2, 14-9-1)
RPI: 26
2017 Season Review:
The Hoosiers started the season playing Oregon State, which is not how you want to start your season. However, they played the Beavers very closely losing 1-0 and 4-1. But then they went 1-1-1 against FAU and lost a series to Samford. They won their last six series of the season though, but went 1-2 in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. They were 8-7-1 against the top 50 in the RPI, and 15-12-2 against the top 100. That’s not exactly a great record, but they were rewarded for playing a difficult schedule with the 11th toughest schedule.
Players to Watch:
- Matt Lloyd: .317, 35 R, 11 HR, 46 RBI
- Tony Butler: .304, 31 R, 3 HR, 29 RBI
- Pauly Milto: 6-3, 3.75 ERA, 72 IP, 56 K
- NC State (34-23, 16-14)
RPI: 29
2017 Season Review:
It was very much an up-and-down season for NC State. They lost 5 of their first seven series in the ACC, but finished strong winning their last three conference series and 13 of their last 15 games before the ACC Baseball Tournament. They were just 9-11 against the top 50 this year, and 12-16 against the top 100.
Players to Watch:
- Brad Debo: .342, 29 R, 4 HR, 41 RBI
- Josh McLain: .320, 48 R, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 11 SB
- Joe Dunard: .284, 38 R, 16 HR, 47 RBI
- Johnny Piedmonte: 7-0, 1.87 ERA, 57.2 IP, 40 K
- Joe O’Donnell: 3.83 ERA, 7 SV, 42.1 IP, 53 K
- Ohio (31-26, 13-11)
RPI: 185
2017 Season Review:
It wasn’t a banner year for the Ohio Bobcats out of the MAC, but they ran through the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament and won the championship with four straight wins. They didn’t play a single game against a team in the top 50 of the RPI this year, but they were 5-2 against teams ranked 51-100.
Players to Watch:
- Spencer Ibarra: .330, 45 R, 12 HR, 38 RBI
- Rudy Rott: .295, 37 R, 10 HR, 47 RBI
- Gerry Salisbury: 4-3, 4.36 ERA, 88.2 IP, 71 K
- Michael Klein: 5-2, 3.27 ERA, 63.1 IP, 57 K
- Jake Roehn: 2.34 ERA, 15 SV, 42.1 IP, 48 K
Prediction: To be honest, I’m not really excited about this regional. I don’t even know how Indiana made the NCAA Tournament, and then I definitely don’t know how they got a two seed. NC State is also a little questionable for the tournament. I thought there were some teams left out that were more deserving than both of those teams. This is one of those situations where just looking at the RPI doesn’t tell the whole story. I think this also is a case of a power five bias with Indiana and NC State getting in from the Big Ten and ACC. The Kentucky offense struggled in the SEC Baseball Tournament, but I would be surprised if the Wildcats don’t breeze through this regional.
