Coastal Carolina was selected as a host for the 2018 NCAA Baseball Tournament and will host UConn, Washington, and LIU Brooklyn. The Chanticleers open against LIU-Brooklyn while UConn and Washington face off in the other matchup.
Coastal Carolina (42-17 overall, 23-7 Sun Belt)
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 23-7 record in the Sun Belt and champions of the postseason tournament. They are led by Parker Chavers who is hitting .316 with seven homers and 39 RBI. The two big power hitters for Coastal are Seth Lancaster and Kevin Woodall, Jr. who both have 19 homers on the year. Jason Bilous is the top starting pitcher with a 7-2 record and a 3.39 ERA.
UConn (35-20-1 overall, 14-10 AAC)
The UConn Huskies head into the postseason coming off an AAC Final appearance in which they lost to East Carolina. They are led on offense by catcher Zac Susi who has a .328 average with a homer and 33 RBI while being a rock behind the plate. The Huskies number 1 starter heading into the year was Tim Cate but he has been affected by an injury which has limited him to only ten appearances and seven starts while going 4-4 with a 3.23 ERA. Mason Feole has stepped into the number 1 role with a 9-1 record and a 2.50 ERA in 15 starts.
Washington (30-23 overall, 20-10 Pac-12)
The Washington Huskies enter the postseason with a 30-23 overall mark while going 20-10 in a top heavy Pac-12 this year. They are led by Mason Cerillo who is hitting .349 with 17 RBI on the year. Another player to watch is Joe Wainhouse who is hitting .309 batting average with 14 homers and 50 RBI. Closer Alex Hardy leads the pitching staff with a 2.19 ERA while going 4-2 while picking up seven saves in 51 innings of work.
LIU Brooklyn (31-24 overall, 16-12 NEC)
The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds enter the postseason coming off an impressive NEC tournament where they went a perfect 3-0 with wins over Wagner twice and Bryant. They are led by Alex Turner at the plate with a .344 average with five homers and 19 RBI. Closer Matt Kreiger leads the pitching staff with a 4-2 record while having a 1.73 ERA and picking up seven saves.
Prediction: UConn’s pitching will come through and win this series as they were snubbed of a Regional Host spot.
