IRVING, Texas – Seeding is set for the 2021 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, to be held May 25-30 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.
The tournament will be played in a double-elimination format through the semifinal round. The championship final is a winner-take-all matchup Sunday, May 30, which will determine The American’s automatic entrant to the NCAA Championship.
Live coverage of the first five days of the championship will be available on ESPN+, while the final will take place on May 30 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPNews. The most up-to-date information on The American Championship, including schedules, results and links to live scoring and the ESPN+ telecasts, can be found on Championship Central at www.TheAmerican.org/Baseball.
East Carolina (38-13, 20-8 American) won the regular-season title and won 20 conference games for the second straight full season (2019). Connor Norby leads the league in batting average (.420) and hits (89), while Gavin Williams leads the conference with nine wins, a 1.48 ERA and 98 strikeouts. ECU has won the tournament title twice (2015 and 2018).
Tulane is the No. 2 seed after posting a regular-season record of 28-22 (17-10 American). At one point, the Green Wave won 12 conference games in a row. Collin Burns leads Tulane with a .346 batting average. The Green Wave will look to advance to at least the semifinals for the second time in The American (2016).
Wichita State (30-21, 18-13) is the No. 3 seed, its highest seed since joining The American after being the No. 7 seed in 2018 and the No. 8 seed in 2017. Corrigan Bartlett leads the Shockers with a .337 batting average, while Jace Kaminska is 7-1 with a 2.52 ERA.
Cincinnati (29-24, 18-14) earned the No. 4 seed after sweeping Tulane in the final weekend of the regular season. Paul Komistek leads the Bearcats with a .353 batting average, with Jace Mercer right behind at .352. Cincinnati is the defending tournament champion, after winning the 2019 final, 22-5, over UConn.
UCF (28-28, 18-14) is the No. 5 seed and is led on the mound by Colton Gordon, who is 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. The Knights have advanced to the semifinals in two of the last three conference tournaments (2017 and 2019).
South Florida (24-26, 14-14) is the No. 6 seed and Carmine Lane leads the team in batting at .337. Jack Jasiak leads the Bulls with five wins, while Collin Sullivan leads the team with 75 strikeouts. USF advanced to the semifinals in 2018.
Houston (19-32, 7-21) is the No. 7 seed and is led on the mound by Robert Gasses, who is 6-5 with a 2.41 ERA and is second in the league with 95 strikeouts. The Cougars have won the tournament championship twice (2014 and 2017).
Memphis (17-37, 7-25) is led by Hunter Goodman, who in the top five in the country with 21 home runs. The Tigers last advanced to the tournament semifinals in 2016.
Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 25 | ESPN+
Game 1: No. 5 UCF vs. No. 4 Cincinnati | 9 a.m. ET./ 8 a.m. CT
Game 2: No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 1 East Carolina | 47 minutes following Game 1
Game 3: No. 7 Houston vs. No. 2 Tulane | 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT
Game 4: No. 6 South Florida vs. No. 3 Wichita State | 47 minutes following Game 2
Wednesday, May 26 | ESPN+
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 47 minutes following Game 5
Thursday, May 27 | ESPN+
Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 47 minutes following Game 7
Friday, May 28 | ESPN+
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 7 | 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 8 | 47 minutes following Game 9
Saturday, May 29 | ESPN+
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 9 a.m. ET/8 a.m. CT
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 47 minutes following Game 11
Game 13 (if necessary): Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 | TBD
Game 14 (if necessary): Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 | TBD
Sunday, May 30 | ESPNews
Game 15: Semifinal winners | Noon ET/11 a.m. CT
