OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – As usual, the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 had the most teams make the NCAA baseball tournament. Right behind those warm-weather conferences, though, was the Big Ten, a league that not long ago was an afterthought on selection day.
The Big Ten advanced a record five teams into the field of 64 and has a national seed for the second year in a row, this time No. 6 Illinois.
“I’ve been in this conference for 25 years, and 10 years as a head coach, and this is the best it’s been by a long shot,” Illini coach Dan Hartleb said Monday night. “For us to have this type of year with the quality in this league, it’s very satisfying, but it’s not the ultimate goal.”
Pac-12 champion UCLA (42-14) edged out Southeastern Conference regular-season champion LSU (48-10) for the No. 1 national seed. The other six national seeds, in order, are: Louisville, Florida, Miami, Illinois, TCU and Missouri State.
The tournament opens Friday with 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals. Best-of-three super regionals are next week, with those winners moving to the College World Series in Omaha.