NCAA Baseball Tournament Announced: LSU, Clemson, Alabama, Texas, and more
The NCAA Baseball Tournament has been revealed, with all 64 teams accounted for. There are a lot of exciting programs, and this should be a great opportunity to dive into some top teams.
Every team in this tournament has a story and a solid reason why it belongs here. Today, we are going to highlight four programs and what makes them special.
NCAA Baseball’s all-around team: LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers (42-13) are the fifth-ranked NCAA baseball program. Their lineup has been one of the best in the country as they are fourth with 117 home runs.
A huge reason for their success has been the production of outfielder Dylan Crews. He is slashing .420/.567/.710 with 15 home runs, 59 RBIs and a 58:38 walk-to-strikeout ratio this year.
As a pitching staff, they are one of the best as well as they rank 14th with a 1.32 WHIP as a program. Paul Skenes is their dominant starting pitcher as he is 10-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 15 starts (90.1 innings). This team has a chance to be in the finals and win it all with their stellar roster.
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers (43-17) are the fourth-ranked NCAA baseball program. Coach Erik Bakich has this team playing a lot better as the Tigers looked dead in the water early in the season.
Getting healthy really helped, and now the team is doing well on both sides of the ball. Pitcher Caden Grice is in the top 20 of the nation with 6.23 hits allowed per nine innings. Offensively, the team has had sophomore Billy Amick emerge as a huge threat in the middle of the lineup.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama (38-17) is not the most impressive team as the Crimson Tide are the 24th-ranked program. Their pitching staff has been incredible, boasting the eighth-best staff ERA at 3.98. This lineup also has been doing well crushing pitches as their lineup has 102 homers, which is tied for 17th in NCAA baseball.
They have been able to thrive since losing coach Brad Bohanon after being linked to a grambling scandal. Andrew Pinckney has done well at the plate with a 1.098 OPS with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs.
Luke Holman has been the best pitcher on the Crimson Tide as he has a 3.50 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 69.1 innings.
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns (38-18) are the 20th-ranked NCAA baseball program. A big reason for their success has been their pitching. The Longhorns are 13th with a 4.13 team ERA and 16th with 8.12 hits per game allowed.
Dylan Campbell has been leading the team at the plate with a 1.050 OPS with 12 homers and 44 RBIs. He also is using his speed with 25 stolen bases on 28 attempts. Lebarron Johnson Jr. has been dealing on the mound as he is 7-3 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over 73.1 innings. He has allowed only four home runs.