Four AAC teams set sights on Omaha

Bonesville staff report

League champion East Carolina and regular season kingpin Houston headline a group of four teams that will represent the American Athletic Conference in the NCAA baseball playoffs.

The Pirates and Cougars, along with AAC members South Florida and Tulane, heard their names called on Monday when the NCAA announced the field of 64 teams that will participate in this weekend's 16 four-team regionals.

Fresh off its four-game sweep through the AAC tournament in Clearwater, FL, ECU will return to the Sunshine State as the No. 2 seed in Coral Gables. The Pirates will take on No. 3 seed Columbia on Friday at 1 p.m. to open the regional. Top seem Miami will face No. 4 seed Florida International at 7 p.m.

The double-elimination format in Coral Gables and in the other regionals will pit Friday's losers against each other on Saturday followed by a contest between the first day's winners. Three survivors will advance to Sunday when two games will leave one standing.

Houston is a top seed and will serve as a regional host, taking on No. 4 seed Houston Baptist on Friday at 8 p.m. That game will be preceded by a game between No. 2 seed Rice and No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette at 3:30 p.m.

No. 3 seed South Florida will open the Gainesville, FL, regional on Friday with a matchup against No. 2 seed Florida Atlantic at 1 p.m. Host and top seed Florida will face No. 4 seed Florida A&M at  7 p.m.

Tulane will participate in the Baton Rouge regional as a No. 3 seed, clashing in an 8 p.m. nightcap with No. 2 seed UNC-Wilmington. Host and No. 1 seed LSU will with tangle with No. 4 seed Lehigh at 4 p.m.

The 16 regional winners will be paired off in eight super regionals at campus sites the following weekend. The eight survivors of those best of three series will punch their tickets to Omaha for the June 13-24 College World Series which features a double-elimination, bracket-play format.

PAGE UPDATED 05/26/15 05:49 AM.

Copyright © Bonesville.net. All rights rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any fashion. Information from Bonesville staff members, East Carolina University, Conference USA and other sources was used in composing and/or compiling the articles and data on this site. This site is editorially independent and is not affiliated with East Carolina University or Conference USA. View Bonesville.net's privacy policy. For advertising or other information, e-mail editor@bonesville.net.