Seven Big 12 baseball teams have punched tickets to the 2017 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship field with the Horned Frogs and Red Raiders serving as regional hosts. Seven squads marks the most in the NCAA Tournament since 2009 and highest percentage of teams since 2006.
Texas Tech and TCU were tabbed with the No. 5 and 6 overall national seeds. TTU records its second straight No. 5 seed while the Horned Frogs earn their highest national seed in program history. The league has produced 20 national seeds, including for four straight seasons.
Regional play begins on Friday, June 2, and runs through Monday, June 5 (if necessary).
Overall, the Big 12 has totaled 108 NCAA appearances and is 212-148 in Regional games. The Big 12 has sent multiple teams to Super Regional action in 13 years, including at least two teams in six of the past seven seasons. Additionally, the league has had 22 teams advance to the College World Series.
This is the fifth time in school history that Tech has been selected as an NCAA Regional host. The Red Raiders, the Big 12 regular season co-champions, head into the postseason with a 43-15 overall record, the 14th 40-win season in program history. TTU will meet Delaware on Friday at 2 p.m. CT, with Arizona and Sam Houston State also in the Lubbock Regional.
TCU, also Big 12 regular season co-champions, host a regional for the fourth straight year. The Frogs (42-16) draw Central Connecticute State to open play on Friday as the two teams face off at 8 p.m. CT. Virginia and Dallas Baptist complete the Fort Worth Regional. TCU is making its 15th NCAA championship appearance as the Frogs have made College World Series appearances each of the past three seasons.
Texas meets Pac-12 opponent UCLA on Friday at 6 p.m. CT in Long Beach while host Long Beach State and San Diego State complete that regional site. UT is making its 58th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2015 where the Longhorns advanced to Omaha.
Baylor secured its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and will meet SEC opponent Texas A&M at 2 p.m. CT in Houston. Top-seed Houston and Big Ten champion Iowa complete the Houston Regional. It is the Bears' first NCAA appearance since 2012 where BU advanced to a Super Regional.
Oklahoma appears in the championship field for the 37th time in school history and first since 2013. The second-seeded Sooners (34-22) face off against Xavier at 1 p.m. CT. Host Louisville and Radford complete that regional site. OU advanced to a Super Regional in 2013.
West Virginia makes it 12th program appearance and first since 1996 after a 34-24 regular season record. The Mountaineers face Big Ten opponent Maryland at 1 p.m. CT with host Wake Forest and and UMBC also in the Winston-Salem Regional.
Oklahoma State (30-25), the league's postseason champion and automatic qualifier, meets Missouri State in the Fayetteville Regional as the Pokes and Bears match up at 2 p.m. CT on Friday. Top-seed Arkansas takes on Oral Roberts in the regional. This is the Cowboys' 43rd NCAA bid in program history as OSU has made the field for five straight years.
Each of the 16 regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, June 2, to Monday, June 5 (if necessary). Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.ncaa.com/cws on Tuesday, June 6 at approximately 7 a.m. CT. The 71st Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 17, at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
Friday, June 2 (Times CT)
Houston Regional hosted by Houston - plays winner of Chapel Hill Regional (North Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Michigan, Davidson)
#1 Houston (40-19) vs. #4 Iowa (38-20), 7 p.m., ESPNU
#2 Baylor (34-22) vs. #3 Texas A&M (36-21), 2 p.m., ESPN2
Fayetteville Regional hosted by Arkansas - plays winner of Fort Worth Regional (TCU, Virginia, Dallas Baptist, Central Connecticut St.)
#1 Arkansas (42-17) vs. #4 Oral Roberts (42-14), 8 a.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
#2 Missouri St. (40-17) vs. #3 Oklahoma State (30-25), 2 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
Fort Worth Regional hosted by TCU - plays winner of Fayetteville Regional (Arkansas, Missouri St., Oklahoma St., Oral Roberts)
#1 TCU (42-16) vs. #4 Central Connecticut St. (36-20), 8 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
#2 Virginia (42-14) vs. #3 Dallas Baptist (40-19), 3 p.m., ESPNU
Long Beach Regional hosted by Long Beach State - plays winner of Stanford Regional (Stanford, Cal St. Fullerton, BYU, Sacramento St.)
#1 Long Beach St. (37-17-1) vs. #4 San Diego St. (41-19), 10 a.m., ESPN2
#2 Texas (37-22) vs. #3 UCLA (30-25), 6 p.m., ESPN2
Louisville Regional hosted by Louisville - plays winner of Lexington Regional (Kentucky, Indiana, NC State, Ohio)
#1 Louisville (47-10) vs. #4 Radford (27-30), 5 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
#2 Oklahoma (34-22) vs. #3 Xavier (32-25), 1 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
Lubbock Regional hosted by Texas Tech - plays winner of Tallahassee Regional (Florida St., UCF, Auburn, Tennessee Tech)
#1 Texas Tech (43-15) vs. #4 Delaware (34-21), 2 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
#2 Arizona (37-19) vs. #3 Sam Houston St. (40-20), 6 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
Winston-Salem Regional hosted by Wake Forest - plays winner of Gainesville Regional (Florida, South Florida, Bethune-Cookman, Marist)
#1 Wake Forest (39-18) vs. #4 UMBC (23-23), 8 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN
#2 West Virginia (34-24) vs. #3 Maryland (37-21), 1 p.m., ESPN3/WatchESPN