SEC Standing Tall in Omaha

Heading into the NCAA Baseball Tournament there was quite a bit of discussion about which conference was better, the Big 12, the ACC or the SEC. The SEC had seven teams invited to the tournament while the other two leagues got eight.

However, the debate quickly got down to the ACC and SEC after each conference advanced four teams to the Super Regional round while only Texas survived from the Big 12.

The Super Regionals did nothing to settle the debate as each league had two teams win (LSU, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia) and each had two eliminated (Florida, Ole Miss, Clemson and FSU). There were two Super Regionals that sent ACC and SEC teams head-to-head and those split as well with Ole Miss falling to Virginia and Arkansas eliminating FSU.

But at the College World Series the SEC has claimed the top spot. With four schools left in the running for the CWS Title the SEC has two teams remaining in the event while the ACC is no longer involved. LSU and Arkansas will settle one bracket head-to-head, assuring the SEC of a team in the finals. That team will face either Texas or Arizona State for the NCAA Championship.

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As of Friday, June 19 the SEC has the best overall record in the tournament at 26-13. The ACC is 23-16 while the Big 12 settles for a 17-15 mark. The Pac-10 only got three teams into the field of 64 but has posted a strong 10-5 record and still has Arizona State with a shot at winning it all.

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Fifteen conferences received just one bid into the tournament and only one of them advanced to the Super Regional rounds. Big East Champ Louisville, a team Florida swept in February won a Regional at home before falling to Cal-State Fullerton.

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Two conferences that got two bids were not able to win a single game. Georgia State and George Mason failed to get a “W” for the Colonial League while the Southland Conference saw Sam Houston State and Texas State both get the dreaded, “one, two barbeque”.

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Conference USA deserves some mega kudos for its performance. Three teams got bids and all three reached the Super Regional. Rice won a Regional at home while East Carolina rallied to beat South Carolina twice to also win at home. Southern Miss did the same to Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

East Carolina and Rice both lost two straight in the Super Regional to North Carolina and LSU respectively. We all know what happened with the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss who denied the Gators a return to Omaha.