The opening round of the 2024 NCAA Regionals brought tons of exciting moments on and off the baseball field. Here were some of the biggest storylines and takeaways from day one.
Charlie Condon and Travis Bazzana are clear 1 and 2 in 2024 MLB Draft
The NCAA baseball postseason puts the highest draft prospects in college baseball in a higher national spotlight, and Georgia’s Charlie Condon, and Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana lived up to the hype. Condon in his first at bat of their game against Army hit a long towering home run just as the announcers started to rave about his hit tool. Condon went on to go 3-3 against Army with a pair of walks as well, cementing why scouts believe him to be the number one overall pick come July for the Cleveland Guardians. Travis Bazzana went 2-3 with two walks and a home run as well. He showed an incredible knowledge of the strike zone and proved to be one of the best hitters in the nation. The decision for Cleveland come the MLB Draft is going to be a very difficult one.
1-5 seeds cruise through opening game
In Regional rounds, usually it’s not the most uncommon thing to see upsets, especially with higher seeded teams. However, in this Regional so far the 1-5 seeds got through their first games without heading into the losers bracket. While teams like Kentucky, Arkansas, and North Carolina looked like at times they may be struggling against their competition, they pulled through to get their wins. Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Arkansas all won by blowout margins.
Ty Bothwell proposes to girlfriend after an incredible start vs. Southern Miss
Indiana pitcher Ty Bothwell may have had the best day of any player in the Regional yesterday. Bothwell pitched 5.2 innings yesterday, striking out nine while only giving up two earned runs. The Hoosiers would go on to get the opening round win against Southern Miss, but that wouldn’t be the highlight of his day. After the game, Bothwell proposed to his girlfriend McKayla Tucker, capping off a day he will never forget.
Wake and ECU backs against the wall after opening round loss
The Greenville Regional started out in a very unexpected way. Both top seeds East Carolina and Wake Forest lost their opening round games. The Pirates ran into a red-hot Evansville squad who never gave up the lead. Even more surprising was Wake Forest being shut out by VCU. The Demon Deacons were held to just three hits the entire game in their opening round loss. East Carolina and Wake Forest will face-off at noon for a chance to stay alive in the Regional.
Army needs to be taken more seriously
The Black Knights opened up their first round with a loss to Georgia, but the win wasn’t easily earned for the Bulldogs. Army put up 10 hits on Georgia’s pitching staff, and put together great disciplined at bats that gave them the lead at various points of the game. While they lost 8-7, they shouldn’t be taken lightly in an elimination game.
