The 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament is set and with that comes the Regional matchups. The second overall seed was awarded to Kentucky out of the SEC. The Wildcats will host the Regional in Lexington and also Indiana State, Illinois, and Western Michigan. Here’s a brief overview of each team along with a prediction for who will advance to the Super Regionals.
#1 Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky is coming off of an impressive season in the SEC. The Wildcats went 40-14 with a 22-8 record within conference play. This is the second year in a row that Lexington will host a Regional and the fourth time overall. This Wildcat program has seen a lot of recent success, and they look to carry that further into the postseason with a possible run to Omaha.
Players to Watch | Season Stats
Nick Lopez – .369 BA, 1.016 OPS, 72 H, 20 2B, 6 HR, 49 RBI
Ryan Waldschmidt – .357 BA, 1.141 OPS, 66 H, 13 HR, 42 RBI
Emilien Pitre – .308 BA, .941 OPS, 64 H, 8 HR, 50 RBI
#2 Indiana State Sycamores
When looking at the mid-major programs in the NCAA Tournament this year, Indiana State is at the top of the list. Going 42-13 and 22-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Sycamores are one of the more battle-tested mid-major teams. They’ve even had the benefit of playing Illinois twice previous to the Regional matchup, and after falling short of a conference title to Evansville, they’ll look to make up for it in the Regional.
Players to Watch | Season Stats
Luis Hernandez – .369 BA, 1.135 OPS, 86 H, 22 HR, 75 RBI
Randal Diaz – .357 BA, 1.064 OPS, 84 H, 16 HR, 52 RBI
Parker Stinson – .304 BA, 1.084 OPS, 58 H, 15 HR, 49 RBI
#3 Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois had a great season out of the Big 10, going 18-6 in conference play with a 34-19 overall record. That was good enough to clinch a share of the Big 10 regular season title. The Fighting Illini have played some tough competition outside of the Big 10, playing against quality programs like Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Tennessee, Indiana State, and possible regional opponent Western Michigan. As one of three Big 10 teams in the tournament, Illinois looks to make some noise and earn some more respect for Big 10 baseball.
Players to Watch | Season Stats
Camden Janik – .368 BA, 1.012 OPS, 78 H, 15 2B, 7 HR, 49 RBI, 29 BB
Jacob Schroeder – .314 BA, 1.063 OPS, 48 H, 14 HR, 41 RBI
#4 Western Michigan Broncos
The Mid-American Conference champions are the final team selected into the Lexington Regional. Going 32-21 with a 19-11 conference record, the Broncos find themselves in the middle of a stacked Regional. For a team like WMU that hasn’t been very battle tested against great teams this season, it’ll be interesting to see how they play against two great power five teams and one of the better mid-major programs in the nation.
Players to Watch | Season Stats
Cade Sullivan – .397 BA, 1.104 OPS, 85 H, 10 HR, 52 RBI
CJ Richmond – .384 BA, 1.161 OPS, 78 H, 13 HR, 64 RBI, .675 SLG
Dylan Nevar – .344 BA, 1.049 OPS, 72 H, 15 HR, 68 RBI
Predicted Winner: #2 Indiana State Sycamores
Indiana State was close to being one of the teams that possibly could host a Regional. Their conference tournament loss will only motivate them more and they have a very good chance to upset Kentucky at their house.