Editor’s note: The following article was published first on d1baseball.com. Stay locked into D1Baseball’s coverage by using code 24Season for 24% off any annual subscription.
DI baseball regional tournaments run from May 31 to June 3. Below you will find previews for each region, from D1baseball.com. This article will continue to be updated with more regions.
Athens Regional Preview
After beginning the season with very little outside expectation, Georgia became one of the best stories in college baseball by earning not only a host spot but a place as a top-eight national seed. But it has some potential speed bumps in its regional thanks to the inclusion of UNCW, a team with 39 wins — already the most for the program since 2018 — rival Georgia Tech, which has about as many high-end series wins as any team in the country, and Army, which is making its sixth consecutive regional appearance.
1. Georgia Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. UNCW Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. Georgia Tech Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Army Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Charlie Condon, 3B/1B, Georgia
Condon has had a truly historic season. He’s batting .443/.558/1.043 with 35 home runs, which is the most in the 64-team era of college baseball that goes back to 1999. Teams pitched Condon extremely carefully, especially during the second half of the season, but he was so locked in that he had a record-breaking season anyway.
Best Hitter: Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia
The answer here is also Condon for all of the reasons discussed above, but let’s also use this space to give a shoutout to UNCW’s Tanner Thach for the season he’s had. He’s batting .330/.413/.725 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs.
Best Defensive Player: Jac Croom, 3B, UNCW
Croom, a fifth-year senior, is an air-tight defender at the hot corner, where he’s started every single game this season and fielded the ball at a .965 clip, which is a big part of the Seahawks fielding a solid .973. For his career, during which he’s also played some second base, he’s a .962 defender.
Best Pitcher: RJ Sales, RHP, UNCW
With all due respect to Georgia’s Kolten Smith, who has been excellent over the second half of the season, RJ Sales stands out for his consistency this season and status as a true rotation workhorse. He has a 3.37 ERA, a .208 opponent batting average and 81 strikeouts in 82.2 innings. He’s got high-end stuff as well, including a fastball that averages over 92 mph and touched as high as 96 this season, and a low-80s curveball that has a 36% whiff rate.
Click or tap here for the full regional breakdown
Bryan-College Station Regional Preview to come
Chapel Hill Regional Preview
North Carolina won the ACC by two games and earned the No. 4 national seed, but the Tar Heels drew a scary No. 2 seed in reigning national champion LSU, a preseason top-five team that fell into a 3-12 hole to start SEC play, then reeled off 18 wins in their final 24 games to cruise into regionals. Wofford also reached the 40-win mark and finished inside the top 50 of the RPI after a strong stretch run, which was capped with a SoCon tournament championship, sending the Terriers to their first regional since 2016. Fourth-seeded Long Island went 24-9 in the Northeast Conference to finish in second place, then ran through the losers’ bracket at the NEC tournament to beat top-seeded Sacred Heart twice in the finals, sending Dan Pirillo’s Sharks to regionals for the second time in three years, and the third time since 2018.
1. North Carolina: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. LSU: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. Wofford: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Long Island: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
The nation’s premier power/speed threat, Honeycutt has posted two 20/20 seasons in his three years at UNC, and his junior year has been his best season to date, with a career-high 1.118 OPS to go along with 22 homers, 58 RBI and 28 steals in 31 tries. His 80-grade speed and huge raw power should make him a first-round pick despite his high swing-and-miss rate, but his most special attribute might be his defense in center field — more on that in a moment.
2024 DI baseball tournament bracket, schedule and scores 📲
Best Hitter: Tommy White, 3B, LSU
Another soon-to-be-first-rounder, White has been a wrecking ball for three years, hitting 27 home runs as a freshman at NC State, then 24 last year to help lead LSU to a national title and 24 more as a junior this spring. Even though his triple-slash numbers (.337/.412/.675) are all the lowest of his career, White remains a terrifying presence in the box, with elite power that particularly plays to the opposite field. He lets the ball travel well and has a very low strikeout rate (12.1 percent) for an elite power hitter. And his flair for the dramatic is unmatched in college baseball; his extra-innings homer to lift LSU past Wake Forest in last year’s national semifinals was one of the iconic moments of this era in college baseball.
Best Defensive Player: Honeycutt.
Honeycutt is simply the best defensive outfielder in all of college baseball, and you can make a strong argument that he is the best defender at any position. He leads all outfielders with 13.98 defensive runs saved this year, and he has been regarded as a special defender since his freshman year. His reads, jumps, quickness and straight-line speed all add up to give him unmatched range, giving him major league Gold Glove potential even though his arm is fringy at best. If you’re looking for someone other than Honeycutt, consider LSU dynamic freshman second baseman Steven Milam, whose 8.81 defensive runs saved are second-most to Honeycutt in this regional.
Best Pitcher: Luke Holman, RHP, LSU
Holman is another surefire first-round pick in this regional, thanks to his combination of quality stuff, superb feel for pitching, elite competitiveness and poise. He doesn’t have the raw arm strength of Chase Burns and Hagen Smith, but he might wind up being the third college player off the board after those two, because his performance track record in the SEC is very loud. This year he is 9-3, 2.54 with 116 strikeouts against 32 walks in 85 innings, and he has held opponents to a .167 batting average, which is eighth-best in the nation among qualifiers. Holman doesn’t overpower with velocity, but his 91-93 fastball plays up because of its running life and his outstanding command, as well as his ability to keep hitters off balance with his wipeout slider (one of the nation’s best) and his solid curveball.
Click or tap here for the full regional breakdown
Charlottesville Regional Preview to come
Clemson Regional Preview
For the second season in a row, Clemson earned a top-eight national seed, but unlike last season, there was no surprise about it this time around. The bigger challenge for the Tigers is ahead of them, though, because they’ve been eliminated in each of their last five regionals played at home at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Even beyond that, storylines abound in this regional. You have Vanderbilt, which won the Clemson Regional in 2017 and 2018, you have Coastal Carolina, coached by the legendary Gary Gilmore in his final season at the helm, and you have High Point competing in its first-ever regional.
1. Clemson: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. Vanderbilt: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. Coastal Carolina: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. High Point: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
Though he dealt with some injuries early in the season that somewhat limited him, Cannarella has put up numbers that rival those of his breakout season in 2023, and the standout center fielder and top prospect for the 2025 draft is the most electric player in this regional. He’s batting .342/.422/.560 with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 51 RBI, all while serving as a good defender at his position.
Best Hitter: Sam Antonacci, 3B, Coastal Carolina
With all due respect to Cannarella, who could easily be the choice here as well, Antonacci is a prototypical pure hitter and leadoff man for Coastal. He’s batting .367/.526/.486 with 48 walks (and 26 hit by pitches) compared to just 38 strikeouts. The Chanticleers have a number of dangerous run producers in the middle of the order, but Antonacci is the engine that makes the lineup go.
Best Defensive Player: Cannarella
Cannarella’s defensive value is part of why he was listed above as the most exciting player in this regional. A shoulder injury early in the season cost him some time in center field, as his ability to throw the ball back into the infield was severely compromised, but he’s started in the field every day since late March. In terms of running balls down and covering tons of ground, there are few in college baseball better than Cannarella.
Best Pitcher: Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson
With Carter Holton available this weekend but with some uncertainty about how effective he will be, this nod goes to Clemson righthander Aidan Knaak, who amazingly is just a freshman. He had some growing pains early in the season, but those passed quickly and he became one of the best starting pitchers in the country. He has a 2.96 ERA, a .216 opponent batting average and 97 strikeouts compared to 26 walks in 73 innings. He works with a fastball that averages over 92 mph and has touched as high as 96 this season with a high-70s changeup that has an astounding 61% whiff rate and a low-80s curveball.
Click or tap here for the full regional breakdown
Corvallis Regional Preview to come
Fayetteville Regional Preview to come
Greenville Regional Preview to come
Knoxville Regional Preview
Tennessee earned the No. 1 national seed for the second time in three years after sharing the SEC regular-season title with Kentucky and then backing it up with an SEC tournament championship. The Volunteers are a fearsome juggernaut once again, but their regional field won’t be a cake walk. Southern Miss gave Tennessee all it could handle last year in the Hattiesburg Super Regional, and while some key personnel have changed for both teams, the potential for a rematch is very intriguing. Indiana took some lumps early against a very aggressive nonconference schedule, but the Hoosiers really came together down the stretch and finished third in the Big Ten to earn an at-large bid. In Dizzy Peyton’s third year as head coach, Northern Kentucky notched its highest-ever finish in the Horizon (second place), then took down perennial league power Wright State in the conference title game, sending the Norse to their first regional in 12 years as a Division I program.
1. Tennessee: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. Southern Miss: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. Indiana: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Northern Kentucky: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
The lefty-swinging sophomore was the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year in 2023. This season, he got pitched around so much that the Hoosiers moved him to leadoff batter. He still made first-team All-Big Ten, hitting .352 with 18 homers, a 643 slugging and a .447 on-base percentage. He also has six homers in his past 10 games — the virtues of hitting leadoff has played a role. He finished the regular season leading the conference in runs and ranking second in homers and ninth in batting average. In addition, he is vastly improved in left field.
Best Hitter: Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
A first-team All-SEC selection, tied for fifth in the nation with 28 homers. He also led Tennessee in batting average (.382); RBI (63); slugging (.789); and on-base percentage (.447). Moore, a native of Brooklyn, has made himself at home in Rocky Top.
Best Defensive Player: Ozzie Pratt, SS, Southern Miss
BYU transfer Ozzie Pratt has been a key addition for Southern Miss, stepping into the shortstop job vacated by mainstay Dustin Dickerson. Pratt is a rock-solid defender whose 7.84 defensive runs saved are best among shortstops in this regional. He’s the linch pin of the Golden Eagles defense.
Best Pitcher: Billy Oldham, RHP, Southern Miss and Connor Foley, RHP, Indiana
Southern Miss senior righthander Billy Oldham is an old-school pitchability master who doesn’t blow hitters away with velocity but keeps them off balance thanks to his advanced feel for multiple quality offspeed pitches. As a result, he misses plenty of bats, striking out 96 against 26 walks in 90.2 innings over 15 starts this year, while posting a 3.97 ERA. He’s as reliable a pitching commodity as you’ll find in this regional, right there with Tennessee three-year stalwart Drew Beam, a likely Day One draft pick despite his modest strikeout rate.
Also in this discussion is Indiana’s Connor Foley, a 6-5 sophomore righthander, who can hit 99 with his fastball with elite riding life. If Indiana beats Southern Miss and the Vols take care of business against NKU, the Hoosiers could have Foley (4-1, 3.71) lined up to challenge the Volunteers. Batters have hit just .155 against Foley this season, and he has struck out 80 batters in 60 2/3 innings. His walk rate is high, but he’s pitched around it, posting a 3.71 ERA.
Click or tap here for the full regional breakdown
Lexington Regional Preview to come
Norman Regional Preview to come
Raleigh Regional Preview to come
Santa Barbara Regional Preview to come
Stillwater Regional Preview
Oklahoma State hosted a regional each of the previous two years but wasn’t able to advance. Stillwater has played host to some rather offensive settings during that time, and each of the three visiting teams has a notable slugger to keep an eye on including Nebraska catcher Josh Caron, Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone and Niagara first baseman Eric Rataczak. The difference this year could be the Cowboys’ pitching staff as their 4.06 team is the 11th-best mark in the nation.
1. Oklahoma State: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. Nebraska: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. Florida: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Niagara: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida.
Caglianone is a generational talent, a two-way star that hits tape measure bombs as a lefthanded slugger and reaches triples digits as a lefthanded pitcher. At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, he looks like a big leaguer and each season he has played has been significantly better than the one before. This year he’s slashing .415/.525/.844 with 29 home runs. Some of the counting stats aren’t as good as what he posted last year, but the walks are up (41 this year as compared to 17 last) and the strikeouts are down (21 this year, 58 last year). While his professional future will continue as a position player, he also has a 5-1, 4.35 record on the mound with 68 strikeouts in 62 innings. He hasn’t pitched since May 18 due to Florida’s one-and-done showing at the SEC tournament, so he arrives in Stillwater with a fresh arm in addition to his incredible power potential.
Best Hitter: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida.
In addition to being the regional’s most exciting player, Caglianone is also the best hitter in attendance, and it’s a big reason why he’s on the short list for the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. To spread the wealth I’ll also mention Oklahoma State sophomore outfielder Nolan Schubart who has already posted some pretty incredible numbers in two years for the Pokes.
Best Defensive Player: Josh Caron, C, Nebraska.
Opposing teams have hardly tested Caron behind the plate thanks to his rocket for a right arm, and he’s also taken a more take-charge approach with the pitching staff after largely being known as an offensive-minded backstop his first two years at Nebraska. Combine his defensive prowess with his powerful righthanded swing — he hit six of his 16 home runs this season during the Big Ten tournament in Omaha last week — and you have yet another talented all-around player that could go off at the launching pad known as O’Brate Stadium.
Best Pitcher: Brett Sears, RHP, Nebraska.
Sears had one of the best statistical seasons in the nation on his way to being named the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year. He improved to 9-0, 2.00 last weekend with an impressive nine-strikeout performance in six innings against Purdue — when he didn’t have his best stuff — to avoid elimination, and he completed Nebraska’s Big Ten tournament run with a perfect 1-2-3 inning to pick up the first save of his collegiate career. His transformation from a serviceable reliever a year ago to the Huskers’ ace this year is pretty remarkable, and he fronts a Nebraska staff that has a 4.40 team ERA. At his best Sears sequences between a four-pitch mix headlined by his 89-94 mph fastball and low-80s slider.
Click or tap here for the full regional breakdown
Tallahassee Regional Preview
After a brutal initial season in Tallahassee, second-year Florida State head coach Link Jarrett led the Seminoles to a top-eight seed, returning the program to its customary status. FSU is the unquestioned favorite in a foursome that includes Alabama, UCF and Stetson. The Crimson Tide have series wins over Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, and South Carolina demonstrating they can defeat anyone. UCF had a strong Big 12 campaign, riding a deep pitching staff to a regional berth. Stetson has two wins over West Virginia, one over Florida and a win over top-seed Florida State. There are no easy wins in the group.
1. Florida State: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. Alabama: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. UCF: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Stetson: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
Smith has a flair for the big hit and big game, which makes him must-see TV this weekend at Dick Howser Stadium. Smith is batting a team-high .397/.487/.671 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI and has had 12 games with three or more hits and two with four. Once he gets that first hit, look out for him to collect more before he’s done.
Best Hitter: James Tibbs, RF, Florida State
Tibbs batted .377 with 25 home runs and 84 RBI for Florida State this season and was named the ACC Player of the Year. With nearly as many home runs (25) as strikeouts (26), he’s a slam-dunk first-round bat and one of the top hitters in the nation.
Best Defensive Player: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
The freshman Lebron (.332/ 11 HRs/ 35 RBI) not only bats three-hole but is a human highlight reel defensively. Lebron gets to balls most shortstops don’t, and earned all-SEC defensive team honors. The freshman continues to improve and should be one of the top shortstops in the nation next season.
Best Pitcher: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
The Seminoles’ ace went 10-3 this season with a 2.45 ERA. He started 15 games and logged 88.1 innings, both far and away team highs. Perhaps most impressively, Arnold struck out 134 batters against only 20 walks. With an explosive uphill fastball that sits 93-96 and bumps 97 from a low slot, Arnold presents a look reminiscent of a young Chris Sale. And like Sale, he also has a wipeout slider.
Tucson Regional Preview
Pac-12 regular-season and tournament champion hosted despite a No. 31 RPI — and the Wildcats were rewarded with the toughest regional field from top to bottom, with a No. 2 seed that had its own strong hosting case in Dallas Baptist, a No. 3 seed that could have been a 2 in West Virginia, and the toughest 4-seed in the field of 64 in Grand Canyon. It’s anybody’s ballgame, and it should make for compelling theater out West.
1. Arizona: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
2. Dallas Baptist: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
3. West Virginia: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
4. Grand Canyon: Regular Season Results | Team Stats and Leaders
Most Exciting Player: JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
The lefthanded-hitting shortstop won Big 12 Player of the Year in 2023, and Wetherholt is a projected top-10 pick who might wind up being the best pro out of a loaded collection of prospects at the top of this draft class. There’s nothing he cannot do on a baseball field. Finally healthy, Wetherholt is back at shortstop in addition to hitting, and he ignites a sneaky outstanding lineup.
Best Hitter: Mason White, SS, Arizona
The Wildcats’ lefthanded-hitting shortstop is a dynamic offensive player. The 5-foot-11, 176-pound sophomore hits for surprising power (19 home runs) and he is a run-producing force (54 runs, 65 RBI). His 84 punchouts raise eyebrows but when he is hot, the Arizona offense is a problem.
Best Defensive Player: Alton Gyselman, C, Grand Canyon & Cade Verdusco, CF, Grand Canyon
The Lopes offer elite defense up the middle, especially when it comes to arm talent. Both Gyselman and Verdusco show 70 arms and baserunners in the Tucson Regional will be wise to take caution on the bases. Gyselman will likely pitch in professional baseball, and his throws to second base are a sight to behold. #LaserBolts
Best Pitcher: Ryan Johnson, RHP, Dallas Baptist
Johnson (11-2, 2.07 ERA) pitches with an up-tempo, almost quick-pitch operation. It’s certainly unique, but this is not about trickery. Johnson is third in the nation with 147 punchouts and his slider generates an outrageous 53% whiff rate. The junior will make his 40th career start in Tucson and he owns 22 victories.