INDIANAPOLIS - Conference USA has received four bids to the 2021 NCAA Baseball Championship, as announced by the Division I baseball committee on Monday. C-USA tournament champion Old Dominion will be the No. 1 seed in the Columbia Regional, Louisiana Tech will host the Ruston Regional as the top seed, while C-USA regular season champ Charlotte will play in the Greenville Regional and Southern Miss will compete in the Oxford Regional. All teams will open play Friday, June 4.
It is C-USA’s highest representation in the field since the 2016 NCAA Baseball Tournament and ranks tied for fourth among conferences with the Big 12. Only the SEC (9), ACC (8) and Pac-12 (6) supplied more teams to the competition. It is also the first time since 2009 that C-USA has provided two No. 1 seeds (ECU and Rice) in the regional round and only the third time ever. Furthermore, all four C-USA squads are a No. 2 seed or higher for the first time since 2011.
Ruston Regional hosted by Louisiana Tech
#2 NC State (30-17) vs. #3 Alabama (31-24), 3 p.m., ESPN3
#1
Louisiana Tech (40-18) vs. #4 Rider (23-16), 7 p.m., ESPN3
Columbia Regional hosted by South Carolina
#2 South Carolina (33-21) vs. #3 Virginia (29-23), 12 p.m., ESPN2
#1
Old Dominion (42-14) vs. #4 Jacksonville (16-32), 7 p.m., ESPN3
Oxford Regional hosted by Ole Miss
#2
Southern Miss (37-19) vs. #3 Florida State (30-22), 3 p.m., ESPNU
#1 Ole Miss (41-19) vs. #4 Southeast Missouri State (30-20), 8 p.m., ESPN3
Greenville Regional hosted by East Carolina
#1 East Carolina (41-15) vs. #4 Norfolk State (25-26), 12 p.m., ESPN3
#2
Charlotte (39-19) vs. #3 Maryland (28-16), 6 p.m., ESPN3
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All Times Eastern
After earning its first C-USA Championship in Ruston on Sunday, red-hot Old Dominion (42-14) takes its seven-game win streak 400 miles south to Columbia, South Carolina, as the top seed in its regional. The Monarchs will open their postseason trip against Jacksonville (16-32) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3. The No. 1 seed Monarchs will join No. 2 seed South Carolina (33-21) and No. 3 seed Virginia (29-23), who meet earlier on Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Old Dominion’s last NCAA Tournament trip was in 2014 to the Columbia Regional and it is the program’s ninth NCAA postseason berth overall.
Fresh off hosting the 2021 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Baseball Championship, Louisiana Tech (40-18) will host the Ruston Regional as the top seed at the new J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. The Bulldogs will battle No. 4 seed Rider (23-16) Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3. No. 2 seed North Carolina State (30-17) and No. 3 seed Alabama (31-24) will also be in attendance and meet on the diamond at 3 p.m. ET.
Charlotte (39-10) will follow up its C-USA regular season crown by heading to the Greenville Regional where it will open play on Friday with No. 3 seed Maryland (28-16) at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN3. Garnering its highest seed in team history, the No. 2 Niners will join No. 1 seed ECU (41-15) and No. 4 seed Norfolk State (25-26), who meet on Friday at noon ET. For Charlotte, it is the sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament - the first since 2011 - and second at-large selection in program history.
Southern Miss (37-19) will be making its 17th NCAA appearance and fifth in a row as the No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to meet No. 3 seed Florida State (30-22) at 3 p.m. ET in the first round of regional play on Friday, June 4, on ESPNU. No. 1 seed and host Ole Miss (41-19) will battle No. 4 seed SE Missouri State (30-20) in the follow-up game at 8 p.m. ET.
Each of the 16 regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, June 4, to Monday, June 7 (if necessary). Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced by the NCAA in the evening of Monday, June 7.
A C-USA team has advanced to a Super Regional in 11 of the last 20 years and reached the College World Series six times since 2005.
The 74th Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 19, at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.