We enter Day 4 of the DII Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina. Wednesday’s games feature a win or go game against Cal Poly Pomona and Central Missouri at 11 a.m. followed by Lander and Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. ET.
MORE: Nine players to watch at the DII championship
The games will be played at the USA Baseball complex, which has served as the site for the DII championship in the past eight years.
Keep up with all the action in the below live blog.
Interactive Bracket Watch Live
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is one of the best in the sport. The Tigers’ defense was a huge reason why they made it all the way to the national championship last season, and Venables’ intensity was a driving factor in the development of defensive studs such as Mackensie Alexander, Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson.
Venables’ trademark intensity is the source of comedy in a video released by the Clemson football department on Tuesday, too. The Tigers are building a state-of-the art football facility that is set to open in 2017.
So if Venables can’t coach up his defense in the new facility, why not coach up the construction crew?
Take a look:
WHO’S NOT
South Alabama (40-20), the final at-large pick, has lost six of nine and dropped its final three series (to No. 81 RPI Georgia Southern, No. 97 UT Arlington and No. 91 Troy). Washington (32-21) is 8-7 over its last 15 games, including series losses to No. 177 Washington State at home and at No. 92 Utah. Georgia Tech has lost five of six, albeit one of those was against No. 3 national seed Miami and the others were against No. 1 regional seeds Florida State and North Carolina State.
FEELING A DRAFT
A dozen prospective first-round draft picks are in the tournament. Among them are Florida pitcher A.J. Puk, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Miami catcher Zack Collins, Mississippi State pitcher Dakota Hudson, Vanderbilt pitcher Jordan Sheffield and Virginia catcher Matt Thaiss.
TOP GUNS
Clemson freshman right fielder Seth Beer is a candidate for national player of the year with his .372 batting average and 16 home runs. Texas A&M third baseman Boomer White, who played for TCU in the 2014 CWS, is batting .395 in his first season with the Aggies. Navy left-hander Luke Gillingham (8-3, 1.96) is the NCAA active leader in career complete games (17) and shutouts (7). Southeastern Louisiana first baseman Jameson Fisher’s .437 batting average leads the nation.
CHAMPS AT HOME
Virginia (37-20) begins defense of its national title at home as a No. 1 regional seed after having to go to the West Coast as a No. 3 last year. The Cavaliers won their last five ACC series after moving Adam Haseley and Alec Bettinger into the weekend rotation and shifting Tommy Doyle to the closer’s role.
FLORIDA’S TIME?
The Gators (47-13) have done everything except win a national title under ninth-year coach Kevin O’Sullivan, and they enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed for the second time in five years. SEC pitcher of the year Logan Shore and A.J. Puk lead a staff averaging 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Leading hitter Peter Alonso (.352, 9 HRs), out since May 13 with a broken left hand, is expected be in the lineup against Bethune-Cookman on Friday.
WEST TEXAS, NOT COAST
There’ll be no regional on the West Coast for the first time since 1994. Arizona (38-20) was No. 21 in the RPI and submitted a bid to host a regional, but the selection committee sent the Wildcats to Lafayette, Louisiana. That makes Texas Tech, in Lubbock, the westernmost regional site.
OMAHA, Neb. — The NCAA baseball tournament starts with regional play Friday through Monday. The 16 winners advance to super regionals next week, and the final eight go to the College World Series in Omaha beginning June 18.
Here are some of the tournament’s top story lines:
WHO’S HOT
Coastal Carolina (44-15) has won 10 straight and Bryant (47-10) and Louisiana-Lafayette (41-19) each have won nine in a row. LSU (42-18) has won 14 of its last 16 games, going 3-2 against No. 1 national seed Florida in that stretch. Clemson (42-18) knocked off No. 1 regional seeds Virginia, Louisville and Florida State on its way to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title and has won eight straight.
RELATED: Interactive baseball bracket
WHO’S NOT
South Alabama (40-20), the final at-large pick, has lost six of nine and dropped its final three series (to No. 81 RPI Georgia Southern, No. 97 UT Arlington and No. 91 Troy). Washington (32-21) is 8-7 over its last 15 games, including series losses to No. 177 Washington State at home and at No. 92 Utah. Georgia Tech has lost five of six, albeit one of those was against No. 3 national seed Miami and the others were against No. 1 regional seeds Florida State and North Carolina State.
FEELING A DRAFT
A dozen prospective first-round draft picks are in the tournament. Among them are Florida pitcher A.J. Puk, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Miami catcher Zack Collins, Mississippi State pitcher Dakota Hudson, Vanderbilt pitcher Jordan Sheffield and Virginia catcher Matt Thaiss.
TOP GUNS
Clemson freshman right fielder Seth Beer is a candidate for national player of the year with his .372 batting average and 16 home runs. Texas A&M third baseman Boomer White, who played for TCU in the 2014 CWS, is batting .395 in his first season with the Aggies. Navy left-hander Luke Gillingham (8-3, 1.96) is the NCAA active leader in career complete games (17) and shutouts (7). Southeastern Louisiana first baseman Jameson Fisher’s .437 batting average leads the nation.
CHAMPS AT HOME
Virginia (37-20) begins defense of its national title at home as a No. 1 regional seed after having to go to the West Coast as a No. 3 last year. The Cavaliers won their last five ACC series after moving Adam Haseley and Alec Bettinger into the weekend rotation and shifting Tommy Doyle to the closer’s role.
FLORIDA’S TIME?
The Gators (47-13) have done everything except win a national title under ninth-year coach Kevin O’Sullivan, and they enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed for the second time in five years. SEC pitcher of the year Logan Shore and A.J. Puk lead a staff averaging 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Leading hitter Peter Alonso (.352, 9 HRs), out since May 13 with a broken left hand, is expected be in the lineup against Bethune-Cookman on Friday.
WEST TEXAS, NOT COAST
There’ll be no regional on the West Coast for the first time since 1994. Arizona (38-20) was No. 21 in the RPI and submitted a bid to host a regional, but the selection committee sent the Wildcats to Lafayette, Louisiana. That makes Texas Tech, in Lubbock, the westernmost regional site.
