There’s always some grumbling and discontent when the selection committee releases its field of regional host sites for the college baseball tournament — everybody has a slightly different way of evaluating deservedness. But one of the near-unanimous gripes when the field was unveiled this week was UC Santa Barbara, arguably the softest 1-seed in the country, earning a host site at a minor league park three hours from campus.
As the curtains come up on the 2015 NCAA Baseball Tournament on Friday, the Gauchos face heavy pressure to verify the committee’s controversial decision. But against a dangerous San Diego State team that felled 16 top-50 RPI teams this season and could be the stiffest 4-seed in the field, UCSB might end up being one of the first major upset victims in the tournament.
That’s one of many key storylines to keep an eye on during a jam-packed, 32-game Friday to jump start the tournament’s whirlwind opening weekend. Can Cal State Fullerton survive its own feisty 4-seed, Pepperdine? Can College of Charleston avenge its hosting snub by taking down big bad SEC ace Cole Lipscomb and his Auburn Tigers? Will the pitching duel between Oregon State’s Andrew Moore and Texas’ Parker French live up the hype?
Below is the complete schedule for Friday. All games can be streamed live through WatchESPN. Games that are being broadcast on TV are denoted as such.
Baton Rouge
4 Lehigh vs. (2) LSU — 4 p.m. — SEC Network
3 Tulane vs. 2 UNC Wilmington — 8 p.m.
Champaign
3 Wright State vs. 2 Notre Dame — 1 p.m.
4 Ohio vs. (6) Illinois — 8 p.m.
College Station
3 California vs. 2 Coastal Carolina — 1 p.m.
4 Texas Southern vs. 1 Texas A&M — 7 p.m.
Coral Gables
3 Columbia vs. 2 East Carolina — 1 p.m.
4 Florida International vs. (5) Miami — 7 p.m.
Dallas
3 Texas vs. 2 Oregon State — 2:30 p.m.
4 VCU vs. 1 Dallas Baptist — 7 p.m.
Fort Worth
3 Stony Brook vs. 2 NC State — 3:30 p.m.
4 Sacred Heart vs. (7) TCU — 8 p.m.
Fullerton
3 Clemson vs. 2 Arizona State — 6 p.m.
4 Pepperdine vs. 1 Cal State Fullerton — 10 p.m.
Gainesville
3 South Florida vs. 2 Florida Atlantic — 1 p.m.
4 Florida A&M vs. (4) Florida — 7 p.m. — SEC Network
Houston
3 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. 2 Rice — 3:30 p.m.
4 Houston Baptist vs. 1 Houston — 8 p.m.
Lake Elsinore
3 Virginia vs. 2 USC — 6 p.m.
4 San Diego State vs. 1 UC Santa Barbara — 10 p.m.
Los Angeles
3 Maryland vs. 2 Ole Miss — 7 p.m.
4 Bakersfield vs. (1) UCLA — 11 p.m. — ESPNU
Louisville
3 Michigan vs. 2 Bradley — 2 p.m.
4 Morehead State vs. (3) Louisville — 6 p.m.
Nashville
3 Indiana vs. 2 Radford — 3 p.m.
4 Lipscomb vs. 1 Vanderbilt — 8 p.m.
Springfield
3 Oregon vs. 2 Iowa — 2 p.m.
4 Canisius vs. (8) Missouri State — 7 p.m.
Stillwater
3 Oral Robers vs. 2 Arkansas — 1 p.m. — SEC Network
4 St. John’s vs. 1 Oklahoma State — 7 p.m.
Tallahassee
3 Auburn vs. 2 College of Charleston — noon
4 Mercer vs. 1 Florida State — 6 p.m.
