South Carolina baseball: NCAA to predetermine postseason host sites

South Carolina baseball will bid to be considered as a postseason host site.

The South Carolina baseball season has gotten off to a hot start, with the Gamecocks posting a 19-7 overall record over the first half of the year, including a 6-3 mark in SEC play. That start includes a sweep of then-No. 5 Florida and two wins over archrival Clemson. As it stands, South Carolina ranks as the nation’s 11th-best team, putting them squarely in the conversation when talking about host sites for postseason play.

In a typical campaign, those host sites would be selected by the NCAA after the regular season has wrapped up. This year, as we know, has been anything but typical, with COVID concerns dictating a number of decisions being made by athletic administration nationwide.

With health and safety of student athletes in mind, the NCAA will be predetermining postseason sites for both the regional and super regional rounds of college baseball’s playoffs. We just saw this happen with March Madness being played in a bubble, so it comes as no surprise that the same type of approach would be taken for other postseason championships.

Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball broke the news yesterday that programs will now need to bid for an opportunity be considered as a host site. Those bids must be submitted by next Monday, with Rogers stating that the selections will be made based on merit, meaning season performance will influence the committee’s decision. Sites will be announced the week of May 10th, about two weeks prior to the regular season’s conclusion.

This early announcement gives NCAA officials extra time to have sites COVID protocol certified, which apparently takes about three weeks to do.

What does this mean for South Carolina baseball?

The Gamecocks are no stranger to hosting postseason play. Since Founders Park’s opening in 2009, the stadium has played host to a number of both regional and super regional matchups. One of college baseball’s best atmospheres according to both NCAA.com and Baseball America, the draw of playing at the Gamecocks’ state of the art facility can only help South Carolina come selection time.

With bids needing to be placed this week, the Gamecocks are in a good place. If the season ended today, South Carolina would be a shoe in for one of the top 16 regional spots, and should they continue to play at this level over the next month of the year, super regional consideration is not out of the question.

South Carolina’s next two series come against conference bottom dwellers Missouri and LSU. Taking at least four of those six contests will be crucial because the Gamecocks will then face top five opponents Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State on consecutive weekends. Site decisions will be made after that Mississippi State series, so in order to stay at the top of the list, they’ll need to hold their own against the big boys.

The Gamecocks have done so thus far, going 4-5 against teams ranked in the top 15. If they can do the same against the Razorbacks, Rebels, and Bulldogs, fans can start getting ready for midsummer tailgates at Founders Park in Columbia, as South Carolina attempts to get to its first College World Series since 2012.