South Carolina baseball: Gamecocks listed as No. 2 seed in latest projections

South Carolina baseball is still fighting to host a regional.

The South Carolina baseball team entered last weekend securely in the postseason, and positioned as one of the 16 regional host sites after jumping out to a 26-12 start. A sweep at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels, however, has now put that status in jeopardy.

D1 Baseball has revealed its latest postseason projections, pegging South Carolina with the 17th overall ranking. What does that mean, exactly?

Essentially, the Gamecocks have fallen off of the No. 1 seed line, and are now considered the top two-seed in the field. They’re predicted to land in Greenville, NC, where they’d be paired with 16th overall seed and regional host East Carolina, as well as NC State and USC Upstate.

Now, there’s still time for the Gamecocks to make a move back into regional hosting contention. That path will begin this weekend in a home matchup with No. 4 Mississippi State. A series victory over one of the nation’s top teams would certainly catch the eye of the committee.

The NCAA also announced some good news last week for bubble teams on the brink of hosting, saying that they’ll now choose 20 host sites after this weekend’s series wrap up. Of those 20 selections, the final 16 would be solidified the night before Selection Monday. Previously, it was reported that the 16 final spots would be chosen on May 10th, two weeks before the end of the season.

By choosing 20 teams, the performance of these final few weeks will now be taken into account in regards to seeding, meaning a few more teams will have the opportunity to earn one of those final hosting slots. The Gamecocks, despite the sweep at Ole Miss, should currently land in those top 20 selections. If they can take care of business against Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the path to becoming a regional host is in sight.