South Carolina baseball: looking at regional host chances

South Carolina baseball still hoping to host regionals.

The South Carolina baseball team entered this past weekend as a fringe contender to be one of college baseball’s 16 regional host sites as we inch closer to the postseason. The Gamecocks were positioned to be the 17th overall seed in D1 Baseball’s most recent tournament projections, landing as the No. 2 seed in the East Carolina regional. Those host chances took a shot with a series loss against Mississippi State, but there’s still a path in sight.

The NCAA will announce this week a group of 20 possible host teams, which will be whittled down to 16 final seeds at the conclusion of the regular season. The Gamecocks, despite having lost three straight SEC series, are likely to earn one of these initial 20 slots. What happens over the next two weeks will determine whether they’ll get to host or not.

Let’s take a look at the good and the bad on the South Carolina baseball resume, and find out what the Gamecocks need to do in order to earn a top 16 overall seed.

The Good

The Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 12 in the RPI, having posted a 28-17 overall record against the nation’s second toughest schedule. The RPI evaluates overall win/loss performance while taking into consideration the strength of schedule.

South Carolina has already played series against four of the top five teams from the latest Top 25, and will face the fifth member of that group to close out the year. They’ve also swept a series against No. 9 Florida to post a 6-9 record versus teams currently ranked in the top 10.

All in all, the Gamecocks have posted a 16-15 record against what the RPI considers “quad two” opponents. That includes 10 wins over foes ranked in the RPI’s top 50, and a perfect 6-0 mark versus teams ranked between 50 and 100.

While the Gamecocks have experience and success against the nation’s top teams, they also have no bad losses. They’ve not dropped a series versus any opponent ranked outside the top 100, and have notched a 12-2 record against quad three and four challengers.

The Bad

While South Carolina does have a nice overall resume, they’ve been trending in the wrong direction of late. The Gamecocks have lost three straight series, and it comes right before the NCAA makes its postseason selections. The team had an opportunity to capitalize while facing No. 1 Arkansas, No. 3 Mississippi State, and No. 18 Ole Miss, but instead, went just 2-7 in the nine game stretch. A few more wins would’ve elevated the Gamecocks safely into the group of possible host sites.

What makes things more difficult is the fact that they’re competing with fellow SEC members for these final spots. As of now, six of the 16 projected host seeds hail from the Southeastern Conference. It’s hard to see the NCAA bumping that number to seven or eight, even with a solid finish by the Gamecocks. South Carolina really needed to make a statement in matchups with Ole Miss and Mississippi State these past two weeks to try and steal a spot from one of these conference foes. Instead, the Gamecocks have fallen to 12-12 in league play, and are now staring up at those six projected host teams.

What’s left

Remaining schedule

• @ Clemson (No. 51 RPI)
• @ Kentucky (No. 52 RPI)
• v. #4 Tennessee (No. 8 RPI)

There is still a path for the Gamecocks to host, but the team will need a strong finish, and maybe some help from the outside. South Carolina needs to win three of four games this week when travelling to Clemson and Kentucky. They’ll then need to perform well in the final home series against No. 4 Tennessee. We can assume anything less than a series win will have the Gamecocks on the outside looking in come selection day.