South Carolina baseball: NCAA postseason projections ahead of SEC Tournament

South Carolina baseball hopes to improve its standing with a strong SEC Tournament performance.

The South Carolina baseball team is gearing up for its SEC Tournament opener against Alabama as it looks to make some noise and improve its chances of hosting a regional in the upcoming NCAA postseason field. The Gamecocks entered last weekend as a No. 2 seed in the East Carolina regional, meaning they’d be making the short trip to Greenville, NC for the event’s first round.

The Gamecocks had a chance to improve upon that rating, and vault into the group of top 16 seeds with a win over Tennessee, but South Carolina dropped two of three games in the regular season’s final series. Now, D1 Baseball has unveiled its most recent projections, taking into account the last weekend’s results. Where do the Gamecocks rank now?

South Carolina is still slated as the No. 2 seed in the East Carolina regional, joining the Pirates, Duke, and Wofford. East Carolina has improved their standing, jumping from the 13th rated national seed up to No. 10. That would lead to a second round pairing with the Mississippi State regional, which sees the Bulldogs hosting Southern Miss, Baylor, and Southern University. Should the Gamecocks advance, they’d travel to Starkville. The team faced off against Mississippi State earlier this month in a three-game set, posting a 1-2 record against the SEC foe.

Baseball America gave their postseason predictions, too, and they see South Carolina hosting a regional in Founders Park despite receiving a two-seed. The site lists the Gamecocks as the No. 2 seed in the Old Dominion regional, but since the Monarchs did not submit a bid back in late April, they’d not be able to host in their home ballpark despite earning a top 16 overall seed.

This region pairs the Gamecocks with Old Dominion, North Carolina, and Virginia Commonwealth. South Carolina has yet to face ODU or VCU, but they did play the Tar Heels in a midweek matchup earlier this year. That game ended in a 3-2 extra inning loss for the Gamecocks. This regional is paired with the No.1 overall seed Arkansas, which features the Razorbacks, Dallas Baptist, Fairfield, and Oral Roberts.

South Carolina is safely locked into the postseason field, regardless of its performance in the SEC Tournament, but picking up a few wins could launch them into the group of top 16, ensuring that the team would host an opening round in Columbia. The mission begins in just a few hours, as the Gamecocks prepare for the Crimson Tide.