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A breakdown of the 16 Regional sites for the 2026 NCAA baseball tournament, highlighting the players and storylines that will define the action.
Athens Regional
- Teams: Georgia (1), Boston College (2), Liberty (3), Long Island (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Tre Phelps, 3B, Georgia
- Best Hitter: Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
- Best Defensive Player: Tanner Marsh, SS, Liberty
- Best Pitcher: Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty
- X-Factor: Boston College's pitching, which has struggled late in the season.
Atlanta Regional
- Teams: Georgia Tech (1), Oklahoma (2), The Citadel (3), UIC (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
- Best Hitter: Jarren Advincula, 2B, Georgia Tech
- Best Defensive Player: Jaxon Willits, SS, Oklahoma
- Best Pitcher: Will Holmes, LHP, The Citadel
- X-Factor: Oklahoma's starting pitchers Cameron Johnson and LJ Mercurius, who have struggled with length recently.
Auburn Regional
- Teams: Auburn (1), UCF (2), NC State (3), Milwaukee (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Rett Johnson, OF, NC State
- Best Hitter: Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn
- Best Pitcher: Jake Marciano, LHP, Auburn
- X-Factor: UCF RHP Camden Wicker, who has stepped into the role of staff ace after an injury to Matt Sauser.
Austin Regional
- Teams: Texas (1), UC Santa Barbara (2), Tarleton State (3), Holy Cross (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Anthony Pack, Jr., OF, Texas
- Best Hitter: Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas
- Best Defensive Player: Carson Tinney, Texas
- Best Pitcher: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
- X-Factor: Texas RHP Ruger Riojas, who has been dealing with tendinitis and whose status is uncertain.
Chapel Hill Regional
- Teams: North Carolina (1), Tennessee (2), East Carolina (3), VCU (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Owen Hull, CF, North Carolina
- Best Hitter: Jack Herring, OF, East Carolina
- Best Defensive Player: Manny Marin, SS, Tennessee
- Best Pitcher: Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
- X-Factor: North Carolina 2B Gavin Gallaher, who has performed exceptionally well in the last two postseasons.
College Station Regional
- Teams: Texas A&M (1), USC (2), Texas State (3), Lamar (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M
- Best Hitter: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
- Best Defensive Player: AJ Taylor, SS, Lamar
- Best Pitcher: Mason Edwards, LHP, USC
- X-Factor: Texas A&M's pitching staff, which has been inconsistent.
Eugene Regional
- Teams: Oregon (1), Oregon State (2), Washington State (3), Yale (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Angel Laya, OF, Oregon
- Best Hitter: Drew Smith, 3B, Oregon
- Best Defensive Player: Maddox Molony, SS, Oregon
- Best Pitcher: Albert Roblez, RHP, Oregon State
- X-Factor: Washington State, which has been hot lately and has a strong offense.
Gainesville Regional
- Teams: Florida (1), Miami (2), Troy (3), Rider (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Jimmy Janicki, C, Troy
- Best Hitter: Brendan Lawson, SS, Florida
- Best Defensive Player: Josh Pyne, 3B, Troy
- Best Pitcher: Aidan King, RHP, Florida
- X-Factor: Florida two-way player Caden McDonald, who has emerged as a key bullpen arm and hitter.
Hattiesburg Regional
- Teams: Southern Miss (1), Virginia (2), Jacksonville State (3), Little Rock (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Kyle Johnson, LHP/OF, Virginia
- Best Hitter: AJ Gracia, CF, Virginia
- Best Defensive Player: Grayson Ashe, C, Jacksonville State
- Best Pitcher: Colby Allen, RHP, Southern Miss
- X-Factor: Virginia's pitching staff, which needs to perform well to support its lineup.
Lawrence Regional
- Teams: Kansas (1), Arkansas (2), Missouri State (3), Northeastern (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Tyson LeBlanc, SS, Kansas
- Best Hitter: Cam Kozeal, SS, Arkansas
- Best Defensive Player: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
- Best Pitcher: Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
- X-Factor: The regional is expected to feature high-scoring games due to powerful offenses and a hitter-friendly ballpark.
Lincoln Regional
- Teams: Nebraska (1), Ole Miss (2), Arizona State (3), South Dakota State (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Landon Hairston, CF, Arizona State
- Best Hitter: Case Sanderson, 1B, Nebraska
- Best Defensive Player: Dylan Carey, SS, Nebraska
- Best Pitcher: Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
- X-Factor: Ole Miss's power hitting, led by multiple players with 20+ home runs.
Los Angeles Regional
- Teams: UCLA (1), Virginia Tech (2), Cal Poly (3), Saint Mary's (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
- Best Hitter: Mulivai Levu, 1B, UCLA
- Best Defensive Player: Ian Armstrong, C, Saint Mary's
- Best Pitcher: Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA
- X-Factor: The pressure of being the No. 1 overall seed, especially given UCLA's history of early tournament exits.
Morgantown Regional
- Teams: West Virginia (1), Wake Forest (2), Kentucky (3), Binghamton (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Gavin Kelly, C/2B, West Virginia
- Best Hitter: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
- Best Defensive Player: Paul Schoenfeld, CF, West Virginia
- Best Pitcher: Chris Levonas, RHP, Wake Forest
- X-Factor: Wake Forest 1B Kade Lewis, a veteran with postseason experience.
Starkville Regional
- Teams: Mississippi State (1), Cincinnati (2), Louisiana (3), Lipscomb (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Quinton Coats, OF, Cincinnati
- Best Hitter: Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
- Best Defensive Player: Blaze Rodriguez, SS, Louisiana
- Best Pitcher: Tomas Valincius, LHP, Mississippi State
- X-Factor: Mississippi State RHP Ryan McPherson, returning from injury, and the potential for a record-setting crowd.
Tallahassee Regional
- Teams: Florida State (1), Coastal Carolina (2), Northern Illinois (3), St. John's (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Adam Agresti, C, St. John's
- Best Hitter: Cole Smith, 2B, Northern Illinois
- Best Defensive Player: Ty Barrango, SS, Coastal Carolina
- Best Pitcher: Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State
- X-Factor: Coastal Carolina ace Cameron Flukey, returning from a rib injury.
Tuscaloosa Regional
- Teams: Alabama (1), Oklahoma State (2), USC Upstate (3), Alabama State (4)
- Most Exciting Player: Kollin Ritchie, OF, Oklahoma State
- Best Hitter: Alex Conover, OF, Oklahoma State
- Best Defensive Player: Tyler Lang, C, USC Upstate
- Best Pitcher: Tyler Fay, RHP, Alabama
- X-Factor: Alabama SS Justin Lebron, a highly touted prospect who has underperformed statistically but possesses significant talent.