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Projections: Texas baseball could be on the road to start NCAA tournament
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — With two weeks left in the regular season and still mathematically in the Big 12 Conference title race, the Texas Longhorns baseball team has to get some help if they want the regular season title.
According to two major college baseball publications, they also need some help to be a regional host in the NCAA tournament.
Both D1Baseball.com and Baseball America prognosticators think, as of right now, that the Longhorns are going to hit the road when the regional tournaments roll around in early June. The selection committee will make their picks at 11 a.m., May 29, and the formula for the Longhorns to flip the script is simple — just win.
Baseball America periodically updates its projections for the entire field of 64 teams and in their latest update May 3, they have the Longhorns staying close to home, at least. The outlet thinks Dallas Baptist will host an all-Texas regional with the No. 15 overall seed.
Texas is the second team in the tournament's projection, and filling out the field is Texas A&M and Sam Houston State. The Longhorns' current RPI is 25, which is good, but they are just 1-5 against teams with a top 25 RPI and getting swept by Oklahoma at home will both be a big red flag to the selection committee.
Baseball America thinks current Big 12 leader West Virginia will be the only team from the conference to host a regional and get the No. 12 overall seed.
D1Baseball.com does its projection in podcast form, and they are a little higher on the Mountaineers with a No. 10 seed, but they also think Oklahoma State will slide in and get a top-16 seed to host.
Texas has to take care of business against UT Arlington on Tuesday and San Jose State over the weekend to even have a shot at hosting when they play the Mountaineers on the final weekend of the regular season. UT Arlington has an RPI of 94 and San Jose State's is worse at 133, so one slip-up would without a doubt ruin any chance of hosting.
However, a series victory over West Virginia would at least make the selection committee think about possibly putting postseason baseball at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.