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NC State will head to Ruston, LA, to start their run to Omaha in the 2021 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
RUSTON REGIONAL
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) May 31, 2021
1️⃣ @LATechBSB
2️⃣ @NCStateBaseball
3️⃣ @AlabamaBSB
4️⃣ @RiderUBaseball#RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/PZdTqPywKH
With Louisiana Tech being the #16 overall seed and NC State being the #2 seed in that regional, it means that NC State is the top #2 seed in this year’s tournament. It also means that the Wolfpack were thiiiiis close to being a #1 seed, but even had they earned a #1 seed, the opportunity to host a regional would not have been there due to the NCAA pre-selecting potential hosting sites, with Raleigh not being among that list.
As is usually the case with a lower-ranked regional host, the field in this regional is very strong. In terms of RPI, Louisiana Tech comes in at #24, Alabama at #33, NC State at #35, and Rider at #58. There will be no easy outs in this one.
Alabama was looking like a solid #2 seed before struggling down the stretch, finishing 3-9 in their last 12 games, although they did go 2-2 in the SEC Tournament.
Louisiana Tech is no slouch. They went 2-2 against SEC opponents (#1 Arkansas and #11 Ole Miss). The Bulldogs, the CUSA West division champions, fell just short of capturing the CUSA Conference Tournament title, falling 5-7 in 10 innings versus #21 Old Dominion, the #11 national seed.
Rider finished 5th in the MAAC and appeared to be on the outside looking in in terms of the NCAA Tournament, but won the MAAC Tournament championship, defeating a Fairfield team that went 33-1 in the regular season.
The Wolfpack and Crimson Tide will open up the Ruston Regional on Friday at 3:00pm.