2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament: Field of 64 projections after end of regular season

The regular season has come to an end. Now, we’re onto the postseason in college baseball. That means it’s time for an updated Field of 64, projecting how the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket will look.

To no surprise, the SEC sits at the top with 12 bids to the NCAA Tournament. They’re followed by the ACC (9), Big 12 (7), Big Ten (4), Sun Belt (4), Conference USA (3) and American (2) as multi-bid leagues.

On the hosting front, we’re down to just a couple of spots up for grabs. The SEC again leads the way with eight, followed by the ACC (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (1), and Sun Belt (1).

Some conference tournaments are already underway, but most will begin this week as early as Tuesday. The 16 regional host sites will be revealed on Sunday night, followed by the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal on Selection Monday.

Field of 64 Projections: NCAA Tournament Bubble

Last Four In: Arizona State, NC State, East Carolina, Virginia Tech
First Four Out: Michigan, Troy, Southeast Missouri, Purdue
Next Four Out: UAB, Vanderbilt, Kent State, Baylor

Last week, Arizona State was safely in. This week, their RPI sits at 48 and that puts them on the bubble. It’s hard to envision them missing out on the field with a 19-11 Big 12 record, but a win or two in the Big 12 Tournament would be safe for them. NC State and Virginia Tech remain in the last four in this week. The Wolfpack lost a series to UNC, and are currently No. 42 in RPI with a light resume. The Hokies won a series over Clemson, and are at No. 47 in RPI although they’re just six games over .500. ECU is up to No. 46 in RPI and won a share of the American Conference regular season title, pushing them back into the field this week.

Michigan was in last week, but they drop out after being swept by Ohio State. The Wolverines are now No. 52 in RPI, putting them in serious danger. Purdue also lost a series to Iowa, dropping them to No. 54 in RPI. Troy and Southeast Missouri are trending upward, with SEMO at No. 38 in RPI while Troy sits at No. 45.

UAB picked up a big series win over UTSA, and is up to No. 60 in RPI. Vanderbilt reached the coveted 13 SEC wins mark and then got a 14th, but is just No. 74 in RPI. Kent State was in as our projected MAC Champion last week, but they’re unseated and fall on the outside of the bubble this week. Baylor has crept back up, 14-16 in the Big 12 but No. 67 in RPI.

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA (1)*
2. Boston College (32)
3. Gonzaga*
4. San Diego State*

On Thursday, UCLA lost to Washington and it looked like there would be a chance for someone to unseat the Bruins as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They ultimately won the series, and retain the top spot for antoher week. UCLA finished the regular season 48-6 overall, 28-2 in the Big Ten and No. 1 in RPI. Boston College drops to our final 2-seed after being swept by Georgia Tech, with RPI down to No. 33.

Oxford Regional

1. Ole Miss (16)
2. USC (17)
3. TCU
4. Saint Joseph’s*

Ole Miss lost its series to Alabama, putting them on the fringe of hosting. Still, the Rebels are 36-20, 15-15 in the SEC and No. 15 in RPI with the No. 3 strength of schedule and 11 Quad 1 wins. That gives them the nod as the final host. USC drops out of the hosting mix after losing its series to Oregon. The Trojans are No. 8 in RPI at 42-14 and 20-10 in the Big Ten, but have just one Quad 1 win and head-to-head series losses to both Nebraska and Oregon, which pushed them out.

Tuscaloosa Regional

1. Alabama (8)
2. Oklahoma State (25)
3. NC State
4. Bucknell*

Alabama is locked in as a host, and they’re in serious contention for a top eight seed after taking the series from Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide come in as the No. 8 seed in this week’s NCAA Tournament field at 37-18, 18-12 in the SEC and No. 6 in RPI with strength of schedule at No. 4 to go along with 15 Quad 1 wins.

College Station Regional

1. Texas A&M (9)
2. Cincinnati (22)
3. UTSA*
4. Tarleton State*

Texas A&M won its series over Mississippi State, but remain just outside of the top eight as our No. 9 overall seed this week. The Aggies are 39-13 overall, 18-11 in the SEC, No. 11 in RPI, No. 18 in strength of schedule and have 11 Quad 1 wins. They’re locked in as a host, with a chance to move into the top eight in the SEC Tournament. Cincinnati was considered to host as well, but finish just outside. The Bearcats finished 37-19 overall, 17-13 in the Big 12, No. 22 in RPI, No. 37 in strength of schedule and with 13 Quad 1 wins.

Chapel Hill Regional

1. North Carolina (5)
2. Tennessee (26)
3. Liberty
4. UIC*

North Carolina remains the No. 5 overall seed in this week’s NCAA Tournament projections. The Tar Heels finished the regular season 43-10-1, 22-8 in the ACC, No. 5 in RPI and No. 17 in strength of schedule. They’re a top eight lock regardless of what happens this week. There was some belief that Tennessee could continue surging and play their way into the hosting discussion, but they will remain on the 2-seed line. They’re No. 31 in RPI and 15-15 in the SEC.

Lincoln Regional

1. Nebraska (12)
2. Arkansas (21)
3. Miami (OH)*
4. SIUE*

Nebraska has solidified itself as a regional host. The Cornhuskers are 41-14, 23-7 in the Big Ten and No. 10 in RPI after sweeping Minnesota to end the regular season. The resume is a bit too light for top eight consideration, but a regional will be coming to Lincoln this season. Arkansas is another team that can play their way into the mix this week. The Razorbacks are 36-19 and 17-13 in the SEC, sitting No. 25 in RPI and No. 12 in strength of schedule with 14 Quad 1 wins.

Austin Regional

1. Texas (4)
2. Miami (29)
3. Texas State
4. Oral Roberts*

Texas is locked in as a top eight host, and it’s hard to see them dropping out of the top four. They finished the regular season 40-12, 19-10 in the SEC, No. 4 in RPI and No. 8 in strength of schedule with 14 Quad 1 wins. The Longhorns could push into the top three seeds depending on how conference tournament week goes.

Lawrence Regional

1. Kansas (13)*
2. Wake Forest (20)
3. Louisiana
4. Rider*

Kansas didn’t host for us last week, but they jump back in in this week’s NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks are No. 21 in RPI, finishing 39-16 and 22-8 in the Big 12, winning the Big 12 regular season title. That’s enough to leap them up to the No. 13 overall seed, but they’d like to have a good week in the Big 12 Tournament to lock up that spot and avoid an RPI fall. Wake Forest was a tough cut, currently 38-18, 16-14 in the ACC and No. 18 in RPI. They’re certainly alive in the hosting race this week.

Atlanta Regional

1. Georgia Tech (2)*
2. Missouri State (31)
3. East Carolina
4. Long Island*

Georgia Tech has a legitimate chance to push UCLA for the top overall seed. The Yellow Jackets come in as the No. 2 overall seed this week again after finishing the season 45-9, 25-5 in the ACC, No. 2 in RPI, No. 19 strength of schedule to go along with 19 Quad 1 wins, which leads the country. If UCLA stumbles in the Big Ten Tournament, the opportunity is there for Georgia Tech to take control of the top spot.

Eugene Regional

1. Oregon (15)
2. West Virginia (18)
3. UC Santa Barbara*
4. St. John’s*

Oregon won its series over USC this weekend, pushing them up into the hosting mix. The Ducks finish the regular season 38-15, 20-10 in the Big Ten and No. 16 in RPI, and they come in as our No. 15 overall seed this week. They’re not yet secure, but a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament would lock them up as a host. West Virginia is one of the teams that’s waiting for someone to stumble, currently No. 19 in RPI after finishing 37-13 and 21-9 in the Big 12.

Gainesville Regional

1. Florida (7)
2. UCF (28)
3. High Point*
4. North Florida*

Florida’s series sweep over LSU was massive, as it put them at 37-18 overall, 18-12 in the SEC and No. 9 in RPI to go along with the No. 2 strength of schedule. The Gators, who are into the top eight as our No. 7 overall seed in this week’s NCAA Tournament, have 15 Quad 1 wins and are a hosting lock. They feel pretty good about the top eight at this point, but there’s a couple of teams behind them that are still in play.

Hattiesburg Regional

1. Southern Miss (10)*
2. Oklahoma (23)
3. Arizona State
4. Binghamton*

Southern Miss is in play for the top eight, but they come in at No. 10 this week. They finished the regular season 40-14, 22-8 in the Sun Belt and No. 12 in RPI, winning the regular season Sun Belt title. Southern Miss is locked in as a host barring a collapse this week in RPI, which is unlikely. They’re one of the first teams on the cusp of taking a top eight spot.

Auburn Regional

1. Auburn (6)
2. Virginia (27)
3. Mercer*
4. Wright State*

Auburn dropped its series to Georgia to end the regular season, but still finished 36-18, 17-13 in the SEC, No. 3 in RPI and No. 1 in strength of schedule in addition to 17 Quad 1 wins, the second-most in college baseball. The Tigers are likely a lock for the top eight, unless chaos happens this week. Virginia’s fall continues, down to the No. 27 overall seed after losing a series to Louisville to end the regular season.

Tallahassee Regional

1. Florida State (11)
2. Coastal Carolina (24)
3. Kentucky
4. Yale*

Florida State won a series against Miami over the weekend, ending the regular season 38-16 overall and 19-11 in the ACC. The Seminoles are No. 7 in RPI and No. 5 in strength of schedule, making them a legitimate threat to enter the top eight. Still, they come in at No. 11 in this week’s NCAA Tournament projections. Coastal Carolina lost a series to Louisiana, dropping them down to the No. 24 overall seed.

Athens Regional

1. Georgia (3)*
2. Jacksonville State (30)*
3. Virginia Tech
4. Bethune-Cookman*

Georgia won the SEC regular season last weekend, and then won a series over Auburn this past weekend to further solidify themselves as a top eight seed. The Bulldogs are 43-12, 23-7 in the SEC and No. 14 in RPI. While the RPI and No. 38 strength of schedule might not cry out No. 3 overall seed, what they did during SEC play is enough. They should be in the top eight, and they’ve earned this seed in our eyes.

Starkville Regional

1. Mississippi State (14)
2. Oregon State (19)
3. Campbell*
4. Lamar*

Mississippi State lost its series to Texas A&M over the weekend, ending the regular season 39-16 overall and 16-14 in the SEC. Still, the Bulldogs are No. 13 in RPI and No. 7 in strength of schedule, and they’re feeling good about hosting a regional. They aren’t fully locked in, though it would take a lot to push them out of the top 16. Oregon State is currently No. 17 in RPI after finishing the year 43-12, but they don’t have a conference tournament to boost their resume this week.