Graphic by CofCSports
For the third time in five years, College of Charleston baseball will compete in an NCAA Regional this weekend, traveling to Gainesville and the University of Florida. Many national writers have already dubbed the Gainesville Regional as the group of death, because of the talent of every team trying to defeat number two overall seed Florida. Fans can watch all of the weekend’s Regional action on ESPN3 or through the WatchESPN app.
RELATED: Read more about the Gainesville Regional.
With an RPI of 53, College of Charleston has the highest RPI of any four seed in the tournament and more wins than any team in the Gainesville Regional. The average RPI of all of the other four seeds is 152. Only two three seeds have more wins than the Cougars. Defined by elite pitching and defense, all four Gainesville teams rank in the top 50 in the nation in ERA, led by the College’s 2.80 mark. They also are all in the top 70 in fielding percentage, with Long Beach State ranking 13th (.977).
The Cougars (41-17) are the four seed in the Gainesville Regional, drawing host and the NCAA Tournament’s number two overall seed Florida (40-21) on May 30, 2014 at 7 p.m. Florida is currently ranked eighth in the USA Today Coaches Poll, marking the eighth game that the College has played against a ranked opponent this season.
Long Beach State (32-24) and North Carolina (34-25) are also in the Gainesville Regional and will play at 1 p.m. on Friday. The loser’s bracket game on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m., while the two winners will face off at 7 p.m. at UF’s McKethan Stadium.
