Kentucky Remains Host in Latest Field of 64 Projections
It was a quick trip down to Hoover and back to Lexington for the Kentucky Wildcats, who were eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Tuesday night in a drab 4-0 loss to Alabama.
The Cats had one final opportunity to prove to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee why they should be one of the 16 teams hosting a Regional next weekend, but squandered it by totaling just six hits.
Now, all head coach Nick Mingione and his team can do is hope that the metrics speak for themselves. Mingione said his final piece following the loss to the Tide, laying out where his team stands in the RPI, scheduling intent and more.
Kentucky entered the week projected to host, and despite the one-and-done outing in Hoover, that's still the case based on Field of 64 updates.
Both D1Baseball and Baseball America have Kentucky Proud Park slated to host postseason baseball in the Bluegrass as of Sunday morning. UK remained at No. 13 in D1's latest update, while BA moved it down one spot to No. 14:
Via D1Baseball
Via Baseball America
Bowing out early in the SEC Tournament means Kentucky won't climb up to the top eight and ensure that it would host a Super Regional, if it were to make it that far. However, still being projected in the top 16 with only hours until the announcement of the host sites is something that should sit very well with the Cats.
Below are some notes on other projections and conference tournaments around the country that could impact who Kentucky plays next weekend:
- Morehead State was the No. 1 seed in the Ohio Valley Tournament, but it was stunned in a 6-5 loss to No. 5 seed Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The Panthers take the OVC title and earn their first NCAA Tournament bid in 15 years. MSU entered the day as D1's projected No. 4 team in Kentucky's pod.
- Notre Dame, Thursday's No. 3 team in D1's UK pod, is now not in the Field of 64 in both D1's and BA's latest projections. D1 and BA both have the Fighting Irish among the first four teams out of the field. They went 0-2 in the ACC Tournament and will likely finish on the outside looking in.
- Indiana is not hosting at this point, so the Hoosiers being the No. 2 team in Lexington is a real possibility. UK run-ruled IU — the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament — 12-2 earlier this season. The Hoosiers went 1-2 in the tourney and were eliminated by No. 6 Michigan on Friday. D1 has IU as the No. 3 team in the Indiana State pod.
- Boston College is still a host in BA's projections, but D1 opted to put Campbell ahead of the Eagles, who went 1-1 in the ACC Tournament as the No. 6 seed. BC would be one of the sole potential hosts in the northeast, so it staying in the top-16 seeds seems likely, though a trek to Lexington could also end up being in the cards.
- Oregon State is not hosting in Corvallis, but projections for where the Beavers may end up has been scattered. D1 is sending them to Lexington, while BA is opting for a trip to Nashville and the Vanderbilt pod. OSU went 0-2 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
- Kansas State was a new addition to D1's Lexington pod on Friday. The Wildcats were the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and went 2-2, bowing out on Friday, though they did eliminate No. 1 Texas on Thursday. KSU is in the last four in in BA's update, but now the first team out of the field for D1.
- Ball State stunned Kent State via a two-out ninth-inning grand slam to win 12-9, winning the MAC Championship while punching the Cardinals' ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. Ball State led 8-2 before Kent State mounted seven unanswered runs, taking a 9-8 lead into the ninth. The Cardinals had no runners on with two outs before a double and two walks, leading to Adam Tellier unloaded on a hanging breaking ball for the grand slam. Ball State is currently the No. 4 team in BA's UK pod.
- Indiana State is one to especially keep an eye on. The Sycamores are the final projected host by both D1 and BA. For most the latter portion of the season, this has been the No. 2 team in the UK pod. The Wildcats swept ISU early in the year in a trio of close games. The Sycamores won the Missouri Valley Tournament, defeating Evansville in a winner-take-all game that followed a walk-off grand slam for the Purple Aces earlier in the day.
- Xavier won a winner-take-all game over UConn on Saturday after the Huskies won game one earlier in the day. The Musketeers took the lead in the ninth inning thanks to a two-run triple that sparked a huge inning, stunning UConn. Xavier is the No. 3 team in both D1 and BA's UK pod. UK beat Xavier 13-2 in a midweek back on April 18.
- Wright State is another potential No. 4 seed in the UK pod. The No. 1-seeded Raiders defeated Oakland twice on Saturday, the second of which was a 14-0 drubbing to claim the Horizon League Tournament title. UK won two of three games vs. WSU in the second weekend of the season. BA has it as the No. 4 team in the Indiana State pod in Terre Haute, so the Sycamores potentially hosting could impact where Wright State lands.
Regional host sites will be announced late on Sunday, May 28. The entire NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Monday, May 29 at noon EST on ESPN2.
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