Georgia Tech, Georgia to host regionals; Auburn to play in Atlanta, FSU in Athens

Area college baseball teams start the road to Omaha and the College World Series later this week and include Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State and Mercer who will all be looking to advance toward Omaha in regional play that will take place in Atlanta and Athens.

Even though both lost in their respective conference tournaments, both the Yellow Jackets and the Bulldogs were selected to host first round regionals in the NCAA baseball tournament that will begin Friday and took seeds in the top four nationally. North Carolina defeated the Yellow Jackets 10-2 for the ACC championship Sunday. Georgia lost to Ole Miss in the semifinals of the SEC tournament Saturday.

UCLA took the top seed, followed by Vanderbilt, then Georgia Tech and then Georgia.

The Yellow Jackets (41-17) will host the Atlanta regional with Auburn, Coastal Carolina and Florida A&M. The Bulldogs (44-15) will host the Athens regional with Florida Atlantic, Florida State and Mercer.

The Jackets posted a 27-10 record at home this season, and the program’s NCAA tournament history also favors them at home — Tech is 24-13 all-time in home Regional games (as part of a 63-52 all-time Regional record). This is Tech’s 12th time hosting an NCAA Regional (first time since 2011).

Auburn will make its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2001-03 as the Tigers were announced as the No. 2 seed in the Atlanta Regional.

The regional appearance is the Tigers 22nd all-time, and the program holds an overall record of 45-33 in regional play. Auburn previously appeared in the Atlanta Regional in 2000.

The Tigers will take on No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina Friday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU. Also included in the field are No. 1 seed and host Georgia Tech and No. 4 seed Florida A&M.

The Bulldogs (44-15) will be making their 12th overall appearance in an NCAA Regional including their sixth as a regional host at Foley Field. The Bulldogs have won four of five previous regionals in Athens, advancing in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2008. This marks the second year in a row that the Bulldogs will serve as a regional host and a national seed. Georgia was a No. 6 national seed in 2001, a No. 7 national seed in 2006 and a No. 8 national seed in 2008 and again in 2018. The No. 4 national seed this year is the highest in school history.

Georgia returns to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since 2008-09. Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin has led the Bulldogs to a 44-15 overall record and the second best mark in SEC games at 21-9.

“Last year, we were wondering if we were going to be a top eight (national seed), thinking we’re right on the bubble, and this year we knew we were going to be a top eight national seed,” Stricklin said. “Actually, they kind of spoiled it early, sending it out that we were a top four seed, and the only question was going to be if we were the number three or four. We’re excited and know there’s a lot of Georgia kids on the rosters of Mercer and Florida State, and it’s going to be a really tough regional with them and Florida Atlantic. Mercer is a tough draw for the first game; they’re playing really well and just won their conference tournament. It’s going to be a big challenge.”

The Seminoles will play two-seed Florida Atlantic Friday at 12:00 p.m. Host Georgia, the No. 4 national seed, plays four-seed Mercer Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The Florida State Seminoles have reached the postseason 42 consecutive seasons, by far the longest active streak in college baseball. Cal State Fullerton had played in 27 straight postseasons before missing this year; the second-longest active streak is Vanderbilt with 13.

Head coach Mike Martin also wraps his 40-year career without missing the postseason.

Florida State and FAU last met in 1998 and the Noles lead the all-time series 8-1. FSU and Mercer played earlier this season, a three-game sweep by the Noles in Tallahassee. Georgia and FSU last played in 2015, when the Seminoles traveled to Foley Field. All-time, FSU is 39-27 against the Bulldogs.

KRISTIN M. BRADSHAW