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    Thursday, April 25, 2024

    UCLA out, but other national seeds move to super regionals

    TCU's Evan Williams heads toward home to score the game winning run against North Carolina State off a single by teammate Elliott Barzilli in the 10th inning of Monday's Fort Worth Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU trailed by six runs in the seventh inning, but rallied to win 9-8. (Tim Sharp/AP Photo)

    Omaha, Neb. — No. 1 UCLA is out of the NCAA baseball tournament, while all seven of the other national seeds will head to super regionals.

    Maryland eliminated the Bruins with a 2-1 win in Los Angeles on Monday night, making this the second straight year the top national seed failed to win its regional.

    No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Miami, No. 6 Illinois, No. 7 TCU and No. 8 Missouri State each made it to the round of 16.

    The Southeastern Conference had five of its seven tournament teams move to super regionals and the Atlantic Coast Conference had four of its seven advance. The Pac-12, which had six teams make the tournament, won't be represented in super regionals for the first time in the 17 years of the current tournament format.

    Winners of the best-of-three super regionals go to the College World Series in Omaha, starting June 13.

    Matchups Friday through Sunday: Florida State (44-19) at Florida (47-16), Virginia Commonwealth (40-23) at Miami (47-15), Missouri State (48-10) at Arkansas (38-22) and Maryland (42-22) at Virginia (37-22).

    Series Saturday through Monday: Louisiana-Lafayette (42-21) at LSU (51-10), defending national champion Vanderbilt (45-19) at Illinois (50-8-1), Cal State Fullerton (37-22) at Louisville (46-16) and Texas A&M (49-12) at TCU (47-12).

    National seeds typically are assured of being on their home field for super regionals, but Missouri State must play at Arkansas because of a scheduling conflict with the minor league team that shares the stadium with the Bears in Springfield, Missouri.

    Only three No. 1 national seeds have failed to get out of regionals: Vanderbilt in 2007, Oregon State in 2014 and now UCLA.

    The surprise team so far is Virginia Commonwealth, which became the fifth No. 4 regional seed to reach super regionals since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. The Rams lost seven of their first 10 games and finished fourth in the Atlantic 10.

    The Rams won the conference tournament to gain entry to regionals, where they beat Oregon State and won two of three over host Dallas Baptist. They are 14-1 in their last 15 games and are in their first super regional.

    Virginia, the 2014 national runner-up, along with Maryland and Louisiana-Lafayette reached super regionals for the second straight year, this time as No. 3 regional seeds.

    Virginia-Maryland is a rematch of a 2014 super regional that the Cavaliers won in three games.

    The Cavaliers had lost three straight in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament before winning three in a row in the Lake Elsinore Regional. They have overcome a season-long run of injuries to make super regionals for the sixth time in seven years.

    Maryland was runner-up to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament and then beat Mississippi and won two of three against UCLA in regionals.

    Lafayette went 3-0 in the Houston Regional and has won eight straight.

    Illinois outscored Ohio, Notre Dame and Wright State by a combined 21-7 to make super regionals for the first time.

    "I don't think people understand how difficult it is to, No. 1, make the NCAA tournament, but then to be a national seed and now to win a regional, those are great accomplishments," Illini coach Dan Hartleb said. "This group has been outstanding because of what their vision is, and their vision is not just to win a regional."

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