Game 1: (1) Auburn vs (4) Milwaukee | Fri, May 29 @ 1:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
Game 2: (2) UCF vs (3) NC State | Fri, May 29 @ 6:00pm | ESPN2 | Stats
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs Game 2 Loser | Sat, May 30 @ 3:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner | Sat, May 30 @ 8:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs Game 4 Loser | Sun, May 31 @ 3:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs Game 5 Winner | Sun, May 31 @ 8:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
Game 7: Repeat of Game 6 (if necessary) | Mon, Jun 1 @ TBD | ESPN+ | Stats
Welcome to the 2026 Auburn Regional, hosted by – you guessed it – the #4 overall seed Auburn Tigers. Let’s get to know the participants.
Opponent: Auburn | Seed: 1
Mascot: Generic Create-a-School Selection | Location: The Original Clemson, AL | Conference: SEC
2026 Record: 38-19 (17-13) | RPI Rank: 3 | KPI Rank: 3 | DSR Rank: 5 | SOS Rank: 1 | Q1+Q2 Record: 26-19
Offense: .297/.390/.468, 97 2B, 73 HR, 10.8 BB%, 19.6 K%, 76-94 SB
Pitching: 38-19, 11 SV, 3.45 ERA, 485.0 IP, 7.4 BB%, 27.8 K%
The consistent thing you’ll hear about Auburn is that they’re battle-tested, and it’s not hyperbole. This Tigers team played the most Q1 games in the country this year and played not only the overall toughest schedule in the country, but also the toughest one in the SEC, playing fellow Regional hosts Texas, Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Georgia. Four of those series were on the road, plus they played a non-conference series against Regional host Nebraska, plus three total games against Regional hosts Florida State and Georgia Tech.
We’ll get the pitching staff here momentarily, but the lineup is vastly undervalued. Of the eight lineup mainstays, seven have OBPs over .400, the most of any team in the Auburn Regional. It’s a young core, too, with six of those eight mainstays being freshman or sophomores. SO 2B Chris Rembert (.345/.402/.478, 13 2B, 4 HR, 7.4 BB%, 16.0 K%, 11-16 SB) was the only 1st Team All-SEC honoree on the squad this year, but he’s far from the only deserving one. FR 1B Ethin Bingaman (.323/.415/.538, 7 2B, 11 HR, 12.0 BB%, 15.2 K%, 4-6 SB) earned 2nd Team honors while SO C Chase Fralick (.311/.415/.594, 16 2B, 14 HR, 11.4 BB%, 17.3 K%, 1-1 SB) has been invited to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp and JR 3B Eric Guevara (.335/.403/.555, 12 2B, 12 HR, 6.4 BB%, 18.5 K%, 3-3 SB) is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. JR CF Bristol Carter (.299/.432/.388, 7 2B, 2 HR, 15.1 BB%, 12.0 K%, 30-31 SB) and rFR SS Brandon McCraine (.347/.428/.432, 11 2B, 1 HR, 11.2 BB%, 17.9 K%, 16-19 SB) provide the wheels to the lineup. Oh, and that one lineup mainstay with a sub-.400 OBP? That’s leading home run hitter SO LF Bub Terrell (.303/.383/.588, 12 2B, 16 HR, 10.0 BB%, 29.6 K%, 3-5 SB).
The pitching staff is what gets the most attention for the Tigers, and rightfully so as it’s as good of a group as you’ll find the country, and the reason why so many are high on this team to be playing in Omaha in two weeks. The starting rotation has been not only consistent but consistently dominant, with SO LHP Jake Marciano (5-5, 2.64 ERA, 81.2 IP, 5.1 BB%, 30.1 K%), SO RHP Andreas Alvarez (9-3, 3.30 ERA, 73.2 IP, 9.1 BB%, 33.0 K%), and rSO RHP Alex Petrovic (9-2, 3.21 ERA, 81.1 IP, 5.8 BB%, 24.8 K%) forming a fearsome three-headed beast. Somehow, none of the three earned All-SEC honors. Like Guevara, Petrovic is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. Getting one of those three out of the game early does you no real favors as the bullpen is just a lethal. SO LHP Jackson Sanders (4-1, 4 SV, 2.66 ERA, 61.0 IP, 8.7 BB%, 32.5 K%), a 2nd Team All-SEC pick, was the main midweek starter for Auburn, but also led the team in saves. FR RHP L.J. Cormier (1-0, 2 SV, 2.06 ERA, 39.1 IP, 7.3 BB%, 29.7 K%), JR RHP Ryan Hetzler (4-2, 2 SV, 2.76 ERA, 29.1 IP, 4.2 BB%, 22.9 K%), and JR LHP Garrett Brewer (1-2, 3 SV, 5.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 10.7 BB%, 31.0 K%) also notched multiple saves each on the year. Cormier is the son of long-time MLB pitcher Lance Cormier. JR RHP Jett Johnston (0-1, 5.64 ERA, 22.1 IP, 4.0 BB%, 28.0 K%) doesn’t have a pretty ERA, but good luck against him with those walk and strikeout numbers. It’s worth noting that Brewer hasn’t pitched since May 12th and Johnston since May 5th.
This Auburn team is built for postseason play with talent and depth in both the starting rotation and bullpen, a talented lineup with a high ceiling, and a solid fielding team that controls the running game. That’s a College World Series contender recipe right there.
Opponent: Central Florida (UCF) | Seed: 2
Mascot: Medieval Times | Location: Strip Mall Central, FL | Conference: Big 12
2026 Record: 31-21 (19-11) | RPI Rank: 36 | KPI Rank: 33 | DSR Rank: 28 | SOS Rank: 21 | Q1+Q2 Record: 15-14
Offense: .292/.381/.436, 87 2B, 51 HR, 10.7 BB%, 17.5 K%, 49-61 SB
Pitching: 31-21, 11 SV, 4.37 ERA, 459.1 IP, 9.8 BB%, 20.1 K%
Around these parts we consistently hound on NC State’s dreadful non-conference scheduling, but it’s kind of wild to see that the Wolfpack had the 2nd “hardest” non-conference schedule among Auburn Regional teams. The Knights surprisingly had a worse non-conference schedule than the Wolfpack, checking in at #109 compared to NC State’s #96. UCF struggled against that OOC portion of their schedule, though, sweeping Murray State and Siena but going 6-9 against the rest. The Knights still started out hot in Big 12 play, getting out to a 10-2 start through their first four series, including a sweep over Regional team Oklahoma State and series wins against Regional host West Virginia. A rough two-week stretch being swept at Kansas (Regional host and Big 12 regular season and tournament champs) and losing a series to Cincinnati (another Regional team) removed UCF from the conference drivers seat, but they finished strong going 10-5 down the regular season stretch before getting bounced by Oklahoma State in their lone conference tournament game.
The lineup isn’t going to blow your socks off in any one area, but they handle the stick well and put up tough at-bats from 1-to-9. JR RF Andrew Williamson (.320/.440/.601, 13 2B, 12 HR, 15.5 BB%, 17.5 K%, 8-13 SB) and SR LF John Smith III (.328/.393/.582, 12 2B, 12 HR, 7.9 BB%, 14.0 K%, 2-4 SB) both earned 2nd Team All-Big 12 honors, but rSR C Zak Skinner (.365/.438/.503, 8 2B, 5 HR, 9.7 BB%, 13.7 K%, 2-2 SB) and rSR 3B Javier Crespo (.335/.429/.486, 9 2B, 5 HR, 9.7 BB%, 12.1 K%, 1-1 SB) also deserve some love. FR SS Jordan Lodise (.241/.338/.391, 14 2B, 4 HR, 12.4 BB%, 17.1 K%, 4-4 SB), the younger brother of former Georgia Tech SS Kyle Lodise (3rd round pick in last year’s MLB Draft) and cousin of former Florida State SS Alex Lodise (2nd round pick in the same draft), earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors.
Injuries have hurt the pitching staff, losing JR RHP Matt Sauser (2-3, 3.06 ERA, 35.1 IP, 7.7 BB%, 20.3 K%) and JR RHP Braden Smith (3-1, 6.21 ERA, 33.1 IP, 6.0 BB%, 15.3 K%) each after 8 starts. That put a serious hurt on the pitching staff, but JR RHP Camden Wicker (5-3, 4.00 ERA, 72.0 IP, 9.0 BB%, 20.3 K%) has been a steadying presence in the starting rotation for the Knights. The 6’7 Wicker has only hit 90+ pitches in two of his 15 starts this year, but has worked into the 7th inning on five occasions this year, an indication to his ability to be efficient on the bump. The injuries to Sauser and Smith have moved SO RHP Mateo Gray (5-1, 1 SV, 4.87 ERA, 57.1 IP, 6.2 BB%, 18.1 K%) into the starting rotation, with mixed results. Despite the shifting to fill holes in the rotation, the bullpen is solid with rJR RHP Evan Jones (1-3, 4 SV, 4.10 ERA, 41.2 IP, 8.0 BB%, 26.7 K%), rSR Kris Sosnowski (1-0, 4 SV, 2.10 ERA, 25.2 IP, 5.5 BB%, 14.7 K%), and FR RHP Max Murray (5-2, 3.62 ERA, 32.1 IP, 11.1 BB%, 25.7 K%) all earning some level of Big 12 honors this year. Add to that group rFR RHP Anthony Lariz (4-0, 4.39 ERA, 26.2 IP, 12.1 BB%, 24.1 K%), who finished the season strong (9.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K over his last five appearances).
The lack of starting pitching depth is going to hamstring UCF in the postseason, with the team needing the lineup to produce over what it’s done to date and hoping the bullpen can keep up.
Opponent: NC State | Seed: 3
Mascot: The Best Mascot Ever | Location: Home of the Future Stanley Cup Champs, NC | Conference: ACC
2026 Record: 32-22 (14-16) | RPI Rank: 51 | KPI Rank: 40 | DSR Rank: 36 | SOS Rank: 34 | Q1+Q2 Record: 13-16
Offense: .307/.414/.503, 100 2B, 77 HR, 13.8 BB%, 16.1 K%, 98-118 SB
Pitching: 32-22, 9 SV, 5.63 ERA, 450.2 IP, 12.0 BB%, 26.1 K%
The Wolfpack’s season has revolved around two themes: injuries and inconsistency. A third theme will dominant their postseason: the retirement of long-time head coach Elliott Avent.
Injuries hit the starting rotation the hardest, with NC State losing JR RHP Jacob Dudan (4-1, 3.60 ERA, 50.0 IP, 5.9 BB%, 30.4 K%) after eight starts and being without JR LHP Ryan Marohn (6-1, 3.18 ERA, 45.1 IP, 11.9 BB%, 33.5 K%) for the last five weeks of the regular season plus the ACC Tournament. There’s a chance Marohn will return for the Auburn Regional, but to what extent and at what effectiveness will be the real question. Those two injuries forced shuffling for the rest of the pitching staff, with JR LHP Cooper Consiglio (3-4, 3 SV, 5.73 ERA, 59.2 IP, 10.5 BB%, 26.6 K%) being forced into a starting role and keeping JR RHP Heath Andrews (3-4, 7.24 ERA, 59.2 IP, 11.2 BB%, 19.3 K%) in the starting rotation despite his struggles. That caused its own chaos in an already thin bullpen, and stud reliever SO RHP Anderson Nance (4-2, 3 SV, 3.78 ERA, 47.2 IP, 11.3 BB%, 26.4 K%) has now joined the starting rotation – he’s slated for the start against UCF on Friday.
Despite the overall numbers being the most potent among the four teams in Auburn this weekend, the Wolfpack have struggled at times with plating runs, being held to two or fewer runs on eight occasions, including four shutouts. Despite not having a true power guy or a blazing speedster, the lineup both packs a punch and can push the issue on the bases, but it really thrives when it can work pitchers into delivering pitches with which damage can be done. FR LF Rett Johnson (.392/.498/.460, 10 2B, 1 HR, 16.9 BB%, 6.3 K%, 14-16 SB) has been a revelation from the leadoff spot, JR 2B Luke Nixon (.361/.450/.600, 16 2B, 9 HR, 12.6 BB%, 14.6 K%, 11-16 SB) has been arguably the best two-hole hitter in the ACC, and SO CF Ty Head (.294/.467/.572, 8 2B, 14 HR, 22.8 BB%, 8.9 K%, 26-29 SB) has lived up to his MLB Draft hype both at the dish and with his defense. The lineup suffered for a while when SO SS Mikey Ryan (.336/.427/.599, 11 2B, 9 HR, 12.2 BB%, 17.1 K%, 11-13 SB) was forced to miss time with an ankle injury, but he’s back. JR 3B Sherman Johnson (.335/.438/.555, 7 2B, 9 HR, 11.8 BB%, 15.2 K%, 11-14 SB) might be the most undervalued bat in the conference.
Like the Knights, pitching depth is going to be the Wolfpack’s Achilles heel in the postseason, although Elliott Avent has proven to be able to make a run to Omaha before with essentially just five pitchers. Expecting him to something similar again might be asking a bit much. NC State’s going to need the lineup to carry this team in Auburn.
Opponent: Milwaukee | Seed: 4
Mascot: Tim “The Toolman” Taylor | Location: PBRtown, WI | Conference: Horizon
2026 Record: 25-31 (14-10) | RPI Rank: 238 | KPI Rank: 246 | DSR Rank: 232 | SOS Rank: 278 | Q1+Q2 Record: 1-13
Offense: .275/.379/.438, 108 2B, 59 HR, 11.9 BB%, 21.1 K%, 122-148 SB
Pitching: 25-31, 8 SV, 6.99 ERA, 466.0 IP, 11.4 BB%, 16.7 K%
What a ride 2026 has been for the Panthers. Milwaukee started the year as straight trash, with a 5-23 record when the sun came up on April 4th. They’ve been hot since, albeit suffering through a 10-game stretch in late April to mid-May where they went just 3-7. But they got right at the right time, winning their last four games of the regular season and then going unbeaten through the Horizon League Tournament, defeating perennial Horizon power Wright State (and their head coach, former NC State player Alex Sogard) twice, including via a walk-off home run in the title game.
Milwaukee’s lineup has some exciting pieces to it, led by JR CF Dylan O’Connell (.338/.435/.566, 17 2B, 8 HR, 11.9 BB%, 14.4 K%, 40-44 SB), the team’s three-hole hitter and a 1st Team All-Horizon pick. It is a top-heavy group, though, and despite former Notre Dame player Joey Spence coming through with the heroics to capture the league trophy, 6-to-9 in the order have struggled to consistently contribute. JR C/DH Dom Kibler (.317/.466/.571, 13 2B, 11 HR, 16.9 BB%, 11.3 K%, 13-17 SB) and SR RF Charlie Marion (.310/.387/.580, 16 2B, 12 HR, 8.7 BB%, 19.9 K%, 8-9 SB) each bopped double-digit bombs while joining O’Connell on the All-Horizon 1st Team.
The pitching staff doesn’t offer a ton to get excited about, but does have JR RHP Camden Kuhnke (4-1, 6 SV, 3.38 ERA, 32.0 IP, 10.5 BB%, 23.1 K%), a 1st Team All-Horizon honoree and the Horizon Reliever-of-the-Year. The starting rotation has been consistent with 1st Team All-Horizon rSR RHP Gavin Theis (2-3, 4.91 ERA, 69.2 IP, 9.6 BB%, 17.3 K%), Aric Ehmke (5-6, 4.50 ERA, 70.0 IP, 6.1 BB%, 14.5 K%), and LHP Riley Peterson (5-4, 7.18 ERA, 62.2 IP, 8.6 BB%, 23.7 K%) toeing the rubber every weekend. The issue has really been anything past Kuhnke in the bullpen.
While it wouldn’t be the biggest upset in this year’s field thanks to South Dakota State (4-seed in the Lincoln Regional) also being in a Regional, Milwaukee moving on to a Super Regional would be the most shocking 4-seed Regional champion in recent memory. The bullpen is too light for Regional play, but this is a team capable of pulling off a win in Auburn.
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