NCAA Regional Play Starts Today For #BIGEASTBase
New York – Friday starts NCAA Regional play for BIG EAST Tournament Champion Xavier and nationally-ranked St. John’s as the Musketeers and Red Storm begin their quest to return back to Omaha for the College World Series.
BIG EAST Notes & Stats
NCAA Interactive Bracket
Clemson Regional
No. 3 St. John’s (42-11, 13-5 BIG EAST) vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt (33-22-1, 15-13-1 SEC)
Friday, June 2 at 12 p.m. ET
Watch on ESPN3 (SEC Network):
http://es.pn/2qymSIZ
Live Stats:
http://www.ncaa.com/game/baseball/d1/2017/06/02/st-johns-ny-vanderbilt
Why We’re Watching:
For the 36th time in program history, the St. John's Red Storm will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After earning at-large berth to the field of 64, the Red Storm will open up Regional action on Friday, June 2, taking on Vanderbilt at 12 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Just one victory away from tying the program record for wins in a season, St. John's enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 42-11, good enough for the fourth-best winning percentage in the nation behind national seeds Oregon State, Louisville and North Carolina. Despite losing the BIG EAST Regular Season title to Creighton on percentage points, the Red Storm claimed the second-highest total of regular season victories in program history behind the 2008 squad that went 41-12 before the BIG EAST Tournament. St. John's has history, albeit in a limited capacity, with each participant in the Clemson Regional. The Red Storm's lone contest all-time against the Commodores was a 7-2 loss at the Troy State Classic in Dothan, Alabama, on March 2, 2001. Clemson and St. John's have matched up on six occasions, with the Tigers holding a 5-1 all-time advantage. Link to St. John’s Preview.
Louisville Regional
No. 3 Xavier (32-25, 10-6 BIG EAST) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (34-22, 12-11 Big 12)
Friday, June 2 at 2 p.m. ET
Watch on ESPN3:
http://www.espn.com/watch/
Live Stats:
http://www.ncaa.com/game/baseball/d1/2017/06/02/xavier-oklahoma
Why We’re Watching:
The Musketeers are the third seed in a regional for the second time in program history and head into the weekend fresh off a third BIG EAST Championship in four seasons. Just like 2016, when XU won 18 of 22 to close the season, the squad comes into the NCAA Tournament smoking hot. The Musketeers are riding a seven-game winning streak and have hit .352 with 12 homers and scored 70 runs during the spurt. Junior Rylan Bannon hit .353 (6-for-17) in last year's regional at Vanderbilt, doubling three times, homering twice and driving in eight runs. Then a sophomore, Bannon hit his first career grand slam against the Commodores in the opening game of the regional, a 15-1 win for XU. Xavier has participated in the NCAA Tournament three times (2016, 2014, 2009).The Musketeers are 4-6 all-time in regional action. Xavier went 2-2 last year in Nashville, reaching the regional championship for the first time in program history. The Musketeers were the final No. 4 seed left in the tournament, falling to UC Santa Barbara at Hawkins Field. The Musketeers have played in Nashville, Tenn. (twice) and Houston, Texas in their previous three trips to the tournament. As a three-seed, XU defeated Sam Houston State, 9-6, on May 30, 2009 for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in Houston, Texas. In 1967, Xavier baseball was invited to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history but forced to decline due to exam week on campus. Link to Xavier Preview.