No. 1 Georgia (37-19)
No. 2 Duke (40-15)
No. 3 Troy (41-19)
No. 4 Campbell (35-24)
Georgia
The Bulldogs are one of the nation’s biggest surprises and will host a Regional for the first time since 2008, when they also were the No. 8 seed. It’s the first time Georgia has made the tourney under Scott Stricklin, who previously was a fixture in the tourney with Kent State. The Dawgs depend on Keegan McGovern (.325/15/44), Adam Sasser (.321/9/42) and Michael Curry (.315/10/47), who have combined for 34 of the team’s 55 homers. The pitching staff is deep and talented, with lefty Kevin Smith (8-1, 3.17, 59.2 IP, 24 BB, 76 K, .217 BAA) coming on strong. Georgia’s 3.78 ERA is its best since 1968 (3.66).
Duke
The Blue Devils are in the field for second straight year and seventh time overall. Like Georgia, the Blue Devils rely on a bevy of arms and have plenty of power on the mound. Ethan DeCaster (5-0, 0.60, 5 SV, 45 IP, 5 BB, 49 K) and Jack Labosky (2-0, 0.84, 9 SV, 32 IP, 4 BB, 24 K) have been brilliant out of the bullpen. Offensively, Duke offsets a .270 average and eight strikeouts a game with plenty of speed (85 SB). Griffin Conine packs plenty of punch with 15 of the team’s 49 homers.
Troy
Troy is in the field for the seventh time and first since 2013 after finishing second in the Sun Belt regular season and tourney. The Trojans feature the Sun Belt POY, Joey Denison, who hit .387 with 24 doubles, six homers and a school-record 74 RBI. Matt Sanders hit .379 and scored 85 runs, thanks in part to a team-best .466 OBA. Troy also features a couple of arms who can pose problems in Andrew Crane (7-4, 2.82 ERA, .236 BAA) and CJ Carter (8-5, 3.72, 88 K, 67.2 IP). It’s a team that has played close games at Auburn and Florida State and took 2 of 3 at always-tough Louisiana.
Campbell
The Fighting Camels returns to the tourney for the first time since 2014 after winning the Big South. They feature the Big South Pitcher of the Year in Allan Winans (6-4, 2.61) and Freshman of the Year in Logan Bender (5-1, 2.38). Christian Jones ranks among the nation’s leaders with 18 homers and led the team with 65 RBI (Bryce Myers is next with 34). Matthew Barefoot is a terror at the plate – he hit .357 with 18 doubles, three triples, seven homers, a .575 slugging percentage, .483 OBA and 31 stolen bases. Watch out, he’s also been hit 23 times as the Camels love to get plunked – they’ve been hit by 110 pitches on the year.