2026 NCAA Super Regional Preview: Left Side Bracket
The stage is set, and by the time these matchups are complete, four of these teams will have punched their ticket to the promised land.
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After having some time to reflect on what felt like the most chaotic Regional Weekend that I’ve seen in my lifetime, Supers are here, featuring all three Division I programs with the ‘Trojan’ mascot and multiple teams getting their first-ever host this late into the postseason.
That list includes the #16 overall seed West Virginia Mountaineers, who, rather than traveling to LA to take on UCLA, will stay in one of the most hostile environments in all of college baseball in Morgantown, where they play host to Cal Poly. It also includes the three-seed in the Gainesville Regional, the Troy Trojans, who, against odds, got through and will host their first-ever Super Regional against the Little Rock Trojans.
The stage is set, and four teams will punch their ticket to the promised land. Below is a breakdown of the matchups on the left side of the bracket featuring Little Rock at Troy, Cal Poly at West Virginia, Ole Miss at Auburn, and USC at North Carolina.
Troy Super Regional (Little Rock @ Troy)
Winner Prediction: Troy
Against all odds, we get a three-seed in the Troy Trojans hosting a four-seed in the Little Rock Trojans. Troy head coach Skylar Meade talked about what it means to host this Super: “This is the biggest event the town has ever seen… doubles alley is going to look like Woodstock ‘99, and our guys deserve that.”
Troy is riding high after coming out of a lethal Gainesville Regional where they took down one of the most electric arms in college baseball, Liam Peterson. This team is beyond battle tested and ready to compete at the top level of this sport: “There’s nothing we haven’t seen, and nothing we haven’t done,” Coach Skylar Meade discussed. “They’re not going to be afraid of anything.”
The team is led by Sun Belt Player of the Year, sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki, who leads Troy in nearly every offensive category, boasting a 1.085 OPS, 19 home runs, 23 doubles, and 85 RBI, good for the second-most in the entire country.
The Trojans offensive onslaught doesn’t end there. Seniors Blake Cavill and Steven Meier bring elite plate discipline and willingness to draw walks and hit-by-pitches; they have thrived on having runners on base at all times.
Their pitching staff is led by workhorses Tommy Egan and Ben Stubbs, who have combined for 131 innings and have been terrific down the stretch. The true X-factor out of the bullpen is Zach Crotchfelt, who has posted 26 appearances, good for 59 ⅔ innings of work, all to the tune of a 3.62 ERA, not to mention his 72 punchouts.
While Little Rock is the four-seed, they are not to be slept on. We saw Coach Curry and the Trojans make noise as a four-seed in the Baton Rouge Regional in 2025, and in 2026, they took it a step further, punching their ticket from Hattiesburg.
They also have one of the most underrated starting pitchers remaining in the postseason, Brannon Westmoreland, who has led the charge for the Trojans with 98 innings with a 3.12 ERA and nearly a four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio (81-22).
They’ll also roll out a three-headed monster from the bullpen in the trio of Isaac Evaniew, Tag Andrews, and Josh Beezly, who have combined for 75 appearances and 122 ½ innings, and none of whom holds above a 3.50 ERA.
Offensively, there are a few names to watch, but none more crucial to the success of Little Rock than redshirt sophomore outfielder Kade Smith, who is arguably the most balanced weapon in this lineup while leading the Trojans in OPS (.896).
While the home run power of Little Rock doesn’t jump off the page, this lineup has been extremely balanced, shown through all seven of their season qualified hitters having 30+ RBI.
For Little Rock to take this matchup, it’s crucial they get a win Friday behind ace Brannon Westmoreland, as the pitching depth on the rotation side, as well as offensively, leans more towards Troy, and they can deliver what might be the dagger early on.
Troy is the more balanced, battle-tested, and arguably hotter team coming into this matchup, and I highly anticipate Skylar Meade punching his ticket to the promised land.
Morgantown Super Regional (Cal Poly @ West Virginia)
Winner Prediction: West Virginia
The Mountaineers may have been the team least likely to host a Super Regional coming into the Field of 64, not because they wouldn’t get out of their own region, but because, as the 16-seed, they were set to match up with UCLA.
With the Bruins getting upset as the number one overall seed, the second season in a row this has happened, the Cal Poly Mustangs defeated St. Mary’s to punch their ticket to one of the most hostile environments in college baseball, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Steve Sabins and Co. continue to boast one of the best player development programs across Division I baseball and hold a major advantage, being home. The Mountaineers under Sabins have posted a 36-13 record at home and get to host a West Coast traveling team rather than going cross-country themselves.
We get to see one of the most underrated one-two punches of any team in the country in Maxx Yehl and Chanson Cole. Yehl holds the seventh-best ERA in the country, standing at 2.12, showing elite command and strikeout stuff with 101 punchouts over 85 innings and just 24 walks, nearly a five-to-one ratio.
Cole isn’t far behind with 95 strikeouts in 85 innings with a 2.87 ERA, holding opposing lineups to a pedestrian .209 batting average. Third starter Dawson Montesa could be the X-factor for the Mountaineers, not just this weekend, but potentially in Omaha. Once the Friday starter, Montesa has had his fair share of struggles, but finished the year strong and could round out this rotation into a fully elite group.
The bullpen relies heavily on Ian Korn, Reese Bassinger, and Carson Estridge, which is where the weak spot of West Virginia is shown: the bullpen depth.
Offensively, the Mountaineers have quickly approached wagon status, and while they may not have long-ball thump throughout, budding superstar Gavin Kelly has shown to be not just one of the top hitters in the Big 12, but the country. Leading West Virginia in nearly every statistical category, Kelly holds a 1.191 OPS, 16 home runs, 56 RBI, and has a one-to-one strikeout to walk ratio. Elite doesn’t quite do him justice, and he can alter a series on both sides of the ball.
Paul Schoenfeld has been Mr. Do-It-All for West Virginia as one of the best defensive center fielders in the country, also posting great numbers at the plate with a .954 OPS, 18 doubles, and 48 RBI, all while swiping 23 bags.
Paired with Schoenfeld’s speed is super-utility man Armani Guzman, who burst onto the scene in the Clemson Regional in 2025, leading the Mountaineers in stolen bases with 36 at a 92% clip.
A well-balanced offensive attack that can put pressure on defenses by taking extra bags, going gap-to-gap, and scoring in different ways is a nightmare matchup for most teams and is why I’m so bullish on WVU.
For the Mustangs, we’ll see an electric one-two punch as well between Griffin Naess and Carson Turnquist. Naess has primarily gotten the ball on Fridays, posting a 4.00 ERA over 87 ⅔ innings with 96 punchouts, and we saw him carve in the Los Angeles regional, throwing seven innings of one-run ball against Virginia Tech. Flashing nasty stuff and good enough to give any lineup fits.
Statistically, their Saturday starter, Carson Turnquist, has been better over his 75 ⅓ innings of work with a 3.35 ERA and 90 strikeouts, while holding opposing hitters to a .191 average.
The biggest advantage the Mustangs hold in this matchup is the bullpen depth, with five bullpen arms with 20 or more appearances, and seven with 28 or more innings pitched. They have the ability to play matchups, hot hands, and the depth if a game three were to happen.
Offensively is where there is more to be desired, as they’ll heavily rely on Cal transfer Ryan Tayman, who owns a team-best 1.134 OPS, 18 home runs, and 56 RBI. Tayman is the only Mustang with double-digit home runs; however, there is plenty of gap-to-gap production through this lineup with 10 hitters holding double-digit doubles.
Primarily a station-to-station team, Cal Poly will have to rely on great pitching performances and stringing a slew of hits together against a very good staff to get this done.
Auburn Super Regional (Ole Miss @ Auburn)
Winner Prediction: Auburn
Despite the Auburn Tigers allowing 26 runs in their first two games of the Regional, they quickly got back on pace, running the table from the losers’ bracket after an opening game loss to the UW Milwaukee Panthers.
We all know Auburn for having one of the best pitching staffs in the country, boasting a nation-best 3.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a team, the best by a significant margin. Led by elite starters Jake Marciano, Alex Petrovic, and Andreas Alvarez, the Tigers are one of the most difficult teams to beat in a best-of-three series.
With elite starters, and a swing-man in Jackson Sanders, one of the most dominant relievers in the country showing some of the best stuff from a low slot on the left side, they make for a game-planning nightmare.
None of the four pitchers mentioned above holds an ERA above 3.55, a WHIP over 1.30, nor an opponent batting average over .240, all while holding one strikeout per inning pitched or better. These four arms made up nearly 61% of all innings pitched by Tigers this season, not a simple task for an Ole Miss lineup that struggles with swing and miss.
Offensively, the Tigers don’t miss a beat slotting guys into different roles, supported by six of eight qualified hitters having double-digit doubles and 30+ RBI, five of whom have double-digit home runs. We haven’t even discussed that they have arguably the hottest hitter on the face of the earth in Chase Fralick, who hit five home runs in the regional last weekend, while leading Auburn in home runs (18), RBI (80), and OPS (1.080).
Bristol Carter provides plenty of speed, going 30-for-31 on stolen bases this season, and Ethan Binghamin has been one of the most underrated players in the country with a slash line of .335/.423/.597 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI.
For the Rebels, it’s clear they don’t lack firepower in the big-bopping trio of Tristan Bissetta, Judd Utermark, and Will Furniss, who have combined for 50 home runs and 163 RBI. The weakness of this lineup is the strikeout rates, nearly 33% this season as a team.
However, when it rains, it pours, as shown by the six runs they posted on Arizona State ace Cole Carlon in the Lincoln regional.
On the mound, we’ll see a very dangerous trio of a rotation in Hunter Elliott, Cade Townsend, and Taylor Rabe.
While the numbers for Elliott this season don’t jump off the page, he still holds 100 strikeouts in 76 innings, and his veteran leadership typically results in team wins behind him despite the 1.43 WHIP and 5.21 ERA.
Townsend and Rabe have truly been elite this season, and certainly have the stuff to hold down the Tigers’ lineup. Townsend has 88 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched, holding opposing hitters to a .223 average backed up by a 1.20 WHIP and 3.94 ERA. Rabe has truly been the star of the show this season, striking out 90 hitters over 63 ⅓ innings while surrendering just 10 walks, boasting a 3.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
Along with one of the top relievers coming out of the SEC this season in Walker Hooks, who tallied seven saves in 24 appearances, posting a 2.22 ERA and an opposing batting average of .188.
The key to success for Ole Miss is going to be length from the starters and maximizing damage, understanding that there will be strikeouts.
At the end of the day, I like the Tigers here. Minimal walk issues and elite strikeout stuff should give them the edge in this matchup. Don’t be surprised to see this get to a rubber match.
Chapel Hill Super Regional (USC @ North Carolina)
Winner Prediction: USC
Get ready for the best pitching Super Regional this weekend, as the Trojans fought their way through the College Station Regional to earn a date with the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
It’s no secret the Trojans will be rolling out the best pitcher in college baseball, Mason Edwards, who struck out a nation-best 164 in 92 ⅔ innings with a 1.85 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
Behind Edwards is one of the best Saturday arms in the country, Grant Govel. Govel showed unbelievable guts in the regional, giving two starts to the Trojans on their march through College Station, and he has the season numbers to back it up: 96 strikeouts to 15 walks over 98 ⅓ innings, good for a 0.88 WHIP, ranking him fourth in the country amongst qualified arms.
With a team ERA sitting at fourth in the country at 3.48, and a slew of bullpen arms with double-digit appearances, pitching is the strength of this team.
While the offense wasn’t particularly impressive in the regular season, the Trojans mashed their way through the Regional, averaging 11.8 runs per game in that five-game stretch through the losers’ bracket.
Kevin Takeuchi played a key role through Regionals and posted a team-best 59 RBI along with nine home runs, .943 OPS, and swiping 14 bags this season. Augie Lopez provides the thump of the lineup, leading the Trojans with 19 home runs. He has the ability to change the game with one swing, as we saw last week.
North Carolina also relies on their staff, ranking seventh in the country in team ERA with a 3.85. Ace Jason DeCaro could potentially line up against Edwards in what would be one of the best pitching matchups in the country, as he holds a 2.54 ERA over 78 innings with 76 punchouts.
The Tar Heels rely heavily on their dynamic duo out of the bullpen in Caden Glauber and Walker McDuffie. Glauber sits at seventh in the country in ERA amongst qualified pitchers with a 2.06 over 24 appearances and 74 ⅓ innings, where he struck out 88 and kept hitters to a .180 average. McDuffie isn’t far behind with a 2.94 and 82 strikeouts over 64 ⅓ innings of work.
Offensively, UNC certainly has the advantage with their balanced duo of Owen Hull, Jake Schaffner, supported by others like Macon Winslow, Cooper Nicholson, and one of the best postseason bats in college baseball, Gavin Gallaher.
Hull walks more than he strikes out, is 17-for-22 in stolen bases, posts a team-best 1.058 OPS along with 20 doubles, 7 home runs, and 79 RBI, while Schaffner, locking down shortstop, has swiped 25 of 28 bags and posted a 1.057 OPS.
The X-factor on offense for the Tar Heels is Gavin Gallaher. Dating back to the 2025 regionals, Gallaher has a .511 batting average (23-for-45) with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI in postseason play. Truly a guy that plays his best when the lights are brightest, and while he doesn’t stick out on paper in the regular season, he should be circled in every postseason game.
I’ll be riding the hot hand here with the Trojans, as the offense has come alive in postseason play, and with a starting rotation like Edwards and Govel, they’ve suddenly become even more difficult to beat. Where I believe they can take advantage is the fact that the Tar Heels’ pitching staff has a tendency to give up free bases. If USC can be patient, and get the big swings like they did last week, they have a real shot to bounce UNC on the road.
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