So you may or may not be in the NCAA tournament…

So you got in, but you still got beef? –

As one of the Godfathers of the college baseball coaching circle Augie Garrido gets to coach his Texas Longhorns in the postseason once again, but to say they got shafted in placement is an understatement. I for one have to question why the Horns are not hosting a regional.

Not exactly sure who they are more deserving to host over, but the Longhorns won the Big XII conference tournament. The tournament included three squads who have hosting duties, one of whom is Texas A&M, a team that the Horns swept at the end of conference play and beat 15-9 in the tournament.

Where does the lovely NCAA selection committee place Texas? Houston, Tex. of course as a two seed behind No. 6 seed Rice. In a region where not only do they have a potential match up with the Owls, the Horns will meet St. John’s in the first round. The Red Storm have an impressive record this season and after giving up 24 runs while only scoring six in the Big East tournament, are ripe for a break out. So for those of you who secretly bleed Burnt Orange and White, I see where you are coming from.

So you lost to Oregon State two years in a row? Cakewalk time! –

Congrats to North Carolina, you are probably headed back to Omaha with no fear of Oregon State. The Tar Heels who last week were ranked No. 1 in the nation (despite being the third place team in the ACC) get a regional at their temporary home field in Cary, North Carolina.

Rather than playing at their home stadium in Chapel Hill, which is undergoing a construction project that makes Goss look like a child’s Legos, the Tar Heels have been playing their season at the home of USA Baseball. Joining UNC in Cary are a trio of teams including their opening match-up opponent Mount St. Mary’s who ended the year with a 21-32 overall record.

UNC-Wilmington is the two seed in the region after spending the season beating up on schools like New York Tech and Towson. Rounding out the field is the Elon Phoenix, who while very deserving of a bid, also played a schedule which would make a Pac-10 caliber team desiring to go undefeated salivate. It is worth noting that Elon and UNC-Wilmington, who meet in the first round, already played this season with the Seahawks coming out on top 18-16.

After the Regional setting, the Tar Heels get to host Super Regional’s against the winner of the Conway Regional, likely Coastal Carolina (Go Chanticleers!) or East Carolina.

So you don’t have a conference? Who cares? –

In College Station, Tex. The world will soon be introduced to Dallas Baptist. As an independent team the Patriots beat the odds by becoming the first indie squad to qualify for the tournament since 1992 (excluding the Miami Hurricanes).

The Patriots were awarded a two seed in a regional where some are saying they will be over matched by host Texas A&M, despite holding a victory over the Aggies in College Station earlier in the year.

Despite a beautiful baseball complex Dallas Baptist was only able to attract seven home games against teams with winning records. With a huge chunk of their schedule on the road, don’t expect that aspect of the Regional to phase the Patriots, do however expect the fact that the team is the first independent team since ’92 to make the tourney or the fact they have a first year head coach at the helm to possibly cause them to waiver.

Hopefully the Patriots can show they deserved to be in the tournament and that they earned the No.2 seed. Here is to head coach Daniel Heefner for Coach of the Year.

So you are the Back-to-Back Champions? –

Sorry Beaver nation, I know it didn’t work out this year. I am having trouble reading the online message boards and forums when I see posts about how the Beavers were excluded from the tourney because of a “tough schedule.” I for one must say, it was not the “tough teams” that kept OSU out, if anything it was the losses to the teams with the likes of Utah Valley State and Gonzaga.

On the bubble late in the season is no way to live when around the nation conferences are having their tournaments while the Pac-10 does not. Personally, I despise conference tournaments, which baseball fans can thank for the inclusion of the 16-32 Texas Southern Tigers. I filled out 61 teams I expected to be in the tournament and while I got 60 of those teams right, only one of my five bubble teams made it into the remaining four tournament spots with the Beavers not being that team.

I have no reason to think that Oregon State will not be in the tournament next year and I suppose this is just something that happens sometimes in the sport of baseball.