NCAA baseball bracket projections: Regional hosts, national seeds predictions

Conference baseball tournaments conclude on Sunday, May 24, before the full 64-team NCAA tournament bracket releases May 25. How is the race for regional hosts shaping up?

Most top-16 ranked teams have already locked up hosting privileges for the regional round of the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament thanks to their regular season resumes. For some teams, however, a conference championship could be the difference between hosting or not.

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The top 16 seeds will be announced by the NCAA in the evening of Sunday, May 24, though they won't be in order.

The SEC will likely overwhelm other conferences with top-16 ranked selections, with eight teams in USA TODAY's regional host predictions. Here's a look at our final national seed projections ahead of the host announcements on May 24:

College baseball bracket projections: Regional host predictions

1. UCLA
2. Georgia Tech
3. Georgia
4. Auburn
5. Texas
6. North Carolina
7. Alabama
8. Florida
9. Florida State
10. Southern Mississippi
11. Texas A&M
12. West Virginia
13. Nebraska
14. Arkansas
15. Kansas
16. Mississippi State

• On the outside looking in: Oregon, Southern California, Mississippi, Oregon State, Wake Forest

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UCLA earns the top overall seed in our projections, although Georgia Tech also has a case for the top spot. The Bruins rank No. 1 in the NCAA's RPI (Rating Percentage Index) and only lost one Quad 1 game all season, going 9-1 against such opponents.

The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, lead the country with 21 Quad 1 wins, amassing a 21-5 record in the category while ranking No. 2 in RPI. Those two teams should be locked in at the top of the rankings.

Georgia and Auburn come in at No. 3 and No. 4 in our projections. While the Tigers' 38-19 record isn't the most impressive, they played the toughest schedule nationally, facing 33 Quad 1 opponents and winning 17 of them. Auburn also ranks No. 3 in RPI.

Southern Mississippi narrowly misses on a top-eight bid, likely missing out on hosting the super regional round. It has a solid 24-10 mark in Quad 1 and 2 games combined, ranks No. 12 in RPI and No. 37 in strength of schedule, which should be more than enough to host a regional.

There are multiple teams vying for the final few spots to host a regional. Arkansas, ranked No. 21 in RPI, is making a push to host. The Razorbacks have 17 Quad 1 wins, ranking tied-for second nationally, and have faced a tough conference slate in the SEC, despite ranking No. 162 in non-conference strength of schedule.

Two Big 12 teams — West Virginia and Kansas — are also vying for two of the final spots. The Mountaineers rank No. 15 in RPI while the Jayhawks are at No. 19, but they have solid Quad 1 records of 8-4 and 10-6, respectively. Both were firmly at the top of the Big 12 standings this season.

Mississippi State comes in at No. 16 in our projections, thanks to its No. 13 ranking in RPI. The Bulldogs' Quad 1 record of 9-14 isn't all that impressive, leaving room for Oregon, Mississippi or others, to leap them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA baseball bracket projections: Predicting 2026 regional hosts