The bracket for the 2023 NCAA baseball tournament is officially set as the field of 64 was released on Monday. With play beginning this week, the action will heat up as teams look to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals and then the College World Series.
For the North Carolina Tar Heels, they find themselves in the Terre Haute Regional hosted by Indiana State. The Tar Heels are the No. 3 seed joined by No. 1 Indiana State, No. 2 Iowa and No. 4 Wright State. It’s going to be a tough region to get out of for the Tar Heels as they open up play Friday against Iowa.
But before they do that, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford is breaking down each region and giving a prediction. For the Terre Haute Regional, Crawford believes UNC will be the team to get out:
Projected winner: North Carolina
How it happens: Indiana State is hosting a regional for the first time in program history and has won 34 of its last 38 games coming into the postseason, including both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships. The Sycamores join Dallas Baptist (2015), Missouri State (2015), and Wichita State (2002 & 2007) as the lone regional hosts in the MVC since 2000. Will Indiana State be able to handle the pressure of being the favorite at home in a competitive foursome? It’s hard to say, but the Sycamores are loaded and have one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball. Their notable non-conference wins included Indiana and Vanderbilt this season, but did finish with a losing record against top 20 teams. North Carolina is a team to watch here and Iowa will be a tough out.
North Carolina does have the talent to win this region but they are going to have to rely on their pitching. Iowa has a really good pitching staff and will be a tough game right away.
The Sycamores also have a good rotation and bullpen plus a very good lineup.
Let’s hope Crawford’s prediction is right.
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