UCLA Draws Bakersfield, Maryland, and Ole Miss in the L.A. Regional

The field has been announced for the 2015 college baseball postseason. UCLA has been awarded the number 1 overall seed, with LSU getting the number 2 overall seed.

UCLA is hosting the Los Angeles Regional. Here is the field for that Regional:

1 UCLA

4 CSU Bakersfield

3 Maryland

2 Ole Miss

The winner of the Los Angeles Regional will face the winner of the Lake Elsinore Regional, hosted by UC Santa Barbara. UCSB’s home facility does not have lights, so they could not host there. Here is the field for that regional:

1 UCSB

4 SDSU

3 Virginia

2 Southern Cal

So, there is a very real possibility of UCLA facing Southern Cal in a Super Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCSB has an excellent pitching staff, but it remains to be seen how "hosting" at a location four hours away from its actual home will affect the Gauchos.

Oregon’s series win over the Bruins over the weekend allowed the Ducks to punch their ticket. Oregon was sent to the Springfield Regional, with Missouri State as host. The Ducks could do some damage there. Oregon’s inclusion in the field means that 6 of the 11 PAC 12 schools (Colorado does not field a baseball team) made the postseason, which is quite an accomplishment and, I think, helped UCLA acquire the number 1 overall seed. The SEC and ACC both fielded 7 teams, but both of those conferences have more teams than the PAC 12.

Oregon State, the runner up in the PAC 12 Conference and who could (should?) have hosted a regional, gets the double whammy by being shipped to the Dallas Regional, where they face Texas in their first game. I think that the committee did not do the Beavers well.

You can check out the entire field and the regionals in which each team is located here.

I like UCLA’s draw. I think Ole Miss (30-26) and Maryland (39-21), although they are good teams from power conferences, will be challenged by having to come across the country. Ole Miss never left SEC-land this season (Columbus, Missouri was the farthest they traveled) and Maryland’s longest trip was the one they just finished, the BIG 10 Tournament in Minneapolis.

UCLA will face Bakersfield on Friday, at 8 p.m. PT, at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPNU. Ole Miss and Maryland play immediately before the UCLA game, at 4 p.m. PT.

Check in at Bruins Nation later in the week for a preview of the Los Angeles Regional.

Go Bruins!!!