For the fan awaiting the fate of the Sooners and what the Road to Omaha will look like, the countdown is nearing an end! Selection Monday officially begins in just a few hours and will be covered by ESPN at 12:30 ET/11:30 CT on May 30th.
The CWS kicks off with Regionals on June 3-6 at 16 different sites around the country. Those winners move on to the Super Regionals at 8 more sites from June 10-13. Finally the teams are ready for the official College World Series that runs from June 18-29 in Omaha.
Oklahoma came into the season as the favorite to win the Big XII and began the season on a hot streak eventually finding themselves ranked #2 in the nation, inches away from the top spot. Once conference play started the heat fizzled and eventually faded. A spark would be ignited from the inside late in the season leading the Sooners on a 9 game winning streak that should have carried Oklahoma into the post-season. This of course ended with a series loss to Baylor. The Oklahoma Sooners would finish the regular season as the #3 seed (courtesy of OK-State) only to be ousted by Kansas State in the Big XII Championships. After hosting two straight regionals followed by a season where accomplishments have not lived up to exceptions, here are the latest Super Regional Projections from College Baseball Daily. Only one question remains, after all is said and done on Selection Monday, where will the Sooners land?
The obvious answer is not in Norman! The Projections from May 24th have this in-store for the Sooners
1. (1) South Carolina
2. NC State
3. Elon*
4. Princeton
1. Oklahoma
2. Stanford
3. Creighton*
4. Oral Roberts*
Oklahoma ends the season 40-15 ranked #12-18 (depending on the poll) in the nation and while nothing is final, it is never the best or wanted option to be placed in a super regional with the defending champions and #1 overall seed. Oklahoma was sent home in the 3-2 thriller of an elimination game against the Gamecocks last season after beating them in CWS opener. I also expect the Sooners to shift after the conference playoffs. After a 15 year drought from CWS appearances, will Oklahoma be able to make it to Omaha in back to back season?
Here are the official regional hosts from the NCAA
| City | Host | Record |
|---|---|---|
| *Teams that are playing Sunday, May 29. | ||
| Atlanta, Ga. | Georgia Tech | 40-19 |
| Austin, Texas | Texas | 43-15 |
| Fullerton, Calif. | *Cal State Fullerton | 39-15 |
| Chapel Hill, N.C. | North Carolina | 45-14 |
| Charlottesville, Va. | *Virginia | 48-9 |
| Clemson, S.C. | Clemson | 41-18 |
| College Station, Texas | *Texas A&M | 41-18 |
| Columbia, S.C. | South Carolina | 45-14 |
| Corvallis, Ore. | *Oregon State | 38-16 |
| Fort Worth, Texas | TCU | 42-17 |
| Gainesville, Fla. | *Florida | 44-16 |
| Houston, Texas | Rice | 41-19 |
| Los Angeles, Calif. | *UCLA | 33-21 |
| Nashville, Tenn. | *Vanderbilt | 47-9 |
| Tallahassee, Fla. | *Florida State | 42-16 |
| Tempe, Ariz. | *Arizona State | 38-16 |