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The NCAA Tournament field is set as college baseball teams get ready to compete for a national championship. Sixteen host sites have been picked and 64 clubs will now battle it out for a trip to Omaha.
Fans have been quick to point out one tournament snub after seeing the bracket unveiled. Those baseball followers believe a few teams from the SEC received some preferential treatment during the selection process.
The NCAA revealed its 64-team field on Memorial Day following the conclusion of conference tournaments. Those teams have now been broken up into 16 different regionals with those “host sites” being announced over the weekend.
Of those hosts, eight hail from the SEC.
While it has proven itself to be the premiere college baseball league, some fans believe that a smaller school was overlooked. That host snub is Campbell – the nation’s highest scoring program.
The Camels went 44-13 on the year, winning both the Big South regular season and tournament crowns. Those 44 wins are tied for the sixth-most in the NCAAT field. They also boast an RPI of 14, which has been the top measurable when it comes to tournament consideration.
In fact, 15 of the top 16 teams in RPI are hosting. Campbell is the only team in the top 16 to be dealt a No. 2 seed. Instead, Auburn (RPI No. 19) will get a host opportunity while the Camels will have to travel to Columbia, SC.
Many were immediately upset.
Some pointed to that RPI combined with the fact that Auburn’s athletic director is the chairman of the selection committee, sparking a bit of a conspiracy theory amongst fans.
RPI is king to the Committee
15 of the top 16 teams are hosting a regional
Campbell (14) is the only one not to host
Auburn (19) is their replacement
John Cohen is the Chairman of the Committee… Auburns AD
Campbell should be HEATED
— Ben Upton (@Ben_Upton5) May 29, 2023
Those fans weren’t sold on the AD’s explanation as to why Auburn got the nod over Campbell.
“Campbell’s one of the elite teams in the country, there’s no question about it,” John Cohen responded when asked about the snub. “They got a ton of consideration, went around the room a whole bunch. When Auburn’s grouped with any of these schools, I have to leave the room.”
Total BS answer by Cohen about why Auburn hosted instead of Campbell.@NCAA is such a joke. Totally political.
— commonsense eagle (@csgwe70) May 29, 2023
Of course, Auburn wasn’t the only host that received criticism. South Carolina, who started the season as one of college baseball’s top teams, lost 13 of their final 18 games to end the year.
While the overall body of work is there, many believe that it should be Campbell hosting the Gamecocks rather than the other way around.
It seems the Camels are taking the snub personally.
After being snubbed as a host, Campbell wanted to get to Auburn or South Carolina. They got their wish.@GoCamelsBSB will travel to Columbia as the 2 seed, facing off against 3 seed NC State on Friday. Here’s their live reaction: pic.twitter.com/BF9FYROQZh
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) May 29, 2023
We’ll see how Campbell performs in the regional. It wouldn’t be a shock to see this No. 2 seed make it to the Supers in a couple of weekends.