2017 NCAA Tournament Lexington Regional Preview

Evan White (Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode)

SEE ALSO: NCAA Regional Preview Podcast

1. Kentucky (39-20, 19-11 in Southeastern Conference)

Seventh appearance (first since 2014), at-large, second in SEC East

Top 200 Prospects: 1B Evan White (21), 2B Riley Mahan (99), RHP Zach Pop (171)

Season in a sentence: Kentucky became an offensive juggernaut under first-year coach Nick Mingione and put together its best season since 2006, the only other time it hosted a regional.

Player to watch: Sean Hjelle, rhp. SEC hitters struggled this season to figure out Hjelle, who is listed at 6-foot-11, 215 pounds. He was named conference pitcher of the year and is 9-3, 3.87 with 91 strikeouts in 93 innings going into regionals. Hjelle got knocked around by Louisiana State in the SEC Tournament, however, and will need to shake that outing off before he makes his NCAA Tournament debut.

Best weekend: vs. Louisiana State, April 21-23. Kentucky welcomed LSU to Cliff Hagan Stadium in late April for a marquee series between SEC contenders. After splitting a doubleheader, the Wildcats routed the Tigers, 10-2, in the finale to claim the series win. It was part of a huge 3-1 week for Kentucky, which also beat archrival Louisville in a midweek game.

Outlook: Kentucky is built to play at Cliff Hagan Stadium, and it is 27-5 at its home park. That home-field advantage is important for the Wildcats, who lack much postseason experience. Kentucky has never won a regional, but has the team to break through this year.

2. Indiana (33-22-2, 14-9-1 in Big Ten Conference)

Seventh appearance (first since 2015), at-large, sixth in Big Ten

Top 200 Prospects: None

Season in a sentence: After hovering around .500 in mid-April, Indiana finished the regular season with five straight series wins to push its RPI into the top 30 and return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.

Player to watch: Matt Lloyd, dh/rhp: A transfer from Iowa Western CC, Lloyd emerged as one of Indiana’s best hitters and closer this spring. He is hitting .317/.410/.583 with 11 home runs, and is 3-1, 2.51 with nine saves in 19 appearances on the mound. The Hoosiers will lean on him in both spots this weekend.

Best weekend: at Michigan, April 21-23. Coming off a series win against Minnesota the previous weekend, Indiana built on that momentum in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers won the first two games of the series, first edging the Wolverines in a 1-0 pitchers’ duel and then outslugging them 12-9 the next day. While Michigan avoided the sweep with a win in the finale, Indiana had already secured its second straight series win, helping to fuel its strong finish.

Outlook: Like Kentucky, Indiana is an offensive club and will be ready to get into some high-scoring games this weekend. The Hoosiers will have to come up with the right mix on the mound to advance, as righthander Pauly Milto is their lone pitcher to log more than 70 innings this season.

3. North Carolina State (34-23, 16-14 in Atlantic Coast Conference)

29th appearance (third straight), at-large, fourth in ACC Atlantic

Top 200 Prospects: SS Joe Dunand (129)

Season in a sentence: Mired at 20-20 after getting swept at Boston College in late April, North Carolina State went on a 14-3 run to revive its season and return to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year.

Player to watch: Brad Debo, dh. While several of North Carolina State’s returning veterans have struggled this season, Debo, a freshman, has anchored the lineup. The lefthanded hitter is the Wolfpack’s leading hitter with a .342/.397/.500 line. North Carolina State will need Debo to continue to produce quality at bats on the bigger stage of the postseason.

Best weekend: vs. Clemson, May 18-20. As North Carolina State was streaking to the finish, it hosted Clemson on the final weekend of the regular season. The Wolfpack won the first two games to claim a key series win that assured it of an above .500 league record and helped push its RPI into the top 30, two factors critical in securing an at-large bid.

Outlook: After its up-and-down first half of the season, the Wolfpack has finally found its stride at the right time. It comes into regionals as hot as it has been all season, and will need that momentum to carry over to the postseason. Like Indiana, North Carolina State has pieced its pitching staff together all season and will need one or two of its more reliable arms to step up in Lexington.

4. Ohio (30-26, 13-11 Mid-American Conference)

16th appearance (first since 2015), automatic, second place in MAC East, MAC Tournament champion

Top 200 Prospects: None

Season in a sentence: Ohio built late-season momentum by winning its last three series of the season, including beating conference power Kent State, and swept through the MAC Tournament to win the conference’s automatic bid for the second time in three years.

Player to watch: Spencer Ibarra, of. Ibarra broke out this spring and enters regionals batting .330/.405/.557 with 12 home runs, all team highs. The senior went 7-for-19 (.368) in the MAC Tournament and the Bobcats need him to stay hot this weekend.

Best weekend: MAC Tournament, May 24-28. The Bobcats swept through the MAC Tournament for the second time in three years under coach Rob Smith. Ohio had to twice beat Kent State, the regular-season champion, in the tournament before winning the title with a 7-4 victory against Eastern Michigan in the championship game.

Outlook: Ohio is one of the best defensive teams in the nation (.980 fielding percentage) and is an experienced, veteran team. The Bobcats won’t beat themselves this weekend, but it will still take a significant upset for them to advance in the winners’ bracket.

STAT PACK (National rank in parentheses)
Team	Avg.	Runs P/G	HR	SB	ERA	K/9	WHIP	Field %
1. Kentucky	.317 (13)	7.42 (20)	66 (31)	59 (88)	3.65 (33)	9.2 (18)	1.21 (9)	.971 (119)
2. Indiana	.266 (186)	5.60 (153)	67 (29)	55 (111)	4.48 (119)	6.8 (218)	1.39 (78)	.978 (29)
3. NC State	.277 (119)	6.07 (94)	58 (48)	33 (239)	4.01 (64)	8.0 (97)	1.42 (97)	.975 (48)
4. Ohio	.277 (122)	5.65 (147)	46 (100)	35 (233)	4.29 (89)	8.3 (70)	1.44 (110)	.980 (12)