NCAA Baseball Tournament regional, 2022 College World Series predictions

The road to Omaha begins this weekend with the start of NCAA Baseball Tournament regional play.

Sixteen sites will host double-elimination regionals beginning Friday, narrowing the field of 64 to 16 regional winners. The teams that advance will pair off in best-of-three super regionals, with those eight winners moving on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, to play for the national championship.

Four experts from the USA TODAY Sports Network have picked the regional winners and projected their CWS champion. Here are their projections:

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Knoxville Regional

Tennessee: Georgia Tech and Campbell have enough firepower to make the Vols uncomfortable, but Tennessee’s depth will win out. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Tennessee: The Volunteers have dominated both on the mound and at the plate. Combine that with a favorable draw, and they’ll get to the super regionals. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Tennessee: The Vols have clearly been the best team in college baseball and it'd be foolish to pick against them at home. No one has Tennessee's combination of power pitching and dominant offense, and that should lead to an easy super regional berth. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Tennessee: Tennessee has been the best team in the nation all season. That isn’t changing now. UT’s pitching makes the difference against a hot-hitting regional. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Stanford Regional

Stanford: The Cardinal are the hottest team in the country, having won 16 straight games. That’ll play in the postseason. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Stanford: The Cardinal made short work of the Pac-12 Tournament and have one of the nation’s best pitching staffs. Their stellar season was rewarded with an easy draw, and Stanford will advance by limiting opposing offense. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Stanford: No one is hotter than the Cardinal right now. Alex Williams might be the best pitcher in the tournament and that's a great luxury to have when you're scoring 11 runs per game over your last 10 games.— Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Stanford: Is Stanford the only team with a shot to compete against Tennessee? Alex Williams dominates and Stanford keeps hitting into a super. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Corvallis Regional

Oregon State: The Beavers match up well with the other teams here, as Cooper Hjerpe can match Vanderbilt’s and San Diego’s aces. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Oregon State: The Beavers’ biggest challenge is Vanderbilt, but the Commodores have looked cold and defeated of late. Oregon State slipped near the end of the season, too, but has elite hitters who can get it to the next round. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Oregon State: Vanderbilt and Oregon State both have talented young arms, but Oregon State's depth goes a little deeper. Factor in home-field advantage and Oregon State's knack for drawing walks and the Beavers have a slight advantage. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Oregon State: Sending Vanderbilt out west is tough. But the Beavers are a much better team than this year’s Vandy Boys. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Blacksburg Regional

Virginia Tech: The other teams in this regional can’t match the Hokies’ offensive power. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Virginia Tech: The Hokies are just behind Tennessee in terms of offensive prowess, and with a solid set of starting pitchers, Virginia Tech will overwhelm its easy regional. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Gonzaga: This all comes down to Virginia Tech's offense against Gonzaga's pitching. And while the Hokies are top-10 nationally in home runs and slugging percentage, the Bulldogs have some of the most overpowering strikeout pitchers in the nation and the talent to pull off the upset.— Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Virginia Tech: Essentially a whole lineup of .300 hitters with 10-plus homers? The Hokies are moving on in three. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

College Station Regional

Texas A&M: The Aggies got a tough draw with TCU, but they are really peaking at the right time, and that will make a difference. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Texas A&M: Old foe TCU will put up a fight and the regional is one of the more challenging ones, but Texas A&M has the offense to make it out. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Texas A&M: Texas A&M might not have the strongest pitching rotation, but with one of the best lineups in the nation top-to-bottom and a 12-3 home record since April, the Aggies are a tough out. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Texas A&M: The Aggies were the second-best team in the SEC this season behind the Vols, who ran away with it. They’re going to move on. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Coral Gables Regional

Miami: Ole Miss and Arizona could’ve both been 3-seeds, and neither will put up much of a challenge for the Hurricanes. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Miami: The Hurricanes’ homefield advantage will be a factor in a regional with a difficult No. 2 seed in Arizona. It’s a difficult place to play, and Miami’s power hitting and good pitching will get it past a challenging first round. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Miami: Ole Miss and Arizona are perennial contenders with plenty of talent, but Miami's combination of top-shelf starting pitching, home run power throughout the lineup and one of the best relievers in college baseball leads them to a win in one of the tournament's toughest draws. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Miami: Miami’s power threats in the middle and pitcher Carson Palmquist are the edge the Hurricanes need to advance. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Stillwater Regional

Oklahoma State: The Pokes have an ace and plenty of home run power that will give the other teams here fits. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Oklahoma State: The Stillwater regional will be chalky. Oklahoma State’s biggest threats are an Arkansas team that went cold late and a sneaky-good Grand Canyon team, but the Cowboys will prove why they were seeded higher than most expected. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Oklahoma State: Arkansas fans might be hoping for a repeat of their 2015 win in Stillwater, but this year's Oklahoma State squad gets its revenge and Griffin Doersching's bat leads the Cowboys to the next round. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Oklahoma State: Arkansas is sleepwalking into this regional, which is Oklahoma State’s to lose. The Cowboys won’t lose it. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Greenville Regional

Virginia: Jake Gelof fills the role of this year’s Niko Kavadas, a masher who will live in the nightmares of opposing pitching staffs long after the fact. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

East Carolina: The Pirates have gotten hot at just the right time, fresh off a conference title. A versatile pitching staff will get ECU through its challenging regional and on to supers. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Virginia: East Carolina hasn't lost since April, but the Pirates have only played one team that made the NCAA Tournament in their last 35 games. Virginia's deep bullpen and veteran lineup pull off a second road regional win in as many years. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Virginia: The Cavaliers are always a threat in the postseason. This group can hit at a wild level even if the pitching needs to step up. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Austin Regional

Texas: The Longhorns got an easy draw with one of the last teams in the tournament and one that likely wouldn’t have made it without winning the autobid. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Texas: The Longhorns need a Game 1 win to stay out of a difficult losers bracket. But once Texas beats Air Force, it will stay on top of its regional and advance to supers. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Texas: The Longhorns rank top 15 nationally in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP. Texas was preseason No. 1 for a reason and will play like it this postseason. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Texas: Ivan Melendez remains as feared a hitter as there is in the nation. He stars in the regional as Texas gets to a super. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Chapel Hill Regional

North Carolina: The Tar Heels are scorching hot right now, and Georgia doesn’t have the pitching to contain them. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have a slight edge over the competition in pitching, at least statistically. It won’t be easy, but North Carolina will advance. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

North Carolina: UNC is one of the teams no one wants to play right now. Winners of 15 of their last 17 and champions of a stacked ACC, the Tar Heels should be able to fly past a beat-up Georgia squad and a pesky-but-overmatched VCU threat. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have won seven in a row after rolling through the ACC Tournament. They roll again. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Hattiesburg Regional

LSU: The Tigers can mash, and opposing pitchers won’t be able to figure out how to get outs in the Southern heat. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles have elite pitching that won’t have a problem with the inconsistency of No. 2-seed LSU. Southern Miss finished with the third-highest RPI among non-Power Five teams, and the Golden Eagles will stay alive with defense. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Southern Miss: If anyone can compete with Tennessee this year for best pitching in the nation, it's Southern Miss. LSU will get its home runs and its fans will travel well, but Southern Miss coach Scott Berry finally gets his first regional victory behind one of the best rotations around. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

LSU: The Tigers are getting back key bats and were strong in Hoover in the SEC Tournament. They’ll edge Southern Miss to advance. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Louisville Regional

Louisville: It’s unclear if the Cardinals have the pitching to make a run, but it doesn’t feel like any of these other teams do, either. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Oregon: Host Louisville has shown plenty of vulnerability with some bad losses, and Oregon had a better conclusion the regular season. The Ducks’ superior hitting will narrowly get them through to supers. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Oregon: It's a long trip from Eugene to Louisville, but Oregon has fared well against top competition this year with two wins against Stanford, two wins against Gonzaga and three wins against Arizona. Despite a lack of front-line starting pitching, Oregon's experience in those tough games carries them to Supers. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Louisville: The Cardinals got a pretty favorable draw with Oregon and Michigan, neither of which pitch all that well. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Gainesville Regional

Oklahoma: The Sooners will be motivated after being snubbed from hosting. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Florida: The Gators had an impressive showing at the SEC Tournament and have one of the better pitching staffs in the league. That pitching will be the key in getting Florida to the next round. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Florida: The Gators atone for last year's quick exit at home thanks to a strong offensive showing from outfielders Jud Fabian and Wyatt Langford and catcher B.T. Riopelle. Throw in the way Brandon Sproat has pitched down the stretch and Florida is particularly dangerous. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Liberty: Let’s get weird in Florida. The Gators are playing good baseball coming out of the SEC Tournament. They lost to Liberty earlier in the year. They do it again. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Auburn Regional

Florida State: The Tigers faded down the stretch, and the Seminoles’ pitching will take advantage. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Auburn: The Tigers will have a tough time of it against UCLA, but if Auburn’s bullpen can hold strong and hot hitters like Sonny DiChiara come through, Auburn will move on. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Florida State: Florida State pitchers lead the nation in strikeouts per nine innings and are top-five in WHIP. With a one-two punch of Bryce Hubbart and Parker Messick, the Seminoles are in great position to upset Auburn on its home field. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Auburn: Auburn boasts the hitting to win this one. It’ll need its starting pitching to step up to emerge. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

College Park Regional

Wake Forest: Maryland and UConn both played in weaker conferences and didn’t face much top-notch competition. The Demon Deacons are battle-tested in the ACC. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Maryland: The Terrapins have an impressive offense that will carry them through to supers. It won’t be a clean sweep, but Maryland will out-hit its opponents to advance. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Maryland: Strength of schedule is a concern for Maryland, but teams don't win 45 games by accident. Pitching depth is a bit of a worry, but the Terps have more than enough offense to make it out of their regional. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons ended the year well and can flat-out hit. They’ll keep it going into the postseason, winning the regional. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

Statesboro Regional

Notre Dame: The Irish check all the boxes: an ace, a deep offense and huge motivation after they were snubbed from hosting a regional. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Notre Dame: The Irish wanted to host a regional themselves but fell just short. Notre Dame is a team that can win in a number of ways, which will get it through a difficult regional. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Notre Dame: Georgia Southern is one of the best stories in college baseball, but between Notre Dame's starting pitching, contact-hitting skills and talent on the base paths, the Fighting Irish are the team to beat in this regional. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Texas Tech: Georgia Southern is a good squad, but Texas Tech is more familiar with what it takes to win this time of year. Jace Jung is the best player in the regional. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

College World Series winner

Stanford: Stanford checks many of the same boxes as Tennessee: a team with Omaha experience that was clearly the best in its league all around with the added benefit of peaking at exactly the right time. Stanford has flown a bit under the radar compared to the Vols, but that won’t be true anymore after it dominates the College World Series to claim the title. — Aria Gerson, The Tennessean

Tennessee: If the Volunteers have shown anything this season, it’s dominance. Outstanding hitting and shutdown pitching will help Tennessee become just the second No. 1 overall seed to win the title. — Christina Long, Southwest Times Record

Tennessee: It's tempting to make an off-book pick like Stanford or Texas just to be different. But let's be real: Tennessee has been the best team in the country since February and this postseason will be the Vols' coronation into becoming a college baseball power program. — Nick Suss, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Tennessee: It’s the Vols vs. everyone going into this tournament. That is a huge pressure level for a program that hasn’t won like that. But this team has that special something to it and has all season. — Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: NCAA Baseball Tournament: Predicting regional winners, CWS champion