FAU second baseman Raymond Church can't get this ground ball in the Owls' loss to FIU on Saturday in the SUn Belt Conference Tournament. (FAUOwlAccess.com photo)
Going to Gainesville?
College baseball experts say FIU's Sun Belt Conference Tournament title could put the Golden Panthers in Coral Gables and the Owls in the Gainesville Regional.
Originally published on
5/30/2010
by
Chuck King
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Florida International’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship on Sunday may help Florida Atlantic stay out of the Coral Gables Regional, college baseball experts said.
FIU’s automatic bid into the NCAA Regionals may earn the Golden Panthers a trip to Coral Gables instead of the Owls. While FAU has played in Coral Gables five out of the six times it has made the Regional field, the Owls have never advanced from there.
“Miami makes the most sense for FAU as a two seed, however I think if FIU wins their automatic bid, with LSU a two seed and FIU a three seed (in Coral Gables) you would have a great made for ESPN match-up with LSU going against (Garrett) Wittels trying end his hitting streak.,” SEBaseball.com's Mark Etheridge said.
Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt shares Etheridge’s assertion that an FIU tournament title would likely send the Owls to Gainesville, still as a No. 2. Neither would be shocked if the NCAA moves FAU, the Sun Belt's regular season champion down to a No. 3 seed.
Fitt and Etheridge will release their final projections later Sunday. The NCAA will announce the tournament field on Monday.
“You really have to give credit to the job John McCormack has done this year,” Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt said. “I can’t remember a team in a while that has been as plucky and lovable as FAU.”
FAU currently has a Pseudo-RPI of 38. The Owls are 0-5 against teams in the RPI Top 20. The record improves to 11-9 against teams in the Top 50.
“It’s nice for FAU to be in a position where they are not on the bubble,” Fitt said. “They are safe. It’s fairly reassuring.”
Etheridge believes the Owls could face FGCU in Gainesville should the LSU-FIU match-up in Coral Gables come to fruition. If FGCU doesn’t make the field, Etheridge believes the Owls could face a Pac 10 team.
“I would think more than likely if there are two regionals in Florida, FAU is going to be in Gainesville or Coral Gables,” Etheridge said. “The wild card is that if Tallahassee doesn’t get a regional that they have to stay in Florida.”
Should Florida State be awarded a regional, the Owls could also end up in Tallahassee. Fitt believes the farthest FAU will have to travel would be to Auburn. FAU defeated Boston College but lost to Missouri and Auburn in an early season tournament at Auburn.
The Owls also lost to Miami twice this season in Coral Gables and fell to Florida in FAU’s lone trip to Gainesville.