TCU to play A&M in super regional on Friday

With help from South Carolina and LSU, the Southeastern Conference grabbed the spotlight after being overshadowed by the ACC heading into the NCAA baseball tournament.

The SEC had five teams advance to the super regionals for the second straight year and fifth time in the 18 years of the current tournament format.

The Atlantic Coast Conference set a league record with 10 teams making the tournament, but only four made it through regionals.

Winners in the eight super regionals will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning June 18.

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South Carolina bounced back from a loss on its home field in its regional opener to win four straight, including two in a row over UNC-Wilmington to advance to its 12th super regional. The Gamecocks locked up their regional title with a 10-5 win on Tuesday.

LSU, shut out for six innings by Rice’s Willy Amador, scored three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to beat the Owls 5-2 in Baton Rouge and earn its fourth berth in the super regionals in five years and 12th overall.

Other SEC teams advancing were Florida, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

ACC teams that made it through regionals: Louisville, Miami, Florida State and Boston College. At most, the ACC will advance three teams to the College World Series because Boston College and Miami are matched in a super regional.

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The Big 12 had all three of its tournament teams — Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech — advance to super regionals. It’s the fourth time, and second in three years, that the conference has had at least three teams win regionals.

Super regionals starting Friday:

— Boston College (34-20) at No. 3 national seed Miami (48-11)

— TCU (45-15) at No. 4 Texas A&M (48-14)

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— East Carolina (37-21-1) at No. 5 Texas Tech (45-17)

— Arizona (42-21) at No. 6 Mississippi State (44-16-1)

Super regionals starting Saturday:

— Florida State (40-20) at No. 1 Florida (50-13)

— UC Santa Barbara (40-18-1) at No. 2 Louisville (50-12)

— Oklahoma State (39-20) at South Carolina (47-16)

— Coastal Carolina (48-16) at No. 8 LSU (46-19)

A look around the country as regionals wrapped up Tuesday:

CHANTICLEERS’ BIG RALLY

Coastal Carolina reached the super regionals for the first time since 2010 with a 7-5 victory over North Carolina State with a four-run ninth inning.

Cody Beckman walked the first two batters, and an infield single loaded the bases with one out Monday night when rain forced a stoppage. When play resumed Tuesday, the Chanticleers scored a run on a groundout and went ahead on Seth Lancaster’s two-run single. Billy Cooke followed with an RBI single. Mike Morrison pitched a perfect ninth for Coastal Carolina.

GAMECOCKS ON A ROLL

Madison Stokes went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Alex Destino and DC Arendas each drove in two runs in Tuesday’s 10-5 win. The Gamecocks outscored their past four opponents 47-10.

DEICHMANN LEADS LSU

Greg Deichmann’s two-run homer in the seventh inning gave LSU a 3-2 lead, and Michael Papierski’s shot leading off the eighth and Kramer Robertson’s second home run in two games provided insurance. Jared Poche’ pitched six innings of one-hit shutout relief, and Hunter Newman worked a perfect ninth for his eighth save.