Statesboro Regional Preview: Georgia Southern

On Monday, May 30th, the NCAA selection committee announced the brackets for the 16 Regional Tournaments. The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns were the only two Big-12 teams hosting regionals. The Red Raiders landed in the Statesboro Regional in Statesboro, Georgia, the home of the Georgia Southern Eagles.

The Georgia Southern University Eagles are a division 1, Sunbelt Conference member. To date, the Red Raiders have not met the Eagles on the baseball diamond. Georgia Southern appeared in the College World Series in 1973 and 1990. In its history, the team has appeared in 11 regional tournaments. The Statesboro Regional will be Georgia Southern’s first time hosting an NCAA Regional. The Eagles earned the No. 1 seed and will take on UNC Greensboro Friday.

In 2022, Georgia Southern holds an overall record of 40-18 and a conference record of 23-7. The Eagles have performed much better at home than on the road, with a home record of 24-6, and 13-11 as the visitors and going 3-1 at neutral locations. The team has closed out the season well, only dropping two out of their last 10 games. Overall, the Eagles enjoyed a much easier schedule than the Red Raiders, playing only three ranked opponents, including being swept by the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Eagles’ record does not reflect a ton of high-scoring affairs. The lineup is not heavy with run producers, or the power to swing for the fences. The team is much more consistent with not leaving runners on base. On the offensive side Georgia Southern makes every hit count, they are not swinging for the fences, and they come to the plate looking for more through all nine innings. On the mound, the Georgia Southern pitching staff does not post insane strikeout statistics. The team appears to be a very defensive-oriented unit.

The Red Raiders have the talent to win out of Statesboro, however, they will not be able to just walk away with a win against Georgia Southern. The Tech team that is ready to win baseball games will have to show up and play all nine innings. The Red Raider lineup will need everyone hitting their best. They cannot afford to leave anyone on base, and they cannot afford to swing at pitches out of the strike zone.

The Tech Bullpen needs to be ready to battle on every pitch, and the defense needs to be there on every pitch as well. Georgia Southern is not the type of team to launch baseballs over the centerfield wall, they will make every single and double count. This Eagles team will be ready to play their best baseball from inning one through nine, and they have something to prove against one of the best teams in the nation all year long.