NEW YORK (AP) — Florida, ranked No. 1 in every major preseason poll, has been selected as the top seed for the 64-team NCAA Division I college baseball tournament.
The Gators (42-18) will host one of 16 four-team, double-elimination regionals that begin Friday. Florida opens against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Bethune-Cookman (34-25).
The other national seeds, in order, are: UCLA, Florida State, Baylor, Oregon, North Carolina, LSU and two-time defending College World Series champion South Carolina.
The Gamecocks (40-17) are trying to join the 1970-74 Southern California squads as the only teams to win three or more consecutive national titles.
The 16 regional winners move on to the best-of-three super regionals. Those eight winners advance to the College World Series, which begins June 15 in Omaha, Neb., at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
