The 2025 NCAA Baseball Regionals will begin nationwide on Friday afternoon. One of the 16 regionals will be held in Auburn, Alabama, where the Tigers will host NC State, Stetson, and Central Connecticut State University at Plainsman Park.
The tournament will feature a double-elimination format, with the championship set for Sunday evening and Monday if necessary. The winner will continue on the road to Omaha and take on Coastal Carolina, Florida, East Carolina, or Fairfield in the Super Regional round.
No. 1 Auburn
The Tigers enter the postseason ranked as the No. 4 team nationally despite dropping three of their last four games.
Butch Thompson’s group had quite the turnaround in 2025, winning 17 conference games only a year after going 8-22 in SEC play.
Auburn’s trio of standout freshmen—Chris Rembert, Chase Fralick, and Bub Terrell—will be key players to watch this weekend. The youngsters have played a huge role in this season’s offensive turnaround, combining for 112 RBIs and 19 home runs as a group.
In the opener against Central Connecticut, Auburn will hand the ball to sophomore Cam Tilly.
“He’s trended better and better and better, and I think he’s ready for this,” Thompson said. “We have the confidence and trust in him.”
The thinking behind this move is that if Auburn can get the win against the lower-seeded Blue Devils squad, ace Samuel Dutton will be available to pitch on Saturday night against the winner of NC State/Stetson.
The Tigers are hoping for a much different weekend as regional hosts than in 2023, when they were eliminated on home turf by Southern Miss.
“Every team that’s made this field has done something amazing,” Thompson said. “Four teams stand in our way of a return trip to Omaha. It’s nice that it starts right here at Plainsman Park on Friday.”
No. 2 NC State
The Wolfpack finished the season fourth in the ACC with a 33-19 overall record despite a 3-7 stretch to end the season.
Offensively, they’re led by sophomore Chris McHugh, who is hitting .378 on the year with 47 RBIs and seven home runs.
Junior lefty Dominic Fritton, who is 5-4 with a 4.00 ERA, is expected to start game one.
No. 3 Stetson
The Hatters enter the postseason with a 40-20 overall record and a 24-6 notch in ASUN play.
At the plate, junior slugger Isaiah Barkett leads the way with a .380 batting average and 27 RBIs. His offensive production helped the Hatters capture the ASUN championship for the second straight season.
The small school in DeLand, Florida, has produced its fair share of MLB stars, such as Cy Young Award winners Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber, so it should come as no surprise that they might have the best pitcher on the Plains this weekend in lefty Jonathan Gonzalez.
The southpaw finished the year with an 8-2 record behind an impressive 2.18 ERA. He held opposing hitters to an absurd .192 batting average during the regular season.
Gonzalez will get the ball for the Hatters in game one against NC State.
No. 4 Central Connecticut State University
The Blue Devils head down to Auburn, Alabama, with a 31-15 overall record and a Northeast Conference crown.
The player to keep an eye on is senior Aidan Redahan, who leads the country with a .458 batting average. He posted 69 RBIs and nine home runs during his stellar regular season.
Redahan drew a lot of attention from Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson during his Thursday media availability.
“We know who he is, and we are aware,” Thompson said. “We are not going to let him beat us in certain situations and try to think of every contingency. We want to execute all ballgame.”
The action opens up Friday at 1:00 p.m. CST when NC State takes on Stetson. Auburn and CCSU will follow at 6:00 p.m. CST. All games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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Rory is a freshman majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
