The setup
Lincoln is the regional everyone in college baseball was talking about within minutes of Monday's reveal. CBS Sports called it the toughest field in the tournament. Three teams have legitimate paths out, and the host site is hardly a soft landing spot. Welcome to the most loaded weekend on the road to Omaha.
Nebraska earned its way here. The Cornhuskers finished 42-15, the best record at this point in 20 years, and went 23-7 in Big Ten play to claim the regular season No. 2 spot in the conference. They were undefeated at Haymarket Park during Big Ten play. Will Bolt is in his seventh season and has the program in the best shape it has been in since the College World Series runs of the mid-2000s.
The challenge is what arrived in town. Ole Miss finished 36-21 with a 15-15 SEC record, the kind of resume that would have been a No. 3 seed in lighter brackets. The pitching staff is more emblematic of a top-16 seed than a No. 2. Mike Bianco brings his 26th-year veteran group, including the 2022 national championship pedigree. Arizona State came out of the Big 12 third with a 37-19 record powered by Landon Hairston, who hit .413 with 28 home runs and 79 RBI. South Dakota State claimed the Summit League auto bid and arrives with everything to gain and nothing to lose.
The teams
Nebraska
First regional host since 2008. The 20th regional appearance in program history. Undefeated at Haymarket Park during Big Ten play. Senior shortstop Dylan Carey hit .342 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI. The best record at this point in 20 years.
Ole Miss
Mike Bianco's 20th NCAA Tournament appearance as head coach. The Rebels have national championship pedigree from 2022 and a pitching staff scouts have called top-eight quality. Lost their SEC tournament opener to Missouri, then drew the toughest regional in the field.
Arizona State
Willie Bloomquist's second NCAA Tournament team in five years at ASU. Finished third in the Big 12, a spot above where the preseason poll picked them. The Sun Devils swing it: Landon Hairston is one of the most productive bats in the country with 79 RBI to go with his .413 average.
South Dakota State
Won the Summit League tournament to grab the auto bid. The Jackrabbits enter as the heavy underdog by record, but a hot pitcher and a couple of seeing-eye singles is all it takes in a double-elimination format. Spoiler potential against anyone overlooking them.
What's at stake
The super regional pairing makes this even sharper. The winner of Lincoln draws the winner of Auburn, where the No. 4 overall seed will be playing at home if it advances. That means the team that emerges from this four-way fight is most likely going on the road for super regional weekend. The path to Omaha runs through Lincoln, Auburn, and one more weekend after that.
For Nebraska, this is the program-defining weekend. Will Bolt has built the Huskers back into a top-10 RPI team and the home crowd will be one of the best atmospheres in the country. The catch is everything that comes after Friday. Ole Miss is the kind of opponent that should be playing in a host city. Arizona State is the kind of opponent that can put up double digits before you blink.
The Friday night Ole Miss versus Arizona State game might be the most-watched first-round matchup of the entire tournament. Both teams have pitchers who can dominate, both lineups can erupt, and the loser drops into the same loser's bracket as whoever loses to Nebraska. That's the kind of double-elimination knot that can take a week to untangle.