CINCINNATI — Xavier University's baseball team are officially champs after clinching the 2023 Big East Championship on Saturday night at Prasco Park — now, they're on to the NCAA regionals tournament.
On Monday, the NCAA announced the bracket for the 2023 regional baseball tournament, pitting league champs Xavier against Oregon in the first round. The two teams will face off in Nashville on June 2 at 1 p.m.
It's the fourth time Xavier's baseball team has taken home the title in the Big East Championship, though the last time it happened was 2017.
The team took the lead in the championship game against the University of Connecticut, pulling one run in the first inning. They were left unmatched until the fourth inning, when UConn tied the game. Things heated up in the final innings, though, when Xavier managed to score five runs in the ninth inning, coming back from what could have been a loss to win 7-3.
With the win, Xavier sits at a 37-23 record, "adding to the second-highest win total in program history," according to Xavier's website.
Redemption? #Xavier is headed to Vandy. Last time the Musketeers played in the Nashville regional was 2016, Xavier went to the Regional Final.
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) May 29, 2023
Second cheer is when Xavier saw #Oregon is in the Nashville regional. Xavier started the season @ Oregon, going 0-4 in the series. pic.twitter.com/wUJu9Z5KLy
But Oregon also walked away from the Pac-12 tournament as champions, defeating Arizona 5-4 just one day before the NCAA regional tournament lineups were announced. Oregon walked away from that with a 37-20 record, similar to Xavier's.
The 2023 NCAA regional tournament will run from June 2 through June 12, with super regionals taking place from June 9 through June 12. The College World Series games begin June 16, with the finals beginning on June 24.
Xavier is the third seed in its regional bracket, coming in just ahead of Eastern Illinois and behind Oregon, which is second, and Vanderbilt which is first; Vanderbilt is sixth seeded in the regional tournament overall.
