Tournament field, pairings | Regional roundup | Rivals.com Top 25

May 28, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

As part of our postseason coverage, we breakdown all 16 Regionals in our Regional Insider features.

CONWAY REGIONAL
The favorite: Coastal Carolina	1. Coastal Carolina 2. East Carolina 3. Alabama 4. Columbia
Coastal Carolina has a golden opportunity to make a statement this weekend. The Chanticleers hosted a Regional in Myrtle Beach last season, which was mostly dominated by Clemson and its fans. As the Regional moves up the road to Conway this season, the Chants will not have to deal with Clemson or South Carolina. The Chants have one of the nation's best offenses with Dock Doyle, Scott Woodward and David Sappelt leading the charge. Staff ace Bobby Gagg spearheads a talented pitching staff. East Carolina and Alabama are good teams, but Coastal should win this Regional at home.
The dark-horse contender: Alabama
Alabama was eliminated from the SEC Tournament by red-hot LSU last week, but the Crimson Tide was actually pretty impressive. Bama has an offense that makes you pay for bad pitches. For that reason and more, they're a team to watch this weekend. While Brandon May, Josh Rutledge and Alex Avila spearhead the offense, starting pitcher Austin Hyatt hopes to build off an impressive start against Georgia in the SEC Tourney. If the Alabama pitching staff performs at a high level this weekend, they have a legitimate chance.
Best hitter: Coastal Carolina's Dock Doyle
Several hitters have risen to the occasion for Coastal Carolina this season, while veteran catcher Dock Doyle has been consistent since day one. Doyle enters the weekend hitting .365 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs. He's also slugging .689 and has a .434 on-base percentage. He has also recorded 20 doubles and three triples in addition to 153 total bases.
Best pitcher: Coastal Carolina's Bobby Gagg
Coastal Carolina has a talented pitching staff with junior right-hander Bobby Gagg leading the charge. Gagg really jumped on the scene last season, and has continued to have success this season. The veteran has started 12 games and has a 6-2 record with a 2.92 ERA in 77 innings. He has also struck out 49 and walked six, while opponents are hitting him at a .262 clip.
The buzz
After hosting at a minor league ballpark last season, Coastal Carolina heads home to host at Watson Stadium, which has a capacity of 2,000. Though that's on the small side for a stadium hosting a Regional, the Chanticleers have plans to bring in temporary bleachers to accommodate more fans ? East Carolina cooled off down the stretch, but the Pirates have a talented pitching staff with freshman Seth Maness and Justin Bristow leading the charge. Also keep an eye on hard-hitting ECU catcher Corey Kemp, who enters the weekend with a .349 batting average and 16 homers.
Schedule ? Overview

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.