8 teams from North Carolina make it to NCAA baseball tournament

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Eight teams from the state of North Carolina will be playing in the NCAA Baseball Championship tournament.

The No. 1 overall seed for the entire tournament resides in Winston-Salem. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons put together one of the best seasons in history, sporting the best ERA in the country and a lineup filled with power.

The top overall seed has not won the College World Series since 1999. The ACC has only ever won the College World Series twice. Virginia did it in 2015. Wake Forest did it in 1955.

NC State (35-19) received an at-large bid into the tournament this year, and the Wolfpack will start the tournament against in-state foe Campbell at 1 p.m. on Friday.

NC State is looking for redemption after a tumultuous couple of years. The Pack was three wins away from taking home its first-ever baseball national title in 2021 when the team was dubiously disqualified because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.

Then in 2022, the team advanced all the way to the ACC title game, falling short of an automatic NCAA tournament bid with a 9-5 loss to UNC. Still, the team expected to be in the tournament but the selection committee had other plans -- leaving the Pack out for the first time since 2014.

Campbell is the No. 2 seed in the Columbia Regional, which is hosted by No. 15 overall seed South Carolina. No. 4 seed Central Connecticut State rounds out that regional.

The Camels are 44-13, which stands as the second-most wins in program history after notching 49 wins in 2013.

Duke (35-21) will also start the regionals off with a game against an in-state competitor. The Blue Devils face off against the Seahawks of UNC-Wilmington (34-21). That regional will take place in Conway, South Carolina, as Coastal Carolina (39-19) is the host. Rider (35-19) is the fourth team in the regional.

Duke finished with a 16-13 record in the ACC, which placed the Blue Devils fifth in the league. Coach Chris Pollard said that conference strength has prepared his team for the grind of the postseason.

"I think the league is as good this year as it has ever been. I think our ability to survive the league -- finished with a 16-13 record in the league; finished as one of the top five conference seeds -- I think speaks to our ability to survive, to grind, to get up off the mat quickly," he said.

East Carolina (45-17) will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to play in UVa's regional. ECU's first game will be against Oklahoma (31-26). The winner of the Charlottesville regional will play the winner of the Coastal Carolina regional.

It will be the first baseball meeting between the Pirates and Sooners.

The Diamond Heels of North Carolina (35-22) will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for their regional bracket. The Heels square off first against Iowa (42-14) and could then face Wright State (39-21) or No. 14 overall seed Indiana State (42-15).

Charlotte (34-26) won the Conference USA tournament for the first time and will travel just south to Clemson. Charlotte's first game will be against the University of Tennessee (38-19) ACC champion Clemson (43-17) opens against Lipscomb (36-24).

The regionals begin on Friday, June 2, and run through Monday, June 5. To see a full interactive bracket, click here.