IRVING, Texas – Seeding is set for the 2022 TicketSmarter American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, to be held at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., May 24-29.
ECU wins in walk-off fashion against Houston for 14th straight
The tournament will be played in a double-elimination format through the semifinal round. The championship final is a winner-take-all matchup Sunday, May 29, which will determine The American’s automatic entrant to the NCAA Championship.
Live coverage of the first five days of the championship will be available on ESPN+, while the final will take place on May 29 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPNEWS. The most up-to-date information on The American Championship, including schedules, results and links to live scoring and the ESPN+ telecasts, can be found on Championship Central at www.TheAmerican.org/Baseball.
East Carolina (38-18, 20-4 American) won 20 conference games and the regular-season title for the third full season in a row (2019, 2021, 2022). Lane Hoover leads the Pirates with a .355 batting average. Carter Spivey leads The American with a 2.31 ERA and is 6-0 on the season with five saves.
UCF is the No. 2 seed after posting a regular-season record of 32-23 (14-10 American). Noah Orlando and Lex Boedicker pace the Knight lineup, hitting .335 and .333, respectively. Gephry Pena swiped 24 bases during the regular season to lead the league.
Houston (34-22, 13-11) is the No. 3 seed after being the No. 7 seed last year. Ben Sears is third in The American with a 2.95 ERA, a 6-3 record and a league-leading 12 saves.
The No. 4 seed is Cincinnati (23-29, 12-12). The Bearcats are led by Griffin Merritt, who hit 17 home runs during the regular season, the most in The American.
Tulane is the No. 5 seed (31-24-1, 11-13). Ethan Groff led The American in hitting in the regular season with a .404 batting average, while Jackson Linn is second with a .353 mark.
Wichita State (21-34, 9-15) will be the No. 6 seed and is led on the mound by Cameron Bye, who is 5-1 with a 3.03 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched.
Memphis is the No. 7 seed after a 25-27 mark in the regular season (9-15 American). Jacob Compton leads The American with 17 doubles and is second with 52 runs batted in.
South Florida (28-27, 8-16) will be the No. 8 seed. Carmine Lane leads the conference with 77 hits and 54 runs driven in.
2022 TicketSmarter American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship
Schedule
Tuesday, May 24
Game 1: No. 5 Tulane vs. No. 4 Cincinnati | 9 a.m. | ESPN+
Game 2: No. 8 South Florida vs. No. 1 East Carolina | 47 minutes after Game 1 | ESPN+
Game 3: No. 7 Memphis vs. No. 2 UCF | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 4: No. 6 Wichita State vs. No. 3 Houston | 47 minutes after Game 3 | ESPN+
Wednesday, May 25
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 47 minutes after Game 5 | ESPN+
Thursday, May 26
Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 47 minutes after Game 7 | ESPN+
Friday, May 27
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 7 | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 8 | 47 minutes after Game 9 | ESPN+
Saturday, May 28
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 9 a.m. | ESPN+
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 47 minutes after Game 11 | ESPN+
Game 13 (If Necessary): Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 | 47 minutes after Game 12 | ESPN+
Game 14 (If Necessary): Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 | 47 minutes after Game 13 | ESPN+
Sunday, May 29
Game 15: Semifinal Winners | Noon | ESPNEWS
