Tech feels 40-17 and ACC regular-season title is enough to host a regional

Tech coach Danny Hall said Tuesday he believes his team has done enough to be one of those 16 hosts.

“Oh, 100%,” he said. “I mean, how the ACC champion wouldn’t host a regional, I don’t think there’s any scenario where that would happen.”

After his team had lost to Clemson in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, Hall added: “I can never remember a time when the regular season champion in the ACC did not host a regional. In my 32 years, if my memory is right, I’ve never seen that happen.”

Hall’s program has not hosted a regional since 2019. It hasn’t advanced past the regional round since 2006, also the last time the Jackets made it to the College World Series.

Tech maybe had an outside chance to be considered for a top-eight seed had it won the ACC tourney title this weekend, and Hall argued a team that won the regular season and conference tournament should be in consideration for such.

But now the Jackets are likely on the bubble as one of the 16 teams selected to play on their home field for the postseason’s first weekend.

“At the beginning of the year we set our goal that we wanted to host a regional. Even further than that we wanna be a top-eight seed and host a super (regional),” Tech centerfielder Drew Burress said Tuesday. “I really think (Hall) deserves it. We deserve to finish this thing at our field and have a good crowd in the stands.”

The NCAA will announce the 64 teams competing in this season’s NCAA Tournament beginning at noon Monday. The selection show will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

And whether it plays at Russ Chandler Stadium or elsewhere, Tech will need to avoid two losses next weekend to keep the coaching career of Hall going.

“Ever since (Hall) told us that this is his last year, it’s just been an emphasis on what we’re trying to do here even more so,” Tech shortstop Kyle Lodise said.