They’re not hosting an NCAA baseball regional, but they’re a No. 2 seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional, and will square off against Troy on Friday.
The Eagles (35-18, 16-14) learned Monday they were the odd team out of the 16 programs assigned to host a regional tournament from the field of 64. Instead the final slot went to Alabama, and the Eagles had to settle for the No. 2 seed at the Tuscaloosa Regional. The SEC had six programs awarded regional sites while the ACC got five; BC finished sixth in the conference.
On the other side of town, the Northeastern Huskies (44-14) were awarded the No. 3 seed in the Winston Salem Regional and will face Maryland (41-19). Wake Forest (47-10) was the No. 1 overall seed and the Deacons will open with George Mason (34-25).
BC meets Troy (39-20, 18-12 in the Sun Belt Conference) in the regional opener at Sewell Thomas Stadium on June 2 at 3 p.m. The No. 1 seed Crimson Tide (40-19), hosting a regional for the first time since 2006, will face Nichols (34-22) at 7 p.m.
BC has never played any of the three teams in the Tuscaloosa bracket in the long history of the program. The regional employs a double-elimination format and both games will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
“We were one (ACC) win away and what it did change was the ability to host which is still on our list of goals,” said BC coach Mike Gambino. “Unfortunately, we did not get that this year but we believe we can build a Northeast program that can make runs in the post season and we want to start one right here.”
BC had control of its own destiny when they were assigned the No. 6 seed in last weekend’s ACC tournament in Durham, N.C. BC opened in Pool 3 with a win over Virginia Tech but fell 4-1 to Clemson in the quarterfinals. Seventeen wins is the ACC threshold to host an NCAA Regional, but the Eagles are using the oversight as a motivational vehicle.
“This is a long time coming,” said Vince Cimini, a right-handed senior shortstop from Scranton, Pa. “We all have been very excited to find out where we were going to end up and we knew since the beginning of the year we could make a special run at this thing.
“This is the recognition of a lot of hard work. After last night we were done talking about it (hosting) and we figured anywhere we go we would make a good run at it. We have put a chip on our shoulders the whole year and at the beginning of the year nobody had us even making a regional no less a two seed.
“We would have liked to host. It would have done a lot of good for the program. But I think we have just as good an opportunity as a two seed.”
Gambino expects to have injured starters Travis Honeyman and Cameron Leary back in the lineup against Troy.
The waiting game
BC is making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since winning the Oxford, Miss., Regional in 2016. The longest tenured player on the BC roster is left-handed catcher Peter Burns, a fifth-year graduate student from Reading.
Burns appeared in 48 games with 44 starts and batted .261 with 41 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI.
“This is huge not only for the guys in the locker room, but the alumni, the donors, the coaching staff and it’s been a long time coming,” said Burns. “Throughout the year we were really grinding through it with ups and downs and we’ve been playing with that chip on our shoulders the whole year.”
A tall order
The one big advantage the Eagles have going into the regional are the twin towers at the top of the pitching rotation.
Chris Flynn, a graduate transfer from Division 3 Roger Williams College, is 6-4 and tips the scales at a lanky 210. The right hander from Naugatuck, Conn., is 7-3 in 15 starts with two shutouts, 82 strikeouts and a 4.21 ERA.
John West is a 6-8, 250-pound, junior right hander from Shrewsbury. West is 5-3 in 15 appearances with 11 starts. He pitched stellar shutout relief against Clemson in the ACC tournament. West has a 4.52 ERA over 61.2 innings with 63 strikeouts.
“With Flynn and West, we really do feel like we have two No. 1’s or a 1 and a 1A however you want to say up,” said Gambino. “That is something we are going to look at and decide what we are going to do with the rotation because they are two different guys.
“Flynnie likes to be at the top of the zone. Westie kinds of sinks it a little bit more. They are two separate guys but they are both tremendously competitive and both want the ball in big games. It is a great problem to have.”
