Hope on the bumpy road to Omaha

By losing the Southern Conference Tournament championship game Sunday at Riley Park, the College of Charleston put its shaky NCAA Tournament resume in the hands of an unpredictable committee full of guys who theoretically know a lot about baseball.

The Cougars, with their 17-8 loss to Elon, joined a Palmetto State trend of strong programs left to hope for something less than February promised.

But one NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Committee surprise Sunday when the 16 regional sites were announced might lead to another today when the full 64-team "Road to Omaha" bracket is revealed. Stunningly, Coastal Carolina got permission to host one of next week's regionals despite offering an on-campus Conway facility with only 900 permanent seats.

So maybe there is hope for some second-place, runner-up Southern Conference dreamers stuck Sunday at No. 53 on the respected boydsworld.com Ratings Percentage Index list.

"Obviously, I feel like we deserve to be in," Cougars head coach John Pawlowski said after the Elon loss.

Reasons to worry: Charleston, after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament the previous three seasons, was left out of the mix in 2007 at No. 33 in the RPI.

Feeble Clemson

Reasons to believe: Wofford won the 2007 SoCon Tournament as a No. 9 seed, leaving Western Carolina and Charleston arguing for at-large bids. Western Carolina got one, the Cougars didn't. This year, Charleston clearly is the second-best team, topped by Elon for both the regular season and tournament titles. The SoCon is the No. 8-rated conference, logically deserving of two NCAA Tournament entries.

"Getting to the championship game I think bodes well," Pawlowski said of the Cougars' Riley Park run. "Last year, we were two and out."

Coastal Carolina at 47-12 and No. 6 in the RPI is hoping to make the most of its host status and almost certain No. 1 seed, unlike last year when No. 2 Clemson "upset" head coach Gary Gilmore's Chanticleers at the Myrtle Beach home of the minor league Pelicans.

Otherwise, expectations going into today's NCAA bracket announcement have been turned upside down around South Carolina.

Clemson, the program with five College World Series appearances under Jack Leggett, will be lucky to get an at-large berth and might have a long trip.

The Tigers (31-27-1) do not pass the eye test. At no time this season did Clemson look like its usual self. That is, a dangerous outfit capable of winning an NCAA Regional.

Conway foursome?

Rules dictate, however, that 64 teams must make the tournament field. So the Tigers have a decent shot because the top-heavy ACC bolsters the RPI argument.

Miami, North Carolina and Florida State lead RPI lists and make the ACC the No. 1-rated conference.

Clemson is No. 25, typically a lock for an NCAA Tournament spot (Georgia Tech missed at No. 27 last year).

South Carolina, a perennial Omaha contender, does not get to host a regional and will have to settle for a No. 2 seed on the road.

Puzzling how such a fundamentally sound team — the Gamecocks lead the Southeastern Conference in fielding percentage — struggled so much down the stretch.

South Carolina did, however, go 4-0 against Clemson, which won home-and-home against Charleston.

But the Cougars do have a jewel of a non-conference victory for the selection folks to chew on: Charleston's 13-12 win on Feb. 26, a game in which freshman Cole Rakar delivered an RBI single with one out in the 11th inning.

The victim was committee- favorite Coastal Carolina.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com