Nebraska baseball gets its long-awaited regional and a nightmare draw with it

On Sunday night, the Nebraska baseball team learned it would host a regional for the first time since 2008. On Thursday morning, the Huskers found out what seed they got and who else will be in their bracket. Coming into the day as the No. 10 RPI team, there was hope the Cornhuskers would get a relatively high seed. However, being part of the Big Ten is a major drawback for seeding, and instead, they'll face one of the toughest brackets in the NCAA Tournament.

Will Bolt's squad, still plenty happy to be hosting, found out their loss in the semifinal hurt them about as much as they might have expected. Of course, considering the team lives and breathes with a flair for the dramatic, perhaps a tough Lincoln Regional is exactly what they needed.

The Nebraska baseball team took a bit of a hit as they were named only the No. 13 seed, even behind Oregon. While the Ducks did beat NU in the Big Ten Tournament, their RPI of 15 was seemingly ignored.

That's not the only problem for the Huskers, though. The second-seed in the Lincoln regional is Arizona State. The rest of the regional teams were expected to come to the Big Ten town. The Cornhuskers will take on South Dakota State in their regional opener.

Will Bolt and Nebraska baseball now face a Lincoln regional built for drama

On the other side of the bracket is the second-seed Arizona State taking on Ole Miss. In other words, this is a regional that's got not one, not two, but three teams with very legitimate chances to get to the Super Regional.

With the unveiling of the bracket, Nebraska also learned who they would play should they win the Lincoln regional, assuming the Auburn Tigers also win their bracket. War Eagle was the No. 4 overall seed and was the No. 3 team in the RPI ratings.

The most interesting aspect of that note is that if both the Huskers and Tigers win their regionals, the NCAA has set up a rematch in the super regionals from earlier this season. The two teams met for a three-game series down south. The Huskers won the first game of that series, 9-8 in 10 innings, but were battered in the next two games, 15-4 and 12-3.

Speaking after the selection show, Bolt expressed how much he believed his team was hosting, but it was a relief to see everything made official. He also talked about how much he thinks Haymarket Park will be a great place for those watching on TV and in the park.

"The goal since I got hired here in 2019 is to host a regional. I think it's just a great showcase..." Bolt told ESPN. "My thought process getting back here is No. 1 is being able to showcase the facility we have. The field is just top notch ... and our fanbase is the best bar none just in terms of how they support all the sports here at Nebraska."

"But just to see the pedestrian bridge across Haymarket Park filled with people, the GA section is going to be filled to the brim. It's a special, special scene and I'm thrilled the nation gets to see it now."

The Nebraska baseball coach clearly thinks Lincoln can continue to be a place other teams will hate to play in, even as pretty as it is. Considering the team has one loss all season long at home, even with a killer Lincoln Regional, no one should count the Cornhuskers out.

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