"It came down to a variety of factors": D1 baseball committee chairman Matt Hogue reveals approach to deciding host venues for 2024 NCAA tournament

The decisions made by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee in this year's selection show forced chairman Matt Hogue to provide lots of answers. One of those answers was related to host sites for the NCAA Regionals, which some teams missed out on despite having strong seasons.

In an interview with ESPN2 following the selection show, Hogue spoke about how various factors influenced the committee's holistic approach to their decision-making process.

"Collection of teams that we spent a good deal of time on. There was great deliberation within the room to determine those final couple of host sites. I think what it came down to was a variety of factors.

"Really a holistic approach, but we looked at common opponents, we looked at how successful teams had been in their conference, the amount of series wins, for example, consistency of play throughout the year.

"Committee felt particularly looking at common opponents and how well teams had fared against the same out-of-conference opponents."

Matt Hogue-led D1 Committee surprisingly omits Mississippi State and Indiana State as Regional hosts

Among the surprises of Matt Hogue and the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee's selections was Mississippi State's surprise omission as a host for the NCAA Regionals. The Bulldogs, who finished third in the SEC West with a 17-13 record, were given the second seed in the Charlottesville Regional, hosted by the Virginia Cavaliers.

Matt Hogue and the NCAA Division I Baseball Committeehe omitted Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The 2021 NCAA Division I champions were 25th on the RPI. Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats, who are six places below the Bulldogs in this dimension, will host the Tucson Regional after winning the Pac-12 regular season with a 20-10 conference record. Following the selection show, Bulldogs HC Chris Lemonis was left distraught with the committee's decision.

Another surprise host site omission was Indiana State. The Syracuses dominated the Missouri Valley Conference with a 22-5 record while ranking 10th in the RPI. Instead of hosting an NCAA Regional this season, they will take part in the Lexington Regional, hosted by the Kentucky Wildcats as the second seed in that tournament.

The NCAA Regionals commence on May 31st, with the field of 64 looking to take their first steps in trying to enjoy a successful postseason.