JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Following an epic comeback victory to claim the 2023 SoCon tournament championship, the Bucs found out their landing spot for the upcoming NCAA Regional Tournament on Wednesday.
ETSU will be the No. 6 seed in the Las Vegas Regional after finishing the year as the 33rd-ranked team in the nation, according to Golfstat.
The Blue and Gold will be one of 14 teams and five individuals competing at Bear’s Best Las Vegas. The nation’s fourth-ranked team, Arizona State, will be the top seed in the Regional.
The Golf Channel broadcast touted the Bucs as “a mid-major juggernaut”, but coaches and players prefer to embrace an underdog mentality heading into the postseason.
“Playing against those big teams and big characters – obviously they have a lot of pressure on them and obviously we have a lot of pressure on us too,” redshirt junior Archie Davies said. “But, I think that everyone on the team enjoys that and almost relishes that, to be quite honest.”
“It’s our identity – we have a chip on our shoulder,” head coach Jake Amos explained. “We do fly under the radar a lot. I think within our peers we don’t. The fellow coaches – they know. But, I think the media don’t pay as much attention to us.”
The focus turns to ETSU’s 25th Regional appearance beginning on Monday, May 15. The Top 5 team finishers in each of the six Regionals will qualify for the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club.
Play will run from May 26-31 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
