Beginners Guide to the College World Series

After 2 weeks of college baseball playoffs all over the nation, the College World Series is set to kick off in Omaha on June 13th. All 8 teams in the CWS are set to play their first game over the weekend and we’ll find out who will have an easy path to the championship series and who will have to go through the brutal “loser’s bracket.”

The best way to think of the format for the College World Series is two separate brackets. The two winners of the double-elimination brackets face off on Monday for a 3 game series to determine the national champion. Win the series, win a ring. Sounds simple enough, right?

History tells us that it would be in every team’s best interest to win their 1st two games in Omaha. Win your first 2 and you earn the right to sit back and watch all the other teams knock each other off. Once an exhausted winner emerges from the loser’s bracket, they’ll meet a well rested team that already has won their first couple of games. Not only does the loser’s bracket team have to win, but they have to beat then opposition TWICE. Like I said, that’s the road less traveled.

The College World Series is a completely different animal than the rest of the season for all of these teams. Whether the team is a national powerhouse or visiting Omaha for the first time ever, the College World Series is everyone’s 15 minutes of fame. Unlike college football and basketball, the majority of the sports watching public only tune in for about a week and a half in June. If a team performs well here, they have a chance to win a national championship. If they don’t, they’ll be sent home and back to obscurity faster than you can say “Rosenblatt Stadium.”

Take a look at some of the opening round games this weekend and you’ll see how tough it’s going to be to win the World Series this year. Arkansas might be the hottest team in the country after they destroyed national seeds Oklahoma and Florida State on the road. Their first game pits them against #2 National Seed Cal State Fullerton—who has won their 5 postseason games this year by an average score of 13-2.

Another team vying for the “Hottest Team in the Nation” title is the University of Virginia. Over the last few weeks, they have won the ACC Tournament (arguably the best conference in the country), swept through the toughest regional in the nation and went to Oxford and knocked off the Rebels in a hostile environment. But there is no rest for the weary, as the Cavaliers first game is against the best team in the SEC this year—the LSU Tigers. If they thought Ole Miss was tough, just wait until they see the Tigers! Regardless, both teams are capable of winning it all.

The 3rd game over the weekend looks like it should be the National Championship series—NOT Game 3 in Omaha. North Carolina and Arizona State both have the look of teams that could win it all; and both are programs that will be disappointed with anything less. Both the Tar Heels and the Sun Devils have a mix of high-end pitching and an elite offensive attack that has put them on the short list of national contenders since the beginning of the season. Whoever wins on Sunday will be one step closer to their goals. The loser will be taking a huge step backwards.

The 4th and final game of the weekend features #1 overall seed Texas against the surprise story of the tournament: Southern Miss. Texas has looked extremely underwhelming in their Regional and Super-Regional. But the name of the game is survive and advance—and they’re in Omaha. It takes a lot more than luck to earn the #1 overall seed, so its anyone’s guess how the Longhorns perform. Their opponent shocked their Regional host Georgia Tech in Atlanta, then went on to surprise the Super-Regional host Florida in the Super-Regionals. There’s no doubt that they’ve been playing out of their mind for 2 weeks—but if they take a breath now, they’ll be back in Hattiesburg before they even unpack.

We’ll know a lot more by Monday next week. For those of you that want to see the entire College World Series schedule, here you go.

Just like the 1st two rounds, the NCAA has a great interactive bracket for all your College World Series needs.