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College World Series 2025: Schedule, Key Dates and History
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
Omaha.
Long before Peyton Manning adopted and popularized the word as part of his expansive football vocabulary, “Omaha” was synonymous with college baseball.
More specifically, the pinnacle of college baseball.
Omaha is home to the College World Series. One city. One goal. A town that lives year-round for 2 spectacular weeks of college baseball in June.
In 2024, record crowds turned out to watch Tennessee outlast Texas A&M in a thrilling best-of-3 finals, securing tje first CWS crown for Tony Vitello and the Vols.
Can the Vols repeat in 2025? Stay tuned …
2025 NCAA Tournament Key Dates
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be Monday, May 26. Sixty-four teams will begin play later that week in 16 regionals. Those 16 winners will meet in 8 Super Regionals. Those 8 winners advance to the College World Series. The CWS bracket features two pods, each with four teams. Each pod plays a double-elimination tournament. The winner of each bracket meet in a best-of-3 series to determine the College World Series champion.
Regionals: Friday-Monday (May 30-June 2).
Super Regionals: Friday-Monday (June 6-9).
College World Series: Friday June 13-June 22 or 23.
CWS Finals: Saturday-Sunday or Monday (June June 21-June 22 or 23).
College World Series Schedule
The 2025 CWS begins with an annual Celebration Day on Thursday, June 12.
The first games will be played Friday, June 13. The best-of-3 championship series between the two pod winners will begin Saturday June 21. Game 2 is Sunday June 22. Game 3, if necessary, will be Monday, June 23.
2024 College World Series Results
Below are the 2024 CWS results.
Bracket 1
Friday, June 14
Game 1: North Carolina 3, Virginia 2
Game 2: Tennessee 12, FSU 11
Sunday, June 16
Game 5 (Elimination Bracket): FSU 7, Virginia 3
Game 6 (Winners’ Bracket): Tennessee 6, North Carolina 1
Tuesday, June 18
Game 9 (Elimination Game): FSU 9, North Carolina 5
Wednesday, June 19
Game 11 (Bracket Final): Tennessee 7, FSU 2
Bracket 2
Saturday, June 15
Game 3: Kentucky 5, NC State 4
Game 4: Texas A&M 3, Florida 2
Monday, June 17
Game 7 (Elimination Bracket): Florida 5, NC State 4
Game 8 (Winners’ Bracket): Texas A&M 5, Kentucky 1
Wednesday, June 19
Game 10 (Elimination Bracket): Florida 15, Kentucky 4
Game 12 (Bracket Final): Texas A&M 6, Florida 0
CWS Finals
Game 1: Texas A&M 9, Tennessee 5
Game 2: Tennessee 4, Texas A&M 1
Game 3: Tennessee 6, Texas A&M 5
NCAA Tournament/College World Series Expansion
Much like its basketball counterpart, college baseball’s NCAA Tournament format has changed dramatically over the years. There were just eight teams in the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1947. In 1954, the tournament expanded to 23 teams. It eventually grew to 32 and then 48 in 1987.
In 1999, the tournament expanded to 64 teams and added the Super Regional round. Similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the baseball tournament field features automatic qualifiers and at-large teams. The split is roughly even; 30 or 31 automatic qualifiers and 34 or 33 teams receiving an at-large invitation.
The best-of-3 championship series was adopted in 2003.
College World Series history
USC has won the most CWS crowns with 12. LSU is now alone in 2nd place with 7 CWS titles, followed by Texas with 6 titles. Not surprisingly, USC also holds the record for most consecutive CWS titles, winning 5 straight from 1970-74.
South Carolina (2010-11) is the most recent of 6 programs to win consecutive baseball national championships.
The SEC and ACC are the only conferences to send 4 teams to the same CWS. The SEC has achieved that feat 5 times, most recently in 2022. The ACC sent 4 teams to the 2006 College World Series.
Just getting to Omaha is an accomplishment. Only 8 programs have made it to the CWS for 5 consecutive years — and Stanford (1999-2003) is the only program whose streak stretched into the 2000s.
Notable College World Series records
- Most home runs in a single CWS: 4, Record held by 11 players, most recently Bryan Holaday, TCU in 2010
- Most career home runs in CWS: 6, Edmund Muth, Stanford (1997, 1999, 2000)
- Most wins in a single CWS: 4, Kevin Abel, Oregon State, 2018
- Most career wins in CWS: 5, Matt Price, South Carolina (2010, 2011, 2012)
- Most strikeouts in a single CWS: 38, Bob Garibaldi, Santa Clara, 1962
- Most career strikeouts in CWS: 64, Carl Thomas, Arizona (1954, 1955, 1956)
- Most home runs by team in a single CWS: 17, LSU, 1998; USC, 1998
- Most strikeouts by team in a single CWS: 74, Coastal Carolina, 2016
- No-hitters in CWS: Jim Ehrler, Texas vs. Tufts, 1950 (W 7-0); Jim Wixson, Oklahoma St. vs. UNC, 1960 (W 7-0)
College World Series Champions
Tennessee won the 2024 College World Series.
College World Series Best Moments
Warren Morris is a CWS legend, but others had their shining moment.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
