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College World Series 2024: Bracket 2 breakdown, full schedule
By Paul Harvey
Published:
College World Series 2024 is finally set! After NC State erased Georgia with a Game 3 Sunday night, the entire field of 8 teams for Omaha is now clear.
Bracket 2 will feature a trio of SEC teams along with the aforementioned NC State squad. Kentucky will open with a game against the Wolfpack while Texas A&M and Florida will meet in a rematch of SEC foes to begin the CWS.
As for the favorite in Omaha, Texas A&M actually headlines ESPN Bet‘s odds at +225. Tennessee, the No. 1 overall seed, is listed at +275 while Kentucky has the 3rd-best odds of the entire field at +425. Fans can take advantage of the latest odds and get in on the action with SDS’s Kentucky sports betting apps.
Below is a schedule for the Bracket 2 side of the CWS, along with a brief recap of every team’s NCAA Tournament journey and a player to watch from each team.
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Bracket 2 schedule (all times ET)
Saturday, June 15
- Game 3: Kentucky vs. NC State, 1 pm, ESPN
- Game 4: Texas A&M vs. Florida, 6 pm, ESPN
Monday, June 17
- Game 7: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 1 pm, ESPN
- Game 8: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 pm, ESPN
Tuesday, June 18
- Game 10: Elimination game, 1 pm, ESPN
Wednesday, June 19
- Game 12: 6 pm ESPN
Thursday, June 20
- If necessary, TBD, TBD
How they got here
Kentucky is making its first-ever appearance in Omaha after a strong performance in the postseason. The Wildcats rolled through the regional round 3-0, shaking off a tight Game 1 win over Western Michigan to outscore their final 2 opponents in the round 9-1.
The Super Regional featured a matchup vs. Oregon State and another blowout to begin the series with Kentucky winning 10-0. Game 2 was more dramatic with the Wildcats scoring a go-ahead run on a strikeout before some clutch pitching clinched the series.
NC State began its journey with a similar regional round, blowing out Bryant before a pair of 2-run wins over South Carolina and James Madison. That led the Wolfpack to Athens and arguably the toughest Super Regional journey of any CWS team.
Facing Georgia, NC State opened the Super Regional with an 18-1 blowout before getting blown out themselves in an 11-2 defeat. Then, the Wolfpack clinched their trip to Omaha with a dramatic 8-5 conclusion, complete with an 8th-inning home run from Alec Makarewicz to clinch things.
Texas A&M made it out of hosting the Bryan-College Station Regional with just one close call against in-state rival Texas. Altogether, the Aggies outscored their 3 opponents 21-6 to reach the Super Regionals.
In the supers, A&M hosted a series against Oregon that did not disappoint. The Aggies took Game 1 10-6 before erasing an early deficit and rolling to a Game 3 win behind a 9-run 7th inning.
Florida, previously a controversial at-large selection, has found its groove in the postseason. The Gators did lose to Stillwater Regional host Oklahoma State in the winner’s bracket of the regional round, but they rebounded with 3 straight wins to escape the region.
In the Super Regionals, Florida would hit the road to face Clemson where the offense would deliver once again. The Gators slugged their way to a 10-7 win in the opener and came up with a game for the ages in Game 2 before an extra-innings walk-off to return to Omaha.
The national runner-up a season ago, Florida has reached double-digit runs in 3 games this postseason and will try to keep out-slugging opponents at the CWS.
Players to watch
Kentucky: Ryan Nicholson
Kentucky’s top power hitter, Ryan Nicholson led the team with 21 home runs and 61 RBI this season while slugging .675%. After homering twice in the regional round, he was a key piece to the hot start of the Super Regional.
Nicholson had a home run and a double in the opener to go with 3 RBI and a run scored. He finished the series 4-for-8 with 2 runs scored, and the Wildcats will need his run production in Omaha.
NC State: Alec Makarewicz
After a solid regional round, Makarewicz was on fire in the Super Regionals. He went 6-for-15 with 4 runs scored, 4 RBI and 2 home runs, including the series clincher in Game 3.
NC State has the firepower to make some noise in Omaha, but the team will need Makarewicz to continue his power stroke to compete with the elite.
Texas A&M: Kaeden Kent
Kaeden Kent is no stranger to playing time with 45 appearances and 18 starts this season, but he takes on newfound importance after Braden Montgomery went down with an injury and will be unavailable. Kent’s Super Regional performance was also encouraging.
He went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored in Game 1 against Oregon after replacing Montgomery, and he delivered the knockout blow with a grand slam in Game 2. Altogether, Kent went 4-for-9 with 3 runs scored and 7 RBI against Oregon.
Montgomery will be missed and is irreplaceable for the Aggies, but Kent can help soften the blow if he swings his bat like that in Omaha.
Florida: Jac Caglianone
There’s no shock here. A two-way star and projected top-5 pick, Florida will need to continue getting big-time efforts from Jac Caglianone to make it deep in Omaha. (And consider the fact the Gators are massive underdogs to win the title at +1300 on ESPN Bet.)
Caglianone has been able to make teams pay when they opt to pitch to him, but his efforts on the mound have been a bit inconsistent of late. He did cover 5.2 innings pitched with 4 runs allowed against Clemson, but he has not covered a full 6+ innings since May 12 in a loss to Kentucky.
If the Gators want to win a title, Caglianone’s ability to cover innings on the mound will be just as important as his massive power stroke at the CWS.
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Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
