Updated College World Series bracket, predictions, schedule

Just four teams remain in the 2021 College World Series. Here’s what you need to know about the bracket and schedule for the remaining games in Omaha.

While eight teams earned the right to compete in the 2021 College World Series by winning their Super Regionals, a total of four teams are currently alive and competing for a shot at a national championship.

Half of the teams that made it to the College World Series have been eliminated. The Arizona Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers, Stanford Cardinal, and now the Virginia Cavaliers have all been sent home.

That means there are just four teams left to compete for a championship.

4 teams still alive in College World Series

Here are the four teams left in Omaha:

• North Carolina State
• Vanderbilt
• Mississippi State
• Texas

North Carolina State and Mississippi State were able to win their first two games and got to rest in the winner’s bracket. Vanderbilt and Texas, meanwhile had to make their way through the elimination bracket to get to this point.

Friday afternoon, NC State and Vanderbilt will meet for the second time. Friday evening, the Texas Longhorns and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will face each other for the second time in Omaha and the third time this season.

Updated College World Series schedule

At this point, there are only a handful of games left in the 2021 College World Series. Games 11 and 12 of the CWS are schedule for Friday, June 25. If both Mississippi State and NC State win Friday, then there won’t be any games on Saturday, June 26.

However, should Vanderbilt and/or Texas win Friday, then they’ll play again on Saturday. At this point, Vandy and UT need to win twice to get to the College World Series finals. Meanwhile, NC State and Mississippi State just need to win once to advance on.

Here’s what the remaining CWS schedule looks like for the Wolfpack, Commodores, Bulldogs, and Longhorns.

June 25

• Game 11- Vanderbilt vs. NC State at 1 p.m.
• Game 12- Texas vs. Mississippi State at 6 p.m.
• Game 11 will be on ESPN2 while Game 12 will be on ESPN.

June 26

• Game 13 if necessary- Vanderbilt vs. NC State at 1 p.m.
• Game 14 if necessary- Texas vs. Mississippi State at 6 p.m.
• If necessary, game 13 will be on ESPN and game 14 will be on ESPN2.

College World Series finals

• Game 1- Winner of Vanderbilt/NC State vs. Winner of Texas/Mississippi State at 6 p.m. on June 28
• Game 2- Winner of Vanderbilt/NC State vs. Winner of Texas/Mississippi State at 6 p.m. on June 29
• Game 3 (if necessary)- Winner of Vanderbilt/NC State vs. Winner of Texas/Mississippi State at 6 p.m. on June 30

Game 1 will be on ESPN2. Game 2 will be on ESPN. If necessary, game 3 will be on ESPN2.

Predictions

Looking first at Mississippi State and Texas, I believe the Bulldogs will come out on top, but I don’t think that happens Friday. The Longhorns have shown to be resilient and they have all the talent needed to be able to give MSU a scare and take game 12.

But, looking at this as a war of attrition and seeing how Texas has had to go through two different elimination games already after dropping a 2-1 game on Sunday to Mississippi State, Texas is in an unfortunate position that has them poised to run out of gas, and rested pitchers, by the time Saturday rolls around.

Vanderbilt is in a similar position to Texas. While the Commodores have only had to play in one elimination bracket game, they’ve also played in a 12-inning game and have had to use quite a few arms out of their bullpen over the past few days.

Should the Vanderbilt Commodores find a way to beat NC State on Friday, so it’s conceivable that they fall to a Wolfpack team that has defied all odds to get to this point.

Before the College World Series began, I predicted Mississippi State and Vanderbilt competing for the national championship. Given how things have played out, I think it’ll be Mississippi State and NC State. I suspect both the Bulldogs and Wolfpack lose on Friday and ultimately come out on top on Saturday.

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