And then there were eight. Now that the Murray State Racers got past the Duke Blue Devils in the final Super Regional on Monday night, the field has officially been set for the Men's College World Series. The college baseball world will be colliding in Omaha, Nebraska, this weekend, as is tradition. But just what will be required of each team to earn a national title?
Well, over the last few weekends, we have gradually whittled our way down from 64 teams to only eight. The conclusion of the 16 Regionals gave us 16 Regional-site champions heading to one of eight Super Regionals. In those best-of-three Super Regionals, we now have eight teams still left playing for the right to be crowned national champions on the college baseball diamond. And we have a long way left to go.
For those needing a refresher, here are the eight teams who have made it to Omaha.
- Arizona Wildcats
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
- Louisville Cardinals
- LSU Tigers
- Murray State Racers
- Oregon State Beavers
- UCLA Bruins
Arizona, Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, LSU, Murray State, Oregon State and UCLA all have won their Regionals and Super Regionals to punch their tickets to Omaha. Of the eight teams making it, only five were Regional hosts: No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 13 Coastal Carolina and No. 15 UCLA. Arizona, Louisville and Murray State were all underdogs that managed to fight their way to Omaha anyway.
Here is what you need to know about how the Men's College World Series format before it begins this weekend.
What teams are in Bracket 1 of the Men's College World Series?
These are the teams that make up Bracket 1 of the Men's College World Series:
- No. 8 Oregon State Beavers
- No. 13 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Louisville Cardinals
It should be noted that the bracket does not re-seed itself with every subsequent round. No. 8 Oregon State and No. 13 Coastal Carolina were the only two Regional hosts to make it all the way to Omaha. Oregon State will face Louisville to start, while Coastal Carolina will draw Arizona in their first games in Omaha beginning on Friday afternoon and evening.
What teams are in Bracket 2 of the Men's College World Series?
Here are the teams that will make up Bracket 2 of the Men's College World Series:
- No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks
- No. 6 LSU Tigers
- No. 15 UCLA Bruins
- Murray State Racers
No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU and No. 15 UCLA were all Regional site hosts. Murray State obviously was not. Arkansas will first play Murray State, while LSU gets the toughest first matchup vs. UCLA. Those games will get underway on Saturday afternoon and evening.
How does double elimination work in the Men's College World Series?
In short: exactly how we got out of the Regionals and into the Super Regionals of this tournament. The No. 1 seed in a bracket will face the No. 4 seed, while the No. 2 seed meets the No. 3 seed. And like the Regionals, it takes two losses in Omaha for each team to be eliminated.
The loser of each opening-round game is not eliminated yet. They will then play each other in the loser's half of the bracket to stave off elimination. The winners will face off in the winner's half, with the loser of that game playing the winner of the loser's bracket matchup. From there, the winner of the winners will await whoever emerges out of the loser's bracket.
Let's use Bracket 1 as an example. If Oregon State beats Louisville and Coastal Carolina beats Arizona in the opening round of play, then the Beavers and Chanticleers would both advance to the winner's half while the Cardinals and Wildcats fall to the loser's half. Louisville and Arizona would then play an elimination game, with the loser going home and the winner staying alive to face the loser of Oregon State-Coastal in another elimination game.
Who can reach Men's College World Series Finals? How does that work?
The winner of Bracket 1 will face the winner of Bracket 2 in a best-of-three series to be crowned national champions. Look at this being similar to how the Super Regionals were decided: The higher-seeded team will get home-field advantage in this best-of-three series. It should be noted that only one team from either bracket can get to the finals. There is no reseeding to be had in this tournament.
Here is who could be facing off in the national championship for the Men's College World Series.
- Bracket 1 winner (No. 8 Oregon State, No. 13 Coastal Carolina, Arizona, or Louisville) vs. Bracket 2 winner (No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU, No. 15 UCLA or Murray State)
Now that we know who is playing in Omaha and the rules of the tournament, let's kick back, relax and enjoy the show!