The College World Series for 2025 is almost finalized.
In the double-elimination tournament that will decide the national champion, seven of the eight teams have already secured their spots in Omaha, Nebraska. The eighth player will be decided in one more game on June 9.
Charles Schwab Field in Omaha has hosted the CWS every year. On June 13, the 2025 CWS will get underway with two first-round matches. After the first two games, the action really picks up for the double-elimination format in the final two games on June 14.
Tennessee defeated No. 3 Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional despite winning the 2024 national championship. Being the only club in the top five and the tournament’s highest seed, the Razorbacks have never taken home a baseball championship.
Even though the SEC entered the tournament with 13 teams, No. 6 LSU and Arkansas are still in the running, giving the SEC a quarter of the field. All five of the previous winners—including LSU in 2023—came from the SEC. Oregon State, which is in the final eight standings, was the last non-SEC team to win in 2018.
What you should know about the College World Series format is as follows:
How many teams make College World Series?
The final eight teams in the 64-team NCAA baseball playoff bracket make up the College World Series field. After winning their respective regional and super regional series, the eight CWS teams have progressed to Omaha.
How does College World Series work? Explaining CWS format
A double-elimination tournament with two four-team brackets, the CWS format is comparable to the Women’s College World Series. Each team in the CWS is guaranteed at least two tournament games and starts with a 0-0 record. The loser tries to avoid elimination until a winner is determined by the bracket, and the winner advances in the winner’s bracket, much like in the regional tournament format.
A team is eliminated if they get off to a 0–2 start. On the other hand, a team that wins its first two games advances to the semifinals and only needs to win one more game to guarantee a place in the championship series, which consists of three games.
In the whole CWS, a club can play a minimum of five games, including the championship series, and a maximum of eight games. This has a significant impact on the pitching options available to each team.
There are no team swap brackets in the CWS if a team finishes in the loser’s bracket, in contrast to the WCWS structure. This indicates that the CWS maintains two distinct brackets rather than a single, bigger bracket.
How does College World Series championship work?
A team must win two games to become the national champion in the College World Series championship series, which is a best-of-three series. A team must win Game 2 in order to force the “if necessary” Game 3 if they lose Game 1.
The 2025 College World Series bracket
In the 2025 College World Series, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 13 Coastal Carolina, Louisville, and Arizona are in Bracket 1. UCLA, LSU, and Arkansas, ranked third and sixth, make up Bracket 2 for the CWS. The final eight-team will be determined by the outcome of the June 9 match between Murray State and Duke.
Regardless, half the field will be left unseeded.
Bracket 1:
- No. 8 Oregon State vs. Louisville
- No. 13 Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona
Bracket 2:
- No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 LSU
- UCLA vs. Winner of Duke/Murray State
CWS schedule for 2025
The schedule for the 2025 CWS opening days is broken out here, along with information on TV channels and available first pitches:
All times Eastern
Friday, June 13:
- Game 1: 2 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 2: 7 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, June 14:
- Game 3: 2 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 4: 7 p.m. | ESPN
CWS championship series schedule 2025
Saturday, June 21
- CWS championship Game 1: 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
Sunday, June 22
- CWS championship Game 2: 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
Monday, June 23
- CWS championship Game 3 (If Necessary): 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
