How does CWS work? Explaining format for NCAA baseball tournament
How does CWS work? Explaining format for NCAA baseball tournament
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5 men's NCAA baseball tournament players to watch
The Mongomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Tennesseean's Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men's NCAA baseball tournament.
The 2025 College World Series is nearly set.
Seven of the eight teams headed to Omaha, Nebraska for the double-elimination tournament to determine the national champion have already clinched their spots. One more game on June 9 will determine the eighth participant.
REQUIRED READING: Who's in College World Series? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA baseball tournament
The CWS has been played annually at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Action will commence for the 2025 CWS on June 13 with a pair of first-round games. Two more games will be played on June 14, with the action really picking up for the double-elimination format following the first two games.
Tennessee won the 2024 national championship but was ousted by No. 3 Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional. The Razorbacks, who have never won a baseball title, are the highest remaining seed in the tournament, and the only team in the top five left.
Along with Arkansas, No. 6 LSU is still alive, which gives the SEC a quarter of the field despite entering the tournament with 13 teams. The past five champions have all emerged from the SEC, including LSU in 2023. Oregon State was the last non-SEC team to win in 2018 and is among the final eight standing.
Here's what you need to know about the format of the College World Series:
How many teams make College World Series?
The College World Series field is made up of the final eight remaining teams in the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament bracket. The eight teams that compete in the CWS have advanced to Omaha after winning their respective regional and super regional series.
How does College World Series work? Explaining CWS format
Similar to the Women's College World Series, the CWS format is a double-elimination tournament comprised of two four-team brackets. In the CWS, each team restarts at a 0-0 record and is guaranteed at least two tournament games. Similar to the regional tournament format, the winner continues in the winner's bracket, while the loser fends off elimination until a winner emerges from the bracket.
If a team starts 0-2, they are eliminated. However, if a team wins its first two games, it is in the semifinals and needs just one more win to clinch a spot in the best-of-three-game championship series.
The minimum amount of games that can be played by a team in the entire CWS is five games – including the championship series – but the maximum is eight games, which makes a world of difference with the pitching available for each team.
Unlike the WCWS format, the CWS does not have a team swap brackets if they emerge out of the loser's bracket. That means the CWS keeps two separate brackets, not a single, larger bracket.
How does College World Series championship work?
The College World Series championship series is a best-of-three series, which means that to emerge as the national champion, a team needs to win two games. If a team loses Game 1, it would mean they need to win Game 2 to force the "if necessary" Game 3.
College World Series bracket 2025
Bracket 1 for the 2025 College World Series consists of No. 8 Oregon State, No. 13 Coastal Carolina, Louisville and Arizona. Bracket 2 for the CWS consists of No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU and UCLA. The winner of the Murray State and Duke game played on June 9 will determine the eighth and final team.
Half of the field will be unseeded, regardless.
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 2025
Here's a breakdown of the schedule for the opening days of the 2025 CWS, including available first pitch and TV channel information:
All times Eastern
Friday, June 13:
Game 1: 2 p.m. | ESPN
2 p.m. | ESPN Game 2: 7 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, June 14:
Game 3: 2 p.m. | ESPN
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
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