College World Series predictions: Who will reach Omaha in 2025 NCAA baseball tournament?

USA Today

26-05-2025

College World Series predictions: Who will reach Omaha in 2025 NCAA baseball tournament?
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Tim Corbin on Vanderbilt baseball 2025 team in NCAA tournament
Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin talked about his team's NCAA regional selection and the 2025 squad.
The full 64-team field for the NCAA baseball tournament was released on Monday, which means all eyes are on which eight programs can reach the College World Series in 2025.
Vanderbilt, playing its best baseball at the right time, earned the No. 1 overall seed of the tournament after winning the SEC tournament championship. The rest of the SEC also dominated the regional host locations, with eight of the 16 national seeds belonging to the conference, including each of the top four.
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Texas, who finished No. 1 in the SEC regular season standings and was picked as the No. 2 overall seed of the NCAA tournament, is another top contender for the national title under first-year coach Jim Schlossnagle, who led Texas A&M to the national championship series last season.
However, there are likely to be some upsets in the NCAA tournament. Here are our College World Series participants predictions after the bracket was revealed Monday:
College World Series predictions
No. 1 Vanderbilt
The Commodores are red hot entering the NCAA tournament, having won the SEC championship and their last three SEC series against Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee.
Vanderbilt has a strong group of pitchers, led by starters JD Thompson and Cody Bowker, who each have sub-4.5 ERAs on the season. Vandy's bullpen has also been a huge strength, led by closer Sawyer Hawks, who was a second-team All-SEC selection and boasts a 1.64 ERA across 44 innings this season.
Vanderbilt bats have also started to come around, despite not being a huge home run-hitting team. Riley Nelson was one of the best bats in college baseball this season, though, as he holds a .358 batting average and a .534 slugging percentage.
Northeastern
Every College World Series prediction needs a dark horse, right? Northeastern, winners of a remarkable 27 consecutive games, boasts one of the best pitching staff in the country.
The Huskies have a 2.92 ERA as a team this season, which is 0.32 runs per average lower than Coastal Carolina, who ranks second nationally. Northeastern has used the same three pitchers in its weekend rotation all season, as Will Jones, Jordan Gottesman and Aiven Cabral each own ERAs under 2.75 with more than 69 innings pitched each.
Northeastern has the pitching depth necessary for both regional and super regional wins. It must first win the Tallahassee Regional, which also comprises No. 9 Florida State, Mississippi State and Bethune-Cookman.
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No. 5 North Carolina
The Tar Heels made the College World Series in 2024, falling in the second round to Tennessee and Florida State.
North Carolina has quality pitching depth and plenty of slugging potential in its lineup. Ace pitcher Jake Knapp was dominant in 2025, winning ACC Pitcher of the Year after going 12-0 with a 2.17 ERA. Catcher Luke Stevenson and first baseman Hunter Stokely were both first-team All-ACC selections after hitting 18 and 13 home runs, respectively.
North Carolina can get it done offensively and defensively. The Tar Heels open with their home regional against Oklahoma, Nebraska and Holy Cross. The Chapel Hill Regional winner matches up with Eugene Regional winner.
No. 13 Coastal Carolina
Pitching depth is as important as anything in the postseason, and it's a strength for Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers are No. 8 in RPI, despite playing in the Sun Belt, a non-major conference. They went 48-11 on the season and have wins over No. 11 Clemson and No. 16 Southern Miss, who both were selected as national seeds.
Coastal Carolina has the nation's second-best pitching staff by ERA at 3.24, which only ranks behind Northeastern. Ace Jacob Morrison was elite in 2025, with a 1.90 ERA and .87 WHIP across 85 1/3 innings. Morrison, who stands 6-foot-8, has an 11-0 record on the year.
Coastal Carolina hosts Florida, East Carolina and Fairfield in the Conway Regional, and lines up with the winner of the Auburn Regional.
REQUIRED READING: NCAA baseball bracket 2025: Full regional schedule, matchups, dates for CWS field
No. 2 Texas
Jim Schlossnagle knows how to get it done in the postseason, despite not yet having a national championship win.
Schlossnagle has one of his most capable teams yet in his first season with Texas, and led Texas A&M to the national championship last season. While the Longhorns didn't win the SEC tournament, they did finish with the league's best regular season record after going an impressive 22-8 in conference play.
Like most teams on this list, Texas gets it done on the mound. Starters Max Grubbs and Luke Harrison both threw more than 50 innings this season with a sub-3.0 ERA, and the Longhorns also boast perhaps the most dynamic bullpen weapon in college baseball in Dylan Volantis, who was the SEC Freshman of the Year after picking up 12 saves in 45 1/3 innings.
Texas hosts UTSA, Kansas State and Houston Christian in the Austin Regional, which lines up with the winner of the Los Angeles Regional, hosted by No. 15 UCLA.
No. 10 Ole Miss
Ole Miss rose to a No. 10 seed thanks to its strong showing at the SEC tournament, which saw it reach the championship game after beating LSU, Arkansas and Florida. The Rebels also ended the regular season with a series win over No. 4 Auburn.
Ole Miss can really hit, with six batters who hit double-digit home runs this season. It also has a bona fide ace in Hunter Elliott, who threw 78 2/3 innings with a 3.09 ERA and 94 strikeouts.
The Rebels are playing their best baseball heading into the postseason, which almost always bodes well.
Ole Miss hosts Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky and Murray State in the Oxford Regional, and lines up with the Athens Regional winner, which includes No. 7 Georgia.
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No. 6 LSU
LSU is back as a regional host in 2025 after barely making the NCAA tournament in 2024 and failing to move past the first weekend.
The Tigers are well equipped for a run back to the College World Series, though, as they look to reach Omaha for the first time since 2023, when they won the national championship with a loaded roster that included Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.
LSU has another strong lineup again, with six hitters batting over .310 this season. Jared Jones is one of the best hitters in college baseball, as he hit .333 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 2025.
Tigers ace Kade Anderson, one of the top projected left-handed pitchers in the 2025 MLB Draft, threw a team-high 89 innings to a 3.54 ERA this season with a ridiculous 145 strikeouts. No. 2 pitcher Anthony Eyanson was also solid, with a 2.77 ERA in 84 1/3 innings.
LSU is one of college baseball's top programs and will get back to Omaha in 2025. Don't be surprised if it leads the Jello shot leaderboards again, either. The Tigers host Dallas Baptist, Rhode Island and Arkansas-Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional, matching up with the Clemson Regional.
No. 3 Arkansas
Arkansas was one of the best teams in college baseball in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but was upset in back-to-back years in its own regional. That changes in 2025.
Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy was the SEC Player of the Year after batting .353 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. The Razorbacks' lineup also includes six other players who hit double-digit home runs or batted over .300.
Arkansas doesn't have quite the pitching prowess it possessed in recent years, as starters Zach Root, Gabe Gaeckle and Landon Beidelschies each have ERAs over 4.00 this season. Its bullpen is a strength, however, with numerous arms capable of stretching out games.
Teams of Arkansas' caliber can't get upset in three straight years, right? The Razorbacks host Kansas, Creighton and North Dakota State, and match up with the winner of the Knoxville Regional.