Baseball America is back with a brand new College World Series projection featuring five teams that held onto their spots and three newcomers replacing Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
It is important to note that this prediction is accurate to our latest Field of 64, meaning no teams in this installment of Eight for Omaha would face each other in a projected regional or super regional. We’ve included a list of the opponents BA has projected into each regional and potential super regional that our Eight for Omaha selections would need to get through en route to the College World Series. Teams are listed alphabetically.
Arkansas
- Record: 41-12; 18-10 SEC
- RPI: 5
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Southern Miss, Western Kentucky, Kent State, Alabama, Wake Forest, Connecticut, Fairfield
Despite having a clear opportunity to do so after climbing as high as No. 1, the Razorbacks didn’t close their season with a roar—but never fell far either. Even through some late stumbles, Arkansas has lived in the top 10 all spring and still boasts a top five RPI, top five strength of schedule and a tested SEC résumé. This team was in our Eight for Omaha a month ago and hasn’t given us a good reason yet to move it out. We’re simply sticking with this team.
Auburn
- Record: 37-16; 16-11 SEC
- RPI: 2
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Northeastern, Virginia, Holy Cross, Clemson, Ole Miss, Kansas, Rhode Island
Thursday’s loss to Ole Miss was a clunker but didn’t shake our confidence in an Auburn team that’s surged into the top two in both RPI and the BA rankings. With Samuel Dutton anchoring the rotation and a deep, power-packed lineup, Auburn has the look of a team built for a long June. The Tigers haven’t reached the College World Series since 2022—the last time they cracked 40 wins—but they’re on that trajectory again thanks to a roster built with both elite prep talent and impact transfers. It’s a winning blend that’s clicking at the right time.
Coastal Carolina
- Record: 42-11; 24-4 Sun Belt
- RPI: 10
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: NC State, Mississippi State, High Point, North Carolina, Florida, Cincinnati, Yale
There’s no flash here—just dominance on the mound and a formula that keeps producing wins. Coastal’s offense has been streaky, but its pitching staff is among the nation’s best and gives it a real chance to beat anyone in a three-game set. With 42 wins, a 24-4 Sun Belt mark and a top 10 RPI, the Chants look every bit like a top eight national seed. They haven’t given us a reason to move them out of Omaha range. We also liked their projected path.
Florida State
- Record: 36-12; 16-9 ACC
- RPI: 12
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: West Virginia, Troy, Bethune-Cookman, UCLA, UC Irvine, Arizona State, Nevada
This isn’t Florida State’s first appearance in our projected College World Series field, so there’s no need to rehash why it belongs. What’s worth noting this time around, though, is just how favorable a path this could be. If BA’s latest projection—or anything close to it—holds, the Seminoles would be staring at a golden opportunity to punch their ticket to Omaha.
LSU
- Record: 40-13; 17-11 SEC
- RPI: 8
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Louisville, Arizona, Central Connecticut, TCU, Oklahoma, Cal Poly, Sacramento State
LSU was part of just the second instance all season in which the top two teams in the Top 25 lost their weekend openers. But, as with Auburn, one loss this late in the year—especially in SEC play—does little to dent their standing. The Tigers remain firmly in our projected College World Series field, and this particular draw shapes up as a relatively favorable one for a team that may enter the postseason as one of the title favorites.
Oregon
- Record: 39-13; 20-8 Big Ten
- RPI: 18
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Duke, Kansas State, Missouri State, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Oral Roberts
Since dropping a road series at Ohio State to end March, Oregon has gone 19-6 and looks built for another deep run. With lefthander Grayson Grinsell setting the tone on the mound and slugger Mason Neville leading a dangerous lineup, this feels like the right time to buy stock in a program that’s made back-to-back super regional appearances. The Ducks have momentum and the look of a team ready to break through.
Oregon State
- Record: 39-12-1
- RPI: 6
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Georgia, Miami, Stetson, Wright State, Kentucky, Southern California, San Diego
Even with a sparkling record and top 10 RPI, this pick comes with some hesitation. Oregon State simply hasn’t been tested the way it was in the Pac-12, and that leaves questions about how it will respond against postseason-caliber depth. That said, a 33rd-ranked strength of schedule isn’t a red flag—and the Beavers have been consistently dominant all year. Between that and their postseason pedigree, we’re sticking with the pick and projecting Oregon State to Omaha for the first time since its 2018 national title.
Texas
- Record: 41-10; 21-7 SEC
- RPI: 3
- Projected Teams to beat to make CWS: Dallas Baptist, UTRGV, Bryant, Tennessee, UTSA, East Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech
This pick gave me the most heartburn of the week. Texas hasn’t exactly inspired confidence with its recent play, but the newly-crowned SEC regular season champs just got a major boost with the return of outfielder Max Belyeu, who hadn’t played since late March. The Longhorns still stack up as one of the nation’s best teams by nearly every metric—overall record, SEC record and RPI included. Their projected path isn’t easy, but among their pod of eight, they still looked like the best bet to reach Omaha.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
