The 2025 Men’s College World Series marks a new milestone for the NCAA baseball tournament. It marks the 75th edition of the final battle being played at Charles Schwab Stadium, an accolade any team would love to say alongside being the newest national champions.
However, there’s one similarity to all the other years: the birth of a new set of matchups, budding stars and must-see moments.
Here are seven storylines to know before Friday’s first pitch.
Coastal Carolina-Arizona rematch for the first time since 2016 MCWS championship series
Is it 2016 all over again?
Not because of a viral trend or a catchy song, but the tournament field is relatively similar to the 2016 version, starting with Friday’s matchups.
The opening round of the MCWS has many intriguing matchups. Still, one that stands out is Coastal Carolina versus Arizona — the first game in Omaha and a rematch of the 2016 MCWS championship series.
Both programs are a lot different than the two that took the field nine years ago, but the rematch allows each team and their faithful to either revisit the most significant moment in their program’s history or a time of deep sorrow. And those sentiments don’t just fade away, especially for a losing team.
Even better, the two teams were the first two programs to secure their spot in the MCWS.
Although the Chanticleers and Wildcats are the only two teams to reach their ninth anniversary, the field features a variety of teams from around the country, differing in location and conference. There are eight teams from seven different conferences, six in 2016, and only two SEC teams, only Florida then.
2025 tournament field makes history
Attending an MCWS as a fan, player or coach is always a privilege. It’s challenging to make the NCAA tournament, let alone reach Omaha. And for the past 67 years, there’s been at least one team that reached Omaha and made it back the following year.
Not this time around.
For the first time since 1957, the MCWS field will not feature any of the teams that played in it last year.
Below is a breakdown of how each team from the 2024 field’s season ended in 2025.
- Tennessee (National Champions) — Loss in super regionals to Arkansas, 2-0
- Texas A&M (National Runner-ups) — Missed the NCAA tournament
- Florida State — Loss in super regionals to Oregon State, 2-1
- Virginia — Missed the NCAA tournament
- Florida — Loss in the Conway regional
- North Carolina — Loss in super regionals to Arizona, 2-1
- Kentucky — Loss in the Clemson regional final to West Virginia
- NC State — Loss in the Auburn regional
2 SEC Teams make the field
The SEC has been the face of college baseball for numerous reasons in recent years, and its history in the MCWS reflects that. The conference has sent three or more teams to Omaha in eight of the past 10 years. The last five national champions have hailed from the SEC.
2025 looked like it was going to be no different after the NCAA baseball tournament selection show. 13 SEC teams made the tournament, the most in SEC history, and eight were announced as national seeds, another conference record.
Those accolades have washed away since then. The conference crashed and burned, as 11 were eliminated before the MCWS — each picked off one by one like a piece on a chessboard. Nine lost in the regionals and two lost in the supers.
That leaves Arkansas and LSU to bring the hardware home. The Tigers didn’t make the MCWS last season, but won it all in 2023. The Razorbacks are seeking their first national championship, securing their first Omaha appearance since 2022.
The field has been a boiling pot of big names, mid-majors and red-hot teams. Even though the SEC has only two teams in attendance, it’s the most by any conference.
Hello again, Pac-12
Although the Pac-12 was laid to rest after last season, shipping off former members to different conferences far and wide, it’s still making an impact on the MCWS from beyond the grave.
A major one, at that.
Three former Pac-12 teams reached the MCWS in Arizona, Oregon State and UCLA.
Both the Beavers (No. 8) and the Bruins (No. 15) received national seeds — the former an independent and the latter a part of the Big Ten. The Wildcats, who joined the Big 12, were a No. 2 seed in their respective regional.
If the Pac-12 was still established, they would have had the most teams outright by any conference in attendance since 1988, before the current tournament’s format was established.
Murray State continues mid-major, 4-seed legacy
The Racers’ 5-4 win over Duke in the supers cemented this team in program and tournament history. Heading to the MCWS for the first time ever, Murray State became the fourth No. 4 seed to make it since the current format was established in 1999.
And coincidentally, they have the opportunity to keep a MCWS pattern going. Entering 2025, a mid-major program has reached Omaha and won it all every eight years across two cycles — Fresno State in 2008 and Coastal Carolina in 2016.
With the cancellation of the 2020 tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2025 marks the eighth season since the Chanticleers’ historic run. The MCWS has featured many mid-majors, but few have climbed to the mountain top. Six teams have won the national championship since 1990.
Here’s a look at how the other No. 4 seeds fared when they got to Omaha.
- 2023 Oral Robers: Lost in the second round (1-2 record)
- 2012 Stony Brook: Lost in the first round (0-2 record)
- 2008 Fresno State: Won the national championships (5-1 record)
Donning the mid-major title and No. 4 seed ranking doesn’t promise any success to its user, but there’s always been a little bit more magic in the air.
Top national seeds remaining face off in opening round
A fight card typically lists its matches from prelims to main event, the least well-known or important fights at the beginning and the most highly-anticipated match at the end.
That logic could be tailored to the NCAA baseball tournament as well, where the two strongest teams meet in the final showdown, or championship series, in Omaha.
However, that matchup on paper is coming much earlier. The two highest-ranked national seeds remaining, Arkansas and LSU, will meet in the opening round on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. This will mark the fourth meeting between the SEC powerhouses this year, as the Tigers won the regular season series, 2-1, at home.
Amongst the eight-team field, the Razorbacks and Tigers rank in the top three in multiple categories such as record, slugging percentage, strikeouts and ERA. The battle features 11 All-SEC selections, including the SEC Player of the Year in Razorbacks junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy.
The marquee matchup will drench Charles Schwab Field in purple-and-gold and cardinal-and-white. Don’t be surprised when beer hats and an enlarged cutout potato are all over the stands or an LSU flag waving high in the air.
Three teams return to MCWS for the first time since winning a national championship
It’s already been established how unique the MCWS field is this year.
But here’s another fun fact: three of the teams are making their first appearance since they won a national championship: LSU, Coastal Carolina and UCLA.
LSU is the most recent winner, capturing its seventh title in 2023 behind top draft picks from the 2023 MLB Draft in No. 1 and 2 overall picks right-hander Paul Skenes and center fielder Dylan Crews.
Coastal Carolina is back for the first time since 2016, where they won their first national title during their first go-around in Omaha and became the second mid-major since 2000 to win it all.
It’s been 12 years for UCLA, which won it all in 2013 for the program’s only national championship. Coach John Savage has now taken the Bruins to four MCWS trips.
Outside of the Chanticleers and UCLA, Louisville and Oregon State haven’t made it to Omaha in six or more years.
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