College baseball's Opening Day is on Feb. 16, but for many of the top teams, Memorial Day and Omaha are already on their minds. 

The college baseball season may start in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field at the College Baseball Showdown, but it ends in Omaha with the conclusion of the College World Series, which itself is the conclusion of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. 

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Here are some dates to know as the new season starts. 

How Do College Baseball Teams Make The NCAA Tournament?

The NCAA college baseball tournaments work similarly to the men's basketball tournament. There will be 64 teams chosen for the tournament with with automatic qualifiers and at-large bids selected by a committee.

In the selection process, 16 teams are chosen to be national seeds. These teams can choose to host a Super Regional if they make it to the second round.

When Is The NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Show?

The selection show is Monday, May 27 at noon EST, and is traditionally held on Memorial Day. 

When Do NCAA Regionals Begin?

Regionals begin on campus across the country on May 31 and end June 3. 

The 64 teams are split into 16 four-team double-elimination brackets and the teams are seeded from 1 to 4. Double-elimination means that a team isn’t eliminated from the bracket until they lose two games.

When Do NCAA Super Regionals Begin?

Super Regionals start on June 7 or 8 and end on June 9 or 10 depending on the NCAA Tournament bracket. 

The top 16 winners from the Regional competition move on to the next round, called the Super Regionals. These 16 winners are divided into 8 pairs and these pairings play in a best-of-three series.

When Is The 2024 NCAA College World Series?

In 2024, the Men’s College World Series will take place June 14-24 (or June 23), again visiting its longtime home in Omaha, Nebraska—Charles Schwab Field Omaha.

LSU defeated the University of Florida 2-1 in the best-of-three finale in 2023 (4-3, 4-24, 18-4).

When Do The College World Series Finals Start?

The finals begin on June 22. 

How Does The 2024 NCAA College World Series Work?

Before the CWS begins, the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship starts each spring (late May into June) with the year’s best Division I baseball teams situated into a 64-team bracket. 

Through Regional and Super Regional play, the field is whittled down to eight final teams. The winners from the 16 four-team regionals advance to the Super Regional round, where two teams (at eight locations) battle in best-of-three series.

The eight remaining teams then move on to the final round of the post-season, known formally as the NCAA Men’s College World Series. This phrasing is used exclusively for Division I.

When Was The First NCAA College World Series?

The first Men’s College World Series was held in 1947, with the first few editions moving around the Midwest. 

In 1950, the showdown took place in Omaha, Nebraska, for the first time, and it has taken place there every year since. Through 2010, it was held at Rosenblatt Stadium. Since 2011, Charles Schwab Field Omaha has welcomed the best in college baseball. 

The contract between the NCAA and the group in charge of the event is locked in through 2035.

The University of Southern California has made the most finals appearances and won the most titles, winning it all on 12 of 14 opportunities. The first came in 1948, and the most recent was in 1998.

LSU, which claimed the crown in 2023, ranks second all-time with seven victories in eight finals appearances. 

How To Watch The 2024 College Baseball Showdown

Subscribe to the FloSports app and FloBaseball to watch the College Baseball Showdown, which has been renamed the Shriners Children's Baseball Showdown.

FloBaseball Archived Footage

Video footage from past seasons is archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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