By Clayton Collier
Published: Jun. 11, 2024 at 10:52 AM CDT
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The field is set for the 2024 College World Series. For the first time in CWS history, only two conferences will be represented in Omaha. Four teams each from the SEC and ACC make up the bracket. Here is who will compete for a national championship.
No. 1 Tennessee
The Vols will look to become just the second No. 1 national seed to win the College World Series (Miami 1999)—a sobering reminder that the best team is by no means guaranteed to come out on top. That said, Tennessee is riddled with high-end talent. UT boasts six players in MLB.com’s Top 100 draft prospects, the most of any program in the country.
The Vols leads the nation with 173 home runs this season—five players have hit 18 homers or more.
Omaha native Dalton Bargo makes his CWS debut. The Westside product hit two homers in Tennessee’s Game 3 win over Evansville in last weekend’s Super Regionals.
CWS appearances
1951*, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2021, 2023, 2024
—
National Championship years in bold; [*] denotes years as runner-up
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- 2B Christian Moore (25)
- 3B Billy Amick (26)
- RHP Drew Beam (63)
- 1B Blake Burke (64)
- OF Kavares Tears (65)
- OF Dylan Dreiling (72)
No. 8 Florida State
No team in the field has been to the College World Series more than the Seminoles. Florida State’s 24 appearances rank third in all of college baseball, behind only Texas (36) and Miami (25). After finishing as the runner-up three times, FSU hopes 2024 is the year they can finish the job.
CWS appearances
1957, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1970*, 1975, 1980, 1986*, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999*, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2024
—
[*] denotes years as runner-up
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- 3B Cam Smith (14)
- OF James Tibbs (16)
No. 12 Virginia
Like Tennessee, Virginia returns to CWS for the third time in four years. The Cavaliers are led by head coach and Omaha native Brian O’Connor. The Creighton Prep alum went on to pitch for Creighton from 1990-93, reaching the College World Series with the Jays in 1991. Since taking over as head coach at UVA in 2004, O’Connor has guided the Cavaliers to all seven of the program’s CWS appearances, including a national championship in 2015.
CWS appearances
National Championship years in bold; [*] denotes years as runner-up
2009, 2011, 2014*, 2015, 2021, 2023, 2024
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- SS Griff O’Ferrall (41)
- C/1B Ethan Anderson (75)
No. 4 North Carolina
The Tar Heels are making their 12th appearance at CWS, taking a harrowing path to Omaha. North Carolina faced LSU three times in their regional, needing extras to dispatch the reigning national champs in a decisive Game 3. UNC swept West Virginia in the Chapel Hill Super Regional, winning Game 1 on a walk-off home run from projected first round pick Vance Honeycutt.
CWS appearances
1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006*, 2007*, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2024
—
[*] denotes years as runner-up
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- OF Vance Honeycutt (20)
No. 2 Kentucky
The Wildcats are making their first trip to College World Series after sweeping No. 15 Oregon State in the Lexington Super Regional (10-0, 3-2). This will be the second trip to Omaha for head coach Nick Mingione, who reached the CWS as an assistant with Mississippi State in 2013.
CWS appearances
2024
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- OF Ryan Waldschmidt (39)
No. 10 NC State
You will be hard-pressed to find a team more motivated team in Omaha than NC State. The Wolfpack reached the College World Series in 2021, only to have a COVID outbreak force them to forfeit. This week marks the program’s fourth CWS appearance and the third under head coach Elliott Avent.
CWS appearances
1968, 2013, 2021, 2024
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- C Jacob Cozart (42)
Florida
The reigning national runners-up find themselves in the unique position of being the underdogs of the field. Florida is the only unseeded squad in the field, having entered the tournament as a regional 3-seed. The Gators are led by 1B/RHP Jac Caglianone, a projected Top 5 pick in MLB.com’s latest mock draft.
CWS appearances
1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005*, 2010, 2011*, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017*, 2018, 2023*, 2024
—
National Championship years in bold; [*] denotes years as runner-up
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- 1B/RHP Jac Caglianone (3)
No. 3 Texas A&M
The Aggies enter Omaha without projected Top 5 pick Braden Montgomery, is expected to miss the remainder of the season after the right fielder suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s Super Regional game against Oregon. While the loss cannot be overstated, Texas A&M still has plenty of pop in their lineup. The Aggies were fourth in the country in home runs (132) with Montgomery contributing 27, second on the team to Gavin Grahovac (28).
CWS appearances
1951, 1964, 1993, 1999, 2011, 2017, 2022, 2024
Top 2024 MLB Draft prospects
MLB.com rankings in (parentheses)
- OF Braden Montgomery (8)
- LHP Ryan Prager (59)
- RHP Chris Cortez (100)
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
