Seven SEC teams reached this weekend’s NCAA baseball super regionals, and the bracket sets up a possible record five SEC entries in the College World Series. Super regionals start Friday with Georgia vs. Mississippi State, Auburn vs. Mississippi, North Carolin
When the super regionals open on Friday, it won’t just be about staying alive in a best-of-three series. It will be about what the sport’s next stage looks like for an entire conference—especially the SEC, which left regional play with nearly half the teams still standing.
Seven SEC squads survived the NCAA baseball tournament’s regionals. and the math could be stunning by the time Omaha’s College World Series field is finalized. There’s a path for as many as five SEC teams to reach the CWS this year. which would set a record. The current mark is four SEC teams in the College World Series—reached eight times. most recently when the ACC and SEC each had four teams in the 2024 series.
The super regionals begin Friday, and the bracket is built for pressure. Five of the eight matchups feature teams with SEC-only intrigue, with No. 3 Georgia taking on No. 14 Mississippi State and No. 4 Auburn hosting Mississippi. The rest of the field includes No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Oregon, No. 5 North Carolina vs. Southern California, No. 7 Alabama vs. St. John’s, No. 15 Kansas vs. Oklahoma, No. 16 West Virginia vs. Cal Poly, and a Troy vs. Arkansas-Little Rock pairing that guarantees at least one underdog will reach Omaha.
Friday also carries a key rhythm: every series is set to decide everything in three games at most, with schedules tightening from June 5 through June 8.
Georgia begins its SEC-only super regional against Mississippi State on the road to Omaha. The opener is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at 11 a.m. at Athens, with Mississippi State at Georgia on ESPN. Game 2 is Sunday. June 7 at noon on ESPN. and Game 3 would be Monday. June 8 at a time to be announced if necessary.
With No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Georgia Tech out of the picture. Georgia is positioned as one of the teams to beat for the national championship alongside North Carolina. The Bulldogs will play without freshman Tre Phelps in the opener after he was suspended for one game following an ejection in last weekend’s regional-clinching win against Liberty. Phelps has 19 home runs and 57 RBI, and Georgia also leans on Daniel Jackson, who has 29 home runs and 83 RBI.
For Mississippi State, the road gets sharper after results already played: the Bulldogs were swept by Georgia during a three-game regular-season set and then lost again in the SEC tournament. Mississippi State will need to slow Phelps and Jackson to win two games in three.
At the same time, Auburn and Mississippi will be fighting in their own SEC-only matchup that starts Friday, June 5. Game 1 is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN2 at Auburn, with Game 2 Saturday, June 6 at 5 p.m. on ESPN. If a third game is needed, it would be Monday, June 8, with time to be announced.
Auburn reached this point after “barely sneaking past Milwaukee,” pushing the Tigers to the limit with last Monday’s elimination game. Early tournament struggles aren’t uncommon even for eventual national champions; last year, LSU faced elimination in regional play against Little Rock.
Auburn’s recent momentum is tied to performance in postseason games. The Tigers have won four in a row after dropping last weekend’s opener. with catcher Chase Fralick setting a tournament record by homering in all five postseason games. For Ole Miss. the storyline is production paired with pressure points: the Rebels have a high strikeout rate as a team. and a lot of their output comes from infielder Judd Utermark. who has 21 home runs and 49 RBI. and outfielder Tristan Bissetta. who has team-best 22 home runs and 60 RBI.
This series also has the bluntness of a first-time meeting this season: it marks the first time Auburn and the Rebels have met this year.
North Carolina’s super regional brings another major test on Friday, June 5, when Southern California visits Chapel Hill at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 is Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. on ESPNSunday, June 7, with a time to be announced for Game 3 if necessary.
UNC rolled through what it faced in regional play, and its staff gives it a clear identity in the NCAA tournament. Southern California counters with its own pitching. The Trojans are led by starters Mason Edwards and Grant Govel, who are combined 18-2.
Edwards, a lefty, leads the NCAA with 164 strikeouts. UNC’s strength is depth and hitting—Owen Hull (.372, 79 RBI) and Macon Winslow (10 HR, 55 RBI) lead the offense.
Texas’ super regional begins Saturday, June 6, with Oregon visiting Texas at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Game 2 is Sunday, June 7 at 9 p.m. on ESPN, and if needed, Monday, June 8 would be a time to be announced.
Oregon has appeared in the super regionals for the third time in four years but has not reached the CWS in this 64-team format. The Ducks did participate in the 1954 College World Series when the field was 24 teams.
Texas is framed as a team with balance. In the SEC, the Longhorns show strong starting pitching and aggressive baserunning, with 109 stolen bases in 124 attempts. UT also has four players hitting over .300 led by freshman Anthony Pack Jr., who enters the series hitting .358 with a 1.078 OPS.
For Oregon, the key is getting to Texas’ bullpen, described as the team’s weakest link.
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s super regional matchup against St. John’s begins Saturday, June 6 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 is Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. on TBAMonday, June 8 would be a time to be announced if necessary.
St. John’s advanced out of the Tallahassee Regional by upsetting host Florida State twice as the No. 4 seed, and it’s the first time the two programs have met. Alabama is the clear favorite, facing an opponent that ranks 102nd nationally in RPI. The Crimson Tide finished fourth in the SEC and cruised through their regional. but the moment carries a weight they’ve carried for a long time: Alabama is trying to snap a 30-year CWS drought.
St. John’s is leaning on its starting arms, including Liam O’Leary (8-4, 3.25 ERA) and Evan Chaffee (7-4, 9.1 K/9), to try to reach the College World Series for the first time since 1980.
Kansas and Oklahoma meet in Lawrence starting Saturday, June 6 at 6 p.m. on ESPN2, with Game 2 Sunday, June 7 at 6 p.m. on TBAMonday, June 8 would be a time to be announced if necessary.
Questions about Kansas’ CWS credibility were answered during its regional run. when the Jayhawks beat Northeastern and then took two straight from Arkansas. Oklahoma earned major credibility by knocking off Georgia Tech in consecutive games. KU’s opener is scheduled behind starter Dominic Voegele, who went seven strong innings in the opening win.
Oklahoma’s regular season was described as frustrating against one of the nation’s toughest schedules. but the Sooners are riding momentum after producing 46 runs in four victories in Atlanta against the Yellow Jackets. Junior shortstop Jaxon Willits has been a bright spot: while his regular-season numbers didn’t meet expectations. he went 9 of 17 in the regional and delivered a clutch ninth-inning single in the elimination game against Tech.
The Sooners also hold an all-time edge in the former Big 12 rivalry, with a 175-97-1 advantage.
West Virginia’s super regional begins Friday, June 5 when Cal Poly visits Morgantown at noon on ESPN2. Game 2 is Saturday, June 6 at noon on ESPN, and if needed, Sunday, June 7 would be a time to be announced.
West Virginia was one of the biggest regional winners after stunning Kentucky with a pair of come-from-behind wins. The Mountaineers also stayed at home for the series after Cal Poly came out on top in the Los Angeles regional headlined by UCLA. Cal Poly is making its super regional debut but has won 12 of its past 13 games.
West Virginia’s run is powered by a transformed program during two seasons under coach Steve Sabins. and the team is poised to reach its first CWS. The top arm for the Mountaineers. Griffin Naess. doesn’t have “electric” stuff. but he has reached the six-inning mark in each of his past four starts. including a seven-inning. nine-strikeout performance in a regional matchup against Virginia Tech.
The super regional that guarantees a non-favorite path comes down to Troy vs. Arkansas-Little Rock. This Cinderella-only series is set after Troy earned one of the last at-large tournament berths and then upset No. 8 Florida. Arkansas-Little Rock joined St. John’s as a rare No. 4 seed to advance out of the first weekend.
Troy is described as a somewhat controversial at-large pick. but the on-field evidence arrived quickly: the Trojans won four straight in Gainesville. including two against the host Gators by a combined 26-13 score. Troy middle infielder Aaron Piasecki is one of the tournament’s top bats left. hitting .349 with 38 walks and 17 hit by pitches against just 22 strikeouts.
Arkansas-Little Rock, meanwhile, is riding an eight-game winning streak since falling into the elimination bracket of the Ohio Valley tournament late last month.
Game 1 is Friday, June 5 at 5 p.m. with Arkansas-Little Rock at Troy on ESPN. Game 2 is Saturday, June 6 at 3 p.m. on ESPN2, and if necessary, Game 3 is Sunday, June 7 with time to be announced.
The lineup of series creates a straightforward storyline without needing embellishment: SEC-heavy matchups set up the possibility of a record five conference teams in Omaha. while the Troy vs. Arkansas-Little Rock pairing ensures at least one underdog survives. Across the rest. each matchup turns on a specific swing—Georgia’s absence in Game 1 for Tre Phelps. Auburn’s postseason momentum led by Chase Fralick. Texas’ bullpen facing Oregon’s path to it. and UNC’s depth facing USC’s strikeout power.
By the time the last first pitch goes out from June 5 through the if-necessary windows that run through June 8, the CWS picture will finally come into focus—who belonged there, who arrived too late, and which bracket surprise becomes the one that matters most.
NCAA baseball super regionals College World Series SEC baseball Georgia Mississippi State Auburn Ole Miss Texas Oregon North Carolina Southern California Alabama St. John’s Kansas Oklahoma West Virginia Cal Poly Troy Arkansas-Little Rock NCAA schedule