College World Series Enters Cinderella Era

The College World Series, after seeing a surge in prominence in recent years, is taking on something of a Cinderella aspect this year. 

Traditional college baseball powers such as LSU, the event’s 2023 winner, are back, but the tournament features upstarts such as Coastal Carolina and Louisville, both existing outside college sports dominance led by the SEC and Big Ten. Their path was in part cleared when top teams such as No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Texas, and No. 7 Georgia were eliminated in regional-level competition, while No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 North Carolina fell last weekend in super regionals.  

The less chalky nature of the tournament has given the College World Series some incoming momentum so far, as ESPN’s coverage of the super regionals garnered the third-best viewership in the last 15 years. Those results somewhat mirror the record viewership and attendance recently seen for the Women’s College World Series in softball, won by Texas. The first four days of the College World Series itself in Omaha have averaged 980,000 viewers, down 17% from comparable figures last year, but could be in line for a boost as Louisville walked off Oregon State in a Tuesday afternoon thriller.

This year’s College World Series has already had a signature moment as Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood threw a no-hitter over Murray State, representing the first such game in the College World Series since 1960 and just the third ever. Wood’s dominance included 19 strikeouts. 

Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes, who led LSU to the CWS title two years ago, attended the Fighting Tigers’ game against UCLA on Monday, which was eventually won by LSU on Tuesday after an extended weather delay.

“We didn’t know if we were going to have him back,” Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said, referring to a shoulder injury Wood sustained in February, sidelining him for nearly two months. “For him to do what he did is special, especially doing it up here.”

Combine Matters

MLB, meanwhile, is holding its 2025 draft combine this week in Arizona, looking to aid teams as they prepare for next month’s draft, as well as players as they each look to improve their standing. Many of those players are from colleges that have finished their seasons. 

The event’s fifth year also includes a marketing component, as the league-owned MLB.com and MLB Network are showing the combine all week, helping fans get acquainted with the potential stars of tomorrow. Like in other sports, MLB’s combine has a mix of on-field drills, athletic testing, and medical evaluations. 

It’s another part of MLB’s ongoing effort to reduce the time between when players are drafted and reach the big leagues, a key differentiator between the league and the NFL and NBA, which currently have far more prominent drafts.