College World Series 2021: TV Schedule, Bracket, Live Stream and More
June 15, 2021
The No. 1 overall seed in the 2021 NCAA baseball tournament won't be heading to Omaha, Nebraska for this year's College World Series, but plenty of its conference rivals will be.
On Sunday, top-seeded Arkansas lost to N.C. State 3-2, dropping the best-of-three series in the Super Regionals. The Razorbacks had won 21-2 in Game 1, then they got outscored by the Wolfpack 9-7 over the final two games of the series.
While Arkansas isn't going to Omaha, three teams from the SEC will be: Tennessee (the No. 3 overall seed), Vanderbilt (No. 4) and Mississippi State (No. 7). The Pac-12 (Arizona and Stanford), ACC (N.C. State and Virginia) and Big 12 (Texas) will also be represented.
Here's a look at the full upcoming schedule, along with more on this year's College World Series.
2021 College World Series Schedule
Saturday, June 19
Game 1: Stanford vs. N.C. State, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2: Vanderbilt vs. Arizona, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Sunday, June 20
Game 3: Tennessee vs. Virginia, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 4: Texas vs. Mississippi State, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Monday, June 21
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Game 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Tuesday, June 22
Game 7: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Wednesday, June 23
Game 9, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Thursday, June 24
Game 10, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Friday, June 25
Game 11, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 12, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Saturday, June 26
Game 13 (if necessary), 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 14 (if necessary), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Monday, June 28
CWS finals Game 1, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Tuesday, June 29
CWS finals Game 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Wednesday, June 30
CWS finals Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Full bracket available on NCAA.com. Games can be streamed live on the ESPN app.
Preview
With Arkansas eliminated, Texas will be the highest-seeded team heading to Omaha for this year's College World Series. The Longhorns are the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and they've impressed on their run to make it this far.
They have won five straight tournament games, outscoring their opponents 49-12 over that span. They swept South Florida in two games in the Super Regionals, advancing with a 12-4 victory on Sunday.
While Texas is making its 37th appearance at the College World Series, this is the first time since 2004 that it hasn't lost an NCAA tournament game on its path to Omaha. The Longhorns have been swinging hot bats, which includes that of redshirt junior infielder Cam Williams, who went 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, four walks and four runs scored in their last win over South Florida.
Although Texas is a formidable opponent, it will face some tough competition in Omaha.
Arkansas may have won the SEC tournament, but Tennessee reached the championship game as the No. 2 seed. Since then, it has bounced back by winning five straight NCAA tournament games and reaching the College World Series for the first time since 2005.
The Vols swept LSU in the Super Regionals, outscoring their SEC rival 19-8 over the pair of games.
Vanderbilt is always dangerous at this point in the season, and this year is no different. The Commodores, who are looking to win their second straight College World Series (having won it in 2019), could stay hot after going 5-0 to start the tournament, including a two-game sweep of East Carolina in the Super Regionals.
Not only is Vandy an experienced team, but it also has a pair of pitchers capable of potentially powering it to a national title: junior right-hander Kumar Rocker (13-3 with a 2.46 ERA in 17 starts this season) and sophomore righty Jack Leiter (10-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts).
Mississippi State wasn't quite as dominant in the Super Regionals as the other two SEC teams heading to Omaha. It edged Notre Dame 9-8 in Game 1, then lost 9-1 in Game 2. However, the Bulldogs bounced back, winning 11-7 in Game 3 on Monday.
One intriguing matchup at the start of the College World Series will be Sunday's game between Texas and Mississippi State. Both are strong teams, and it won't be the first time the two have faced off in 2021.
In the season opener, Mississippi State beat Texas 8-3. It's been a long campaign, and plenty has changed since then. But the Longhorns will still be looking for revenge, while the Bulldogs could have the confidence of knowing they've already beat them once.
The College World Series is one of the most exciting events in sports. And between Saturday and when a national champion is crowned (on either June 29 or 30), there are sure to be plenty of close games, exciting wins and memorable moments in Omaha.