2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament

The 2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 1, 2018 as part of the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2018 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 16 and ended on June 28.[1] The Oregon State Beavers defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in the best-of-three final series to win the championship.

2018 NCAA Division I
baseball tournament
Season2018
Teams64
Finals site
ChampionsOregon State Beavers (3rd title)
Runner-upArkansas Razorbacks (9th CWS Appearance)
Winning coachPat Casey (3rd title)
MOPAdley Rutschman (Oregon State)
TelevisionESPN

The 64 participating NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of an eligible 298 teams.[2] Thirty-one teams will be awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conferences, and 33 teams will be selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

Teams were divided into sixteen regionals of four teams, which conducted a double-elimination tournament. Regional champions competed in Super Regionals, a best-of-three-game series, to determine the eight participants in the College World Series.[1] For the first time, the Tournament seeded the top 16 teams instead of pairing teams generally along geographical lines.[3]

In the championship series, Arkansas won the first game and held a 3–2 lead entering the top of the ninth inning in game 2. With two outs and a runner on third, Oregon State shortstop Cadyn Grenier popped a foul ball down the right field line that multiple Razorback players appeared to have a play on. Had the ball been caught, Arkansas would have won their first national championship in baseball; instead, the ball dropped between the first baseman, second baseman, and right fielder to continue the at-bat. Two pitches later, with the Beavers down to their final strike, Grenier singled in the tying run, and was followed by Trevor Larnach's two-run homer to give OSU a 5–3 lead and the eventual victory to even the series.[4] The following day, Oregon State freshman Kevin Abel – who threw 23 pitches the previous night[5] – notched a 129-pitch complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and retiring the final 20 Razorback hitters [6] to secure the Beavers' third national title in baseball. Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman was named College World Series Most Outstanding Player after collecting 13 RBI's and a College World Series record 17 hits.[7]

Bids

Automatic bids
School Conference Record (Conf) Berth Last NCAA appearance
HartfordAmerica East26–29 (17–8)TournamentFirst Appearance
East CarolinaAmerican43–16 (15–10)Tournament2016 (Lubbock Super Regional)
Florida StateACC43–17 (16–13)Tournament2017 (College World Series)
StetsonAtlantic Sun45–11 (15–3)Tournament2016 (Coral Gables Regional)
Saint LouisAtlantic 1038–18 (20–4)Tournament2013 (Columbia Regional)
BaylorBig 1236–19 (14–11)Tournament2017 (Houston Regional)
St. John'sBig East39–15 (15–3)Tournament2017 (Clemson Regional)
CampbellBig South35–24 (22–6)Tournament2014 (Columbia Regional)
MinnesotaBig Ten40–13 (18–4)Tournament2016 (College Station Regional)
Cal State FullertonBig West32–23 (18–6)Regular season2017 (College World Series)
UNC WilmingtonColonial37–21 (14–9)Tournament2016 (Columbia Regional)
Southern MissConference USA43–16 (23–6)Tournament2017 (Hattiesburg Regional)
Wright StateHorizon39–15 (23–6)Tournament2016 (Louisville Regional)
ColumbiaIvy League20–27 (13–8)Championship series2015 (Coral Gables Regional)
CanisiusMetro Atlantic35–20 (16–8)Tournament2015 (Springfield Regional)
Kent StateMid-American39–16 (19–8)Tournament2014 (Louisville Regional)
North Carolina A&TMid-Eastern32–23 (16–8)Tournament2005 (Clemson Regional)
Missouri StateMissouri Valley39–15 (18–3)Tournament2017 (Fort Worth Super Regional)
San Diego StateMountain West39–19 (19–12)Tournament2017 (Long Beach Regional)
LIU BrooklynNortheast31–24 (16–12)Tournament1972 (Princeton District)
Morehead StateOhio Valley37–24 (20–12)Tournament2015 (Louisville Regional)
StanfordPac-1244–10 (22–8)Regular season2017 (Palo Alto Regional)
ArmyPatriot35–22 (18–7)Tournament2013 (Charlottesville Regional)
Ole MissSoutheastern46–15 (18–12)Tournament2016 (Oxford Regional)
SamfordSouthern36–24 (16–8)Tournament2012 (Tallahassee Regional)
Northwestern StateSouthland37–22 (18–12)Tournament2005 (Baton Rouge Regional)
Texas SouthernSouthwestern Athletic27–26 (17–6)Tournament2017 (Baton Rouge Regional)
Oral RobertsSummit38–18 (24–6)Tournament2017 (Fayetteville Regional)
Coastal CarolinaSun Belt42–17 (23–7)Tournament2016 (National Champions)
GonzagaWest Coast32–22 (16–11)Tournament2016 (Fort Worth Regional)
New Mexico StateWestern Athletic40–20 (17–7)Tournament2012 (Tucson Regional)

By conference
Conference Total Schools
SEC 10 Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
ACC 6 NC State, Duke, Louisville, Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina
Big 12 5 Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor
American 4 East Carolina, Houston, South Florida, Connecticut
Big Ten 4 Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue
Pac-12 4 Oregon State, UCLA, Stanford, Washington
Atlantic Sun 2 Stetson, Jacksonville
Colonial 2 Northeastern, UNC Wilmington
Conference USA 2 Southern Miss, Florida Atlantic
Missouri Valley 2 Missouri State, Dallas Baptist
Ohio Valley 2 Tennessee Tech, Morehead State
Sun Belt 2 Coastal Carolina, Troy
America East 1 Hartford
Atlantic 10 1 Saint Louis
Big East 1 St. John's
Big South 1 Campbell
Big West 1 Cal State Fullerton
Horizon 1 Wright State
Ivy 1 Columbia
MAAC 1 Canisius
Mid-American 1 Kent State
MEAC 1 North Carolina A&T
Mountain West 1 San Diego State
NEC 1 LIU Brooklyn
Patriot 1 Army
Southern 1 Samford
Southland 1 Northwestern State
Summit 1 Oral Roberts
SWAC 1 Texas Southern
West Coast 1 Gonzaga
WAC 1 New Mexico State

National seeds

16 National Seeds were announced on the Selection Show Monday, May 28 at 12 p.m. EDT on ESPNU. The 16 national seeds host the Regionals. Teams in italics advanced to Super Regionals. Teams in bold advanced to College World Series.

Regionals and Super Regionals

Bold indicates winner. Seeds for regional tournaments indicate seeds within regional. Seeds for super regional tournaments indicate national seeds only.

Gainesville Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Florida 13
4 Columbia 5
1 Florida 3
2 Jacksonville 2
3 Florida Atlantic 3
2 Jacksonville 5
1 Florida 4 5
Gainesville Regional – Alfred A. McKethan Stadium
3 Florida Atlantic 7 2
4 Columbia 2
3 Florida Atlantic 11
3 Florida Atlantic 12
2 Jacksonville 7
1 Florida 8 2 3
Auburn 2 3 211
1 NC State 1
4 Army 5
4 Army 1
2 Auburn 12
3 Northeastern 4
2 Auburn 13
2 Auburn 15 –
Raleigh Regional – Doak Field
1 NC State 7 –
1 NC State 9
3 Northeastern 3
1 NC State 11
4 Army 1

Lubbock Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Georgia 18
4 Campbell 5
1 Georgia 11
3 Troy 7
3 Troy 6
2 Duke 0
1 Georgia 5 4
Athens Regional – Foley Field
2 Duke 8 8
4 Campbell 8
2 Duke 16
2 Duke 15
3 Troy 6
Duke 4 11 2
9 Texas Tech 6 2 6
1 Texas Tech 9
4 New Mexico State 2
1 Texas Tech 10
2 Louisville 4
3 Kent State 6
2 Louisville 13
1 Texas Tech 11 –
Lubbock Regional – Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park
2 Louisville 6 –
4 New Mexico State 1
3 Kent State 2
3 Kent State 6
2 Louisville 12

Fayetteville Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Arkansas 10
4 Oral Roberts 2
1 Arkansas 10
2 Southern Miss 2
3 Dallas Baptist 0
2 Southern Miss 9
1 Arkansas 4 –
Fayetteville Regional – Baum Stadium
3 Dallas Baptist 3 –
4 Oral Roberts 9
3 Dallas Baptist 18
3 Dallas Baptist 9
2 Southern Miss 4
5 Arkansas 9 5 14
South Carolina 3 8 4
1 East Carolina 16
4 UNC Wilmington 7
1 East Carolina 2
2 South Carolina 4
3 Ohio State 3
2 South Carolina 8
2 South Carolina 8 –
Greenville Regional – Clark–LeClair Stadium
4 UNC Wilmington 4 –
4 UNC Wilmington 4
3 Ohio State 313
4 UNC Wilmington 9
1 East Carolina 7

Austin Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Ole Miss 9
4 Saint Louis 2
1 Ole Miss 9
2 Tennessee Tech 8
3 Missouri State 4
2 Tennessee Tech 6
1 Ole Miss 5 2
Oxford Regional – Swayze Field
2 Tennessee Tech 15 3
4 Saint Louis 8
3 Missouri State 9
3 Missouri State 1
2 Tennessee Tech 2
Tennessee Tech 5 2 2
13 Texas 4 4 5
1 Texas 10
4 Texas Southern 0
1 Texas 8
3 Texas A&M 3
3 Texas A&M 10
2 Indiana 3
1 Texas 3 −
Austin Regional – UFCU Disch–Falk Field
2 Indiana 2 −
4 Texas Southern 0
2 Indiana 6
2 Indiana 9
3 Texas A&M 7

Corvallis Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Oregon State 9
4 Northwestern State 3
1 Oregon State 14
2 LSU 1
3 San Diego State 4
2 LSU 6
1 Oregon State 12 −
Corvallis Regional – Goss Stadium at Coleman Field
2 LSU 0 −
4 Northwestern State 9
3 San Diego State 0
4 Northwestern State 5
2 LSU 9
3 Oregon State 8 6 –
14 Minnesota 1 3 –
1 Minnesota 10
4 Canisius 1
1 Minnesota 3
2 UCLA 210
3 Gonzaga 5
2 UCLA 6
1 Minnesota 13 −
Minneapolis Regional – Siebert Field
2 UCLA 8 −
4 Canisius 2
3 Gonzaga 8
3 Gonzaga 4
2 UCLA 10

Chapel Hill Super Regional
Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 North Carolina 11
4 North Carolina A&T 0
1 North Carolina 4
3 Houston 3
3 Houston 9
2 Purdue 1
1 North Carolina 19 –
Chapel Hill Regional – Boshamer Stadium
3 Houston 11 –
4 North Carolina A&T 4
2 Purdue 14
2 Purdue 4
3 Houston 8
6 North Carolina 7 7 −
11 Stetson 4 5 −
1 Stetson 8
4 Hartford 3
1 Stetson 10
3 Oklahoma State 3
3 Oklahoma State 9
2 South Florida 2
1 Stetson 11 –
DeLand Regional – Melching Field at Conrad Park
3 Oklahoma State 1 –
4 Hartford 4
2 South Florida 911
2 South Florida 1
3 Oklahoma State 6

Nashville Super Regional

Hosted by Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field

Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Florida State 6
4 Samford 7
4 Samford 0
3 Oklahoma 4
3 Oklahoma 20
2 Mississippi State 10
3 Oklahoma 5 1
Tallahassee Regional – Dick Howser Stadium
2 Mississippi State 13 8
1 Florida State 2
2 Mississippi State 3
2 Mississippi State 9
4 Samford 8
Mississippi State 10 3 10
Vanderbilt 8 4 611
1 Clemson 4
4 Morehead State 310
1 Clemson 3
2 Vanderbilt 4
3 St. John's 0
2 Vanderbilt 2
2 Vanderbilt 19 –
Clemson Regional – Doug Kingsmore Stadium
1 Clemson 6 –
4 Morehead State 5
3 St. John's 11
3 St. John's 8
1 Clemson 9

Fullerton Super Regional

Hosted by Cal State Fullerton at Goodwin Field

Regional Regional Regional Final Super Regional
               
1 Stanford 4
4 Wright State 313
1 Stanford 1
3 Cal State Fullerton 2
3 Cal State Fullerton 6
2 Baylor 2
3 Cal State Fullerton 5 −
Stanford Regional – Klein Field at Sunken Diamond
1 Stanford 2 −
4 Wright State 5
2 Baylor 11
2 Baylor 2
1 Stanford 4
Cal State Fullerton 5 5 5
Washington 8 2 610
1 Coastal Carolina 16
4 LIU Brooklyn 1
1 Coastal Carolina 6
3 Washington 11
3 Washington 7
2 Connecticut 1
3 Washington 9 –
Conway Regional – Springs Brooks Stadium
2 Connecticut 6 –
4 LIU Brooklyn 3
2 Connecticut 10
2 Connecticut 6
1 Coastal Carolina 5

College World Series

The College World Series was held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.

Participants
School Conference Record (conference) Head Coach Previous CWS Appearances Best CWS Finish CWS Record
Not including this year
Arkansas SEC44–19 (18–12)Dave Van Horn8
(last: 2015)		2nd
(1979)		11–16
Florida SEC47–19 (20–10)Kevin O'Sullivan11
(last: 2017)		1st
(2017)		19–22
Mississippi State SEC37–27 (15–15)Gary Henderson9
(last: 2013)		2nd
(2013)		10–18
North Carolina ACC43–18 (22–8)Mike Fox10
(last: 2013)		2nd
(2006, 2007)		17–21
Oregon State Pac-1249–10–1 (20–9–1)Pat Casey6
(last: 2017)		1st
(2006, 2007)		15–10
Texas Big 1242–21 (17–7)David Pierce35
(last: 2014)		1st
(1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)		85–59
Texas Tech Big 1244–16 (15–9)Tim Tadlock2
(last: 2016)		5th
(2016)		1–4
Washington Pac-1235–24 (20–10)Lindsay Meggsnonenone0–0

Bracket

Seeds listed below indicate national seeds only

First round Second round Semifinals Championship
               
1 Florida 3
9 Texas Tech 6
9 Texas Tech 4
5 Arkansas 7
5 Arkansas 11
13 Texas 5
5 Arkansas 5 –
1 Florida 2 –
1 Florida 6
13 Texas 1
1 Florida 9
9 Texas Tech 6
5 Arkansas 4 3 0
3 Oregon State 1 5 5
3 Oregon State 6
6 North Carolina 8
6 North Carolina 2
Mississippi State 12
Mississippi State 1
Washington 0
Mississippi State 2 2
3 Oregon State 12 5
3 Oregon State 14
Washington 5
3 Oregon State 11
6 North Carolina 6

Game results
Date Game Winning team Score Losing team Winning pitcher Losing pitcher Save Notes
June 16 Game 1 North Carolina8–6Oregon StateCaden O'Brien (7–0)Luke Heimlich (16–2)Cooper Criswell (1)Longest 9-inning game in CWS history
(4 hours, 24 minutes)[8]
Game 2 Mississippi State1–0WashingtonZach Neff (4–3)Alex Hardy (5–3)–
June 17 Game 3 Arkansas11–5TexasBlaine Knight (13–0)Nolan Kingham (8–5)–
Game 4 Texas Tech6–3FloridaRyan Shetter (6–0)Brady Singer (12–2)–
June 18 Game 5 Oregon State14–5WashingtonKevin Abel (5–1)Alex Hardy (5–4)–Washington eliminated
June 19 Game 6 Mississippi State12–2North CarolinaKonnor Pilkington (3–6)Austin Bergner (7–3)Cole Gordon (4)Postponed from June 18 due to rain
Game 7 Florida6–1TexasJackson Kowar (10–5)Blair Henley (6–7)–Texas eliminated
June 20 Game 8 Arkansas7–4Texas TechBarrett Loseke (4–2)Davis Martin (7–6)–Postponed from June 19 due to rain
Game 9 Oregon State11–6North CarolinaJake Mulholland (2–2)Brett Daniels (4–2)–North Carolina eliminated
June 21 Game 10 Florida9–6Texas TechJack Leftwich (5–5)Caleb Kilian (9–3)Michael Byrne (16)Texas Tech eliminated
June 22 Game 11 Oregon State12–2Mississippi StateBrandon Eisert (5–3)Jacob Billingsley (5–4)–
Game 12 Arkansas5–2FloridaIsaiah Campbell (5–6)Brady Singer (12–3)Matt Cronin (13)Florida eliminated
June 23 Game 13 Oregon State5–2Mississippi StateKevin Abel (6–1)Ethan Small (5–4)–Mississippi State eliminated
Finals
June 26 Game 1 Arkansas4–1Oregon StateBlaine Knight (14–0)Luke Heimlich (16–3)Matt Cronin (14)Postponed from June 25 due to rain
June 27 Game 2 Oregon State5–3ArkansasKevin Abel (7–1)Matt Cronin (2–2)Jake Mulholland (16)
June 28 Game 3 Oregon State5–0ArkansasKevin Abel (8−1)Isaiah Campbell (5–7)–Oregon State wins CWS

All-Tournament Team

The following players were members of the College World Series All-Tournament Team.[9]

PositionPlayerSchool
PKevin AbelOregon State
Blaine KnightArkansas
CAdley Rutschman (MOP)Oregon State
1BJared GatesArkansas
2BHunter StovallMississippi State
3BCasey MartinArkansas
SSCadyn GrenierOregon State
OFDominic FletcherArkansas
Heston KjerstadArkansas
Trevor LarnachOregon State
DHTyler MaloneOregon State

Final standings

Seeds listed below indicate national seeds only

Place School Record
1st No. 3 Oregon State 11–2
2nd No. 5 Arkansas 9–3
3rd No. 1 Florida 7–4
Mississippi State 8–4
5th No. 6 North Carolina 6–2
No. 9 Texas Tech 6–3
7th No. 13 Texas 5–3
Washington 5–3
9th Auburn 4–2
Cal State Fullerton 4–2
Duke 5–3
No. 14 Minnesota 3–2
South Carolina 4–2
No. 11 Stetson 3–2
Tennessee Tech 5–3
Vanderbilt 4–2
17th No. 10 Clemson 2–2
Connecticut 2–2
Dallas Baptist 2–2
Florida Atlantic 3–2
No. 8 Georgia 2–2
Houston 2–2
Indiana 2–2
Louisville 2–2
LSU 2–2
No. 16 NC State 2–2
Oklahoma 2–2
Oklahoma State 2–2
No. 4 Ole Miss 2–2
No. 2 Stanford 2–2
UCLA 2–2
UNC Wilmington 2–2
33rd Army 1–2
Baylor 1–2
No. 15 Coastal Carolina 1–2
No. 12 East Carolina 1–2
Gonzaga 1–2
Jacksonville 1–2
Kent State 1–2
Missouri State 1–2
Northwestern State 1–2
Purdue 1–2
Samford 1–2
South Florida 1–2
Southern Miss 1–2
St. John's 1–2
Texas A&M 1–2
Troy 1–2
49th Campbell 0–2
Canisius 0–2
Columbia 0–2
No. 7 Florida State 0–2
Hartford 0–2
LIU Brooklyn 0–2
Morehead State 0–2
New Mexico State 0–2
North Carolina A&T 0–2
Northeastern 0–2
Ohio State 0–2
Oral Roberts 0–2
Saint Louis 0–2
San Diego State 0–2
Texas Southern 0–2
Wright State 0–2

Record by conference
Conference # of Bids Record Win % Nc Record Nc Win % RF SR WS NS CS NC
Pac–12 4 20–9 .690 19–8 .704 4 2 2 1 1 1
SEC 10 43–25 .632 33–15 .688 9 6 3 3 1 –
Big 12 5 16–12 .571 16–12 .571 4 2 2 – – –
ACC 6 17–13 .567 17–13 .567 5 2 1 – – –
Big Ten 4 6–8 .429 6–8 .429 2 1 – – – –
Atlantic Sun 2 4–4 .500 4–4 .500 1 1 – – – –
Ohio Valley 2 5–5 .500 5–5 .500 1 1 – – – –
Big West 1 4–2 .667 4–2 .667 1 1 – – – –
American 4 6–8 .429 6–8 .429 2 – – – – –
Colonial 2 2–4 .333 2–4 .333 1 – – – – –
Conference USA 2 4–4 .500 4–4 .500 1 – – – – –
Missouri Valley 2 3–4 .429 3–4 .429 1 – – – – –
Sun Belt 2 2–4 .333 2–4 .333 – – – – – –
Other 18 6–36 .143 6–36 .143 – – – – – –

The columns RF, SR, WS, NS, CS, and NC respectively stand for the Regional Finals, Super Regionals, College World Series Teams, National Semifinals, Championship Series, and National Champion.

Nc is non–conference records, i.e., with the records of teams within the same conference having played each other removed.

Media coverage

Radio

NRG Media provided nationwide radio coverage of the College World Series through its Omaha station KOZN, in association with Westwood One. It was streamed at westwoodonesports.com, on TuneIn, and on SiriusXM. Kevin Kugler and John Bishop called all games leading up to the Championship Series with Gary Sharp acting as the field reporter. The Championship Series was called by Kugler and Scott Graham with Bishop acting as field reporter.

Television

ESPN carried every game from the Regionals, Super Regionals, and College World Series across its networks. During the Regionals and Super Regionals ESPN offered a dedicated channel, ESPN Bases Loaded (carried in the same channel allotments as its "Goal Line" services for football), carried live look-ins and analysis across all games in progress.

Broadcast assignments

References
  1. "Baseball Division I Championship". NCAA. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  2. "Team Directory". Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. "DI Baseball Championship moves to 16 seeds". NCAA. October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. "2018 CWS: Full inning of Oregon State's crazy Game 2 comeback vs. Arkansas". NCAA. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  5. "Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  6. "Freshman Kevin Abel pitches Oregon State past Arkansas to win College World Series". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  7. "Oregon State's Adley Rutschman wins 2018 College World Series Most Outstanding Player". ncaa.com. June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  8. "Tar Heels knock out Heimlich early, beat Beavers 8–6 in CWS". Statesman Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  9. "Oregon State's Adley Rutschman wins 2018 College World Series Most Outstanding Player". NCAA.com. June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  10. "ESPN Swings into the 2018 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship with Extensive Regionals Coverage Beginning Friday". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  11. "Showdowns on Deck with NCAA Division I Baseball Super Regionals Set for ESPN". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  12. "Every Game, Every Angle, Every Moment from Omaha and the College World Series on ESPN Networks". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
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