How many teams are there in College World Series? Exploring the seeding format of the MCWS

The eight best college baseball teams in the nation, following a grueling two-round NCAA Division I baseball tournament, troop to Omaha, Nebraska for the Men's College World Series, or the MCWS.

The MCWS is the climax of the entire college baseball season, with the eight teams who conquered the Super Regionals being divided into two brackets. Each bracket will figure in a double-elimination tournament, and the winner of each group will make it to the best-of-three MCWS finals.

Last year, LSU stamped its class in the MCWS, as they bounced back from a second-round setback by winning their next three games to secure a ticket to the finals.

They took care of Florida in the best-of-three finals series, winning 2-1, and be crowned national champions for the seventh time — and the first since 2009.

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How are the MCWS finalists determined?

The eight finalists of the MCWS are determined from Regional and Super Regional tournaments held across the nation.

The 64 teams that qualified for the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament are divided into 16 groups of four teams where the top seeds of each group host the regional tournament. The 16 national seeds hosting the regionals are announced during each Selection Show.

The regional tournament is a double-elimination affair, where the 16 regional winners qualify for the best-of-three Super Regionals. The winners of the Super Regionals are the finalists for the MCWS.

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How is the 2023 MCWS played?

LSU pitcher Paul Skenes was adjudged the MCWS Most Outstanding Player.

Last season, eight of the best teams in the nation converged at the Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, for the 76th edition of the Men's College World Series.

The field is composed of six-time champions LSU, 2017 MCWS winner Florida, 2015 national champions Virginia, former MCWS winner Wake Forest, two-time champions Stanford, 1951 MCWS titlists Tennessee, four-time champs TCU and 1978 winner Oral Roberts.

The eight teams were divided into two brackets, with the first bracket consisting of TCU, Oral Roberts, Virginia and No. 2 seed Florida. The second bracket, meanwhile, is made up of top-seed Wake Forest, Stanford, LSU and Tennessee.

In the upper bracket, Oral Roberts beat TCU, 6-5, and Florida edged Virginia by the same score. TCU then eliminated Virginia, 4-3. Meanwhile, in the lower bracket, Wake Forest outclassed Stanford, 3-2, while LSU beat Tennessee 6-3. Tennessee then eliminated Stanford, 6-4.

In the second roound, Florida nipped Oral Roberts, 5-4, before Oral Roberts was eliminated by TCU, 6-1. Wake Forest outplayed LSU, 3-2, but the Tigers bounced back and beat Tennessee 5-0, setting up a semifinal showdown with the Demon Deacons.

In the semifinal, the Gators, who had the twice-to-beat edge, defeated TCU 3-2 to make it to the final, while LSU beat Wake Forest twice to arrange the best-of-three clash with Florida.

The Tigers won the opener 4-3 before the Gators forced a decider with a 24-4 mauling. In the winner-take-all duel, LSU bamboozled Florida with a barrage of runs to win their seventh national title with an 18-4 demolition.

Paul Skenes was adjudged the Most Outstanding Player in the MCWS, while pitcher Ty Floyd, catcher BT Riopelle, first baseman Tre' Morgan, second baseman Gavin Dugas, third baseman Tommy White, shortstop Josh Rivera, designated hitter Cade Beloso and outfielders Dylan Crews, Ty Evans and Wyatt Langford were included in the All-Tournament Team.