The SEC’s dominance in basketball season has carried onto the baseball diamond.
The conference, which has a historically strong reputation for baseball, batted .500 on Sunday, after eight of the 16 regional host sites for the NCAA baseball tournament were awarded to its schools. The number ties the conference’s own record, which was set in 2023.
Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Vanderbilt will each open regional play in their own ballparks. In total, the SEC got 13 of its 16 members into the tournament with Mississippi State, Auburn, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Florida all receiving at-large bids.
The Atlantic Coast Conference had three teams selected as hosts.
The SEC has won the past five College World Series, dating back to 2019 with Vanderbilt before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 season. The past three World Series finals have pitted two SEC schools against each other with Tennessee defeating Texas A&M for the 2024 title. Oklahoma made the 2022 title game as a member of the Big 12, before joining the SEC in 2024.
In March, the SEC set a record for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, getting 14 schools in the Big Dance. The previous record was 11 by the Big East in 2011.
Baseball programs traditionally don’t make money for their schools, but a few SEC members do, as most SEC schools are in states that lack major league teams. LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt are among the top revenue generators in baseball with five- to six-figure profits. This year’s College World Series is the last before the House v. NCAA settlement likely gets approved, which will lead to revenue sharing in college sports. Non-revenue sports such as baseball will likely be impacted, which could impact their future success.
The College World Series will begin on June 13 in Omaha, Neb.
