College Baseball World Series: Fun Facts and Tickets
There is no other sporting event similar to the College Baseball World Series. It’s a showcase of the best amateur talent in baseball, and because it’s a double-elimination tournament, the stakes are high, and the drama is palpable. Even baseball fans who don’t follow baseball closely focus their attention on Omaha every summer. Anyone who’s ever purchased College Baseball World Series tickets has been happy they were able to experience the event in person. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the history of the College Baseball World Series and what makes it an unmissable event.
Before Omaha
Today, the city of Omaha has become synonymous with the College World Series. But that wasn’t always the case. The College World Series began in 1947, with the first two editions played in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1949, Wichita, Kansas, had the honor of hosting the event.
The following year, the College World Series moved 300 miles north to Omaha. The city’s first year of hosting duties in 1950 attracted just 17,805 fans, causing the event to lose money for 10 of the first 12 years it took place in Omaha. However, a group of dedicated fans and businessmen, including Omaha Mayor, Johnny Rosenblatt, created a non-profit foundation called College World Series of Omaha, Inc.
This organization worked closely with the NCAA to keep the College World Series in Omaha, allowing it to thrive and become one of the biggest sporting events in the country year after year.
The Venue
For many years, the College World Series was hosted at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, named for the Mayor who helped keep the CWS in Omaha. However, the tournament is currently held at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, which opened in 2011. During the regular season, the Creighton Bluejays use the stadium as their home field. But when summer arrives, Charles Schwab Field Omaha becomes the host site for the College World Series. The stadium is located in the heart of Omaha, not far from the Missouri River, putting it in a convenient location for the massive amounts of fans who attend the CWS every year. Also, the concourse of the stadium and the area outside of the stadium pay homage to the history of the College World Series, giving fans a great history lesson.
A Presidential Event
Part of the history of the College World Series includes a former president. Technically, George H.W. Bush was still a future president when he played for Yale in the 1948 College World Series. Even though that tournament took place in Kalamazoo, Bush famously played first base for Yale, even serving as the captain of the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, Bush and the Bulldogs lost in the championship round of the 1948 CWS to USC.
Stars of the Future
The 41st President of the United States isn’t the only person whose career track includes a stopover at the College World Series. Legendary players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Dave Winfield played in the CWS during their college days. The list of recipients of the Most Outstanding Player award in the College World Series alone is a who’s who list of future major leaguers. In addition to Winfield, former MOPs of the College World Series include Terry Francona, Phil Kevin, Mark Kotsay, Pat Burrell, Huston Street, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Dansby Swanson.
Frequent Flyers
Of course, while players may only get one chance to play in the College World Series, it’s amazing how many teams make regular appearances in the tournament. Heading into the 2022 CWS, the Texas Longhorns have the most appearances with 37, far more than the Miami Hurricanes, who rank second in all-time appearances with 25. Texas and Miami are just two of the teams that have at least 20 College World Series appearances.
When it comes to winning titles, nobody can touch the USC Trojans, who have won 12 national championships at the CWS. Texas and LSU are next on the list with six College World Series titles each, with Arizona State not far away with four. Naturally, Texas and USC top the list of all-time wins at the CWS with 88 and 74, respectively. USC also ranks third in all-time winning percentage, behind two schools that have made just three combined appearances.
Ticket Info
One of the great features of the College World Series is that there are so many opportunities for fans to see games. Depending on how things play out, in the double-elimination format, there could be as many as 17 games played during the tournament. That’s how long it can take for six of the eight teams to suffer two losses and then the two remaining teams to play a best-of-three series to decide the champion.
During the first six days of the tournament, two games are played each day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. It’s also possible that the seventh day of the tournament will have one or two games. Fans have the option of buying tickets to each individual game they want to attend or buying an all-session pass that will give them access to every single game. Naturally, there are pros and cons to both options. Either way, the options are limitless for baseball fans.