Is Tennessee-Texas A&M first in CWS?
Due to the athletic successes of its members, the universities it has been able to lure from elsewhere and, of course, the media rights deals it has signed, the SEC has been able to establish itself as one of the two most influential and lucrative conferences in college sports in recent years.
This high status was reaffirmed at the 2024 College World Series.
More: Buy College World Series tickets at StubHub
Aided by factors beyond its control—namely, warmer temperatures that allow member programs to play outdoors year-round—and by fan support for baseball and schools’ investments in their baseball programs—the SEC has achieved dominance in the CWS in recent years.
The league has been home to all of the last four national champions, and this year it sent four teams to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete in the event, making up half of the eight-team field. Starting Saturday night, two of its teams, Tennessee and Texas A&M, will compete in the CWS championship series, giving the conference a fifth consecutive national title.
REQUIRED READING: Tennessee’s baseball team could win it all. How do we celebrate when there are no goal posts to tear down?
The SEC is used to having two of its teams compete for the national college football championship. There have been three all-SEC football title games since 2011, starting with Alabama’s yawn-inducing 21-0 victory over LSU in what was then the BCS championship game.
But has this ever happened in baseball? And if so, how often? Here’s a look at the history of SEC teams that have met for the College World Series championship:
REQUIRED READING: Why Texas A&M’s Jim Schlossnagle isn’t surprised by Tony Vitello’s success with Tennessee baseball
All-SEC College World Series Championship History
This year marks the sixth time that two SEC teams have participated in the CWS Championship Series.
In fact, this has already happened three times in the last four years: in 2023, LSU defeated Florida and in 2021, Mississippi State defeated Vanderbilt.
This is a relatively new trend: five of the six pure SEC-CWS championships have taken place since 2011.
Here’s how the previous All-SEC CWS Championships turned out, with results listed as the number of games in the three-game series won by each team:
- 2023: LSU 2, Florida 1
- 2021: Mississippi State 2, Vanderbilt 1
- 2017: Florida 2, LSU 0
- 2011: South Carolina 2, Florida 0
- 1997: LSU 13, Alabama 6*
*The CWS played only one championship game until 2003, when it switched to a best-of-three series format.
REQUIRED READING: Tennessee Baseball announces starting pitcher for College World Series finale against Texas A&M
Conferences with two teams in the CWS Championship
What the SEC has achieved over most of the last 15 years is a rarity in the history of CWS.
How rare exactly?
Aside from the six SEC-only championship games, only twice did two schools from the same conference participate in the CWS championship, both of which were part of the then Pac-10 Conference.
In 1998, USC defeated Arizona State in a 21-14 blowout, and in 1988, Arizona State lost again in the championship game, this time to Stanford 9-4.
Arizona State and USC met three times in the CWS championship from 1972-1978, but each of those meetings occurred when the Sun Devils were in the Western Athletic Conference. Both Arizona and Arizona State moved from the WAC to what would become the Pac-10 before the 1978-79 academic year.
WestJet demands ‘urgent clarity’ from government on strike after 800 flights cancelled
Air Products reaches agreement with striking employees of the cryogenics division
Donald Trump says the former US president could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day if …
About The Author
