Omaha Welcomes College World Series Fans

Thursday marks another year when thousands of college baseball fans will flock to Omaha, Nebraska to attend the final rounds of the Men’s College World Series.

Eight teams, decided from a wider bracket of 64, will be on display in Omaha for a chance at the trophy.

Format

The tournament has come a long way from its inception in 1947, when it was an eight-team tournament played in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, it didn’t expand to 64 teams until 1999.

• Before heading to Omaha in 1950, the tournament’s first-round playoffs were changed to double elimination in 1948. The next year, the tournament moved to Wichita, Kansas, and its final expanded to a four-team, double-elimination format.
• In 1954, it expanded to 23 teams. Between 1954 and 1975, the field size was never the same two years in a row – it bounced between 21 and 32.
• In 1982, the field expanded to 36 teams and settled at 48 teams from 1987-1999.
• From 1988-1998, the eight regional champions were seeded into two four-team brackets, which played double-elimination with the bracket winners meeting in a one-game championship.
• In 2003, the finals became a best-of-three series.

Florida, LSU, Oral Roberts, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Virginia and Wake Forest will compete for the 2023 title.

2023 Changes

This year marks another change.

Instead of having an Opening Ceremony for the public on Thursday, teams will have a private commemoration, reportedly to limit student athlete obligations during the day. However, fans can attend Open Practice throughout the day and attend Fan Fest, which is a free event with activities for all ages. Games begin Friday.

“This new format is the best of both worlds – it allows fans a sneak peek at the teams while still reducing the time commitment for teams just before they begin competing for a national championship,” said Anthony Holman, NCAA managing director of championships.

Location

The tournament will take place at Charles Schwab Field in downtown Omaha, formerly known as TD Ameritrade Park, where the tournament has been held since 2010. The name changed in 2019 after Charles Schwab acquired TD Ameritrade.

From 1950-2010, the tournament was held at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.

Fans can also attend the Omaha Baseball Village, located outside the ballpark, which features vendors and merchandise.

Tickets

Fans can still get tickets for the games. According to TFL, the average ticket price for Friday’s opener between Oral Roberts and TCU is $102.49

Click here to look for tickets.