College World Series 2023: Bracket Dates, TV Schedule and Format
The NCAA Men's College World Series kicks off Friday, with the top teams in college baseball seeking the national championship.
The Florida Gators, TCU Horned Frogs, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Virginia Cavaliers, Tennessee Volunteers, LSU Tigers, Stanford Cardinal and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles will compete for recognition as the best in their sport.
When do the teams play, what does the schedule for the hotly anticipated tournament look like and which team bears watching entering the field of play?
Find out with this preview of the 2023 bracket.
Bracket Dates and Television Schedule
June 16
Game 1: Oral Roberts vs. TCU (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2: Virginia vs. Florida (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 17
Game 3: Wake Forest vs. Stanford (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 4: LSU vs. Tennessee (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 18
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (Elimination Game) (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 19
Game 7: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 (Elimination Game) (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 20
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6 (Elimination Game) (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 (Elimination Game) (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 21
Game 11: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9 (2:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 22
Game 13: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9 (2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m., ESPN or ESPN 2) (if necessary)
Game 14: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 (7:00 p.m., ESPN 2) (if necessary)
Men's College World Series Schedule
June 24
Game 1: Bracket Winner 1 vs. Bracket Winner 2 (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 25
Game 2: Bracket Winner 1 vs. Bracket Winner 2 (3:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 26
Game 3: Bracket Winner 1 vs. Bracket Winner 2 (7:00 p.m., ESPN) (if necessary)
Is Oral Roberts the Cinderall Team of this Year's Field?
For the first time since 1978, Oral Roberts University will attempt to win the NCAA Men's College World Series.
It will not be easy for a Division I Summit League Team that has gone 45 years since entering the dance last and does not have the name recognition, star power or prestige of its peers in the 2023 edition.
There are hardly famous alumni, the most notable being 1989 American League All-Star and World Series Champion with the Oakland A's, Mike Moore.
Expectations are low and certainly few expect the Golden Eagles will be competitive with tournament favorites like Wake Forest and Florida.
Yet, despite being the obvious underdog, the team is anything but a Cinderella story. Oral Roberts University is a gritty team that can gut out victories over tough competition and if slept on, will absolutely upset TCU in the first round.
It did just that to Oregon, overcoming an 0-1 series deficit that saw them blow an eight-run lead, to knock off the favorite Ducks with two straight victories.
The team is led by centerfielder Jonah Cox, who has been one of this season's elite hitters. To put into perspective how good he has been, the junior out of Thornton, Colorado has played in 63 games this season and recorded a hit in 62 of them.
Even more impressive is that 47 of those hits have come in a row.
The team can pitch, too, accumulating just a 3.97 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over the course of the season. They have flown under the radar because of the relative obscurity of the Summit League in comparison to the more known conferences but are ready to make fans, analysts and opposing teams recognize just how good they are on the grandest stage college baseball has to offer.
It will not be easy, though, as their fellow unranked team, the Horned Frogs, await.
TCU has been spectacular of late and is capable of roughing up Oral Roberts starter Jakob Hall (3.56 ERA), especially given the fact that the team is averaging 10.6 runs over their last 10 games.
That does not necessarily bode well for an Oral Roberts squad that has only outscored opponents by 11 total points since the start of regionals. If Cox and the offense sputter early, the underdogs may find themselves in an unenviable position of battling back against one of the most explosive offenses in the tournament.
Working to the Golden Eagles' advantage? A college baseball-leading .984 fielding percentage that should help slow, even stymy, the Horned Frogs' offense and keep the game within reach.