The college baseball season has officially reached the halfway point, a stage where teams begin to solidify their spot in conference standings and postseason conversations begin to ramp up or plunge depending on the program in question.
This includes discussions about every team's end goal: making the Men’s College World Series and being one of the eight teams to compete at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, NE.
To prepare for the many debates to come, let’s take a look at eight teams most ready for the MCWS, and an honorable mention.
Before looking at the group, here's a list of how many teams each conference has sent to the MCWS in the last five and 10 years with at least one appearance.
| Conference | MCWS teams in last 10 years | MCWS TEAMS IN lAST 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 31 | 18 |
| ACC | 18 | 11 |
| Big 12 | 15 | 5 |
| Pac-12 | 8 | 4 |
| Big West | 4 | 0 |
| Big Ten | 1 | 1 |
| Summit League | 1 | 1 |
| American | 1 | 0 |
| Big South | 1 | 0 |
Arkansas
There’s a short list of teams that have looked flawless up to this point in the season, and Arkansas is one of them. There might not be a chink in their armor.
The Razorbacks jumped out to its best 34-game start in program history, and are one of two teams in the country that rank in the top ten in batting average (.335) and ERA (3.52). This dominance was on display against Missouri to start April, checking off their third-straight sweep with a combined score of 51-9 over three games — the highest-scoring weekend in SEC play in program history.
They went 5-1 against Omaha hopefuls in Ole Miss and Vanderbilt and have stars from top to bottom of their lineup. Where do we start? Junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, who made the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, or junior left-handed ace Zach Root, who was named SEC Pitcher of the Week at the end of March.
Arkansas was in a dogfight during its first game of the season, struggling to get the bats going at home against Washington State. They eventually escaped in the tenth on a walk-off sac fly, and they haven’t looked back since.
WEEK 8 RANKINGS: Arkansas moves to No. 1 in college baseball Power 10 rankings
Florida State
Talent is the difference maker for Florida State. The Seminoles feature two of the best starters in the conference, arguably in the country, and advertise a batting lineup that can back them up.
Left-handers redshirt junior Joey Volini and junior Jamie Arnold are the one-two punch FSU hangs its hat on. Volini has seven wins and two complete games under his belt and held a 1.25 ERA before a rough outing against Wake Forest on April 5. Arnold was D1baseball’s preseason Pitcher of the Year and has held opponents to a .178 batting average. Two lefties with ‘J’ names on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, the writing was on the wall.
Jamie Arnold's stuff was as-advertised for , 92-95 mph fastball touched 96, sat 92-94 during 4.2 IP, his 85-86 mph slider isn't fair, tunnels so well with his heater, also threw an 86-87 changeup and what I'm told is an 88 mph splitter
— Patrick Ebert (@PatrickEbert44)
2 of his 4 Ks ⤵️
Junior shortstop Alex Lodise is one of the best hitters in the nation, batting .448, and is on a short list of players with 60-plus hits. The co-captain is joined at the top of the order by juniors center fielder Max Williams, the team leader in home runs with 14, and right fielder Gage Harrelson, who holds the second-best (.366) and second-most hits (49).
The Seminoles hold the longest streak of MCWS appearances (24) without a championship in college baseball. Another trip to Omaha promises another opportunity to break that curse, and they have the manpower to do it.
LSU
Arkansas was the first team mentioned to rank top ten nationally in batting average and ERA, and it’s time to meet the second: LSU.
The Tigers have the sixth-best batting average (.328) and seventh in ERA (3.40) to complement the program’s strongest start to a season since 2013, and they have the feel of the championship teams of the past.
They have a collection of strong arms headlined by a bonafide ace in sophomore lefty Kade Anderson, who threw a complete game against Oklahoma. The lineup is smothered with veteran bats like juniors first baseman Jared Jones and second baseman Daniel Dickinson but has a star freshman outfielder in Derek Curiel at the top of the order.
LSU steamrolled through an Oklahoma team with a strong rotation at the start of April, and two of their three losses on the season were to Texas — a team they could meet again in MCWS.
BYE, BYE BASKETBALL: Catching up on college baseball, now that March Madness is over
Georgia Tech
The Yellowjackets haven’t reached the MCWS since 2006, but they are making a case for a return this season.
Their bats do most of the talking, producing the second-best batting average (.342) in the nation. Seven players are hitting over .300 with at-least 80 at-bats, and junior shortstop Kyle Lodise and sophomore infielder Drew Burress rank in the ACC’s top five in home runs.
Georgia Tech has won by run-rule in nine of its 26 wins, including Clemson, Notre Dame and Stanford.
Scoring hasn’t been an issue for GT and with the third-best pitching staff in the conference headlined by graduate right-hander Mason Patel, who holds a 1.42 ERA, the Yellowjackets have the tools to snap their 19-year drought.
Tennessee
In 2024, Tennessee became the first No. 1 overall seed to win the MCWS since 1999, and they haven’t taken their foot off the gas yet.
The Volunteers have wreaked havoc on every ranked opponent they’ve laid eyes on, and are 20-1 against out-of-conference foes. They have the third-best ERA (3.07) in the country with two combined no-hitters and arguably the strongest one-two punch in the country behind junior starters lefty Liam Doyle and right-hander Marcus Phillips.
The team hit its first speed bump of the season at the start of April, losing a series to Texas A&M 2-1. However, they were without junior infielder Gavin Kilen, one of the best hitters in America, who’s been dealing with a hamstring injury.
Another trip to Omaha would mark the program’s fourth appearance in the last five years, and they would have the chance to become the first team since South Carolina in 2010-11 to win back-to-back titles.
If Tennessee fans haven’t looked at flight and hotel prices already, now is the perfect time.
BYE, BYE BASKETBALL: Catching up on college baseball, now that March Madness is over
Oregon State
Oregon State’s already proven to be a threat in postseason, even without a conference they can call home.
The Beavers haven’t lost a series yet, most recently taking down another Omaha hopeful in UC Irvine 2-1. And it doesn’t hurt that their lineup is filled with multiple 2025 MLB Draft top prospects, specifically junior shortstop Aiva Arquette who’s batting .342 with nine home runs, eight doubles while captaining the infield.
Checking in on Aiva Arquette, MLB's No. 7 Draft prospect in the 2025 class:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline)
1st inning: Solo homer
5th inning: RBI single
7th inning: RBI double
8th inning: 3-run homer
(📹: )
After the Pac-12’s funeral, Oregon State fell into a similar shoe as Notre Dame football — independent, but a strong team that needs to be in the postseason. They have a top 15 RPI in the nation currently.
The Beavers haven’t stepped foot in Omaha since the Adley Rutschman days in 2017 and 2018, but now they’ve reloaded with new stars, a trip back may be inevitable.
Texas
The Longhorns haven’t batted an eye yet in its new conference, kicking butt and taking names like clockwork. They’ve won series against top five ranked teams in LSU and Georgia, and have 12 comeback victories stamped next to their name.
Texas has bagged SEC and national honors and put together its best 30-game start since 2004 behind the conference’s top ERA at 3.03. Four players are hitting over .300, and the offense has averaged 7.2 runs in its 11 conference wins.
The SEC is head-and-shoulders tougher than any other conference this year, considering six of the top seven ranked teams come from it.
It’s the closest preview to the competition level of the Ƶ tournament, and with the Longhorns success, there’s no question that they’d fit right in at the MCWS.
Arizona State
The Sun Devils might be the biggest wildcard on the list, showing promise at times, yet is the only team with more than 10 losses.
Arizona State has some of the most talented hitters in the Big 12 and possibly the country. The team is batting .316 and leads the conference in doubles (87) and has the second-most hits (360). Six players are hitting over .300, and that doesn’t include junior star right fielder Kien Vu, who missed 10 games due to an ankle injury.
The pitching staff has been the biggest question, junior left-hander Ben Jacobs has given up at least three runs in six of eight outings while senior right-hander Jack Martinez has done it in five.
Granted, there’s no question that Jacobs and Martinez are special. The former solidified himself as the team’s ace last season and Martinez’s transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette meant the Sun Devils might have a dynamic duo on their hands, they just haven’t found that consistency yet.
If Arizona State’s rotation can find consistency, what’s stopping them from Omaha.
Honorable mention: Georgia
The Bashin’ Bulldogs have terrorized nearly each pitching staff they’ve faced, currently leading the country in home runs with 92 through 35 games — 10 more than second-place Tennessee.
They’ve averaged 2.63 homers per game, just 0.05 less than the 1997 LSU team that holds the DI single-season record with 188 in 70 games.
What else is special about that team? They won the 1997 MCWS.
