In 2022, Point Loma Nazarene University hosted the West Region of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. They ended up going to the D-2 College World Series and finishing as the national runner-up.
This year the Sea Lions are again the #1 seed in the west, meaning they get to host both the West Regional and (if they get by Cal Poly-Pomona and Cal State San Marcos), the Super Regional. For a club that only lost three times at home all year and has won 15 straight at America's Most Scenic Ballpark, that is a heck of a home-field advantage. Sometimes that kind of home dominance can lead to a bit of overconfidence.
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Head coach Justin James says that's not something he has to guard this year's club against.
"I think with past teams I have (had to do that). I just haven't had that vibe with these guys," says James. "Especially the past couple of months. We've been a pretty good team the whole year. So, I haven't felt like they were not being humble or were taking things a little bit easy. I think this is a pretty special group when it comes to that. So I didn't feel like I had to even bring it up."
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That's not to say they're not going to use the yard to their advantage. Carroll B. Land Stadium is one of the country's most unique ballparks for its location, its environment, and how it plays.
"We've got the wind and we know it well. And then, you know, all the fans, all the support that we've gotten this year, it's been great," says starting pitcher Dylan Miller. "So, we're looking to have that in the regional and keep it rolling. It's just it's fun to play here."
A week ago the Sea Lions had to beat Concordia twice in one day to win the PacWest Conference Tournament. They scored 43 runs over the two games, showing the kind of firepower this offense has.
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While another performance like that would be fantastic runs tend to be a little more scarce come NCAA Tourney time. PLNU feels they don't have to be in a slugfest to win.
"We're trained to win kind of any baseball game in any ballpark, in any weather against any pitcher," says James. "So we're able to do some small ball if we have to. If we have to sit back and and try and go for more extra base hits, I feel we can do that as well."
Both of those PacWest wins were come-from-behind victories. The mantra of this program this year is "turn the scoreboard off." It alludes to something you will not find in any other sport.
"It just means there is no clock in baseball. And it's just really true," says outfielder Jack Malone. "I think that's something we buy into, whether we're up big, whether we're down big, we know there's always a chance as long as there's game left. And if we're up big, we're trying to keep extending a lead. And if we're down, we're just trying to chip away."
One of the wonderful things about this game is you can't hold the ball and run out the clock. If you have a strike, you have a chance. That's a mindset PLNU is hoping to ride all the way to Cary, NC and another College World Series appearance.
The West Regional starts on Thursday morning with San Marcos and Pomona meeting at 11:00 am. The loser of that game gets to deal with the hosts at 2:00 pm. Game 3 of the tournament is Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm and the final day will start at 11:00 am on Saturday.
The eight winners of the super regionals head to the MCWS in Omaha. They are split into two double-elimination brackets, consisting of four teams each. The winners of the two MCWS brackets meet in the MCWS Finals, a best-of-three series to decide the NCAA champion.
Similarly to the regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament, the College World Series begins with a double-elimination style format comprised of two four-team brackets. Each team starts the first round with a 0-0 record and could play up to five games in this part of the tournament.
The 2024 NCAA DI baseball tournament concludes in Omaha, Nebraska with the Men's College World Series. Tennessee and Texas A&M will face off in the best-of-three national championship series from June 22-23/24.
The College World Series format features two double-elimination brackets with four teams in each pool. The winners of the two brackets meet in the Finals, a best-of-three series which begins June 22. Tennessee, Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia were in one bracket.
It has been contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy.
There will be a new Men's College World Series champion. The Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies will face off in the 2024 Men's College World Series championship, a best-of-three series that begins Saturday. Both SEC powerhouses are looking for their first NCAA Tournament championship in school history.
Home to the NCAA Division I Men's College World Series and Creighton Bluejays baseball program, Charles Schwab Field Omaha seats 24,000 and features a 360-degree walk-around concourse for a perfect view of the field.
The eight participating teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets, with the winners of each bracket playing in a best-of-three championship series.
Fans looking to attend one of the games will need to be ready to shell out more than $150 per ticket to any of the three days, with prices for Game 1 at a minimum of nearly $300.
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha opened in 2011, and the tournament moved there. In 2021, the stadium was re-branded as Charles Schwab Field. It has a capacity of 24,000 fans but can hold up to 35,000 fans. The NCAA and the CWS signed a contract to keep the College World Series in Omaha through at least 2036.
The NCAA Division I baseball tournament is a 64-team tournament in the spring. After two rounds of play (which each consist of multiple games), there are just eight teams left. These eight teams then head to Omaha, Nebraska, for the Men's College World Series.
USC has won 12 Men's College World Series championships. LSU is alone in second with seven after winning the title in 2023. Texas follows with six. Arizona State has won five.
Several businessmen in Omaha, led by Johnny Rosenblatt, were very instrumental in bringing the College World Series to their town. They saw it as the perfect way to showcase their town to the world, put the event in a centralized location, and bring in revenue for their city.
How does the College World Series work? The eight super regional winners are split into two double-elimination brackets, each with four teams. Bracket 1 includes North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Florida State while Bracket 2 consists of Kentucky, North Carolina State, Texas A&M and Florida.
Within each region, teams were seeded 1 to 4. Additionally, the top 8 teams in the tournament were given "national seeds" and placed in different Super Regionals so no national seeds could meet before the CWS. The 64-team bracket was set at the beginning of the championship and teams are not reseeded for the CWS.
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