When it comes to the last 16 years of the College World Series championship finals, the SEC’s motto of “it just means more” rings true.
And the numbers back it up.
The College World Series dates all the way back to the 1947 season with Tennessee’s lone appearance in the finals (prior to this weekend) coming just a few short years later in 1951. And while the SEC has had a footprint in the tournament finals at varying times throughout its history, the last 16 years have proven to be dominant for the Southeastern Conference.
Since 2008, the SEC has had at least one team in the Men’s College World Series finals except for 2016 and 2020, the latter being canceled altogether due to COVID. Of those 15 eligible seasons, five have included an all-SEC finals including this year’s matchup between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Texas A&M:
- 2024: Tennessee vs Texas A&M
- 2023: LSU def. Florida
- 2021: Mississippi State def. Vanderbilt
- 2017: Florida def. LSU
- 2011: South Carolina def. Florida
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The Southeastern Conference has also claimed nine National Championships since 2009 with South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and LSU each capturing two in that span. Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Florida round out the nine in total. The SEC is guaranteed to get their 10th after this weekend with either Tennessee or Texas A&M continuing the run of five-straight national championships for the conference with five different programs.
In the last 16 seasons, the SEC has accounted for 20 of the 32 teams (62.5%) to compete in the College World Series finals including Tennessee and Texas A&M in 2024. If you were to add Texas and Oklahoma, two programs previously with the Big 12 who will now be with the SEC moving forward, that number would jump up to 22 of 32.
College World Series Finals Since 2008 (SEC Teams in BOLD):
- 2024: Tennessee vs Texas A&M
- 2023: LSU def. Florida
- 2022: Ole Miss def. Oklahoma
- 2021: Mississippi State def. Vanderbilt
- 2020: CANCELED
- 2019: Vanderbilt def. Michigan
- 2018: Oregon State def. Arkansas
- 2017: Florida def. LSU
- 2016: Coastal Carolina def. Arizona
- 2015: Virginia def. Vanderbilt
- 2014: Vanderbilt def. Virginia
- 2013: UCLA def. Mississippi State
- 2012: Arizona def. South Carolina
- 2011: South Carolina def. Florida
- 2010: South Carolina def. UCLA
- 2009: LSU def. Texas
- 2008: Fresno State def. Georgia
No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Texas A&M will square off in a best-of-three series this weekend to determine the top team in the sport. Game 1 will be played on Saturday night while Game 2 is played on Sunday afternoon. If needed, a pivotal and decisive Game 3 will be played on Monday night in Omaha, Neb.
For fans interested in watching the game in Knoxville, Tennessee will be hosting a Watch Party in Vol Village for all three games.
A full schedule for the College World Series finals and Vol Village can be found here.
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One Response
Pitching will offset great hitting teams. Tennessee has more power and higher batting average than Texas. This series could go either way but I am going with the pitching of Texas to pull this out in three games.