What is a Super Regional in NCAA Baseball? Format Explained

Spring has most certainly sprung and summer is just around the corner. This means it's time for the annual College World Series, annually hosted in Omaha as one of the marquee baseball events of the year. Some of the top talents in the baseball world will be on display, and if the past years are any indication, there will be high drama with every team pouring blood, sweat, and tears into their chance to take home a national title.

However, the College World Series is only part of the NCAA baseball tournament each year. Two rounds come before the CWS— the regionals and the Super Regionals. The teams that make it past those first two rounds are considered to be participants in the College World Series and fight for a spot in the CWS final.

The portion of the year-end tournament we examine today is the Super Regionals segment. Here's what you need to know about Super Regionals as the regionals kick off on May 30.

What are Super Regionals?

The Super Regionals are one of the rounds of the College World Series in both baseball and softball. It is effectively the second round of the tournament, coming after the first round of regionals. The teams that qualified for the tournament and emerged victorious from the regional format of double elimination get to play in the Super Regional. There are 16 of those teams every year, which makes the Super Regionals just like the Sweet 16.

The Super Regionals determine which eight teams move on to Omaha to battle for a spot in the final and a national championship.

Super Regional Format

The Super Regional round is a best-of-three format. There will be eight matchups featuring two teams each. Those teams earn a spot in the Super Regional by winning their regional matchups.

The best-of-three format for the Super Regionals is the same as the College World Series final. The regional round and the bracket play stage of the CWS are double elimination.

When are the Super Regionals for the College World Series?

The Super Regionals for the 2025 College World Series are scheduled to kick off on either June 6 or June 7 and will run for three days in total. Should this round of the tournament begin on June 6, it'll run through June 8. If it kicks off on June 7, the last day will be June 9.

Below you'll find a full schedule for the CWS this year, including the Super Regional dates.

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