2025 College World Series Predictions: Picking Our ‘Eight For Omaha’ (April 25)

Two weeks after our first ‘Eight for Omaha’ installment, Baseball America is back with a brand new College World Series projection featuring six teams that held onto their spots and two newcomers replacing Clemson and Kansas.

It is important to note that this prediction is accurate to our latest Field of 64, meaning no teams in this installment of Eight for Omaha would face each other in a projected regional or super regional. Teams are listed alphabetically.

Arkansas

• Record: 36-7; 13-5 SEC
• RPI: 5
• Top 25: 7th

Arkansas holds onto its spot this week despite back-to-back series losses to Georgia and Texas A&M thanks to a strong overall body of work. The Razorbacks rank 11th nationally in team ERA and seventh in scoring, showcasing one of the country’s most balanced attacks. They’ll be battle-tested by the time the postseason rolls around, too, after a brutal closing stretch that includes Florida, Texas, LSU and Tennessee. Of note: The last time Arkansas reached Omaha in 2022, it finished 18-12 in SEC play. This year’s team would need to go .500 the rest of the way to surpass that mark.

Florida State

• Record: 30-7; 11-4 ACC
• RPI: 8
• Top 25: 10th

When Florida State cracked our last Eight for Omaha, it ranked just 50th nationally in scoring—but its power profile hinted at more to come. Two weeks later, the Seminoles are up to No. 40 in offense. They’ve paired that surge with a pitching staff that ranks No. 23 in ERA thanks largely to co-aces Jamie Arnold and Joey Volini, who are two of the main competitors for ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. With another complete roster under head coach Link Jarrett, Florida State looks built to do damage deep into June.

LSU

• Record: 34-8; 12-6 SEC
• RPI: 12
• Top 25: 4th

Don’t let LSU’s RPI fool you after a midweek stunner against Northwestern State—the Tigers remain one of the most complete teams in the country. They rank top 15 nationally in team OPS, top 35 in ISO and sixth in SIERA, a reflection of just how dominant their arms have been. LSU’s resume is more than strong enough for another run to Omaha, but it’ll need to avoid further slip-ups like the one against the Demons to stay in the national top seed and Omaha picture.

North Carolina

• Record: 31-9; 13-8 ACC
• RPI: 7
• Top 25: 3rd

One of two newcomers to our latest Eight for Omaha, North Carolina is finally starting to look like the juggernaut it was projected to be. The Tar Heels have gone 10-2 since April 1 while averaging 8.9 runs per game—a massive leap from the 4.9 they scored in the 12 games prior. Star catcher Luke Stevenson leads the team with 13 home runs, followed closely by first baseman Hunter Stokely with 11. On the mound, the rotation has found its groove with Jake Knapp (1.91 ERA in 56.2 innings), Aidan Haugh (3.06 in 50) and Jason DeCaro (4.21 in 51.1). If the Tar Heels can manage a return to Omaha, it would mark their first time with back-to-back trips since they made it four straight years from 2006-09.

Oregon State

• Record: 32-7
• RPI: 9
• Top 25: 6th

Oregon State’s resume is one of the toughest to evaluate in the country. The Beavers are dominating the No. 72-ranked schedule—by far the weakest among our Eight for Omaha—but exactly where to draw the line between expected blowouts and genuinely impressive wins remains unclear. For now, we’re betting on talent. Shortstop Aiva Arquette may be playing his way into top five draft pick territory while Gavin Turley recently broke the school’s career home run record, surpassing 2024 first-overall pick Travis Bazzana. On the mound, Oregon State ranks No. 34 nationally in ERA. A tournament lock with no conference tournament to play, Oregon State won’t really face serious scrutiny again until the lights are brightest, which includes this weekend’s series against rival Oregon.

Tennessee

• Record: 34-7; 12-6 SEC
• RPI: 11
• Top 25: 5th

The Volunteers aren’t necessarily dominating the way they were about a month ago, having now lost two of their last three weekend series with both defeats coming against unranked teams (Texas A&M and Kentucky). Still, there’s no need to worry about Tony Vitello’s winning machine in Knoxville. Tennessee is the only team in the nation that ranks among the top eight in both scoring and ERA. Plus, ace Liam Doyle has recently recaptured his best form, going at least six innings with two or fewer earned runs allowed in his last three starts. BA projected the Volunteers as the No. 5 national seed in our latest Field of 64. They could push higher, though, if they can play largely mistake-free ball the rest of the way.

Texas

• Record: 34-5; 16-2 SEC
• RPI: 1
• Top 25: 1st

With just a pair of conference losses to their name and one weekend left in April, Jim Schlossnagle’s Longhorns are on historic pace, contending to surpass Tennessee and Kentucky’s 22 wins in conference play last year (which preceded a ticket to the College World Series). The road to Omaha is much more daunting for Texas now than it was two weeks ago when we included it in our last prediction, though. Ace lefty Jared Spencer suffered an shoulder injury that will end his season while outfielder Max Belyeu is out for the foreseeable future after having surgery to repair an injured thumb earlier this month. If the Longhorns can weather their injuries, they look built to succeed.

Texas A&M

• Record: 24-16; 8-10 SEC
• RPI: 39
• Top 25: NR

At the risk of sounding like a prisoner of the moment, Texas A&M made our initial Eight for Omaha despite a 3-9 SEC record and underwhelming metrics across the board. Since then, the Aggies have done plenty to justify the faith, winning back-to-back series over South Carolina and then-No. 4 Arkansas to climb to 8-10 in league play. As we noted in the preseason, this is one of the most talented rosters in college baseball. Now that it’s starting to play like it, the Omaha projection feels a lot less bold. The Aggies will have a chance to prove as much even further this weekend when they take on the Longhorns in Austin.