# 2021 College World Series

The 2021 College World Series was the final stage of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament held from June 19–30 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. This marked the 74th edition of the College World Series and 71st time the event is being held in Omaha, Nebraska, after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The tournament featured eight teams in two double-elimination brackets with the two winners meeting in a best-of-three championship series.

## Background

The 2021 tournament ends the one-year hiatus left by the cancellation of the 2020 tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Originally, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced that attendance at championship events would be restricted for all spring sports, including this year's CWS at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, to 50% due to the ongoing pandemic, meaning just 12,000 spectators per game. However, on May 19, the NCAA announced that public health authorities would be in charge of placing restrictions on the baseball and softball championships. College World Series officials stated that crowds would return to full capacity.

## Participants

| School | Conference | Record (Conf) | Head coach | Super Regional | Previous CWS Appearances | CWS Best Finish | CWS W-L Record |
| NC State | ACC | 35–18 (19–14) | Elliott Avent | Fayetteville | 2 (last: 2013) | 3rd (1968) | 3–4 |
| Stanford | Pac–12 | 38–15 (17–10) | David Esquer | Lubbock | 16 (last: 2008) | 1st (1987, 1988) | 40–29 |
| Arizona | Pac–12 | 45–16 (21–9) | Jay Johnson | Tucson | 17 (last: 2016) | 1st (1976, 1980, 1986, 2012) | 43–30 |
| Vanderbilt | SEC | 45–15 (19–10) | Tim Corbin | Nashville | 4 (last: 2019) | 1st (2014, 2019) | 16–7 |
| Tennessee | SEC | 50–16 (20–10) | Tony Vitello | Knoxville | 4 (last: 2005) | 2nd (1951) | 8–8 |
| Virginia | ACC | 35–25 (18–18) | Brian O'Connor | Columbia | 5 (last: 2015) | 1st (2015) | 12–8 |
| Mississippi State | SEC | 45–16 (20–10) | Chris Lemonis | Starkville | 11 (last: 2019) | 2nd (2013) | 13–22 |
| Texas | Big 12 | 47–15 (17–7) | David Pierce | Austin | 36 (last: 2018) | 1st (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005) | 85–61 |

## Bracket

Seeds listed below indicate national seeds only
| First round | First round | First round | | | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | |
| | NC State | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 4 | | | | NC State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 6 | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 7$^{12}$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 7$^{12}$ | | | | | | | NC State | 1 | – | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | | NC State | 1 | – | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | 4 | Vanderbilt | 3 | – | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 14 | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 3 | – | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 5 | | | 9 | Stanford | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 8 | 2 | 0 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | 13 | 9 | |
| 3 | Tennessee | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | 13 | 9 |
| | Virginia | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Virginia | 6 | | | | Virginia | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 1 | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | 7 | Mississippi State | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | 2 | Texas | 8 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Tennessee | 4 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Texas | 8 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 8 | | | 2 | Texas | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Virginia | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Bracket 1

| June 19, 2021 1:10 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 1 | Stanford | 4–10 | NC State | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,193 |
| June 19, 2021 1:10 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 1 | LP: Brandon Beck (9–2) | Boxscore | WP: Reid Johnston (9–3) Sv: Evan Justice (12) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,193 |
| June 19, 2021 6:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 2 | Vanderbilt | 7–6 (F/12) | Arizona | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,870 |
| June 19, 2021 6:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 2 | WP: Chris McElvain (5–1) | Boxscore | LP: Vince Vannelle (5–3) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,870 |
| June 21, 2021 1:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 5 | Arizona | 5–14 | Stanford | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 19,341 |
| June 21, 2021 1:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 5 | LP: Garrett Irvin (6–3) | Boxscore | WP: Alex Williams (5–2) Sv: Jacob Palisch (2) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 19,341 |
| June 21, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 6 | NC State | 1–0 | Vanderbilt | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,712 |
| June 21, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 6 | WP: Sam Highfill (9–2) Sv: Evan Justice (13) | Boxscore | LP: Jack Leiter (10–4) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,712 |
| June 23, 2021 6:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 9 | Vanderbilt | 6–5 | Stanford | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,804 |
| June 23, 2021 6:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 9 | WP: Luke Murphy (4–1) | Boxscore | LP: Brandon Beck (9–3) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,804 |
| June 25, 2021 2:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 11 | NC State | 1–3 | Vanderbilt | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 20,538 |
| June 25, 2021 2:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 11 | LP: Garrett Payne (0–1) | Boxscore | WP: Kumar Rocker (14–3) Sv: Luke Murphy (9) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 20,538 |
| June 26, 2021 1:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 13 | NC State | WO | Vanderbilt | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha |

## Bracket 2

| June 20, 2021 1:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 3 | Tennessee | 0–6 | Virginia | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,130 |
| June 20, 2021 1:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 3 | LP: Chad Dallas (11–2) | Boxscore | WP: Andrew Abbott (9–6) Sv: Matt Wyatt (1) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,130 |
| June 20, 2021 6:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 4 | Texas | 1–2 | Mississippi State | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,885 |
| June 20, 2021 6:09 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 4 | LP: Ty Madden (7–5) | Boxscore | WP: Will Bednar (8–1) Sv: Landon Sims (11) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,885 |
| June 22, 2021 1:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 7 | Texas | 8–4 | Tennessee | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 19,150 |
| June 22, 2021 1:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 7 | WP: Tanner Witt (5–0) | Boxscore | LP: Sean Hunley (7–5) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 19,150 |
| June 22, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 8 | Virginia | 5–6 | Mississippi State | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,803 |
| June 22, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 8 | LP: Stephen Schoch (4–2) | Boxscore | WP: Cade Smith (3–0) Sv: Landon Sims (12) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 22,803 |
| June 24, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 10 | Virginia | 2–6 | Texas | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,173 |
| June 24, 2021 6:07 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 10 | LP: Matt Wyatt (4–2) | Boxscore | WP: Cole Quintanilla (5–0 Sv: Aaron Nixon (9) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 23,173 |
| June 25, 2021 6:56 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 12 | Mississippi State | 5–8 | Texas | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 24,003 |
| June 25, 2021 6:56 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 12 | LP: Brandon Smith (4–4) | Boxscore | WP: Aaron Nixon (4–3) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 24,003 |
| June 26, 2021 6:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 14 | Mississippi State | 4–3 | Texas | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 21,883 |
| June 26, 2021 6:08 pm CDT (UTC-5) Game 14 | WP: Landon Sims (5–0) | Boxscore | LP: Cole Quintanilla (5–1) | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Attendance: 21,883 |

## Finals
### Game 1

June 28, 2021 6:00 p.m. (CDT) at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Vanderbilt | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| WP: Jack Leiter (11–4) LP: Christian MacLeod (6–6) Sv: Nick Maldonado (9) Home runs: MSU: Kamren James (12) VAN: Jayson Gonzalez (9) Attendance: 24,052 Boxscore |||||||||||||

### Game 2

June 29, 2021 6:00 p.m. (CDT) at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | X | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| WP: Preston Johnson (4–0) LP: Christian Little (3–2) Home runs: VAN: CJ Rodriguez (5), Maxwell Romero Jr. (4) MSU: None Attendance: 24,122 Boxscore |||||||||||||

### Game 3

June 30, 2021 6:00 p.m. (CDT) at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| WP: Will Bednar (9–1) LP: Kumar Rocker (14–4) Sv: Landon Sims (13) Home runs: MSU: Kellum Clark (5), Logan Tanner (15) VAN: None Attendance: 24,052 Boxscore |||||||||||||

### Composite line score

2021 College World Series Finals (2–1): Mississippi State wins.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 31 | 0 |
| Vanderbilt | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
| Home runs: MSU: Kellum Clark (1), Kamren James (1), Logan Tanner (1) VAN: Jayson Gonzalez (1), CJ Rodriguez (1), Maxwell Romero Jr. (1) Total attendance: 72,226  Average attendance: 24,075 |||||||||||||

## All-Tournament Team

The following players were members of the College World Series All-Tournament Team.
| Position | Player | School |
| P | Will Bednar (MOP) | Mississippi State |
| P | Jack Leiter | Vanderbilt |
| C | Logan Tanner | Mississippi State |
| 1B | Luke Hancock | Mississippi State |
| 2B | Tim Tawa | Stanford |
| 3B | Zack Gelof | Virginia |
| SS | Lane Forsythe | Mississippi State |
| OF | Tanner Allen | Mississippi State |
| OF | Brock Jones | Stanford |
| OF | Rowdey Jordan | Mississippi State |
| DH | Ivan Melendez | Texas |