# 1997 NCAA Division I baseball season

The 1997 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), began in the spring of 1997. It concluded with the 1997 College World Series, the 51st, a double-elimination tournament of eight regional champions held in Omaha, Nebraska, at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. LSU claimed its second consecutive and fourth total Division I championship.

## Realignment

* The Big Eight Conference merged with four members of the Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech) to form the Big 12 Conference.

### Format changes

* The Big West Conference divided into two divisions of four, called Northern and Southern.

## Conference winners

This is a list of conference champions from the 1997 season. The NCAA sponsored regional competitions to determine the College World Series participants. Each of the eight regionals consisted of six teams competing in double-elimination tournaments, with the winners advancing to Omaha. In order to provide all conference champions with an automatic bid, 10 conference champions participated in a play-in round. The five winners joined the other 19 conference champions with automatic bids, and 32 other teams earned at-large selections.
| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference Tournament | Tournament Venue • City | Tournament Winner |
| America East Conference | Delaware | 1997 America East Conference baseball tournament | Frawley Stadium • Wilmington, DE | Northeastern |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | East - UMass West - Xavier | 1997 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament | Bear Stadium • Boyertown, PA | Virginia Tech |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Georgia Tech | 1997 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament | Florida Power Park • St. Petersburg, FL | Florida State |
| Big 12 Conference | Texas Tech | 1997 Big 12 Conference baseball tournament | All Sports Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | Oklahoma |
| Big East Conference | American - West Virginia National - Notre Dame | 1997 Big East Conference baseball tournament | Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium • Norwich, CT | St. John's |
| Big South Conference | UNC Greensboro | 1997 Big South Conference baseball tournament | Knights Stadium • Fort Mill, SC | UNC Greensboro |
| Big Ten Conference | Michigan | 1997 Big Ten Conference baseball tournament | Ray Fisher Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | Ohio State |
| Big West Conference | Northern - Nevada Southern - Long Beach State | 1997 Big West Conference baseball tournament | Blair Field • Long Beach, CA | Cal State Fullerton |
| Colonial Athletic Association | VCU | 1997 Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament | Grainger Stadium • Kinston, NC | Richmond |
| Conference USA | Tulane | 1997 Conference USA baseball tournament | Turchin Stadium • New Orleans, LA | Houston |
| Ivy League | Gehrig - Princeton Rolfe - Harvard | 1997 Ivy League Baseball Championship Series | Joseph J. O'Donnell Field • Cambridge, MA | Harvard |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Northern - Niagara Southern - Fairfield | 1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Heritage Park • Colonie, NY | Siena |
| Mid-American Conference | Ohio | 1997 Mid-American Conference baseball tournament | Trautwein Field • Athens, OH | Ohio |
| Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Wright State | 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference baseball tournament | Dayton, OH | Detroit |
| Mid-Continent Conference | Eastern - Troy State Western - Northeastern Illinois | 1997 Mid-Continent Conference baseball tournament | Les Miller Field • Chicago, IL | Troy State |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North - Howard South - Florida A&M | 1997 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Moore–Kittles Field • Tallahassee, FL | Bethune-Cookman |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Wichita State | 1997 Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament | Eck Stadium • Wichita, KS | Southwest Missouri State |
| Northeast Conference | Marist/Fairleigh Dickinson | 1997 Northeast Conference baseball tournament | Sussex, NJ | Marist |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Middle Tennessee/Tennessee Tech | 1997 Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament | Reese Smith Jr. Field • Murfreesboro, TN | Tennessee Tech |
| Pacific-10 Conference | North - Washington South - Stanford | 1997 Pacific-10 Conference Baseball Championship Series | Sunken Diamond • Stanford, CA | Washington |
| Patriot League | Army | 1997 Patriot League baseball tournament | Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field • West Point, NY | Army |
| Southeastern Conference | Eastern - Florida Western - LSU | 1997 Southeastern Conference baseball tournament | Golden Park • Columbus, GA | Alabama |
| Southern Conference | Western Carolina Georgia Southern | 1997 Southern Conference baseball tournament | Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park • Charleston, SC | Western Carolina |
| Southland Conference | Louisiana - Northwestern State Texas - Southwest Texas State | 1997 Southland Conference baseball tournament | Warhawk Field • Monroe, LA | Southwest Texas State |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | East - Alcorn State West - Southern | 1997 Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Kirsch-Rooney Stadium • New Orleans, LA | Southern |
| Sun Belt Conference | Southwestern Louisiana | 1997 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament | M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field • Lafayette, LA | South Alabama |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Eastern - Mercer Southern - Stetson Western - Jacksonville State | 1997 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Conrad Park • DeLand, FL | UCF |
| West Coast Conference | Santa Clara | No tournament | No tournament | No tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | North - Utah South - Rice West - San Jose State | 1997 Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament | Smith Field • San Diego, CA | Rice |

## Conference standings

The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:
1997 America East Conference baseball standings :
| 1997 America East Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Delaware ‍†‍‍ 19–3 .86445–10 .818 Maine ‍‍‍ 16–8 .66724–27 .471 Vermont ‍‍‍ 15–9 .62527–19 .587 Drexel ‍‍‍ 13–10 .56528–22 .560 Northeastern ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 12–12 .50033–19 .635 Towson State ‍‍‍ 9–14 .39124–28 .462 Hartford ‍‍‍ 7–16 .30416–23 .410 Hofstra ‍‍‍ 7–16 .30414–28 .333 New Hampshire ‍‍‍ 7–17 .29217–22 .436 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Georgia Tech ‍†‍‍$^y$ 19–4 .82646–15 .754 No. 9 Florida State ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 18–6 .75050–17 .746 No. 23 NC State ‍‍‍$^y$ 15–8 .65243–20 .683 Clemson ‍‍‍$^y$ 13–10 .56541–23 .641 Wake Forest ‍‍‍ 10–13 .43537–20 .649 Virginia ‍‍‍ 10–13 .43532–22 .593 Duke ‍‍‍ 9–14 .39133–25 .569 North Carolina ‍‍‍ 6–18 .25029–31 .483 Maryland ‍‍‍ 5–19 .20822–32 .407 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Big 12 Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Tech ‍†‍‍$^y$ 23–7 .76746–14 .767 No. 12 Oklahoma State ‍‍‍$^y$ 21–9 .70046–19 .708 No. 26 Texas A&M ‍‍‍$^y$ 19–11 .63339–22 .639 No. 17 Oklahoma ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 18–11 .62139–20 .661 Baylor ‍‍‍ 18–12 .60032–23 .582 Missouri ‍‍‍ 15–16 .48431–27 .534 Texas ‍‍‍ 12–15 .44429–22 .569 Kansas ‍‍‍ 12–18 .40031–25 .554 Kansas State ‍‍‍ 10–20 .33332–24 .571 Nebraska ‍‍‍ 7–23 .23327–35 .435 Iowa State ‍‍‍ 6–21 .22212–31 .279 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1997 Big East Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT American Division West Virginia $^x$‍‍‍ 17–7–0 .70836–19–0 .655 St. John's ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 16–7–0 .69635–17–0 .673 Connecticut ‍‍‍ 11–13–0 .45827–20–0 .574 Providence ‍‍‍ 10–15–0 .40026–23–1 .530 Boston College ‍‍‍ 8–17–0 .32020–23–0 .465 Pittsburgh ‍‍‍ 8–17–0 .32019–26–0 .422 National Division Notre Dame $^x$‍‍‍ 15–6–0 .71441–19–0 .683 Rutgers ‍‍‍ 13–11–0 .54228–24–0 .538 Seton Hall ‍‍‍ 13–11–0 .54232–22–0 .593 Villanova ‍‍‍ 12–12–0 .50029–27–0 .518 Georgetown ‍‍‍ 8–15–0 .34819–37–1 .342 x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Big South Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT No. 28 UNC Greensboro ‍†‍‡‍$^y$ 18–3–0 .85745–17–0 .726 Winthrop ‍‍‍ 14–7–0 .66727–29–1 .482 Charleston Southern ‍‍‍ 12–8–0 .60021–36–0 .368 Liberty ‍‍‍ 11–10–0 .52425–32–0 .439 UNC Asheville ‍‍‍ 9–11–0 .45020–33–0 .377 Radford ‍‍‍ 9–12–0 .42926–28–0 .481 UMBC ‍‍‍ 5–16–0 .23812–35–0 .255 Coastal Carolina ‍‍‍ 5–16–0 .23823–31–0 .426 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Big Ten Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Michigan ‍†‍‍ 17–9 .65436–22 .621 No. 30 Ohio State ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 18–10 .64342–18 .700 Purdue ‍‍‍ 17–11 .60730–25 .545 Illinois ‍‍‍ 17–11 .60732–27 .542 Minnesota ‍‍‍ 15–10 .60030–24 .556 Penn State ‍‍‍ 12–14 .46229–24 .547 Michigan State ‍‍‍ 12–16 .42926–28 .481 Indiana ‍‍‍ 8–16 .33333–22 .600 Northwestern ‍‍‍ 9–19 .32120–35 .364 Iowa ‍‍‍ 7–16 .30417–30 .362 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1997 Big West Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern Nevada $^x$‍‍‍ 20–10 .66739–21 .650 Pacific ‍‍‍ 11–19 .36729–29 .500 Sacramento State ‍‍‍ 8–22 .26716–39 .291 New Mexico State ‍‍‍ 8–22 .26721–33 .389 Southern No. 24 Long Beach State $^x$‍‍‍ 22–8 .73339–26 .600 No. 21 Cal State Fullerton ‍‍‍ 21–9 .70039–24 .619 Cal Poly ‍‍‍ 15–15 .50037–21 .638 UC Santa Barbara ‍‍‍ 15–15 .50026–30 .464 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the 1997 NCAA Division I baseball tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Colonial Athletic Association baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT VCU ‍†‍‍ 15–4 .78932–23 .582 Old Dominion ‍‍‍ 12–8 .60034–20 .630 James Madison ‍‍‍ 10–10 .50031–26 .544 George Mason ‍‍‍ 10–11 .47629–24 .547 East Carolina ‍‍‍ 10–11 .47629–27 .518 William & Mary ‍‍‍ 8–12 .40030–24 .556 Richmond ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 8–12 .40034–26 .567 UNC Wilmington ‍‍‍ 7–12 .36828–29 .491 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Conference USA baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Tulane ‍†‍‍ 19–7 .73140–21 .656 Houston ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 19–8 .70440–23 .635 South Florida ‍‍‍$^y$ 18–8 .69239–24 .619 Southern Miss ‍‍‍ 16–10 .61534–23 .596 Charlotte ‍‍‍ 14–12 .53830–26 .536 UAB ‍‍‍ 14–13 .51931–29 .517 Louisville ‍‍‍ 11–15 .42323–32 .418 Memphis ‍‍‍ 9–17 .34620–31 .392 Saint Louis ‍‍‍ 8–19 .29621–30 .412 Cincinnati ‍‍‍ 4–23 .14812–46 .207 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1997 NCAA Division I baseball independents standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Miami (FL) ‍‍‍$^y$ – –51–18 .739 Cal State Northridge ‍‍‍ – –42–20 .677 Oral Roberts ‍‍‍ – –26–30 .464 Hawaii–Hilo ‍‍‍ – –13–34 .277 Wofford ‍‍‍ – –13–34 .277 Southern Utah ‍‍‍ – –8–37 .178 y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Ivy League baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT Lou Gehrig Princeton $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 10–10–0 .50020–25–0 .444 Penn $^x$‍‍‍ 10–10–0 .50019–21–0 .475 Cornell ‍‍‍ 7–13–0 .35013–26–0 .333 Columbia ‍‍‍ 6–14–0 .30012–25–1 .329 Red Rolfe Harvard $^x$‍‍‍ 18–2–0 .90034–16–0 .680 Yale ‍‍‍ 16–4–0 .80024–19–0 .558 Dartmouth ‍‍‍ 11–9–0 .55022–16–0 .579 Brown ‍‍‍ 2–18–0 .1005–37–0 .119 x – Division champion ‡ – Championship Series champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern Niagara $^x$‍‍‍ 11–7 .61117–21 .447 Siena ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 10–8 .55621–34 .382 Le Moyne ‍‍‍ 10–8 .55616–23 .410 Canisius ‍‍‍ 5–13 .27818–19 .486 Southern Fairfield $^x$‍‍‍ 13–5 .72220–25 .444 Iona ‍‍‍ 10–8 .55619–27 .413 Saint Peter's ‍‍‍ 7–11 .38910–27 .270 Manhattan ‍‍‍ 6–12 .33311–28 .282 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1997 Mid-American Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Ohio ‍†‍‡‍$^y$ 22–9 .71043–18 .705 Ball State ‍‍‍ 21–10 .67740–19 .678 Kent State ‍‍‍ 18–13 .58129–28 .509 Miami ‍‍‍ 17–13 .56727–28 .491 Eastern Michigan ‍‍‍ 17–14 .54829–25 .537 Central Michigan ‍‍‍ 14–14 .50029–20 .592 Akron ‍‍‍ 31–23 .57414–16 .467 Bowling Green ‍‍‍ 13–17 .43324–27 .471 Toledo ‍‍‍ 9–20 .31018–33 .353 Western Michigan ‍‍‍ 6–24 .20014–39 .264 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Mid-Continent Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Troy State $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 8–6 .57136–24 .600 C.W. Post ‍‍‍ 8–7 .53321–24 .467 NYIT ‍‍‍ 9–8 .52921–25 .457 Pace ‍‍‍ 6–6 .50019–18 .514 Central Connecticut ‍‍‍ 7–8 .46720–16 .556 Youngstown State ‍‍‍ 8–11 .42129–21 .580 West Northeastern Illinois $^x$‍‍‍ 16–7 .69629–29 .500 Western Illinois ‍‍‍ 10–9 .52613–24 .351 Chicago State ‍‍‍ 10–12 .45514–35 .286 Valparaiso ‍‍‍ 6–24 .20020–31 .392 ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Northeast Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT Marist ‍†‍‡‍$^y$ 14–7–0 .66732–19–0 .627 Fairleigh Dickinson ‍†‍‍ 14–7–0 .66723–24–1 .490 Wagner ‍‍‍ 12–9–0 .57117–29–2 .375 Rider ‍‍‍ 12–9–0 .57120–29–0 .408 Monmouth ‍‍‍ 11–10–0 .52423–25–0 .479 Long Island ‍‍‍ 10–11–0 .47617–21–0 .447 St. Francis ‍‍‍ 6–15–0 .28615–24–0 .385 Mount St. Mary's ‍‍‍ 5–16–0 .23810–23–1 .309 † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |
| 1997 Pacific-10 Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northern No. 15 Washington $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 20–4 .83346–20 .697 Oregon State ‍‍‍ 18–6 .75038–12 .760 Washington State ‍‍‍ 7–17 .29213–42 .236 Portland State ‍‍‍ 3–21 .12510–43 .189 Southern No. 4 Stanford $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 21–9 .70045–20 .692 No. 8 UCLA ‍‍‍$^y$ 19–11 .63345–21 .682 No. 13 Southern California ‍‍‍$^y$ 17–13 .56742–20 .677 No. 14 Arizona State ‍‍‍$^y$ 16–14 .53339–22 .639 Arizona ‍‍‍ 13–17 .43332–26 .552 California ‍‍‍ 4–26 .13321–38 .356 x – Division champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Patriot League baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT Army ‍†‍‡‍ 15–5–0 .75026–20–1 .564 Navy ‍‍‍ 12–6–0 .66719–27–0 .413 Bucknell ‍‍‍ 10–10–0 .50025–24–1 .510 Lehigh ‍‍‍ 9–11–0 .45018–24–1 .430 Lafayette ‍‍‍ 7–12–0 .36811–26–0 .297 Holy Cross ‍‍‍ 5–14–0 .26311–25–0 .306 ‡ – Tournament champion As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Southeastern Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Eastern No. 16 Florida $^x$‍‍‍ 17–13 .56740–24 .625 No. 25 Tennessee $^x$‍‍‍ 17–13 .56742–19 .689 Vanderbilt ‍‍‍ 14–16 .46731–24 .564 South Carolina ‍‍‍ 13–17 .43333–24 .579 Kentucky ‍‍‍ 10–20 .33320–34 .370 Georgia ‍‍‍ 8–22 .26728–27 .509 Western No. 1 LSU $^x$‍†‍‍ 22–7 .75957–13 .814 No. 2 Alabama ‍‍‡‍ 20–9 .69056–14 .800 No. 7 Mississippi State ‍‍‍ 19–11 .63347–21 .691 No. 6 Auburn ‍‍‍ 17–12 .58650–17 .746 Arkansas ‍‍‍ 15–14 .51736–20 .643 Ole Miss ‍‍‍ 6–24 .20022–31 .415 x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion Rankings from Baseball America |
| 1997 Southern Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Carolina ‍†‍‡‍$^y$ 18–6 .75042–20 .677 Georgia Southern ‍†‍‍ 18–6 .75034–26 .567 The Citadel ‍‍‍ 16–7 .69637–21 .638 Furman ‍‍‍ 13–11 .54229–23 .558 East Tennessee State ‍‍‍ 11–11 .50021–24 .467 Davidson ‍‍‍ 8–15 .34818–34 .346 Appalachian State ‍‍‍ 8–16 .33316–32 .333 VMI ‍‍‍ 6–13 .31613–35 .271 Marshall ‍‍‍ 4–17 .1907–39 .152 † – Conference champion ‡ – SoCon Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Southland Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT Louisiana Northwestern State $^x$‍‍‍ 19–9–0 .67935–22–0 .614 Northeast Louisianae ‍‍‍ 17–11–0 .60733–21–0 .611 McNeese State ‍‍‍ 11–19–0 .36719–31–1 .382 Nicholls State ‍‍‍ 9–19–0 .32119–35–0 .352 Texas Southwest Texas State $^x$‍‍‡‍$^y$ 18–11–0 .62138–26–0 .594 Sam Houston State ‍‍‍ 17–11–0 .60736–27–0 .571 Texas–Arlington ‍‍‍ 12–17–0 .41422–35–0 .386 Texas–San Antonio ‍‍‍ 12–18–0 .40020–36–0 .357 x – Division champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball | 1997 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT South Stetson $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 10–8–0 .55637–26–1 .586 FIU $^x$‍‍‍$^y$ 10–8–0 .55642–21–0 .667 Florida Atlantic ‍‍‍ 8–9–0 .47132–24–0 .571 UCF ‍‍‡‍$^y$ 7–10–0 .41240–24–0 .625 East Mercer $^x$‍‍‍ 12–6–0 .66736–23–0 .610 Georgia State ‍‍‍ 10–8–0 .55623–30–0 .434 Campbell ‍‍‍ 7–11–0 .38917–40–0 .298 College of Charleston ‍‍‍ 7–11–0 .38925–29–1 .464 West Jacksonville State $^x$‍†‍‍ 14–4–0 .77839–13–0 .750 Southeastern Louisiana ‍‍‍ 11–7–0 .61134–24–0 .586 Samford ‍‍‍ 8–10–0 .44431–29–0 .517 Centenary ‍‍‍ 3–15–0 .16711–39–0 .220 x – Division champion † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1997 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball |

## College World Series

The 1997 season marked the fifty first NCAA baseball tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with LSU claiming their fourth championship with a 13–6 win over Alabama in the final.

### Bracket

| First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Alabama | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1 | Alabama | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Miami (FL) | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | UCLA | 3 | 5 | Miami (FL) | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 7 | | | | 5 | Miami (FL) | 6 | 2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | Alabama | 8 | 8 | | | | | |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 7 | | | | | | | | 1 | Alabama | 8 | 8 | | | | |
| 4 | UCLA | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | UCLA | 5 | 1 | Alabama | 9 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Mississippi State | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Alabama | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | LSU | 13 |
| 2 | LSU | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | LSU | 13 |
| 7 | Rice | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Rice | 4 | 2 | LSU | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Stanford | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Stanford | 8 | 3 | Stanford | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Auburn | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Auburn | 3 | | | | 2 | LSU | 13 | — | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Stanford | 9 | — | | | | | |
| 7 | Rice | 1 | | | | | | | | 3 | Stanford | 9 | — | | | | |
| 6 | Auburn | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Auburn | 10 | 3 | Stanford | 11 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Auburn | 4 | | | | | | | | | |

## Coaching changes

This table lists programs that changed head coaches at any point from the first day of the 1997 season until the day before the first day of the 1998 season.
| Team | Former coach | New coach | Reason |
| Coppin State | Jason Booker | Paul Blair | |
| East Carolina | Gary Overton | Keith LeClair | |
| Hartford | Jim Bretz | Bob Nenna | |
| Iowa | Duane Banks | Scott Broghamer | Banks retired after 28 seasons following 10th-place Big Ten finish in 1997. |
| James Madison | Kevin Anderson | Spanky McFarland | |
| La Salle | Frank DiMichele | Larry Conti | |
| Liberty | Johnny Hunton | Dave Pastors | |
| McNeese State | Jim Ricklefsen | Mike Bianco | |
| Mississippi State | Ron Polk | Pat McMahon | Polk retired following 1997 CWS appearance. |
| Mount St. Mary's | Ray Ruffing | Scott Thomson | |
| Nebraska | John Sanders | Dave van Horn | Sanders fired after 20 seasons following 10th-place Big 12 finish in 1997. |
| Northern Illinois | Spanky McFarland | Frank Del Medico | McFarland left to become head coach at James Madison. |
| Northwestern State | Dave van Horn | John Cohen | Van Horn left after an SLC Louisiana Division title to become head coach at Nebraska. |
| Pittsburgh | Mark Jackson | Joe Jordano | |
| Portland | Terry Pollreisz | Chris Sperry | |
| Princeton | Tom O'Connell | Scott Bradley | |
| Samford | Tommy Walker | Tim Parenton | |
| Santa Clara | John Oldham | Mike Cummins | |
| Southern Miss | Hill Denson | Corky Palmer | |
| Southern Utah | Jeff Scholzen | DeLynn Corry | |
| UTPA | Al Ogletree | Reggie Tredaway | |
| Western Carolina | Keith LeClair | Rodney Hennon | Hennon left after a SoCon Tournament title to become head coach at East Carolina. |