College World Series The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha , Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship , which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion . The eight teams are split into two , four - team , double - elimination brackets , with the winner of each bracket playing in the best - of - three championship series . The tournament takes place in June of each year . The NCAA Division II and Division III baseball championships are described below , in the section on other championships . History . Since 1950 , the College World Series ( CWS ) has been held in Omaha , Nebraska . It was held at Rosenblatt Stadium from 1950 through 2010 ; starting in 2011 , it has been held at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha . Earlier tournaments were held at Hyames Field in Kalamazoo , Michigan ( 1947 – 48 ) and Wichita , Kansas ( 1949 ) . The name " College World Series " ( CWS ) is derived from that of the Major League Baseball World Series championship ; it is currently an MLB trademark licensed to the NCAA . Contract extension . On June 10 , 2009 , the NCAA and College World Series of Omaha , Inc . , which is the non - profit group that actually organizes the event , announced a new 25 - year contract extension , keeping the CWS in Omaha through 2035 . A memorandum of understanding had been reached by all parties on April 30 . The new contract began in 2011 , the same year the tournament moved from Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha , a new ballpark across from CenturyLink Center Omaha . Format History and Changes . 1947 — Eight teams were divided into two , four - team , single - elimination playoffs . The two winners then met in a best - of - three final in Kalamazoo , Michigan . 1948 — Similar to 1947 , but the two , four - team playoffs were changed to double - elimination tournaments . Again in the finals , the two winners met in a best - of - three format in Kalamazoo . 1949 — The final was expanded to a four - team , double - elimination format and the site changed to Wichita , Kansas . Eight teams began the playoffs with the four finalists decided by a best - of - three district format . 1950 - 1987 — An eight - team , double - elimination format for the College World Series coincided with the move to Omaha in 1950 . 1950 - 1953 , a baseball committee chose one team from each of the eight NCAA districts to compete at the CWS . Though 1987 the College World Series was a pure double - elimination event . That ended with the 1987 College World Series . 1988 - 1998 — The format was changed beginning with the 1988 College World Series , when the tournament was divided into two four - team double - elimination brackets , with the survivors of each bracket playing in a single championship game . The single - game championship was designed for network television , with the final game on CBS on a Saturday afternoon . Before expanding to 64 teams in 1999 , the Division I tournament began with 48 teams , split into 8 six - team regionals . The winner of each regional advanced to the College World Series . The regionals were a test of endurance , as teams had to win at least four games over four days , sometimes five if a team dropped into the loser ' s bracket , placing a premium on pitching . In the last two years of the six - team regional format , the eventual CWS champion - ( LSU in 1997 and Southern California in 1998 ) - had to battle back from the loser ' s bracket in the regional to advance to Omaha . 1999 - 2002 — With some 293 Division I teams playing , the NCAA switched to a 64 - team , Regional field in 1999 , with 8 National ( super ) Seed teams , divided into 16 four - team regionals ( each team seeded 1 to 4 ) , with the winners of each of the 16 " Regionals " advancing to eight two - team , best - of - three - format " Super Regionals " . The eight Super Regional winners advanced to the CWS in Omaha , NE . In 2008 , a number - 4 - seeded Regional team , the lowest seeding possible ( akin to a # 13 - 16 seed in college basketball ' s March Madness ) - the Fresno State Bulldogs - won the CWS championship , against the Bulldogs of the University of Georgia , winning two of three in the championship series . While the CWS format remained the same , the expanded field meant that eight super regional champions would advance . The 64 - team bracket is set at the beginning of the championship and teams are not reseeded for the CWS . Since the 1999 College World Series , the four - team brackets in the CWS have been determined by the results of regional and super - regional play , much like the NCAA basketball tournament . Prior to 1999 , the pairings for the CWS were not determined until after the completion of the regional tournaments . 2003 - Present — The eight super regional champions advance into two , four - team brackets . The eight super regional winners are not reseeded for the CWS . Those two brackets play double - elimination with the bracket winners then meeting in a best - of - three championship series . Also , in 2003 , the tournament returned entirely to cable television on ESPN , which had been covering all of the other games of the CWS since 1982 ( and a partial schedule since 1980 ) . The championship final became a best - of - three series between the two bracket winners , with games scheduled for Saturday , Sunday , and Monday evenings . In the results shown here , Score indicates the score of the championship game ( s ) only . In 2008 , the start of the CWS was moved back one day , and an extra day of rest was added in between bracket play and the championship series . Other championships . Division II . The Division II tournament has been held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary , North Carolina since 2009 , with the complex earning the bid to host through at least the 2013 championship . In 2008 and 2009 , the title game was shown on CBS College Sports Network . This division uses a single - game championship rather than the best - of - three series . The 48 - team tournament is also marked by a strict and unbalanced regional structure . Teams are chosen from the division ' s eight geographical regions , with eight teams being selected to the South Regional , four teams selected to the West Regional and all other regional tournaments consisting of six teams . Former Division II College World Series sites : Division III . Marietta College ( Ohio ) hosted the Division III baseball championship from its first year in 1976 through 1987 . The 1988 and 1989 series were played in Bristol , Connecticut . Battle Creek , Michigan took over in 1990 and Salem , Virginia , in 1995 . The Division III tournament has been held at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute , Wisconsin since 2000 . This division uses a pure " double elimination " format rather than the best - of - three series .