The road was uncertain, but following the shocking upset of No. 1 UCLA and No. 16 WVU Baseball’s thrilling 10th-inning walk-off victory over Kentucky, the Mountaineers will host the first-ever Morgantown Super Regional. Game One from Kendrick Family Ballpark is set for 12 p.m. Friday. Read more: No. 16 WVU Baseball to host first-ever super regional; Who else?
This was not a handout for West Virginia; It was a hard-fought battle through sudden adversity that robbed the Wildcats and Lexington of what would’ve been its second super regional in program history.
Related: Mountaineers walk it off in heart-stopping 10th
Cal Poly overcomes adversity of its own
UCLA was the only team to win over 50 games during the regular season, positioning itself as a strong contender for the Men’s College World Series. However, a pair of losses to the bottom-ranked team in the Los Angeles Regional, St. Mary’s, led to UCLA exiting the tournament well before Omaha.
The Bruins are now the second No. 1 national seed ever to miss the regional finals. The first time happened this past season when Vanderbilt was eliminated by Wright State.
Additionally, UCLA became the fifth No. 1 national seed not to make the super regionals. The Bruins have achieved this unfortunate feat twice (2015), with Vanderbilt (2025, 2007) and Oregon State (2013) being the others.
After all that, St. Mary’s will not even be the team to compete against West Virginia in the Morgantown Super Regional. The Gaels were bested by the Cal Poly Mustangs twice, ending its season.
Cal Poly will now travel nearly 2,500 miles post-victory to compete in its first-ever super regional in program history.
The Mustangs earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big West Baseball Championship over UC San Diego, 4-3.
Firsts for Troy and Kansas
In addition to WVU, Troy and No. 15 Kansas will also host an NCAA Super Regional for the first time.
Troy will host Little Rock in Troy, Alabama, after becoming the Gainesville Regional champion over Florida.
Troy is only the second member of the Sun Belt Conference to host a super regional, with Coastal Carolina hosting one in 2016. That Coastal Carolina team would go on to win the College World Series.
Kansas will host former Big-12 Conference foe Oklahoma after winning the Lawrence Regional over Arkansas.
In addition to hosting its first super regional, Kansas also hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time this season.
Related: WVU’s offense sputters, Kansas wins Big 12 championship 9-0
Other hosts
No. 4 Auburn will host its second NCAA Super Regional against Ole Miss in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers’ last time hosting was this past season.
No. 7 Alabama is hosting for the first time since 2006 against Saint John’s in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is the Crimson Tide’s third time hosting a super regional.
No. 3 Georgia brings a super regional back to Athens, Georgia, for the first time since 2024, facing off against No. 14 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have hosted five times.
No. 5 UNC will host in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the eighth time against USC. The Tar Heels have advanced to a super regional for the fifth straight season.
No. 6 Texas will host No. 11 Oregon in Austin, Texas. The last time the Longhorns hosted a super regional it reached the College World Series in 2021.
What’s next
No matter what happens between the 16 remaining teams, the eight teams that reach Omaha will be different from the eight that reached in 2025.
Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Arkansas and UCLA were all eliminated in the Regional Round while Arizona, Louisville, Murray State and the 2025 College World Series champions LSU missed this year’s tournament.
The NCAA Super Regionals are set to begin Friday and run through Monday if necessary. The start times for each game have not yet been determined.
The final eight teams will travel to Omaha for the College World Series from June 12-17/18. The College World Series finals will take place from June 20-21/22.
Related: Mountaineers’ post-regional presser: pure joy, resilience, and Morgantown magic
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