NCAA baseball tournament: Oklahoma baseball keeps SEC streak alive

With Oklahoma winning its Super Regional against Kansas on Monday, closing out a two-game sweep of the Jayhawks, the Sooners are moving on to the Men’s College World Series. The victory also means that all eight spots have been filled in Omaha for the MCWS, which begins on Friday.

That win also means something more for the SEC.

Oklahoma becomes the fifth SEC team to reach Omaha this season, joining Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia. But with Oklahoma joining Alabama, Texas, and Georgia in one of the two four-team brackets in the Men’s College World Series, not only does the conference have five of the eight teams that have advanced to the Men’s College World Series, but the SEC is guaranteed to have a team reach the Men’s College World Series Finals.

The winner of a double-elimination tournament between Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia will be one of the two teams in the Finals.

The SEC has seen at least one team reach the Men’s College World Series Finals in each year since 2016, with the 2020 being skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016 Coastal Carolina defeated Arizona in the Finals.

In addition, the SEC has won the last six Finals, dating back to Vanderbilt in 2019. Oregon State was the last non-SEC team to win the Men’s College World Series Finals, as the Beavers knocked off Arkansas back in 2018.