1998 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
| Season | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 48 |
| Finals Site | |
| Champions | Southern California (12th title) |
| Runner-Up | Arizona State (18th CWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Mike Gillespie (1st title) |
| MOP | Wes Rachels Southern California |
The 1998 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 1998 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, a double-elimination tournament in its fifty-second year. Eight regional competitions were held to determine the participants in the final event. Each region was composed of six teams, resulting in 48 teams participating in the tournament at the conclusion of their regular season, and in some cases, after a conference tournament. The fifty-second tournament's champion was Southern California, coached by Mike Gillespie. The championship was the Trojans' record 12th, but their first since 1978, the last under coach Rod Dedeaux. The Most Outstanding Player was USC second baseman Wes Rachels.
The opening rounds of the tournament were played at eight regional sites across the country, each consisting of a six-team field. Each regional tournament is double-elimination, however region brackets are variable depending on the number of teams remaining after each round. Regional games were scheduled for Thursday, May 21 through Sunday, May 24; however, one final Sunday game had to be played the next day due to rainout. The winners of each regional advanced to the College World Series.
In the final year of the 48-team tournament, six of the eight regionals required the full 11 games. Only Florida State and LSU advanced to the CWS unscathed.
Bold indicates winner.
The 1998 CWS was infamous for producing several high-scoring games, which was termed by media covering the Series as "Gorilla Ball" (or "Geaux-rilla Ball" among LSU fans), which placed a premium on home runs. LSU, which won the 1996 and 1997 national championships and set an NCAA record in 1997 by hitting 188 home runs, hit eight home runs in its first game vs. USC, and added six more in its second game vs. Mississippi State. Needing one victory to advance to the championship game for the third consecutive year, LSU fell twice to USC, failing to hit a home run in either game. USC and Pac-10 rival Arizona St. set numerous offensive records in the championship game, won by the Trojans 21–14.
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