The 2022 College World Series is upon us. Once a year, Omaha becomes a mecca of baseball as the eight teams left in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament meet to crown a national champion. Teams have taken any number of improbable routes through Regionals and Super Regionals since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999. In 2022, it meant that six of the eight Super Regionals were won by the road team, so here's the story of each College World Series quarterfinalist's road to Omaha.

2022 College World Series Regional and Super Regional Recap

Notre Dame advanced from the Statesboro Regional, which also contained Texas Tech, North Carolina-Greensboro, and Georgia Southern. From there, they headed up to Knoxville to take on the No. 1 team in the country, the Tennessee Volunteers, in the Super Regionals. Game 1 went the way of the Fighting Irish by a score of 8-6 in a game which saw Vols star Drew Gilbert ejected and suspended for Game 2. That only seemed to ignite a fire under the Vols, however, as they took Game 2 by a score of 12-4, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3. After a low-scoring first few innings, Notre Dame got their bats hot late and prevailed 7-3 in perhaps the biggest upset in college baseball this season.

Texas hosted their own regional in Austin and picked their way through easily in a group that also consisted of Louisiana Tech, Dallas Baptist and Air Force. For the Super Regionals they traveled to face East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. Game 1 went to the hosts in comfortable 13-7 fashion, placing the Longhorns on the brink of elimination. However, Texas walked off in Game 2 to save their season, winning 9-8 to set up a Game 3. After a six-hour weather delay, the Longhorns jumped out to a massive lead and were able to hold on to win 11-1 to send themselves to Omaha.

Texas A&M also hosted their own regional, and similarly to their in-state rival, cruised through the likes of Oral Roberts, Louisiana, and TCU. They would stay at home to face Louisville in the Super Regionals, and the Aggies were home cooking, as they only needed two games to dispatch the Cardinals, winning 5-4 and 4-3, respectively.

Oklahoma advanced out of a tough Gainesville Regional containing Florida, Liberty and Central Michigan, and then headed to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. Similarly to Notre Dame, the Sooners took Game 1, 5-4, before getting blown out by the Hokies 14-7 to set up a decisive Game 3. However, in that Game 3, it would be the Sooners returning the favor by blowing out Virginia Tech 11-2.

Stanford hosted their own regional, easily moving past Texas State, Binghamton and California-Santa Barbara. In the Super Regionals they also played host to a Connecticut team trying to make their first College World Series since 1979. In fact it was the Huskies who took Game 1, 13-12, but Stanford took control in both Game 2 (8-2 win) and then the finale, a 10-5 win in Game 3 to send the Cardinal to Omaha.

Arkansas made it through a Stillwater Regional consisting of Oklahoma State, Missouri State and Grand Canyon before heading to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina. Game 1 was close, with the Razorbacks prevailing 4-1, and it was a similar story in Game 2, with Arkansas eking out a 4-3 win to return to the College World Series.

Auburn scored 51 runs as they breezed through their own regional past UCLA, Florida State and Southeastern Louisiana. Then they traveled across the country to take on Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon. Game 1 went in favor of the Tigers, 7-5, and Auburn narrowly missed out on a win in Game 2, losing 4-3. That scoreline would be repeated in Game 3, but flipped, as Auburn won to punch their ticket through to the College World Series.

Ole Miss was the literal last team selected to the field of 64, and they had to stare down a Coral Gables Regional containing Miami, Arizona, and Canisius. However, Ole Miss blew right through everyone despite a tropical storm delayed schedule. Then, they'd head back to the comforts of Mississippi, except they wouldn't be at home, they'd travel 250 miles south to Hattiesburg to take on Southern Miss. There, the Rebels earned their first two shutouts of the season back-to-back, defeating the Golden Eagles 10-0 and 5-0, respectively, to head to Omaha for the first time since 2014.