Buffs receive wild card bid in 2025 Mid America Regional tournament

Colorado first baseman Andrew Garcia preps to swing against Wyoming. The left-handed bat was one of the Buffs' biggest sources of offense this regular season. (Photo by Cristian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports)

After a strenuous 16 games, the Colorado Buffaloes club baseball team's season will extend following a wild card bid to the 2025 Mid-America Regional tournament. CU ended 9-7 overall with an 8-4 conference record.

After owning their division for years, the Buffs have lost the Mid-Am West to the Colorado State Rams for the second year in a row. The Rams formed a dominant 16-2 conference record, including a three-game series win over CU in March.

This is also the second year in a row the Buffs received the conference’s wild card bid, with last year’s tournament effort ending with an early elimination.

The National Club Baseball Association’s (NCBA) playoff pits each of the eight conferences in a regional four-team double-elimination bracket. All eight winners then get re-seeded into the World Series and play another double-elimination tournament to decide the next Division One champion.

Last year, the Buffs had a disappointing showing in the regional tournament, losing their first two games to the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas Jayhawks. However, they have a chance to get back at Iowa State this Friday.

The Cyclones won the Mid-Am North for the third straight year, finishing 12-3 and receiving the No. 7 spot in the NCBA’s latest Top-20 poll. Although the Rams are the top overall seed in the upcoming regional bracket, Iowa State should be the favorite. They won the conference last year and competed in the 2024 World Series.

The Rams will face the Creighton Blue Jays in the first round, the first team left out of the newest Top 20. Colorado State finished with the No. 17 rank, hovering around that spot all year. The Buffs never quite cracked the Top 20 but received votes each week, ending with three votes, while Creighton got 28.

A hard opponent awaits the Buffs on Friday, but the beauty of baseball is how unpredictable it is. First pitch is in Topeka, Kansas, on May 9 at 2:00 p.m. MT.