After a whirlwind of early upsets, a Cinderella run by Murray State and LSU capturing its eighth national title, the 75th anniversary of the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, gave baseball fans a tournament to remember.
With teams from six conferences and one independent making the trip to Omaha, the 2025 MCWS broke away from last year's SEC/ACC takeover and brought a welcome dose of variety to the field.
To wrap up the season, our experts gathered for one final MCWS roundtable -- sharing their favorite moments from the tournament and offering early predictions for 2026.
Jump to: Favorite moments | LSU's legacy
2026 chances for LSU, Coastal
2026 teams to watch | Early POY picks
1. What was your favorite part of this year's MCWS?
Ryan McGee: I love it when the whole map gets in on the Series. I think it's best for the sport when we have a salad bar mix of teams. We had six conferences and one independent represented -- both Power 4 and non-Power 4. We had traditional superpowers, new-era superpowers and a classic MCWS party crasher in Murray State. The history of this event was written by diverse fields of eight, so it was fitting for the 75th anniversary in Omaha to have one.
Mike Rooney: I loved the diversity of the field in Omaha this year. This MCWS also had a renaissance feel -- with programs such as UCLA and Louisville returning to the promised land of college baseball. Finally, my heart was full seeing Skip Bertman celebrate LSU's eighth national championship. Bertman's wife, Sandy, died this year after they were married for 63 years. The Bertmans built a program that changed the sport forever. What a legacy.
Chris Burke: Arkansas' Gage Wood's no-hitter was my favorite part of this year's MCWS. The dominance (19 Ks) and precision (no walks) were something that we might never see again. Also, his only postgame comment about his outing -- "I shouldn't have hit the guy" -- was legendary and something I won't forget.
David Dellucci: Gage Wood treated me and the 24,074 fans at Charles Schwab Field to something that hadn't been accomplished in 65 years, a no-hitter. Wood's first pitch of the game was a strike at 96 mph, and 82 strikes on 118 pitches later, he recorded his MCWS record-breaking 19th strikeout on a 97 mph fastball. The only thing that kept him from pitching a perfect game was a 2-2 curveball that hit Dom Decker on the tip of his cleat. It was 2 hours and 31 minutes of awesomeness from a player whose team was facing elimination and needed to conserve the bullpen arms. When asked what was so special about the outing, Wood replied, "I just didn't want to go home".
2. What does this title win mean for LSU's legacy?
Dellucci: The LSU baseball program has been very successful in the 2000s, winning four of its eight national championships and two coming in the past three seasons. Fans and players expect to win championships, and there is a major difference between expecting to win and trying to win. With the hiring of Jay Johnson in 2021, the winning tradition that was started by Skip Bertman in 1984 is guaranteed to continue
McGee: It ends the debate about which college baseball program is the greatest of all time. Someone should write a story about that -- oh wait, I did!
Rooney: Though USC remains college baseball's overall leader in national titles with 12, there is no denying that LSU is the greatest program in the modern era of our sport. Eight national championships since 1991 is a staggering achievement, as Oregon State owns the next-best mark in that time period with three. LSU baseball has become the New York Yankees of our sport. You might love it. You might despise it. But one way or another, you will have an opinion on the Tigers.
Burke: LSU is the gold standard of college baseball. The Tigers have dominated the sport for the past 40 years, and they've won two of the past three titles. Jay Johnson is not slowing down and seems poised for a Skip Bertman-type run. It'll be fascinating to watch because he will have to outwork a few other programs in the SEC that are "all in" as well.
3. Can LSU and Coastal get back to Omaha again next year?
McGee: I think Jay Johnson is just getting started in Baton Rouge (he's not even 50 years old). Johnson has been there only four years, and the Tigers have been in the finals twice. I was also really impressed with Kevin Schnall's pre-title series news conference when he talked about the lessons that Coastal learned after winning the 2016 title -- how he spent so much time CSI-ing what derailed the Chanticleers the following year when they didn't make the NCAA tourney. Despite constantly preaching about one-game plans, he clearly also has a very long-range plan.
Burke: The path back to Omaha proved to be too much for all eight teams that were in it last year. The Tigers will lose the three pitchers who pitched in the finals and Jared Jones -- their biggest bat. Those losses will be really hard to fill, but I don't put anything past that staff! Coastal will most likely lose two-thirds of its rotation and a few veteran bats. Kevin Schnall just had the most wins by a first-year coach, so I wouldn't bet against him getting back quickly -- but next year will be a tall task!
Dellucci: The Tigers won the championship with 26 newcomers this past fall. They will lose some big arms in Cade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, but still return a very talented crop of young players such as Derek Curiel, Steven Milam and Casan Evans, making LSU a favorite to repeat in 2026. Coastal's roster might look quite different next year, losing major contributors such as Caden Bodine and Jacob Morrison to the MLB draft, but some terrific pitchers remain, such as Dominick Carbone, Hayden Johnson, and Cameron Flukey, who all should help the Chants make another run at Omaha.
Rooney: A return to the MCWS in 2026 feels likely for LSU. That's an aggressive statement, but the returning personnel merits that boldness. Center fielder Derek Curiel, shortstop Steven Milam and right-hander Casan Evans will give Jay Johnson three stars to build around. Also, with 20 MCWS appearances in the past 39 seasons, it often feels like an upset when LSU does NOT qualify for a trip to Omaha. There is much to replace from this special Coastal team -- right-hander Cam Flukey is a great place to start, though. The Chants became the second Sun Belt team to appear in the MCWS, but this program and that league continue to surge.
4. What other teams should we expect to see in Omaha in 2026?
Burke: A few teams on my radar for next year's field: UCLA, TCU, Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi State. It's always hard to predict this far out, but the first two on that list return a ton of premium talent and the last three have been extremely active in the portal, landing some difference-making players. Let the bold predictions begin.
McGee: I think it will be very difficult to keep Tennessee and North Carolina out of the MCWS next year, and for the same reason I gave about Coastal. Vols head coach Tony Vitello is a self-professed psychologist, and UNC head coach Scott Forbes owns a business administration degree -- there is a 0% chance that they haven't been hunkered down since their seasons ended shy of Omaha, trying to figure out what went wrong. The team that had to handle the post-title hype and the team that seemed to be everyone's trendy June pick as the MCWS favorite thought that Omaha was a matter of when, but both were upset at home. I also want to include Arkansas in this group, but the Hogs don't have a self-professed psychologist.
Rooney: UCLA is the obvious answer here. The Bruins' everyday lineup included a mind-boggling seven sophomores. Within that group, shortstop Roch Cholowsky, third baseman Roman Martin and first baseman Mulivai Levu are stars. The pitching staff was also young and talented. Keep an eye on Miami and Auburn as two programs that advanced to the super regional round with very talented freshman classes.
Dellucci: If not for a red-hot Coastal Carolina team and a few baserunning mistakes, the No. 4 national seed Auburn Tigers would have punched their ticket to Omaha. This year's team received much of its offensive and pitching production from an incredibly talented freshman class. Chase Fralick, Chris Rembert, and Bub Terrell will lead the offense while Andreas Alvarez and Christian Chatterton are strong returners on the mound. Barring injuries and a major sophomore slump, Auburn will be among the field of eight next season.
5. Who is your way-too-early pick for 2026 Player of the Year?
Dellucci: Roch Cholowsky had a marvelous sophomore season, leading UCLA to the MCWS while batting .353, 23 HR, 74 RBIs. He was named an All-American, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a Dick Howser Trophy finalist. Being draft-eligible next year, Roch will be motivated more than ever to get UCLA back to Omaha, and that means better personal numbers, making him a favorite to win National Player of the Year.
McGee: Because we suddenly seem to be living in the Age of the College Shortstop, let's go with the one in Westwood. Roch Cholowsky might be UCLA's third No. 1 MLB draft pick (shout-out to Chris Chambliss and Gerritt Cole). I just hope the Bruins can figure out how to make sure he can play at Jackie Robinson Stadium and not have to wander all over SoCal again.
Rooney: Georgia Tech center fielder Drew Burress will be the national player of the year in 2026. This 5-foot-9, 182-pound dynamo brings it every day. He is a .357 hitter through his first two seasons of college baseball, and his 1.246 OPS looks like a misprint. Burress enters his junior campaign with 38 doubles and 44 home runs -- all while generating 123 free passes compared to just 79 punchouts. His competitive energy is infectious. Burress is both a run scorer and a run producer, and he will take over a game if you let him.
Burke: Roch Cholosky, shortstop from UCLA, had a legitimate case to be a Golden Spikes finalist this year. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year will be the popular pick for National Player of the Year and first pick of next year's draft. But as they say -- that's why we play the games. It will be fascinating if he can live up to the lofty standard he set for himself this year!