2026 college baseball wrap-up: Favorite MCWS momen...

playWhich underrated star stood out the most in OU's MCWS Championship? (1:06) What a thrilling college baseball season we witnessed! Oklahoma claimed its third Men's College World Series title in program history as the SEC continued its dominance of the tournament, having now won seven straight titles. From a team such as Troy advancing to the MCWS as one of the last teams to even make the tournament to the Branch brothers leaving their mark in Omaha, Nebraska, to West Virginia's epic fans and crowds, we saw a little bit of everything that makes college baseball so great. Our college baseball experts review the 2026 tourney and give some early predictions for 2027. Jump to: Tourney highlights | Oklahoma's legacy Can UNC recover? | Players to watch in 2027 Predictions play0:45Branch Bros: Kolby goes yard vs. his brother Kyle in final collegiate at-batRyan McGee: The energy. There's always a boost when we have new blood party crashers, and this year there were two! The lead-in was one of the most exciting 64-team tourneys in recent memory, and that spirit absolutely transferred to Omaha. We've all written and said a lot about the momentum of college baseball in recent years, and you could really feel that this June, even while a lot of other massive sporting events were happening at the same time. Chris Burke: There was nothing better this year than the two sets of brothers we had in Omaha. Kolby and Kyle Branch and LJ and Xander Mercurius left us with memories that will never be forgotten! Mike Rooney: I will stretch for two here. The Branch family gave us all of the feels in Omaha as brothers Kolby and Kyle both homered in their final at-bats of the 2026 season. And watching their parents take in the moment when the boys low-fived each other as Kolby rounded the bases one final time ... that is the good stuff. Finally, West Virginia's team singing "Country Roads" with their fans at the Men's College World Series was a perfect capper to an incredible NCAA tournament. Oklahoma won its third MCWS title. Dylan Widger-Imagn ImagesMcGee: Oklahoma officially becomes the kind of secret great college baseball program that is no longer a secret. Only 10 teams have won three or more MCWS championships, and now the Sooners are one of them. Someone should write a story about that. Oh wait ... we did! Burke: Oklahoma has sometimes been on the back burner in its own state, much less from a national standpoint, but that is no longer the case. The Sooners are the champs, they are getting a huge facelift to their facility, and they return three freshmen starters. I'd say that OU baseball is in a great place. Rooney: Oklahoma's baseball program joined the SEC without resources comparable to its new peers. This was particularly acute on the facility side. There was concern that the Sooners weren't ready for the rigors of the league. And in fairness, OU has finished 12th and 11th in the SEC over the past two seasons. But this national title reminds us, for the third time, that the best version of this program can compete with anyone. UNC is the only team to have made the MCWS twice in the past three years. Dylan Widger-Imagn ImagesMcGee: The Heels might very well have overtaken Florida State when it comes to being the greatest program to never win at all. They are certainly the greatest of this century to not do it. But this also feels a lot like 20 years ago, when UNC first figured out how to become an Omaha regular. I don't think this was a one-off finals run like we've seen from a lot of teams in recent years. This feels like a foundation being built for the long haul. Burke: North Carolina will take some time to recover from a 13th trip to Omaha without a title. However, the Tar Heels have a world-class coaching staff and arguably the best freshman pitcher in the country in Caden Glauber, so UNC is going to be just fine. Rooney: There's no getting around the devastating nature of this loss for North Carolina. The Tar Heels' third trip to the MCWS finals presented a white-hot opponent in Oklahoma, but certainly not one of the SEC's traditional blue bloods. The ACC has a confidence problem in Omaha and UNC had a chance to push back on that narrative. The good news is that the Tar Heels have now made a remarkable nine trips to the MCWS in the past 20 years. They are regulars at the MCWS and this program is thriving. Jimmy Janicki is projected to be a first-rounder in next year's MLB draft. Dylan Widger-Imagn ImagesMcGee: Spoiler alert: Oregon State has another big-time ace. I am going to make it a mission to see Dax Whitney pitch for the Beavs next year. I always love me some dual threats, so I'll be watching TCU's Noah Franco. And I can't imagine how good Florida's Brendan Lawson will be in his third year. Burke: One of the best things about Omaha is it provided us with a sneak peek to some of the best players in the country heading into next season. While there are plenty of stars who weren't in Omaha -- Land

2026 college baseball wrap-up: Favorite MCWS momen...

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