MCWS 2025: What it means for LSU, favorite moments, 2026 predictions

After a whirlwind of aboriginal upsets, a Cinderella tally by Murray State and LSU capturing its eighth nationalist title, the 75th day of the Men's College World Series successful Omaha, Nebraska, gave shot fans a tourney to remember.

With teams from six conferences and 1 autarkic making the travel to Omaha, the 2025 MCWS broke distant from past year's SEC/ACC takeover and brought a invited dose of assortment to the field.

To wrapper up the season, our experts gathered for 1 last MCWS roundtable -- sharing their favourite moments from the tourney and offering aboriginal 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 favourite portion of this year's MCWS?

Ryan McGee: I emotion it erstwhile the full representation gets successful connected the Series. I deliberation it's champion for the athletics erstwhile we person a crockery barroom premix of teams. We had six conferences and 1 autarkic represented -- some Power 4 and non-Power 4. We had accepted superpowers, new-era superpowers and a classical MCWS enactment crasher successful Murray State. The past of this lawsuit was written by divers fields of eight, truthful it was fitting for the 75th day successful Omaha to person one.

Mike Rooney: I loved the diverseness of the tract successful Omaha this year. This MCWS besides had a renaissance consciousness -- with programs specified arsenic UCLA and Louisville returning to the promised onshore of assemblage baseball. Finally, my bosom was afloat seeing Skip Bertman observe LSU's eighth nationalist championship. Bertman's wife, Sandy, died this twelvemonth aft they were joined for 63 years. The Bertmans built a programme that changed the athletics forever. What a legacy.

Chris Burke: Arkansas' Gage Wood's no-hitter was my favourite portion of this year's MCWS. The dominance (19 Ks) and precision (no walks) were thing that we mightiness ne'er spot again. Also, his lone postgame remark astir his outing -- "I shouldn't person deed the guy" -- was legendary and thing I won't forget.

David Dellucci: Gage Wood treated maine and the 24,074 fans astatine Charles Schwab Field to thing that hadn't been accomplished successful 65 years, a no-hitter. Wood's archetypal transportation of the crippled was a onslaught astatine 96 mph, and 82 strikes connected 118 pitches later, helium recorded his MCWS record-breaking 19th strikeout connected a 97 mph fastball. The lone happening that kept him from pitching a cleanable crippled was a 2-2 curveball that deed Dom Decker connected the extremity of his cleat. It was 2 hours and 31 minutes of awesomeness from a subordinate whose squad was facing elimination and needed to conserve the bullpen arms. When asked what was truthful peculiar astir the outing, Wood replied, "I conscionable didn't privation to spell home".

2. What does this rubric triumph mean for LSU's legacy?

Dellucci: The LSU shot programme has been precise palmy successful the 2000s, winning 4 of its 8 nationalist championships and 2 coming successful the past 3 seasons. Fans and players expect to triumph championships, and determination is simply a large quality betwixt expecting to triumph and trying to win. With the hiring of Jay Johnson successful 2021, the winning contented that was started by Skip Bertman successful 1984 is guaranteed to continue

McGee: It ends the statement astir which assemblage shot programme is the top of each time. Someone should constitute a communicative astir that -- ohio wait, I did!

Rooney: Though USC remains assemblage baseball's wide person successful nationalist titles with 12, determination is nary denying that LSU is the top programme successful the modern epoch of our sport. Eight nationalist championships since 1991 is simply a staggering achievement, arsenic Oregon State owns the next-best people successful that clip play with three. LSU shot has go the New York Yankees of our sport. You mightiness emotion it. You mightiness despise it. But 1 mode oregon another, you volition person an sentiment connected the Tigers.

Burke: LSU is the golden modular of assemblage baseball. The Tigers person dominated the athletics for the past 40 years, and they've won 2 of the past 3 titles. Jay Johnson is not slowing down and seems poised for a Skip Bertman-type run. It'll beryllium fascinating to ticker due to the fact that helium volition person to outwork a fewer different programs successful the SEC that are "all in" arsenic well.

3. Can LSU and Coastal get backmost to Omaha again adjacent year?

McGee: I deliberation Jay Johnson is conscionable getting started successful Baton Rouge (he's not adjacent 50 years old). Johnson has been determination lone 4 years, and the Tigers person been successful the finals twice. I was besides truly impressed with Kevin Schnall's pre-title bid quality league erstwhile helium talked astir the lessons that Coastal learned aft winning the 2016 rubric -- however helium spent truthful overmuch clip CSI-ing what derailed the Chanticleers the pursuing twelvemonth erstwhile they didn't marque the NCAA tourney. Despite perpetually preaching astir one-game plans, helium intelligibly besides has a precise long-range plan.

Burke: The way backmost to Omaha proved to beryllium excessively overmuch for each 8 teams that were successful it past year. The Tigers volition suffer the 3 pitchers who pitched successful the finals and Jared Jones -- their biggest bat. Those losses volition beryllium truly hard to fill, but I don't enactment thing past that staff! Coastal volition astir apt suffer two-thirds of its rotation and a fewer seasoned bats. Kevin Schnall conscionable had the astir wins by a first-year coach, truthful I wouldn't stake against him getting backmost rapidly -- but adjacent twelvemonth volition beryllium a gangly task!

Dellucci: The Tigers won the title with 26 newcomers this past fall. They volition suffer immoderate large arms successful Cade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, but inactive instrumentality a precise talented harvest of young players specified arsenic Derek Curiel, Steven Milam and Casan Evans, making LSU a favourite to repetition successful 2026. Coastal's roster mightiness look rather antithetic adjacent year, losing large contributors specified arsenic Caden Bodine and Jacob Morrison to the MLB draft, but immoderate terrific pitchers remain, specified arsenic Dominick Carbone, Hayden Johnson, and Cameron Flukey, who each should assistance the Chants marque different tally astatine Omaha.

Rooney: A instrumentality to the MCWS successful 2026 feels apt for LSU. That's an assertive statement, but the returning unit merits that boldness. Center fielder Derek Curiel, shortstop Steven Milam and right-hander Casan Evans volition springiness Jay Johnson 3 stars to physique around. Also, with 20 MCWS appearances successful the past 39 seasons, it often feels similar an upset erstwhile LSU does NOT suffice for a travel to Omaha. There is overmuch to regenerate from this peculiar Coastal squad -- right-hander Cam Flukey is simply a large spot to start, though. The Chants became the 2nd Sun Belt squad to look successful the MCWS, but this programme and that league proceed to surge.

4. What different teams should we expect to spot successful Omaha successful 2026?

Burke: A fewer teams connected my radar for adjacent year's field: UCLA, TCU, Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi State. It's ever hard to foretell this acold out, but the archetypal 2 connected that database instrumentality a ton of premium endowment and the past 3 person been highly progressive successful the portal, landing immoderate difference-making players. Let the bold predictions begin.

McGee: I deliberation it volition beryllium precise hard to support Tennessee and North Carolina retired of the MCWS adjacent year, and for the aforesaid crushed I gave astir Coastal. Vols caput manager Tony Vitello is simply a self-professed psychologist, and UNC caput manager Scott Forbes owns a concern medication grade -- determination is simply a 0% accidental that they haven't been hunkered down since their seasons ended shy of Omaha, trying to fig retired what went wrong. The squad that had to grip the post-title hype and the squad that seemed to beryllium everyone's trendy June prime arsenic the MCWS favourite thought that Omaha was a substance of when, but some were upset astatine home. I besides privation to see Arkansas successful this group, but the Hogs don't person a self-professed psychologist.

Rooney: UCLA is the evident reply here. The Bruins' mundane lineup included a mind-boggling 7 sophomores. Within that group, shortstop Roch Cholowsky, 3rd baseman Roman Martin and archetypal baseman Mulivai Levu are stars. The pitching unit was besides young and talented. Keep an oculus connected Miami and Auburn arsenic 2 programs that precocious to the ace determination circular with precise talented freshman classes.

Dellucci: If not for a red-hot Coastal Carolina squad and a fewer baserunning mistakes, the No. 4 nationalist effect Auburn Tigers would person punched their summons to Omaha. This year's squad received overmuch of its violative and pitching accumulation from an incredibly talented freshman class. Chase Fralick, Chris Rembert, and Bub Terrell volition pb the discourtesy portion Andreas Alvarez and Christian Chatterton are beardown returners connected the mound. Barring injuries and a large sophomore slump, Auburn volition beryllium among the tract of 8 adjacent season.

5. Who is your way-too-early prime for 2026 Player of the Year?

Dellucci: Roch Cholowsky had a marvelous sophomore season, starring UCLA to the MCWS portion 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, arsenic good arsenic a Dick Howser Trophy finalist. Being draft-eligible adjacent year, Roch volition beryllium motivated much than ever to get UCLA backmost to Omaha, and that means amended idiosyncratic numbers, making him a favourite to triumph National Player of the Year.

McGee: Because we abruptly look to beryllium surviving successful the Age of the College Shortstop, let's spell with the 1 successful Westwood. Roch Cholowsky mightiness beryllium UCLA's 3rd No. 1 MLB draught prime (shout-out to Chris Chambliss and Gerritt Cole). I conscionable anticipation the Bruins tin fig retired however to marque definite helium tin play astatine Jackie Robinson Stadium and not person to rotation each implicit SoCal again.

Rooney: Georgia Tech halfway fielder Drew Burress volition beryllium the nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth successful 2026. This 5-foot-9, 182-pound dynamo brings it each day. He is simply a .357 hitter done his archetypal 2 seasons of assemblage baseball, and his 1.246 OPS looks similar a misprint. Burress enters his inferior run with 38 doubles and 44 location runs -- each portion generating 123 escaped passes compared to conscionable 79 punchouts. His competitory vigor is infectious. Burress is some a tally scorer and a tally producer, and helium volition instrumentality implicit a crippled if you fto him.

Burke: Roch Cholosky, shortstop from UCLA, had a morganatic lawsuit to beryllium a Golden Spikes finalist this year. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year volition beryllium the fashionable prime for National Player of the Year and archetypal prime of adjacent year's draft. But arsenic they accidental -- that's wherefore we play the games. It volition beryllium fascinating if helium tin unrecorded up to the lofty modular helium acceptable for himself this year!