After a whirlwind of early upsets, a Cinderella run by Murray State and LSU capturing its eighth nationwide title, the seventy fifth anniversary of the Males’s School World Collection in Omaha, Nebraska, gave baseball followers a event to recollect.
With groups from six conferences and one unbiased making the journey to Omaha, the 2025 MCWS broke away from final yr’s SEC/ACC takeover and introduced a welcome dose of selection to the sphere.
To wrap up the season, our specialists gathered for one ultimate MCWS roundtable — sharing their favourite moments from the event and providing early predictions for 2026.
Leap to: Favourite moments | LSU’s legacy
2026 probabilities for LSU, Coastal
2026 groups to look at | Early POY picks
1. What was your favourite a part of this yr’s MCWS?
Ryan McGee: I adore it when the entire map will get in on the Collection. I believe it is best for the game when we have now a salad bar mixture of groups. We had six conferences and one unbiased represented — each Energy 4 and non-Energy 4. We had conventional superpowers, new-era superpowers and a traditional MCWS occasion crasher in Murray State. The historical past of this occasion was written by numerous fields of eight, so it was becoming for the seventy fifth anniversary in Omaha to have one.
Mike Rooney: I beloved the variety of the sphere in Omaha this yr. This MCWS additionally had a renaissance really feel — with packages akin to UCLA and Louisville returning to the promised land of school baseball. Lastly, my coronary heart was full seeing Skip Bertman rejoice LSU’s eighth nationwide championship. Bertman’s spouse, Sandy, died this yr after they had been married for 63 years. The Bertmans constructed a program that modified the game endlessly. What a legacy.
Chris Burke: Arkansas’ Gage Wooden’s no-hitter was my favourite a part of this yr’s MCWS. The dominance (19 Ks) and precision (no walks) had been one thing that we would by no means see once more. Additionally, his solely postgame remark about his outing — “I should not have hit the man” — was legendary and one thing I will not neglect.
David Dellucci: Gage Wooden handled me and the 24,074 followers at Charles Schwab Area to one thing that hadn’t been completed in 65 years, a no-hitter. Wooden’s first pitch of the sport was a strike at 96 mph, and 82 strikes on 118 pitches later, he recorded his MCWS record-breaking nineteenth strikeout on a 97 mph fastball. The one factor that stored him from pitching an ideal recreation 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 participant whose group was going through elimination and wanted to preserve the bullpen arms. When requested what was so particular in regards to the outing, Wooden replied, “I simply did not wish to go dwelling”.
2. What does this title win imply for LSU’s legacy?
Dellucci: The LSU baseball program has been very profitable within the 2000s, successful 4 of its eight nationwide championships and two coming prior to now three seasons. Followers and gamers count on to win championships, and there’s a main distinction between anticipating to win and making an attempt to win. With the hiring of Jay Johnson in 2021, the successful custom that was began by Skip Bertman in 1984 is assured to proceed
McGee: It ends the controversy about which school baseball program is the best of all time. Somebody ought to write a narrative about that — oh wait, I did!
Rooney: Although USC stays school baseball’s total chief in nationwide titles with 12, there isn’t any denying that LSU is the best program within the fashionable period of our sport. Eight nationwide championships since 1991 is a staggering achievement, as Oregon State owns the next-best mark in that point interval with three. LSU baseball has turn into the New York Yankees of our sport. You would possibly adore it. You would possibly despise it. However a method or one other, you should have an opinion on the Tigers.
Burke: LSU is the gold normal of school baseball. The Tigers have dominated the game for the previous 40 years, they usually’ve gained two of the previous three titles. Jay Johnson shouldn’t be slowing down and appears poised for a Skip Bertman-type run. It will be fascinating to look at as a result of he must outwork a number of different packages within the SEC which can be “all in” as nicely.
3. Can LSU and Coastal get again to Omaha once more subsequent yr?
McGee: I believe Jay Johnson is simply getting began in Baton Rouge (he isn’t even 50 years outdated). Johnson has been there solely 4 years, and the Tigers have been within the finals twice. I used to be additionally actually impressed with Kevin Schnall’s pre-title collection information convention when he talked in regards to the classes that Coastal discovered after successful the 2016 title — how he spent a lot time CSI-ing what derailed the Chanticleers the next yr once they did not make the NCAA tourney. Regardless of consistently preaching about one-game plans, he clearly additionally has a really long-range plan.
Burke: The trail again to Omaha proved to be an excessive amount of for all eight groups that had been in it final yr. The Tigers will lose the three pitchers who pitched within the finals and Jared Jones — their greatest bat. These losses shall be actually laborious to fill, however I do not put something previous that workers! Coastal will probably lose two-thirds of its rotation and some veteran bats. Kevin Schnall simply had essentially the most wins by a first-year coach, so I would not wager towards him getting again shortly — however subsequent yr shall be a tall job!
Dellucci: The Tigers gained the championship with 26 newcomers this previous fall. They are going to lose some huge arms in Cade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, however nonetheless return a really proficient crop of younger gamers akin to Derek Curiel, Steven Milam and Casan Evans, making LSU a favourite to repeat in 2026. Coastal’s roster would possibly look fairly totally different subsequent yr, shedding main contributors akin to Caden Bodine and Jacob Morrison to the MLB draft, however some terrific pitchers stay, akin to Dominick Carbone, Hayden Johnson, and Cameron Flukey, who all ought to assist the Chants make one other run at Omaha.
Rooney: A return to the MCWS in 2026 feels doubtless for LSU. That is an aggressive assertion, however the returning personnel deserves that boldness. Heart fielder Derek Curiel, shortstop Steven Milam and right-hander Casan Evans will give Jay Johnson three stars to construct round. Additionally, with 20 MCWS appearances prior to now 39 seasons, it usually appears like an upset when LSU does NOT qualify for a visit to Omaha. There’s a lot to exchange from this particular Coastal group — right-hander Cam Flukey is a superb place to begin, although. The Chants grew to become the second Solar Belt group to seem within the MCWS, however this program and that league proceed to surge.
4. What different groups ought to we count on to see in Omaha in 2026?
Burke: A couple of groups on my radar for subsequent yr’s subject: UCLA, TCU, Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi State. It is all the time laborious to foretell this far out, however the first two on that checklist return a ton of premium expertise and the final three have been extraordinarily lively within the portal, touchdown some difference-making gamers. Let the daring predictions start.
McGee: I believe will probably be very troublesome to maintain Tennessee and North Carolina out of the MCWS subsequent yr, and for a similar purpose I gave about Coastal. Vols head coach Tony Vitello is a self-professed psychologist, and UNC head coach Scott Forbes owns a enterprise administration diploma — there’s a 0% likelihood that they have not been hunkered down since their seasons ended shy of Omaha, making an attempt to determine what went unsuitable. The group that needed to deal with the post-title hype and the group that gave the impression to be everybody’s fashionable June choose because the MCWS favourite thought that Omaha was a matter of when, however each had been upset at dwelling. I additionally wish to embrace Arkansas on this group, however the Hogs do not have a self-professed psychologist.
Rooney: UCLA is the plain reply right here. The Bruins’ on a regular basis lineup included a mind-boggling seven sophomores. Inside that group, shortstop Roch Cholowsky, third baseman Roman Martin and first baseman Mulivai Levu are stars. The pitching workers was additionally younger and proficient. Control Miami and Auburn as two packages that superior to the tremendous regional spherical with very proficient freshman courses.
Dellucci: If not for a red-hot Coastal Carolina group and some baserunning errors, the No. 4 nationwide seed Auburn Tigers would have punched their ticket to Omaha. This yr’s group acquired a lot of its offensive and pitching manufacturing from an extremely proficient freshman class. Chase Fralick, Chris Rembert, and Bub Terrell will lead the offense whereas Andreas Alvarez and Christian Chatterton are robust returners on the mound. Barring accidents and a significant sophomore droop, Auburn shall be among the many subject of eight subsequent season.
5. Who’s your way-too-early choose for 2026 Participant of the Yr?
Dellucci: Roch Cholowsky had a fabulous sophomore season, main UCLA to the MCWS whereas batting .353, 23 HR, 74 RBIs. He was named an All-American, the Large Ten Participant of the Yr, and Defensive Participant of the Yr, in addition to a Dick Howser Trophy finalist. Being draft-eligible subsequent yr, Roch shall be motivated greater than ever to get UCLA again to Omaha, and which means higher private numbers, making him a favourite to win Nationwide Participant of the Yr.
McGee: As a result of we all of the sudden appear to be residing within the Age of the School Shortstop, let’s go together with the one in Westwood. Roch Cholowsky may be UCLA’s third No. 1 MLB draft choose (shout-out to Chris Chambliss and Gerritt Cole). I simply hope the Bruins can determine how to verify he can play at Jackie Robinson Stadium and never need to wander throughout SoCal once more.
Rooney: Georgia Tech heart fielder Drew Burress would be the nationwide participant of the yr in 2026. This 5-foot-9, 182-pound dynamo brings it day-after-day. He’s a .357 hitter via his first two seasons of school baseball, and his 1.246 OPS appears like a misprint. Burress enters his junior marketing campaign with 38 doubles and 44 dwelling runs — all whereas producing 123 free passes in comparison with simply 79 punchouts. His aggressive vitality is infectious. Burress is each a run scorer and a run producer, and he’ll take over a recreation for those who let him.
Burke: Roch Cholosky, shortstop from UCLA, had a authentic case to be a Golden Spikes finalist this yr. The reigning Large Ten Participant of the Yr would be the in style choose for Nationwide Participant of the Yr and first choose of subsequent yr’s draft. However as they are saying — that is why we play the video games. Will probably be fascinating if he can reside as much as the lofty normal he set for himself this yr!
