Welcome to one of the most unlikely editions of the Men’s College World Series, an event with nearly eight decades of rich history. A season that began in February with 308 Division I baseball teams across the country has narrowed to eight squads that will be chasing a national championship beginning Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
There are many measures by which this year’s World Series field is unusual. It features two programs in West Virginia and Troy making their first appearances in Omaha. There’s North Carolina playing in its 13th College World Series, though it has never won it all and needed a comeback, walk-off victory to defeat USC in the super-regional, narrowly avoiding the ACC being shut out of Omaha for the first time since 2005.
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Joining those three are a staggering five SEC teams — the most ever from a single conference — yet somehow that quintet doesn’t include any of five programs (LSU, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Florida) that have won national titles in the past decade. Instead, football powers Alabama and Georgia have broken through, reaching college baseball’s biggest stage for the first time since 1999 and 2008, respectively. And perhaps most shocking of all: There is not a single representative from California or Florida — for the first time since 1976.
This rare collection of programs reaching the MCWS is an appropriate finale for a season filled with surprises. LSU (national champions in 2023 and 2025) and Vanderbilt (reached every postseason since 2005) didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament. UCLA, headlined by top draft prospect Roch Cholowsky, was ranked No. 1 for the entire regular season, only to be eliminated at home in the regional. No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech, with one of the most prolific offenses in college baseball history, was also knocked out in a home regional — by an Oklahoma team that finished 11th in the SEC standings but got hot at the right time and now finds itself in Omaha.
If anything, the past few weeks of college baseball chaos have served as a crucial reminder of the beautiful randomness of this sport — and that this year’s World Series could feature even more unexpected results. Here’s a closer look at the eight teams remaining, featuring one player on each roster whom you should know before games begin Friday.
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West Virginia: C/2B Gavin Kelly
It wasn’t long ago that the Mountaineers recruited a lefty-hitting infielder from the Pittsburgh area named JJ Wetherholt and watched him blossom into one of the best players in college baseball, the seventh overall draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals and, this season, a leading candidate in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Kelly, also a Pittsburgh kid, has followed a similar trajectory in his two years in Morgantown. Like Wetherholt, Kelly arrived on campus with some promise but hardly outlandish hype. Then he immediately played his way into the starting lineup, showcasing rare defensive versatility by bouncing between catcher and second base while making cameos in the outfield.
After holding his own offensively as a freshman (.797 OPS), Kelly’s bat exploded as a sophomore (1.204 OPS) while he continued to demonstrate the athleticism and aptitude to handle multiple positions around the diamond. He bats second for the Mountaineers, and we’ve seen him make four starts behind the plate and three at second during the tournament. This rare combination of skills has skyrocketed Kelly’s prospect stock, putting him on the short list of candidates to become the first overall pick in the 2027 MLB Draft. That’s a long ways away, of course; for now, Kelly can focus on leading this ultra-fun West Virginia squad further into the postseason than the program has ever gone.
Troy: 1B Blake Cavill
Although they lost in the Sun Belt tournament and finished with a modest 32-29 record, the Trojans received an at-large bid, thanks to having played one of the toughest schedules in the country with a quality ballclub that passed the eye test as postseason-worthy. They validated the committee’s decision to put them in the field by going into Gainesville and taking down Florida to win their first regional, then followed that with a dominant super-regional performance against an unlikely opponent in Little Rock, who pulled off a regional upset of its own. Now Troy and gregarious head coach Skylar Meade are headed to Omaha as the lone mid-major representative in the field, making them an easy bandwagon pick for neutrals.
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Troy boasts an especially transfer-heavy roster, meaning the “Road to Omaha” has been particularly winding for several of its key contributors. No individual embodies the spirit of this team better than Cavill, the 24-year-old first baseman whose career has quite literally taken him all around the globe. An Australia native, Cavill’s earliest experience on a big baseball stage came 11 years ago when his local team from Sydney qualified for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He returned stateside to play collegiately, spending two years at Northwest Florida State junior college before transferring to Western Kentucky and then Troy, where he has spent the past two springs with the Trojans.
Cavill isn’t just significant because of his unique journey, as he’s also one of Troy’s best bats. Given his age and position, Cavill is not the Trojans’ top pro prospect — that distinction belongs to sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki, who could be a first-round draft pick in 2027 — but Cavill’s 13 homers and 50 RBI rank behind only Janicki (19, 85) on the team, and he has batted third in every game since April.
Troy has already made plenty of program history on this magical postseason run, but Cavill and Co. will try to keep the party going in Omaha.
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Ole Miss: RHP Taylor Rabe
The Rebels are back in Omaha for the first time since 2022, when they marched through the tournament as a No. 3 seed and won the program’s first national championship, losing just one game along the way. If Ole Miss is the last one standing again this season, it will likely be because of its terrific pitching staff. The Rebels’ trio of Rabe, left-hander Hunter Elliott and right-hander Cade Townsend has arguably been the best rotation in the country all spring, and the impact relievers beyond them (Walker Hooks, Hudson Calhoun, JP Robertson) give head coach Mike Bianco a ton of options late in games.
Elliott starred on the 2022 title team as a freshman but then needed elbow surgery that wiped out nearly all of his 2023 and 2024 seasons; he returned to Oxford to become a steady veteran presence in the rotation over the past two years. Townsend entered the season as a possible early-round pick as a draft-eligible sophomore and has pitched his way into first-round consideration.
Rabe, however, has climbed even more dramatically on draft boards this spring. He redshirted in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and threw only 16 1/3 innings upon his return last season. This year, after starting the season in a multi-inning relief role, he was so dominant that the Rebels moved him into the weekend rotation, where he continued to excel throughout SEC play and into the postseason. Rabe’s outlier skill is high-end velocity paired with tremendous control, as his four-seamer sits in the upper-90s, yet he has walked only 11 while striking out 98 across 70 1/3 innings this season. His secondary stuff lags behind his fantastic fastball, muddying his prospect stock, but the core competencies of high heat and plus command should see him join Townsend as an early draft pick. Rabe is expected to set the tone in Ole Miss’ opener Friday against North Carolina.
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North Carolina: RHP Jason DeCaro
Down to their last two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 of the super-regional against USC, the Tar Heels staged a stunning comeback to advance to the College World Series. That game would not have happened were it not for DeCaro’s heroics in Game 2, in which he threw a 117-pitch, complete-game shutout that saved North Carolina from elimination after the Trojans took Game 1.
DeCaro doesn’t attack with especially eye-popping stuff — right-hander Ryan Lynch throws much harder and is considered a more valuable pro prospect — but his pitchability is exceptional, with plus command of a changeup and slider that helps his average velocity play up. He has been a mainstay in UNC’s rotation since enrolling early and pitching the first part of his freshman season as a 17-year-old, racking up 51 starts over the past three seasons. DeCaro turned just 20 in April, making him one of the youngest juniors eligible for this summer’s draft. And now DeCaro returns to Omaha, where he pitched two years ago as a baby-faced freshman, hoping to help the Tar Heels claim the first national championship in program history. He’ll start against Rabe and the Rebels on Friday.
After regionals and super-regionals full of surprises, the Greatest Show on Dirt begins Friday in Omaha.
(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports)
Alabama: SS Justin Lebron
A projectable but raw infielder from a Miami-area high school, Lebron burst on as a freshman with the Tide in 2024 and immediately stood out as one of the most dynamic players in college baseball. Since that spectacular introduction, he has developed into one of the more polarizing pro prospects in the college ranks. The more optimistic talent evaluators revere him as a potential power-speed supernova at shortstop worthy of a top-10 draft pick; the more skeptical scouts point to his shaky hit tool and lackluster overall production against SEC pitching as red flags that cannot be ignored.
Lebron’s true talent likely lies somewhere between those two extreme forecasts, but his watchability factor is undeniable. He’s a blast on the basepaths, having stolen 41 bases in 59 games this spring while being caught only once. His explosive athleticism also makes him a highly capable and entertaining defender at shortstop. And though he can be streaky at the plate, Lebron has the raw power to change a game with one swing. All together, it’s the total package — if you catch him on the right day.
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In a few weeks, Lebron’s pro potential will resume being debated leading up to next month’s draft. Alabama advancing to Omaha gives him an incredible opportunity to shine on college baseball’s biggest stage — and that’s still worth plenty, regardless of what happens afterward.
Oklahoma: SS Jaxon Willits
The Sooners delivered the most memorable moment of the tournament so far when first baseman Dayton Tockey hit a walk-off home run against Georgia Tech on the Yellow Jackets’ home field to send Oklahoma to super-regionals, leaving the fans in Atlanta in stunned disbelief.
Tockey’s home run was the grand finale of Oklahoma’s comeback from down 7-3 through six innings, and before that, it was Willits who tied it in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out, RBI single to force extra innings. After the high drama against Georgia Tech, the Sooners cruised through super-regionals with two routs of Kansas in Lawrence (8-1, 13-2), sending Oklahoma to the 11th MCWS in program history.
Willits is the son of Sooners associate head coach and former big-league outfielder Reggie Willits and the older brother of last year’s No. 1 overall pick and current Nationals top prospect Eli Willits. Like Eli, Jaxon is a switch-hitting shortstop with top-notch baseball IQ. Although he lacks the high-end physical tools and standout statistics to warrant a top selection like his prodigious younger brother, Jaxon has been rock-solid on both sides of the ball as a three-year starter at shortstop and should still hear his name called at some point in the first five rounds next month. More pertinently, he’s an ideal anchor for a college team chasing a national championship, and he’ll need to step up if the Sooners are to overcome the other SEC contenders that feature more elite talent up and down the roster.
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Georgia: C Daniel Jackson
With UCLA and Georgia Tech eliminated early in the tournament, the No. 3 overall seed Bulldogs are the top-ranked team in Omaha. With a roster loaded almost exclusively with impact transfers — save for star junior third baseman Tre Phelps, who arrived in Athens as a traditional recruit — Georgia has been dominant all spring. The Bulldogs won the SEC regular-season crown with an impressive 23-7 conference record before cruising through the conference tournament to become “double champions” in the most challenging league in college baseball. They lead Division I with a downright comical 174 home runs in 63 games, 24 more than second-place Oklahoma State (150) and miles ahead of the next-highest home run total among Omaha teams (Ole Miss at 107).
Leading the charge in the long ball department has been Jackson, who was just announced as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur player in the country, thanks to a sensational season that could still have more magic in store. After spending his freshman season at Wofford, Jackson transferred to Georgia last season and showed flashes of impact as a sophomore, but nothing remotely close to what he has demonstrated this spring. He has hit an astonishing .396/.492/.837 with 31 home runs while starting 53 of Georgia’s 63 games at catcher. He possesses rare athleticism for a backstop, as exemplified by his 26 stolen bases to go with his stupendous slugging numbers. Inconsistent defense and swing-and-miss concerns might make Jackson more of a second-round prospect than a clear-cut first-round pick, but this is a game-changing talent at the college level, and he gives Georgia one of the biggest stars left in the tournament.
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Texas: OF Anthony Pack Jr.
The Longhorns have numerous stars on both sides of the ball, including several expected to join the pro ranks in the near future, such as outfielder Aiden Robbins (a likely first- or second-round draft pick in 2026) and ace left-hander Dylan Volantis (a potential first-round pick in 2027). But Pack — who is a freshman — has been the clear breakout star for Texas this spring, and he deserves your attention as the Longhorns push for the sixth national title in program history.
While Pack was a highly regarded prep prospect out of California, he didn’t necessarily project as someone who would make an impact in his first year, particularly on a roster as loaded as Texas’. But his sweet left-handed swing and athleticism in the outfield translated instantly. He began the season batting ninth and quickly hit his way up to the No. 6 spot, where he remained for most of March. Then he kept on raking, to the point he’s now Texas’ preferred No. 3 hitter, an astounding role for a freshman in the SEC. His numbers support that responsibility: Pack arrives in Omaha hitting .359/.485/.597 with 11 home runs, 19 stolen bases and more walks (45) than strikeouts (36). He’s a superstar and should be the face of this program for the next two years before he goes pro.
