Greatest College World Series Champions of All Time
College baseball doesn't get the same love as college football or college basketball, but it has something those other sports will never have — the College World Series.
The tournament to determine the national champion in baseball started in 1947 and has been held in Omaha, Nebraska, since 1950. Some of the best baseball players have played in Omaha on some of the best college baseball teams. But who is the all-time No. 1 College World Series champion?
These are the greatest college baseball teams in NCAA history. Let the debate begin.
30. 1991 LSU Tigers
Head coach: Skip Bertman
Key players: Rich Cordani, Rick Greene, Gary Hymel, Tookie Johnson, Chris Moock, Lyle Mouton, Chad Ogea, John Tellechea
Overall record: 55-18
Championship game: LSU 6, Wichita State 3
CWS titles: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009)
Bottom Line: 1991 LSU Tigers
LSU didn't make its first College World Series until 1986 and won the first of six national titles just five years later — the first of four titles in the 1990s.
After losing to Florida twice in the SEC Tournament, including in the championship game, the Tigers exacted revenge in the CWS.
That's where they beat the Gators twice, by a combined score of 27-9.
29. 1949 Texas Longhorns
Head coach: Bibb Falk
Key players: Ed Kneuper, Tom Hamilton, Jim Shabmlin, Murray Wall, Don Watson
Overall record: 22-4
Championship game: Texas 10, Wake Forest 3
CWS titles: 6 (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)
Bottom Line: 1949 Texas Longhorns
Texas swept through its regional and the CWS in the one year the tournament was held in Wichita, Kansas.
Tom Hamilton was one of three All-Americans for head coach Bibb Falk and won the first CWS Most Outstanding Player Award.
It was also the first of back-to-back titles for the Longhorns.
28. 1999 Miami Hurricanes
Head coach: Jim Morris
Key players: Manny Crespo, Lale Esquivel, Bobby Hill, Michael Neu, Mike Rodriguez
Overall record: 50-13
Championship game: Miami 6, Florida State 5
CWS titles: 4 (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001)
Bottom Line: 1999 Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes didn't lose a single game in the postseason and put a cherry on top of their season when they beat hated rival Florida State in the CWS championship game.
That two of Miami's star players ended up as Division I head coaches — Michael Neu at Cal and Bobby Hill at Central Florida — speaks to why the team performed like such a well-oiled machine.
27. 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks
Head coach: Ray Tanner
Key players: Jackie Bradley Jr., Scott Wingo, Robert Beary, Peter Mooney, Matt Price, Michael Roth, Brady Thomas, Christian Walker
Overall record: 55-14
Championship game: South Carolina 5, Florida 2
CWS titles: 2 (2010, 2011)
Bottom Line: 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina was ranked No. 1 in all four of the polls headed into the SEC Tournament, where the Gamecocks were unceremoniously bounced in three games and dropped to No. 4.
You might say they took it personally, going on an unbelievable tear through their regional, super regional and CWS games to win their second consecutive national title.
That's how you make a statement.
26. 2005 Texas Longhorns
Head coach: Augie Garrido
Key players: David Maroul, J.B. Cox, Taylor Teagarden, Drew Stubbs, Ken Kasparek, Seth Johnston
Overall record: 56-16
Championship game: Texas 6, Florida 2
CWS titles: 6 (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)
Bottom Line: 2005 Texas Longhorns
Texas' second national title in four years would be the last of head coach Augie Garrido's legendary career and maybe his finest coaching effort, taking the third-place team in the Big 12 all the way to the CWS.
Garrido, who died in 2018, won five national titles in his career with the first three coming at Cal State Fullerton and the last two at Texas.
25. 1982 Miami Hurricanes
Head coach: Ron Fraser
Key players: Phil Lane, Nelson Santovenia, Danny Smith
Overall record: 55-17-1
Championship game: Miami 9, Wichita State 3
CWS titles: 4 (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001)
Bottom Line: 1982 Miami Hurricanes
Playing as an NCAA independent, Miami captured its first national title in convincing fashion.
The Hurricanes won their three Atlantic Regional games by a combined score of 42-9 and three of five games in the CWS by five or more runs.
But only one player on the team, catcher Nelson Santovenia, went on to play in the majors.
24. 2007 Oregon State Beavers
Head coach: Pat Casey
Key players: Jorge Reyes, Darwin Barney, Mitch Canham, Mike Lissman, Scott Santschi, Joey Wong
Overall record: 49-18
Championship game: Oregon State 9, North Carolina 3
CWS titles: 3 (2006, 2007, 2018)
Bottom Line: 2007 Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State baseball fans are an odd bunch.
Despite winning back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007, then adding another one in 2018, some of them insist their 2017 team is the best one in school history. But that's on them.
For our money, it's this 2007 squad that went 11-1 in the postseason and swept through the super regional and CWS.
23. 1994 Oklahoma Sooners
Head coach: Larry Cochell
Key players: Ryan Minor, Chip Glass, Damon Minor, Bucky Buckles, Rick Gutierrez, Rich Hills, Mark Redman, Darvin Taylor
Overall record: 50-17
Championship game: Oklahoma 13, Georgia Tech 5
CWS titles: 2 (1951, 1994)
Bottom Line: 1994 Oklahoma Sooners
Like a lot of teams on this list, Oklahoma used a loss in the conference championship game to fuel its national title run.
After falling to Oklahoma State in the Big 8 Tournament, the Sooners reeled off eight consecutive victories to take the CWS.
Oklahoma third baseman Ryan Minor, who also was an All-American basketball player, ended up being an interesting footnote in MLB history when he replaced Cal Ripken Jr. at third base for the Baltimore Orioles after his consecutive games streak ended.
22. 1961 USC Trojans
Head coach: Rod Dedeaux
Key players: Steve Bach, Art Ersepke, Larry Hankhammer, Larry Himes, William Ryan, Jim Withers
Overall record: 36-7
Championship game: USC 1, Oklahoma State 0
CWS titles: 12 (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998)
Bottom Line: 1961 USC Trojans
USC went 9-1 in the postseason, including 5-0 at the CWS, on the way to winning its second national title in four seasons.
The USC lineup featured four future MLB players in Wally Wolf, Don Ardell, Tom Satriano and Ron Stillwell.
It also featured a future USC head coach Mike Gillespie, who led the Trojans to a national title in 1998.
21. 2013 UCLA Bruins
Head coach: John Savage
Key players: Adam Plutko, Pat Valaika, Eric Filia, Nick Vander Tuig
Overall record: 49-17
Championship game: UCLA 8, Mississippi State 0
CWS titles: 1 (2013)
Bottom Line: 2013 UCLA Bruins
The crosstown rivals of all-time CWS championships leader USC finally brought home a national title of their own in 2013.
UCLA didn't lose a game in its NCAA regional, NCAA super regional or the CWS with one of the more dominating pitching performances in NCAA postseason history.
Led by pitcher Adam Plutko, the CWS Most Outstanding Player, UCLA gave up four runs in five games in Omaha and capped things off by shutting out Mississippi State in the championship game.
20. 2003 Rice Owls
Head coach: Wayne Graham
Key players: Wade Townsend, Jeff Niemann, Phillip Humber, Enrique Cruz, Dane Bubela
Overall record: 58-12
Championship game: Rice 14, Stanford 2
CWS titles: 1 (2003)
Bottom Line: 2003 Rice Owls
In 91 years of playing team sports, Rice had never won a team national title until the baseball team in 2003.
The Owls opened the season 33-1 before running into some trouble during WAC play, then regrouped at just the right moment and muscled their way through the postseason.
In the first best-of-three championship series in CWS history, Rice won a 10-inning thriller over Stanford, then closed out the championship in the third game with a 14-2 win.
19. 1992 Pepperdine Waves
Head coach: Andy Lopez
Key players: Pat Ahearne, Steve Duda, David Main, Dan Melendez, Steve Rodriguez
Overall record: 48-11-1
Championship game: Pepperdine 3, Cal State Fullerton 2
CWS titles: 1 (1992)
Bottom Line: 1992 Pepperdine Waves
All-American Pat Ahearne — Orel Jr. to his teammates — put together one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in college baseball history. Ahearne went 15-2, opened the CWS with a shutout win over Wichita State and closed it with a win over rival Cal State Fullerton in the championship game.
Pepperdine head coach Andy Lopez won his next national title exactly 20 years later, as the head coach at Arizona.
Pepperdine second baseman Steve Rodriguez eventually became the Waves' head coach and is now the head coach at Baylor.
18. 2002 Texas Longhorns
Head coach: Augie Garrido
Key players: Huston Street, Justin Simmons, J.D. Reininger, Omar Quintanilla, Jeff Ontiveros, Tim Moss, Dustin Majewski
Overall record: 57-15
Championship game: Texas 12, South Carolina 6
CWS titles: 6 (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)
Bottom Line: 2002 Texas Longhorns
Texas won its first national title since 1983 in the last year the CWS played a single-game championship behind a virtuous performance by freshman relief pitcher and CWS Most Outstanding Player Huston Street.
The son of former Texas quarterback James Street, Huston Street picked up saves in all four of the Longhorns' CWS wins.
Three years later, he was named AL Rookie of the Year while pitching for the Oakland A's.
17. 1957 Cal Golden Bears
Head coach: George Wolfman
Key players: Earl Robinson, Charles Thompson, Doug Weiss
Overall record: 35-10
Championship game: Cal 1, Penn State 0
CWS titles: 2 (1947, 1957)
Bottom Line: 1957 Cal Golden Bears
Cal won its second and to this day, last, CWS title with a 1-0 win over Penn State in the championship game.
Three All-Americans led the way for the Golden Bears with Earl Robinson, Charles Thompson and Doug Weiss.
Robinson, a third baseman, also played basketball for Cal and was in the majors for six seasons.
16. 2012 Arizona Wildcats
Head coach: Andy Lopez
Key players: Alex Mejia, Konner Wade, Riley Moore, Joey Rickard, Rob Refsnyder
Overall record: 48-17
Championship game: Arizona 4, South Carolina 1
CWS titles: 4 (1976, 1980, 1986, 2012)
Bottom Line: 2012 Arizona Wildcats
Twenty years after leading Pepperdine to a shocking upset at the CWS, head coach Andy Lopez added another title by bringing Arizona its first national championship in almost 30 years.
He did it by recruiting a lineup jam-packed with future MLB talent. Five positions players for Arizona ended up in the majors, including outfielder and CWS Most Outstanding Player Rob Refsnyder.
15. 1996 LSU Tigers
Head coach: Skip Bertman
Key players: Warren Morris
Overall record: 52-15
Championship game: LSU 9, Miami 8
CWS titles: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009)
Bottom Line: 1996 LSU Tigers
The greatest moment in CWS history came when LSU pinch hitter Warren Morris hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the ninth inning to beat Miami in the CWS championship game.
Even more amazing? It was Morris' first home run of the season in 76 at-bats.
This was one of four national championship teams coached by Skip Bertman in the 1990s and the first of back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997.
14. 1968 USC Trojans
Head coach: Rod Dedeaux
Key players: Jim Barr, Reid Braden, Pat Harrison, Bill Lee, Chuck Ramshaw, Bell Seinsoth, Steve Sogge
Overall record: 42-12-1
Championship game: USC 4, Southern Illinois 3
CWS titles: 12 (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998)
Bottom Line: 1968 USC Trojans
USC swept through all five of its games at the CWS, winning by two runs twice and one run three times, including 1-0 in the championship game against Southern Illinois.
USC first baseman Bill Seinsoth won CWS Most Outstanding Player honors. Seinsoth died one year later in a car accident on his way to see the pro football debut of college friend O.J. Simpson.
13. 1975 Texas Longhorns
Head coach: Cliff Gustafson
Key players: Rick Bradley, Martin Flores, Jim Gideon, Keith Moreland, Garry Pyka, Mickey Reichenbach, Blair Stouffer, Rich Wortham
Overall record: 56-6
Championship game: Texas 5, South Carolina 1
CWS titles: 6 (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)
Bottom Line: 1975 Texas Longhorns
Texas snapped USC's streak of five consecutive national titles after losing its second game of the CWS to Arizona State, then outscoring its last three opponents, 34-17.
The Longhorns had three future major league pitchers in Don Kainer, Jim Gideon and Rich Wortham and a future World Series champion in utility player Keith Moreland, who won it all with the Phillies in 1980.
12. 1951 Oklahoma Sooners
Head coach: Jack Baer
Key players: Jack Shirley, John Reddell
Overall record: 19-9
Championship game: Oklahoma 3, Tennessee 2
CWS titles: 2 (1951, 1994)
Bottom Line: 1951 Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma didn't lose a game at the CWS, going 4-0 and becoming the first team outside of Texas and California to win the CWS.
Oklahoma, led by All-American pitcher Jack Shirley, won a nail-biter over Tennessee, 3-2, in the CWS championship game.
The Sooners wouldn't win another CWS for 43 years.
11. 1973 USC Trojans
Head coach: Rod Dedeaux
Key players: Rich Dauer, Ken Huizenga, Ed Putnam, Randy Scarbery, Roy Smalley, Fred Lynn
Overall record: 51-11
Championship game: USC 4, Arizona State 3
CWS titles: 12 (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998)
Bottom Line: 1973 USC Trojans
USC went 11-0 in the postseason on its run to the CWS title, sweeping its way through the Pac-8 playoffs, NCAA regional and CWS.
USC center fielder Fred Lynn would sweep AL MVP and AL Rookie of the Year honors two years later, part of a 17-year major league career that included nine All-Star nods.
10. 1947 Cal Golden Bears
Head coach: Clint Evans
Key players: Nino Barnise, John Fiscalini, Jackie Jensen
Overall record: 31-10
Championship game: Cal 8, Yale 7
CWS titles: 2 (1947, 1957)
Bottom Line: 1947 Cal Golden Bears
Cal featured three All-Americans in pitcher Nino Barnise, John Fiscalini and Jackie Jensen, who played 11 seasons in the majors and was the 1958 American League MVP.
The story of Cal's win in the first CWS eventually got overshadowed by a story about a player from the losing squad — Yale first baseman and future President of the United States George H.W. Bush.
9. 1987 Stanford Cardinal
Head coach: Mark Marquess
Key players: Ruben Amaro, Steve Chitren, Paul Carey, David Esquer, Mark Machtolf, Jack McDowell, Ed Sprague
Overall record: 53-17
Championship game: Stanford 9, Oklahoma State 5
CWS titles: 2 (1987, 1988)
Bottom Line: 1987 Stanford Cardinal
The first of back-to-back CWS titles for Stanford found a surprise hero in freshman outfielder Paul Carey, who was named CWS Most Outstanding Player and NCAA Freshman of the Year.
The star of Stanford's pitching staff was All-American Jack McDowell, the No. 5 overall pick in the 1987 MLB draft, who went on to win the 1993 AL Cy Young Award pitching for the Chicago White Sox.
8. 2000 LSU Tigers
Head coach: Skip Bertman
Key players: Brad Hawpe, Blair Barbier, Brad Cresse, Mike Fontenot, Trey Hodges, Bo Pettit, Wally Pontiff, Brian Tallett, Ryan Theriot
Overall record: 52-17
Championship game: LSU 6, Stanford 5
CWS titles: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009)
Bottom Line: 2000 LSU Tigers
=The final national championship team of LSU head coach Skip Bertman's career may have been his most talented.
The roster featured six future MLB players along with catcher Brad Cresse, who won the Johnny Bench Award but never made it to the majors.
After losing to Alabama in the regular-season finale, LSU reeled off 13 straight wins in the SEC Tournament, regional, super regional and CWS on the way to the championship.
7. 2001 Miami Hurricanes
Head coach: Jim Morris
Key players: Javy Rodriguez, Kevin Brown, Tom Farmer, George Huguet, Charlton Jimerson, Danny Matienzo
Overall record: 53-12
Championship game: Miami 12, Stanford 1
CWS titles: 4 (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001)
Bottom Line: 2001 Miami Hurricanes
Miami's second national title in three years under head coach Jim Morris featured a roster with a whopping 11 players who were picked in the 2001 MLB draft.
The Hurricanes ended the season on a 17-game winning streak and were never more dominant than in the CWS, where they scored 49 runs in four games and beat Stanford 12-1 in the championship game.
6. 2019 Vanderbilt Commodores
Head coach: Tim Corbin
Key players: Kumar Rocker, Philip Clarke, Austin Martin, J.J. Bleday
Overall record: 59-12
Championship game: Vanderbilt 8, Michigan 2
CWS titles: 2 (2014, 2019)
Bottom Line: 2019 Vanderbilt Commodores
Accuse us of recency bias all you want, because we're choosing to believe what our eyes can see with the 2019 Vanderbilt squad.
Head coach Tim Corbin won his second national title in the 2010s behind freshman pitcher Kumar Rocker, who was named CWS Most Outstanding Player, and outfielder J.J. Bleday, who was picked No. 4 overall in the 2019 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins.
Rocker is widely regarded as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft.
5. 1983 Texas Longhorns
Head coach: Cliff Gustafson
Key players: Billy Bates, Mike Brumley, Jeff Hearron, Kirk Killingsworth, Calvin Schiraldi, Jose Tolentino, Roger Clemens
Overall record: 66-14
Championship game: Texas 4, Alabama 3
CWS titles: 6 (1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005)
Bottom Line: 1983 Texas Longhorns
This Texas team was most notable for having seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens in its pitching rotation, but he was just one of four future MLB pitchers on the Longhorns' roster.
Another of those, CWS Most Outstanding Player Calvin Schiraldi, was Clemens' teammate three years later on the Boston Red Sox and was the losing pitcher in both Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.
4. 1978 USC Trojans
Head coach: Rod Dedeaux
Key players: Bill Bordley, Rod Boxberger, Dave Engle, Bryan Hayes, Dave Hostetler, Chris Smith, Doug Stokke, Tim Tolman, Dave Van Gorder, John Wells, Anthony Munoz
Overall record: 54-9
Championship game: USC 10, Arizona State 3
CWS titles: 12 (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998)
Bottom Line: 1978 USC Trojans
USC head coach Rod Dedeaux's 10th and final national championship team may have been his best.
The Trojans, who won the CWS six times in the 1970s alone, had 11 players off the 1978 team taken in the MLB draft.
Pitcher Anthony Munoz became a Pro Football Hall of Famer and is considered by some to be the greatest offensive lineman of all time.
3. 1997 LSU Tigers
Head coach: Skip Bertman
Key players: Brandon Larson, Patrick Coogan, Doug Thompson, Eddy Furniss, Tom Bernhardt, Mark Koerner
Overall record: 57-13
Championship game: LSU 13, Alabama 6
CWS titles: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009)
Bottom Line: 1997 LSU Tigers
The 1996 LSU team is the one that will live on in our hearts and minds forever because of how they won the CWS, with a walk-off home run by Warren Morris in the championship game.
The 1997 team won with sheer power. They set an NCAA record with 110 home runs and hit at least one home run in all 70 games.
The leader of that attack was CWS Most Outstanding Player Brandon Larson, who batted .381 with 40 home runs and 110 RBI.
2. 1977 Arizona State Sun Devils
Head coach: Jim Brock
Key players: Jamie Allen, Chris Bando, Hubie Brooks, Mike Henderson, Bob Horner, Dave Hudgens, Brandt Humphry, Darrell Jackson, Chris Nyman, Rick Peters, Jerry Vasquez
Overall record: 57-12
Championship game: Arizona State 2, South Carolina 1
CWS titles: 5 (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1981)
Bottom Line: 1977 Arizona State Sun Devils
The 1977 Arizona State CWS championship team deserves to be in the conversation for the greatest CWS champions of all time.
While the Sun Devils featured five future MLB players in their lineup, none stood out more than sophomore second baseman and CWS Most Outstanding Player Bob Horner.
One year later, Horner skipped the minor leagues entirely and went straight to the majors with the Atlanta Braves.
1. 1995 Cal State Fullerton Titans
Head coach: Augie Garrido
Key players: Mark Kotsay, C.J. Ankrum, Jack Jones, Brian Lloyd, Tony Martinez, Tony Miranda, Ted Silva
Overall record: 57-9
Championship game: Cal State Fullerton 11, USC 5
CWS titles: 4 (1979, 1984, 1995, 2004)
Bottom Line: 1995 Cal State Fullerton Titans
Simply the greatest team to ever step on a college baseball diamond.
Led by National Coach of the Year Augie Garrido, Cal State Fullerton went 57-9 and was at its strongest in the postseason, reeling off 11 straight wins through the Big West Tournament, NCAA regional and CWS.
Sophomore outfielder Mark Kotsay, who would play 16 seasons in the majors, put together arguably the greatest season by a college baseball player, taking home the Golden Spikes Award, CWS Most Outstanding Player, Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year and Big West Player of the Year.