5 biggest College World Series upsets ever ft. Fresno State
College baseball's biggest powers tend to fare well in the College World Series. But unlike college football, there's plenty of room for underdogs to shake things up.
In fact, here are five College World Series teams that shocked the world in winning the Series. For that matter, these teams surprised many in even making it to the Series. But in Omaha, anything can happen. Here's the proof:
Five biggest College World Series upsets ft. Fresno State
#5 Miami (1982)
In the era before modern seeding, it's difficult to measure an upset. But Miami's 1982 triumph is a notable one.
To that point, a Florida team had never won a College World Series. Additionally, in 1982, the NCAA had five top seeds for the first time, but the Hurricanes were not among them.
Miami's triumph was keyed by a pair of amazing wins over Wichita State, one of the most powerful teams in the nation. Perhaps the single play that turned the tide of the Series was a trick play that still astounds 40 years on.
Led by this brilliant chicanery, Miami pulled off the surprise triumph and changed the contour of college baseball award from a California and Texas dominated game.
#4 Virginia (2015)
UVA limped into the 2015 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. They were sent west to Lake Elsinore, California.
The regional host UC-Santa Barbara went 0-2, and Virginia outlasted Southern Cal for a second time to move on. They beat fellow No. 3 seed Maryland in the super regional. In Omaha, Virginia won two of three from national No. 4 Florida and Vanderbilt to claim an impressive title.
#3 Oregon State (2007)
Oregon State were the defending champs in 2007, but a 10-14 conference mark barely got them into the NCAA field as a No. 3 seed.
Oregon State bested top seed Virginia in two of three games and won the super-regional over Michigan. Oregon State caught fire in Omaha, winning five in a row to easily sweep to a series win.
#2 Ole Miss (2022)
Ole Miss was the final team chosen for the NCAA Tournament in 2022. The Rebels were 14-16 in SEC play and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
A No. 3 seed in Coral Gables, Ole Miss swept through top two seeds, Miami and Arizona. The Rebels won the super regional over Southern Miss without allowing a run.
In the College World Series, Ole Miss had a surprisingly easy run. They bested No. national seed Auburn, 5-1. After taking down Arkansas 13-5, the Rebels stumbled to the same team 3-2. In an elimination game, though, Ole Miss and starter Dylan DeLucia won 2-0. The Rebels cruised in the finals, besting Oklahoma 10-3 and 4-2 to claim the title.
#1 Fresno State (2008)
Fresno remains the only No. 4 regional seed to win the national title. The Bulldogs undoubtedly would have missed the NCAA Touranment entirely had they not run through the WAC Conference Tournament to claim the league's automatic bid.
Fresno took down the region's top two seeds, Long Beach State and San Diego before losing to San Diego 15-1. Forced to an elimination game, Fresno won 5-4. Their reward was No. 3 national seed Arizona State in super reigonal play. When ASU won the first game 12-4, Fresno looked finished. They weren't, though, rebounding to win the next two, 8-6 and 12-9.
In Omaha, Fresno outlasted the No. 6, No. 2 and No. 8 national seeds to claim the title. The victories over No. 2 North Carolina and No. 8 Georgia needed three games each. Fresno didn't do anything easily, but they won the most improbable College World Series title in history.
Which College World Series upset was the most impressive? We'd love to hear your thoughts below in the comments section: