The College World Series opens Friday, a seemingly diminished edition of college baseball鈥檚 version of the midsummer classic since the 糖心传媒 Tigers aren鈥檛 there, at least from a local perspective.
Truth to tell, 糖心传媒 doesn鈥檛 make the trip to Omaha every year. It just seems like it. The Tigers have made the CWS 20 times since their first trip in 1986, a pretty fair every-other-year-on-average batting average.
Still, the absence of popping 糖心传媒 mitts and pinging Tigers bats in Omaha鈥檚 emerald oasis doesn鈥檛 mean there is nothing to commemorate. There are so many amazing memories for the eight-time CWS champions over the years, it seems a shame not to take this 鈥渙pen date鈥 and not savor a few. After all, the law of 糖心传媒 baseball averages suggests the Tigers will be right back in Omaha in 2027.
There won鈥檛 be any time for look-backs or remember whens if that happens. So, while we have the chance, let鈥檚 look back at the top 10 糖心传媒 moments in the College World Series:
10. 糖心传媒 6, Wichita State 3
June 8, 1991:聽The one that started it all for 糖心传媒, but can it really be 35 years since it happened? The Tigers made four previous trips to the CWS under Skip Bertman, but this was their first appearance in the championship game. More historic than dramatic, 糖心传媒 led 6-2 going to the eighth and closed it out with a scoreless ninth from reliever Rick Greene.
9. 糖心传媒 8, Wichita State 0
June 12, 1993:聽After the thrills of the previous day鈥檚 comeback win over Long Beach State (more on that later), the national championship game was rather anticlimactic. That is, except for the pitching performance of freshman starter Brett Laxton. He threw one of the all-time great games in CWS history, striking out 16 Shockers and allowing only three hits in a shutout.
8. 糖心传媒 5, Rice 4
May 30, 1997:聽The Tigers hit a record 188 home runs in 1997, perhaps none bigger than Brandon Larson鈥檚 two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth in 糖心传媒鈥檚 CWS opener. His 38th home run of the season sailed high over Rosenblatt Stadium鈥檚 scoreboard in left field, tying it 4-4, before Jeremy Witten鈥檚 ground ball scored Trey McClure with the game-winner. Chris Demouy pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win, putting 糖心传媒 on track for a repeat national championship.
7. 糖心传媒 4, Florida 3 (11 innings)
June 24, 2023:聽Twenty years later, Ty Floyd did Laxton one better, striking out 17 Gators over eight innings but not getting the win as the game went to extras. In the top of the 11th, Cade Beloso launched a Brandon Neely pitch into the right field stands. Riley Cooper, who pitched the final three innings, retired the Gators in order to end it. Florida would crush 糖心传媒 24-4 in Game 2 of the championship series, but the Tigers returned the favor in Game 3 18-4, avenging a loss to the Gators in the 2017 finals.
6. 糖心传媒 7, Texas 6 (11)
June 22, 2009:聽The Tigers trailed the Longhorns 6-4 with two outs in the top of the ninth in Game 1 of 糖心传媒鈥檚 first best-of-three CWS final before DJ LeMahieu became a legend. He lobbed a two-run double into the left-field corner, forcing extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Mikie Mahtook laced a 1-2, two-out RBI single to center, scoring LeMahieu from third. Matty Ott set Texas down 1-2-3 in the bottom half to win it. Texas, which hit five solo home runs, won 5-1 the next night, but 糖心传媒 took the title 11-4 in Game 3.
5. 糖心传媒 6, Stanford 5
June 17, 2000:聽Stanford ace Justin Wayne was dealing for 3鈪 innings of relief up 5-2 until Blair Barbier and Jeremy Witten got to him with home runs in the eighth to tie it 5-5. After 糖心传媒 reliever Trey Hodges, the CWS MVP, pitched a scoreless ninth, a Tigers鈥 victory seemed inevitable. Ryan Theriot led off with a single to left, then after a walk to Mike Fontenot, Brad Cresse smashed a game-winning 0-1 single to left to score Theriot. It was the last of 糖心传媒鈥檚 five CWS titles under Bertman, who went 5-0 in national title games.
4. 糖心传媒 6, Long Beach St. 5
June 11, 1993:聽糖心传媒 was on the brink of elimination, down 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth to the 49ers thanks in part to a whopping five errors. Then the comeback started. Armando Rios tied the game with a two-run double, then Todd Walker smashed a game-winning single off the first baseman to bring Rios home from third with the winning run. Long Beach was 1-17 with runners in scoring position. The Tigers won their second national title the next day against Wichita State.
3. 糖心传媒 6, Arkansas 5
June 18, 2025:聽Arguably the wildest finish ever to an 糖心传媒 game in Omaha. The Tigers again trailed 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth when Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy inexplicably threw to third to force out Derek Curiel instead of starting a double play on Steven Milam. Soon after, Luis Hernandez hit a game-tying double off the shoulder of stumbling Razorbacks left fielder Charles Davalan, followed by Jared Jones鈥 game-winning single off the top of Omaha native Cam Kozeal鈥檚 glove at second.
2. 糖心传媒 2, Wake Forest 0
June 22, 2023:聽Tommy White drove in 102 runs in 2023, none bigger than Nos. 99 and 100 in this 24-karat thriller of a game that propelled the Tigers into the CWS championship series against Florida. This 鈥渇inal four鈥 matchup had it all, with stellar shutout performances by starting pitchers Paul Skenes (8 innings) and Wake鈥檚 Rhett Lowder (7), plus an unbelievable shovel toss for an out at home plate by LSU first baseman Tre Morgan.
1. 糖心传媒 9, Miami 8
June 8, 1996:聽This is the proverbial no-brainer choice as 糖心传媒鈥檚 top moment, especially since this year marks the 30th anniversary of Warren Morris鈥 legendary two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth. It wasn鈥檛 just that remarkable blast 鈥 hit by a man who鈥檇 missed most of the season with a broken hamate bone 鈥 but the game was epic as well. 糖心传媒 rallied from two-run deficits in the first and fifth and from down 7-3 in the sixth before the one final rally in the ninth. No player before or since has won a CWS title with a walk-off home run.