This happened in every third game of the Men’s College World Series finals

Since the Men’s College World Series switched to a best-of-three format to decide the national championship in 2003, the title has been decided in the third game 12 times, including in 2024, when Tennessee won the final two games of the season to defeat Texas A&M.

Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from every Game 3 since the format was introduced in 2003.

2003: Rice defeats Stanford 14-2

The first Game 3 in College World Series history was a show of force by Rice. The Owls scored 14 runs on 14 hits, including seven in the sixth inning, to win the school’s first national championship in any sport.

2006: Oregon State defeats UNC 3-2

In our first Game 3, with a one-point lead, Oregon State avoided elimination in Game 2 and then Bill Rowe of the Beavers took advantage of a shooting error in Game 3 to score the point that would give him the title.

2008: Fresno State defeats Georgia 6-1

March Madness may have popularized the Cinderella run, but Fresno State’s magical championship in 2008 went down in history with the best stories of college underdogs. Fresno outscored Georgia 19-10 in an incredible second game before winning Game 3, setting the record for most losses by a national champion (31) by refusing to give up when it mattered most.

2009: LSU beats Texas 11-4

The Longhorns forced Game 3, but in the end Texas was too strong with the Tigers’ strong offense.

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2014: Vanderbilt defeats Virginia 3-2

John Norwood was the man of the night for the Commodores, hitting a solo home run past the left field fence in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and score the championship-winning run. It was Vanderbilt’s first national baseball title.

2015: Virginia defeats Vanderbilt 4-2

Playoff game! That’s right: After four seasons without a Game 3, there were now two in a row – with the same two teams! The second time, Virginia got revenge on Vanderbilt and won 4-2 against the “Dores” and thus the Cavaliers’ first national title.

2016: Coastal Carolina defeats Arizona 4-3

Three years in a row, three straight first-time champions. This time, Coastal Carolina took an unusual path to victory in Game 3, scoring four unearned runs on two fielding errors to take a dramatic 4-3 victory over Arizona.

2018: Oregon State defeats Arkansas 5-0

The Beavers were one pop-up in foul territory away from elimination in Game 2, but they took advantage of a Razorbacks error, forced Game 3, and then turned the ball over to Kevin Abel. The first-year pitcher threw a complete-game clean sheet, the fourth in CWS history and the first in 25 years.

2018: Vanderbilt beats Michigan 8-2

It was a classic David versus Goliath scenario. The Vandy boys – who had started the season as the preseason No. 2 seed – came to Omaha as the top seed, No. 2 in the national rankings. Michigan went from the final four to the NCAA baseball tournament, to the CWS finals, and even handed Vanderbilt a loss in Game 1. Another electrifying postseason start from Kumar Rocker forced Game 3, in which, although Michigan struck first, Vanderbilt struck often, building a five-run lead by the fourth inning. The rest, as they say, is history.

2021: Mississippi State defeats Vanderbilt 9-0

After a six-run loss in the first game, Mississippi State beat Vandy two games in a row – 13-2 and 9-0 – to win the first national championship in the history of the program – and in any team sport.

2023: LSU defeats Florida 18-4

The Gators forced a final game with a 24-4 victory over LSU, but the Tigers got revenge in Game 3, dominating with a 14-run victory to win the seventh national championship in program history. After trailing 2-0 in the first period, the Tigers scored six points in the second period and never gave up.

2024: Tennessee defeats Texas A&M 6-5

In a meeting of two teams vying for their first championships, the Volunteers emerged victorious. Tennessee lost Game 1 9-5 but won the next game 4-1. In Game 3, the Vols never trailed and even took a 6-1 lead after Dylan Dreiling hit a two-run homer and Kavares Tears hit an RBI double. Although Texas A&M scored two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth inning to make it a one-run game, Aaron Combs’ strikeout clinched the decisive victory.

A few additional notes about these games 3:

• Teams that forced Game 3 by winning Game 2 are 8-4 in the decisive final
• The average margin of victory for Game 3 winners is quite large: 5.33 runs. This is, of course, largely thanks to Rice’s 12-run victory in 2003 and Game 3 victories in 2021 (9-0) and 2023 (18-4).
• Four out of twelve or 33.3 percent of games 3 were decided by one point.