Only 12 teams in Men's College World Series history have gone on to win the national championship after dropping their first game in Omaha. The most recent example came in 2018, when Oregon State won six straight games to claim the title.
The group of 12 to escape the losers' bracket after Game 1 account for less than 17 percent of the national champions.
In 2025, two first-round losers in Arkansas and Louisville advanced to the national semifinals before bowing out.
Here's the full list of national champions that lost their first game at the MCWS.
| Year | School | First Game of College World Series |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oregon State | L, North Carolina 8-6 |
| 2010 | South Carolina | L, Oklahoma 4-3 |
| 2006 | Oregon State | L, Miami (FL) 11-1 |
| 1998 | Southern California | L, LSU 12-10 |
| 1980 | Arizona | L, St. John's 6-1 |
| 1979 | Cal State Fullerton | L, Mississippi State 6-1 |
| 1976 | Arizona | L, Arizona State 7-6 |
| 1970 | Southern California | L, Ohio 4-1 |
| 1969 | Arizona State | L, Texas 4-0 |
| 1963 | Southern California | L, Texas 8-3 |
| 1958 | Southern California | L, Holy Cross 3-0 |
| 1950 | Texas | L, Rutgers, 4-2 |
The Beavers became the first champion to do so since South Carolina in 2010.
They capped off an impressive run at the College World Series with a 5-0 win in Game 3 of the championship series against Arkansas. It was Oregon State's sixth straight victory when facing elimination in Omaha after it dropped its MCWS opener to North Carolina.
Here was Oregon State's path to the national championship in the 2018 MCWS:
Oregon State:
