Coastal Carolina bested Arizona in the 2016 College World Series.
With so much talent dispersed throughout the country, winning the World College World Series once is a grand accomplishment. But going back back to back?
It’s extraordinarily difficult. But not impossible.
The last team to repeat was South Carolina, which did so in 2010 and 2011. Coastal Carolina, which doesn’t look as strong as it did last season, will fight an up-hill battle in order to repeat this year. The good news: the Chanticleers started last season 20-10 before going 35-8 in their next 43 games to finish 55-18. Gary Gilmore’s squad sits at 24-15-1 as of this writing. It will need an even spicier hot streak in order to take home the crown again.Take a look below at every College World Series champion, and runner-up, since 1947. Repeat title-winners are bolded:
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Coastal Carolina (55-18) | Gary Gilmore | 4-3 | Arizona | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2015 | Virginia (44-24) | Brian O'Connor | 4-2 | Vanderbilt | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2014 | Vanderbilt (51-21) | Tim Corbin | 3-2 | Virginia | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2013 | UCLA (49-17) | John Savage | 8-0 | Mississippi State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2012 | Arizona (48-17) | Andy Lopez | 4-1 | South Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2011 | South Carolina (55-14) | Ray Tanner | 5-2 | Florida | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2010 | South Carolina (54-16) | Ray Tanner | 2-1 (11 inn.) | UCLA | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2009 | LSU (56-17) | Paul Mainieri | 11-4 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2008 | Fresno State (47-31) | Mike Batesole | 6-1 | Georgia | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2007 | Oregon State (49-18) | Pat Casey | 9-3 | North Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2006 | Oregon State (50-16) | Pat Casey | 3-2 | North Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2005 | Texas (56-16) | Augie Garrido | 6-2 | Florida | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2004 | Cal St. Fullerton (47-22) | George Horton | 3-2 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2003 | Rice (58-12) | Wayne Graham | 14-2 | Stanford | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2002 | Texas (57-15) | Augie Garrido | 12-6 | South Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2001 | Miami (Fla.) (53-12) | Jim Morris | 12-1 | Stanford | Omaha, Neb. |
| 2000 | LSU (52-17) | Skip Bertman | 6-5 | Stanford | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1999 | Miami (Fla.) (50-13) | Jim Morris | 6-5 | Florida State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1998 | Southern California (49-17) | Mike Gillespie | 21-14 | Arizona State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1997 | LSU (57-13) | Skip Bertman | 13-6 | Alabama | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1996 | LSU (52-15) | Skip Bertman | 9-8 | Miami (Fla.) | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1995 | Cal St. Fullerton (57-9) | Augie Garrido | 11-5 | Southern California | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1994 | Oklahoma (50-17) | Larry Cochell | 13-5 | Georgia Tech | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1993 | LSU (53-17-1) | Skip Bertman | 8-0 | Wichita State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1992 | Pepperdine | Andy Lopez | 3-2 | Cal St. Fullerton | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1991 | LSU (55-18) | Skip Bertman | 6-3 | Wichita State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1990 | Georgia (52-19) | Steve Webber | 2-1 | Oklahoma State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1989 | Wichita State (68-16) | Gene Stephenson | 5-3 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1988 | Stanford (46-23) | Mark Marquess | 9-4 | Arizona State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1987 | Stanford (53-17) | Mark Marquess | 9-5 | Oklahoma State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1986 | Arizona (49-19) | Jerry Kindall | 10-2 | Florida State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1985 | Miami (Fla.) (64-16) | Ron Fraser | 10-6 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1984 | Cal St. Fullerton (66-20) | Augie Garrido | 3-1 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1983 | Texas (66-14) | Cliff Gustafson | 4-3 | Alabama | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1982 | Miami (Fla.) (55-17-1) | Ron Fraser | 9-3 | Wichita State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1981 | Arizona State (55-13) | Jim Brock | 7-4 | Oklahoma State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1980 | Arizona (45-21-1) | Jerry Kindall | 5-3 | Hawaii | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1979 | Cal St. Fullerton (60-14-1) | Augie Garrido | 2-1 | Arkansas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1978 | Southern California (54-9) | Rod Dedeaux | 10-3 | Arizona State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1977 | Arizona State (57-12) | Jim Brock | 2-1 | South Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1976 | Arizona (56-17) | Jerry Kindall | 7-1 | Eastern Michigan | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1975 | Texas (59-6) | Cliff Gustafson | 5-1 | South Carolina | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1974 | Southern California (50-20) | Rod Dedeaux | 7-3 | Miami (Fla.) | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1973 | Southern California (51-11) | Rod Dedeaux | 4-3 | Arizona State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1972 | Southern California (47-13-1) | Rod Dedeaux | 1-0 | Arizona State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1971 | Southern California (46-11) | Rod Dedeaux | 5-2 | Southern Illinois | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1970 | Southern California (45-13) | Rod Dedeaux | 2-1 (15 inn.) | Florida State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1969 | Arizona State (56-11) | Bobby Winkles | 10-1 | Tulsa | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1968 | Southern California (43-12-1) | Rod Dedeaux | 4-3 | Southern Illinois | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1967 | Arizona State (53-12) | Bobby Winkles | 11-0 | Houston | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1966 | Ohio State (27-6-1) | Marty Karow | 8-2 | Oklahoma State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1965 | Arizona State (54-8) | Bobby Winkles | 2-0 | Ohio State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1964 | Minnesota (31-12) | Dick Siebert | 5-1 | Missouri | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1963 | Southern California (35-10) | Rod Dedeaux | 5-2 | Arizona | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1962 | Michigan (34-15) | Don Lund | 5-4 (15 inn.) | Santa Clara | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1961 | Southern California (36-7) | Rod Dedeaux | 1-0 | Oklahoma State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1960 | Minnesota (34-7-1) | Dick Siebert | 2-1 (10 inn.) | Southern California | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1959 | Oklahoma State (27-5) | Toby Greene | 5-0 | Arizona | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1958 | Southern California (29-3) | Rod Dedeaux | 8-7 (12 inn.) | Missouri | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1957 | California (35-10) | George Wolfman | 1-0 | Penn State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1956 | Minnesota (37-9) | Dick Siebert | 12-1 | Arizona | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1955 | Wake Forest (29-7) | Taylor Sanford | 7-6 | Western Michigan | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1954 | Missouri (22-4) | John "Hi" Simmons | 4-1 | Rollins | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1953 | Michigan (21-9) | Ray Fisher | 7-5 | Texas | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1952 | Holy Cross (21-3) | Jack Barry | 8-4 | Missouri | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1951 | Oklahoma (19-9) | Jack Baer | 3-2 | Tennessee | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1950 | Texas (27-6) | Bibb Falk | 3-0 | Washington State | Omaha, Neb. |
| 1949 | Texas (23-7) | Bibb Falk | 10-3 | Wake Forest | Wichita, Kan. |
| 1948 | Southern California (26-4) | Sam Barry | 9-2 | Yale | Kalamazoo, Mich. |
| 1947 | California (31-10) | Clint Evans | 8-7 | Yale | Kalamazoo, Mich. |
A few tidbits we can glean from the info above:
- Yeah, repeating is hard. Only six schools have done it: Texas, USC, Stanford, LSU, Oregon State and South Carolina.
- USC is the only school to three-peat…. And then some. The Trojans took first place five years in a row between 1970 and 1974. What a time it was for college athletics in Los Angeles – USC was ruling the baseball world around the same time John Wooden and UCLA were dominating college basketball.
- USC won six titles in seven years. The Trojans won it all in 1968, too.
- Arizona State was close to achieving USC-like greatness in the 1960s. The Sun Devils won three College World Series’ in five years – but they alternated seasons and never repeated.
- Speaking of the state of Arizona, a random nugget: twice in the span of six years, ASU won the championship a year after Arizona. In 1976, the Wildcats won the title. The Sun Devils claimed it in 1977. In 1980, Arizona won it again. Arizona State followed suit in 1981.
- Five schools have repeated as national runner-up: Yale, Arizona State, Texas, Stanford and North Carolina. Stanford finished second in three out of four years between 2000 and 2003.
- Texas won the College World Series in 1983. In 1984, it came in second. Vanderbilt, in 2014 and 2015, did the same. Those are the only two schools to win the College World Series one year and finish as runner-up the next.
- Four teams – USC (1960-61), Ohio State (1965-66), Texas (2004-05) and Virginia (2014-15) have finished second one year and won the College World Series the next. Redemption tours at their finest.
