Biggest Longshots To Win The College World Series

Written By Road to CFB | Last Updated June 20, 2023

College baseball is not a sport filled with longshots defying College World Series odds. Unlike its basketball counterpart, teams rarely make miracle runs, due in part to the arduous format of the postseason tournament. However, every now and then, a longshot breaks through the fray and captures a championship. Let’s take a look at the three biggest longshots to win the College World Series.

This year, Oral Roberts became just the third No. 4 seed to even reach Omaha. The previous two were Fresno State in 2008 – who won the national title – and Stony Brook in 2012 – who was outscored 21-3 in two games and eliminated.

Odds below are as of the start of the postseason, dating back to 2016. Previous odds are difficult to verify, given the recent expansion of odds into college baseball.

Related: Oral Roberts vs. TCU odds – College World Series elimination game

Biggest College World Series Odds Longshots To Win

Mississippi State, 2021 (+1800)

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Mississippi State entered the 2021 Division-I Baseball Championship with +1800 odds to win the CWS. The road to Omaha was difficult enough for the Bulldogs. They upended upstart Samford and Campbell in the Starkville Regional, then beat No. 10 Notre Dame in three games in the Super Regionals. Above all, they were stuck in a difficult bracket with No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Tennessee, and Virginia.

Mississippi State would go on to beat Vanderbilt in the CWS finals in three games.

Coastal Carolina, 2016 (+2500)

Perhaps the biggest Cinderella by name and odds combined on this list, Coastal Carolina began the Regionals as a No. 2 seed. Perhaps even less probable, the Chants had to fight through the loser’s bracket after losing their second round game to TCU. They would go on to beat TCU in consecutive games to reach the final. Coastal also lost Game 1 of the final to Arizona before winning the next two.

Despite not being the lowest seed nor the longest shot to win the CWS, Coastal Carolina is often the poster child for baseball Cinderellas.

Ole Miss Rebels, 2022 (+6500)

Ole Miss went into the 2022 college baseball tournament as a three seed in the Coral Gables Regional. They plowed through the postseason, losing just one game from the Regionals through the CWS final. The Rebels became just the third three seed to win a championship, upending fellow three seed Oklahoma in two games. The two other No. 3 seeds to win a title: Virginia (2015) and Oregon State (2007).

The Rebels’ odds shortened rapidly with each round, entering Omaha at +650.

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Honorable Mention: Fresno State, 2008

Reliable odds for the College World Series are hard to come by prior to 2016. Only recently have betting odds expanded to be widely available for college baseball.

Since transitioning to the current postseason format in 1999, Fresno State remains the lone No. 4 seed to win a national championship. The Bulldogs finished the regular season just 33-27 and only secured a spot in the tournament thanks to an automatic bid. They upended No. 3 national seed Arizona State in the Super Regionals, No. 2 national seed North Carolina in the CWS bracket, and No. 8 national seed Georgia in the national final.

Even beyond baseball, Fresno State’s championship run remains one of the best Cinderella stories in college sports.