With the calendar year 2025 coming to a close, World Baseball Network takes a look back at four of the biggest storylines that happened in college baseball.
1. LSU Tigers Win Their Eighth National Championship.
The national championship team of every college baseball season will always get its flowers as the top storyline.
The LSU Tigers took down the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in two games to win the 2025 national championship.
For LSU, it is the eighth title in program history and the second national championship in three seasons.
Head coach Jay Johnson now has two national titles in Baton Rouge after being with the program for just four full seasons. Johnson also won his second National Coach of the Year award with LSU this past season.
The Tigers finished with a 53-15 overall record, and they were 19-11 in Southeastern Conference play.
2. Murray State was College Baseball’s 2025 Cinderella Story
For the first time, the Murray State Racers made it to the College World Series in improbable fashion.
After winning their first conference regular season and tournament titles, the Racers were the four-seed in the Oxford regional for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They made it to the Durham super regional after defeating Ole Miss three times and Georgia Tech once.
In the Durham super regional against Duke, Murray State started off on the wrong foot with a 7-4 loss. However, with their backs against the wall, the Racers rallied and won the next two games to cap off a historic run to the College World Series.
Murray State head coach Dan Skirka talked to the media about what it meant to get his program to the College World Series for the first time.
“It is an out-of-body experience,” Skirka stated. “It was electric. We soaked it all in and had fun.”
3. Arkansas RHP Gage Wood Throws Third No-Hitter in College World Series History
Despite a devastating end to their season, Arkansas left its mark on the 2025 college baseball season with a historic performance from right-handed pitcher Gage Wood in the College World Series.
On June 16, the Razorbacks faced off against the “Cinderella story” Murray State Racers. Wood got the nod to start for Arkansas.
In nine full innings, the junior righty threw a no-hitter. It was the third no-hitter in the history of the College World Series and the first one since 1960 when Oklahoma State’s Jim Wixson completed the task.
Wood also set the College World Series single-game strikeout record with 19 against the Racers. This broke the previous record of 17 set by Florida’s Ty Floyd in 2023 and Arizona State’s Ed Bane in 1972.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn spoke with the media about Wood’s historic day in Omaha.
“Gage was just executing pitch after pitch, getting ahead in the count and elevating his fastball in and out. What a great job,” coach Dave Van Horn said.
4. Tony Vitello Leaves Tennessee to Become the San Francisco Giants Manager
The coaching carousel that followed the 2025 season also makes its mark on this list.
After eight seasons coaching the Tennessee Volunteers, Tony Vitello left Knoxville to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
He is the first-ever collegiate coach to make the direct jump from college coach to MLB manager.
In his eight seasons with Tennessee, Vitello won the 2024 national championship, compiled 341 wins, won four SEC championships, and won the 2022 SEC Coach of the Year award.
From 2021-2025, under Vitello’s leadership, the Volunteers made it to a super regional five straight times. They are the only college baseball team to accomplish this.
After a lengthy legacy at Tennessee and raising the program to new heights, the 47-year-old is testing his skills in Major League Baseball with the Giants.
PHOTOS: AP | Benjamin Fanjoy, Rebecca S. Grantz, Cory Eads, Michael Woods
