One game. Nine innings. A national championship on the line.
After splitting the first two games of the Men’s College World Series finals, Oklahoma and North Carolina will meet Monday night in a winner-take-all Game 3 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. By the end of the night one program will be celebrating a national title while the other will be left lamenting how close it came.
The Sooners appeared to be on the verge of a championship less than 24 hours ago after a convincing 9-3 win in Game 1. But North Carolina responded the way championship teams do, with a 6-2 victory on Sunday to force a decisive third game.
The Tar Heels overcame an early 2-0 deficit, scored six unanswered runs and got a dominant relief appearance from All-American Caden Glauber, who struck out eight batters over five scoreless innings.
Now the stage is set for what college baseball fans hope will be a fitting end to one of the most entertaining postseasons in recent memory. North Carolina is chasing the first national championship in program history. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has embraced the role of Omaha’s hottest team, riding a remarkable postseason run that saw wins over three conference champions just to get here.
After Monday there are no more brackets to navigate, no tomorrow and no second chances. For Oklahoma, it’s one final opportunity to complete one of the most surprising championship runs Omaha has seen in years. For North Carolina, it’s a chance to finally capture the title that has eluded the program. One game remains in the 2026 college baseball season, and it’s hard to ask for a better matchup to decide it.
Three Things
1. Buy or Sell: Momentum
UNC is now 11-0 coming off a loss this season. Also, the winning team of game two in the series has won game three eight of the last 12 years. So, who has the advantage?
2. Will Glauber Go Again?
UNC is 29-0 when Glauber pitches. It’s an absolutely insane but true stat. The question is if he will be available Monday. Glauber threw 65 pitches in Sunday’s win with five shutout innings and just one hit allowed. He’s pitched on back to back days three times this season, but he never threw more than 39 pitches in game one.
3. Save your scoring
Sunday’s game saw a new trend play out for the second time in the three game series. Scoring early hasn’t been a huge help. Usually offenses want to jump on starting pitching early, and work their way into the bullpen while building a big lead. On Saturday UNC scored three runs in the first inning to take a 3-2 lead. On Sunday Oklahoma scored two runs in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Neither team scored the rest of either game.
