5 biggest upsets in College World Series history ft. Kent State vs. No.1 Florida

College World Series baseball can be unpredictable. The sport is sprinkled with unlikely champions and surprising moments.

However, a few stand above even the normal crowd. These are the five biggest upsets in College World Series history:

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Biggest upsets in College World Series history

Coastal Carolina's 2024 team would need some postseason magic to replicate the school's 2016 run.

#5 Ohio State vs. Washington State (1965)

It wasn't that Arlin, a right-handed pitcher for Ohio State who went on to a 34-67 MLB career record, wasn't good. It wasn't that Washington State was unbeatable. But what Arlin did to the Cougars is still astonishing, and if it isn't an upset, maybe nothing is.

Arlin was Ohio State's ace. When he faced Washington State in an elimination game, he was making his third start in four days. That will likely never happen again, with pitch counts and arthroscoping surgery looming around every corner. But Arlin took the ball and pitched a nine-inning shutout.

Arlin went 10 innings, then 11, then 12. He ended up pitching the entire 15-inning game, recording 20 strikeouts and picking up a 1-0 win. Yes, someone else finally scored a run. But Steve Arlin took down Washington State—make no mistake.

#4 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Texas Tech (2016)

Coastal Carolina seemingly came from nowhere to win the College World Series in the school's first trip. The Chanticleers may not have been household names, but they won a pair of early-College World Series wins that should have alerted the nation.

On their first trip to Omaha, CCU was matched up with No. 1 overall Florida. Florida boasted four picks from the top three rounds of the recent MLB Draft. Coastal boasted undrafted submarine pitcher Andrew Beckwith. Against all odds, CCU won. It took Beckwith just 98 pitches to complete a 2-1 win over the Gators.

After a loss to TCU, Coastal Carolina next faced No. 5 overall, Texas Tech. CCU came up big again in the elimination game, winning 7-5 and paving the path to a shock championship.

#3 Oregon State vs. No. 3 North Carolina (2007)

Oregon State was one of the last teams into the NCAA Tournament field and was given a No. 3 regional seeding.

They went 10-14 in the Pac-10. The Beavers got a favor when they bested No. 1 regional seed VIrginia and only had to face upset-minded Michigan instead of No. 1 overall national seed Vanderbilt. But they still cashed in and went to Omaha.

OSU's luck seemed to continue before they arrived for a finals matchup with national No. 3 North Carolina. The team that was ranked third in its four-team region would take on the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.

A 57-16 juggernaut, the Tar Heels had won the ACC regular season and Tournament titles, so UNC didn't stand a chance, on paper. Oregon State, though, blasted them in two games, 11-4 and 9-3, to win the title.

#2 2012: Kent State vs. No. 1 Florida

Kent State couldn't get much respect heading into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Stuck with a No. 3 seed in Purdue's region, the Golden Flashes bested the top two region seeds, Purdue and Kentucky, and took down national No. 5 Oregon in super regional play. They made it to Omaha, which was amazing, but fell in the first game to Arkansas 8-1.

That put Kent State in an elimination game against No. 1 overall Florida. The Gators had lost 7-3 to eventual champion South Carolina. Florida had five players who had just been selected in the top three rounds of the MLB Draft.

Kent State had gumption. The Golden Flashes won 5-4 and elminated Florida in shocking fashion.

#1 2008: Fresno State vs. No. 2 North Carolina

Fresno State is by far the most unlikely champion in the history of the College World Series. In 2008, they had a 33-27 regular season. Fresno snuck into the NCAA Tournament with a No. 4 regional seed after winning their conference tournament.

Yes, they made it to Omaha and blasted national No. 6 seed Rice. But that brought them toe-to-toe with No. 2 North Carolina. The 54-14 Tar Heels won every game in regional and super regoinal play by at least four runs. They had future MLB standouts Kyle Seager and Matt Harvey.

Yet, when the smoke cleared, Fresno State won two of three from the Tar Heels, beating them 5-3 and losing 4-3. But in the decisive third matchup, Fresno won 6-1 and beat No. 8 Georgia to win the Series.

Which College World Series upsets will you never forget? Weigh in below in the comments section: