There's a lot of variables that play into college baseball teams reaching the Men's College World Series. From wielding red-hot momentum, to having a favorable matchup, the possibilities are endless.
But one aspect that shined throughout the NCAA tournament's super regional round was game-changing performances by a single player.
Here are the top single-game performances by one player from each MCWS team from the weekend.
Troy — Jabe Boroff supplies final six runs in Game 1
The Trojans have completely overpowered their opponents offensively in the NCAA tournament, outscoring the teams they have faced 69-30 during their six-game win streak.
Jabe Boroff, nicknamed ‘Jabe Ruth,’ has been one of the main engines behind this run, hitting six home runs so far in the tournament.
You can only hope to contain the legend of Jabe Ruth💥
— Troy Baseball ⚔️ (@TroyTrojansBSB)
His talent was on display in Troy’s Game 1 win over Little Rock, where Boroff went deep twice, accounting for his team’s final six runs — a two-run blast in the sixth and grand slam in the eighth.
It was the most RBIs he’s racked up in a game all season.
West Virginia — Chansen Cole fans 11 in Game 1’s statement win
The Mountaineers had a lot to celebrate following their Game 1 win over Cal Poly, 12-2.
Eight players recorded hits, just one victory away from Omaha, another opportunity to sing ‘Country Roads,’ the whole nine.
But the underlying star of it all was the 6-foot-4 right-hander that set the tone on the bump, Chansen Cole.
The sophomore ripped through the Mustangs offense, going seven innings and striking out 11 while allowing just two runs and zero walks during an 121-pitch performance. The first contest to open up the super regionals of the NCAA tournament, it was the kind of outing that made the MCWS feel like destiny for West Virginia.
Cole has churned out major showings throughout the season, including fanning 10 in West Virginia’s opening regional win over Binghamton. And after Friday, it seems like he’s delivering even more down the stretch.
North Carolina — Jason DeCaro keeps UNC’s season alive with complete game shutout
Everything was at stake for Jason DeCaro and North Carolina Saturday afternoon.
After Southern California’s comeback win in Game 1, UNC called on the draft-eligible junior to keep the Tar Heels' season alive in what could’ve been his final collegiate start.
And the three-year starter delivered the best performance of his career, tossing a complete game, two-hit shutout to force a winner-take-all on Sunday.
It was his first complete game shutout of his career, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗬 𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗢 😤
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels)
Strikeout slams the door and the superstar starter sends his team to a Sunday finale!
He struck out nine batters, worked into 14 0-2 counts and didn't allow a runner to get into scoring position across 117 pitches.
Collecting the final strikeout to end the game, DeCaro soaked in the moment with an energized fan base, potentially pitching for the last time in Boshamer Stadium.
Ole Miss — Taylor Rabe delivers longest outing of an Ole Miss pitcher all year
Entering Game 2 of Ole Miss and No. 4 Auburn’s super regional, the Rebels hadn’t checked off an accolade that many programs still standing surpassed. No pitcher had thrown seven or more innings in a single outing — a sign of how tough Ole Miss’ schedule has been and what they’ve been able to get out of their pitching staff.
By the contest’s end, though, Taylor Rabe had accomplished the feat, a catalyst for sending the Rebels back to Omaha for the first time since 2022.
He had the Tigers off-balance for most of the outing, tossing seven innings of work with eight strikeouts, surrendering just two runs on six hits.
The sophomore has caught fire as the campaign has trekked on, delivering three consecutive strong performances at the end of the regular season, regionals and now, supers.
Oklahoma — Freshman Cord Rager silences strong Kansas offense in Game 1
The Jayhawks have been a hard offense to slow down in the program’s historic season, especially when they find a rhythm, scoring nine or more runs in 27 of the team’s 63 contests. The experienced crew had been a handful for their Big 12 foes.
But surprisingly, a left-handed freshman for Oklahoma had their number on Saturday.
Cord Rager diced up the Kansas offense, putting together the best start of his young career with six innings of one-hit baseball. No batter made it past second base, as he allowed just one walk and struck out six.
His showing set the table for an 8-1 victory.
Alabama — Tyler Fay tosses 7.1 scoreless innings in Game 1 gem
Tyler Fay made national headlines in mid-March, tossing the first solo no-hitter in 84 years for the Crimson Tide.
It was a career-defining moment for the former walk-on, cementing himself in school history and etching what would become one of many emphatic starts from the redshirt junior this season.
He produced another gem on Saturday, nearly three months later, handling St. John’s with ease through 7.1 innings of scoreless work. He allowed just two hits and fanned nine in Alabama’s 8-0 victory.
The most memorable moments from the start came in the first, striking out the side, and the seventh, where he worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam.
Texas — Adrian Rodriguez notches single game career-high in RBIs
The Longhorns’ captain of the infield had his hands all over Texas’ 11-3 win over Oregon in Game 1, shining not only in the field, but at the plate, too.
Adrian Rodriguez notched a career-high in RBIs with five, going 2-for-3, not needing more than one extra-base hit to get the job done.
double trouble 🤘 |
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball)
The sophomore shortstop put the Longhorns on the board in the first with a two-RBI double to left center, followed up by an RBI single in the fifth. His final two plate appearances featured sacrifice flies to score Anthony Pack Jr. on both occasions.
Georgia — Michael O’Shaughnessy steps up in Tre Phelps' absence with two-HR, five-RBI game
Michael O’Shaughnessy has been one of the many biggest bats in Georgia’s high-octane offense all season, currently one of three players on the team with 20 or more home runs.
However, the senior hit a rut in the SEC tournament, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.
The Delmar, N.Y. native didn’t play in the SEC championship and appeared in the Bulldogs’ two regional games as a pinch hitter.
His next opportunity didn’t come until the super regionals against No. 14 Mississippi State, starting in place of star 3B Tre Phelps, who was suspended after getting ejected in the regional final, and he delivered in a major way,
O’Shaughnessy led UGA to a 13-12 win in the most electrifying game of the NCAA tournament yet, ‘feeding the trees’ behind Foley Field twice in big spots.
He was the finishing touch in erasing Georgia’s early 7-0 deficit, hitting a two-run homer to tie it at 7-7 in the fourth. Innings later, he hammered the go-ahead three-run blast in the eighth, lifting UGA to a 13-12 win.
O'WOW 🤯 |
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA)
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