Kyle Branch entered Oklahoma’s championship game with one hit in 16 College World Series at-bats. From the ninth position in the lineup, he then delivered two singles, a home run and six runs batted in as the Sooners overwhelmed North Carolina 13-2 in Omaha, Nebraska.

The winner-take-all third game secured Oklahoma’s first national baseball championship since the 1994 season. It also continued a conference streak: an SEC program had now captured seven consecutive national titles. Oklahoma finished with a 43-23 record after reaching a destination that appeared remote near the end of its regular schedule.

The Sooners had been forecast to place 14th among 16 SEC teams, ultimately finishing 11th. Seven defeats in their final nine games preceded the NCAA tournament. Once postseason play began, however, Oklahoma won twice at second-seeded Georgia Tech in a road regional, swept Kansas away from home in the super regional and defeated No. 3 Georgia twice during bracket competition in Omaha.

The final also marked an offensive recovery from the previous game. North Carolina had forced a third contest by winning Game 2 by a 6-2 score and limiting Oklahoma to four singles. In the decider, the Sooners accumulated 14 hits against eight Tar Heels pitchers. North Carolina’s staff also conceded eight walks, hit one batter and produced three wild pitches.

Oklahoma’s Jaxon Willits collected three hits and safely reached five times. His overall tournament line was 13 hits in 25 at-bats, equivalent to a .520 average, and he was selected as the College World Series’ most outstanding player. Branch and Dayton Tockey became the seventh and eighth Sooners to hit home runs during the Omaha stage.

Neither freshman starting pitcher survived the third inning. With Oklahoma ahead 3-1 and North Carolina threatening in that frame, LJ Mercurius came from the bullpen. He worked 5 2/3 innings and surrendered one run. His four appearances in Omaha totaled 12 1/3 innings with two runs allowed. Jackson Cleveland later ended the game by striking out Jake Schaffner.

The fourth inning created decisive separation. A walk with the bases full forced home a run before Willits drove in two more with a single, extending the margin to 6-1.

North Carolina closed its season at 54-14-1. The program finished second nationally for a third time dating from 2006 and remained without a championship after 13 appearances at the event. Florida State, with 24 unsuccessful appearances, was the only program with a larger total. Oklahoma, by contrast, converted a difficult season into a title through an unbeaten surge until Game 2 of the finals and a dominant response in Game 3.