Owen Hull Missed the Cycle by a Single Home Run and Nobody in College Baseball Is Ready For What's Coming

Ugh. When you thought things might turn around, the Mariners drop another one, 6-2 to the Red Sox. My coffee tastes extra bitter this morning, fam. BUT, we can't let that dim the fire for all baseball, right? Because HOLY SMOKES, the College World Series Finals are officially set, and if you thought the road to Omaha was wild, you ain't seen nothing yet! No. 5 North Carolina and Oklahoma are locked in, and it's going to be an absolute slugfest for the national championship trophy, starting Saturday.

These Bats Are Absolutely CRUSHING It

Forget about those early season jitters, both these squads are coming into the championship series with offenses hotter than a Lumen Field tailgate grill in September. North Carolina punched their ticket with a monstrous 12-7 beatdown of No. 16 West Virginia on Wednesday. And get this: Owen Hull was an absolute monster at the plate, going 4-for-5 with four extra-base hits! He was literally one home run shy of hitting for the cycle. You gotta be kidding me, right?

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Meanwhile, Oklahoma wasn't messing around either. Hours later, they absolutely dispatched No. 3 Georgia with an 11-4 clinic. Dasan Harris and Jason Walk? They decided two dingers apiece was the way to celebrate. We're talking serious power. Oklahoma's bats have been doing this all postseason long, too. A mind-blowing 43 of their 91 home runs for the year have come in just their last 16 games! And six different Sooners have gone yard since the CWS started. This isn't a hot streak, folks, this is an inferno.

Can Anyone Stop These Offenses, and Who Wants It More?

So, with all that offense, can anyone actually pitch? North Carolina seems to have the edge on paper, boasting ace Jason DeCaro and star reliever Caden Glauber, who headline what's been one of college baseball's most prolific pitching staffs all season. But don't sleep on Oklahoma's mound magic. They've found a seriously hot streak by rolling out freshmen Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski in the rotation. These rookies were filthy in their first starts in Omaha, both taking down Georgia, combining for 13 innings pitched, 13 strikeouts, and only four earned runs allowed against what's considered the hardest-hitting lineup in the nation. That's clutch, man.

And the history? Oh, it's heavy. North Carolina hasn't been this close to a title since 2007 and 2008, and they came up short both times. This is their 13th trip to Omaha without a trophy. Think about that! Oklahoma's got two trophies, but their last one was 32 years ago, and they fell short in their most recent championship series in 2022. Someone's drought is ending, or continuing.

This isn't just a baseball series, this is a battle for history, bragging rights, and everything these kids have worked for. Game 1 kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, then Game 2 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with a potential Game 3 on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. You absolutely do not want to miss this. Grab your favorite beverage, find your couch, and get ready, because these teams are about to leave it all out on Charles Schwab Field. Let's go!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.