College World Series: The Five Most Improbable CWS Champions Ever

With Rosenblatt Stadium hosting its last College World Series, it would only be fitting that the national champion made a little history of its own.

Both South Carolina and UCLA are very strong teams, but you have to admit that either one of them would be an improbable national champion.

South Carolina lost in the opening round for the seventh straight year, but the Gamecocks proved once again that you can never count them out in the losers' bracket. They will be attempting to win their first national championship, after finishing second three times. The Gamecocks are one step away thanks to Blake Cooper, pictured.

Even more improbable would be a UCLA national championship. That sounds funny, but this isn't softball or basketball. In fact, before the 2010 CWS, UCLA had never won a game in Omaha, going 0-4 in its two previous appearances.

The fact that No. 6 UCLA was the only national seed to win a game in Omaha might make this even more impressive. No. 1 Arizona State and No. 3 Florida were the only other national seeds to make the CWS, and both dropped two straight.

So whoever takes home the crown will send Rosenblatt into the sunset with one last piece of history under its belt.

Before we crown this year's improbable champion, let's take a look back at five of the most improbable to take home the CWS crown.

5. Wichita State 1989

The Shockers did things the hard way to win their only national championship in 1989.

After winning their opener over Arkansas 3-1, the Shockers fell to top overall seed Florida State to fall into the losers' bracket.

Wichita State went on to defeat the Seminoles twice, by scores of 7-4 and 12-9, after beating Arkansas again.

The Shockers then had to defeat perennial powerhouse and No. 2 seed Texas in the championship.

It is impressive enough to win a national championship as a Mid-Major school, but to take down all the heavyweights in the process is definitely an eye-opener.

The Shockers were led by tournament MVP Greg Brummet, who tied for the national lead with 18 wins and won his last 13 games in college.

4. Oregon State 2006-07

Oregon State had a double dose of improbability in winning back-to-back championships.

Heading into the 2006 CWS, much like this year's UCLA squad, the Beavers had never won a CWS game, going 0-4 in their two appearances.

The Beavers were led by tournament MVP Jonah Nickerson, pictured, who finished the season 13-4 with a 2.24 ERA. Nickerson went 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in Omaha, pitching 323 pitches in eight days.

Although it may not seem improbable that the Beavers repeated the following season, they did so in historic fashion. The Beavers became the first team to win the CWS with a losing conference record, finishing 10-14 in Pac-10 play, good for sixth in the conference.

But that didn't matter once they got to Omaha. The Beavers reverted to their 2006 form and ran the table in Omaha, defeating conference foe No. 5 Arizona State along the way. They only trailed in one of the 45 innings they played in the CWS.

The Beavers were led by freshman and tournament MVP Jorge Reyes, who picked up two wins in Omaha.

3. Arizona 1976, 1980

In honor of the Gamecocks' quest to win the national championship after dropping their opener, the Wildcats make this for doing the feat twice.

In 1976, the Wildcats lost their opener to conference foe Arizona State 7-6 in extra innings. But they went on to do what South Carolina is hoping to accomplish this season. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils, who finished 62-8 overall and 17-1 in conference (five games above Arizona) in the process.

The Sun Devils also had 13 Major Leaguers on their roster.

The Wildcats were led by tournament MVP Steve Powers.

Perhaps even more improbably, in 1980, the Wildcats once again battled through the losers' bracket to take home the title after losing to St. Johns in the opening round.

The Wildcats had to defeat Hawaii 6-4 in extra innings, only to have to beat the Rainbow Warriors once again for the national title.

The Wildcats were led by tournament MVP Terry Francona, pictured.

2. LSU 1996

LSU is a national powerhouse, so by no means were they a surprise to win it all.

It was the way they did it that made them improbable champions for their third national championship.

The Tigers were battling Miami in the finale, down a run with two outs and a man on in the bottom of the ninth.

Warren Morris stepped up to the plate and took Miami closer Robbie Morrison deep to end the CWS in the most dramatic of fashions.

Because we are talking about improbable here, we should also mention that it was Morris' first home run of the season.

In defeat, Pat Burrell of Miami was named tournament MVP.

The improbable could only be bested by the next team on this list.

1. Fresno State 2008

A regional No. 4 seed, Fresno State was one of the most improbable national champions ever, in any sport.

The Bulldogs had the most losses of any CWS champion ever, with 31.

Perhaps even more improbably, the Bulldogs fought back from a five-run deficit in the second game of the championship round against Georgia, pulling away to win a 19-10 shootout.

That win came after Fresno State dropped the championship round opener to Georgia 7-6, squandering a 6-3 lead.

The Bulldogs were led by tournament MVP Tommy Mendonca, pictured, who tied the CWS record with four home runs in Omaha.

It will be a long time before we ever see a champion as improbable as Fresno State.