Breaking down the 8 teams heading to Omaha for the Men's College World Series

The most exciting event of the college baseball calendar is upon us as eight teams will face off in Omaha this weekend in their quest to be crowned the best in the nation at the Men's College World Series.

The action begins on Friday with West Virginia vs. Troy at 2 p.m. ET and continues with North Carolina taking on Mississippi at 7 p.m. ET in a contest that will contain eight of MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospects.

On Saturday, the other side of the bracket faces off as Alabama and MLB Pipeline's No. 9 Draft prospect Justin Lebron take on Oklahoma at 3 p.m. ET. A marquee matchup of powerhouses -- also showcasing eight of the top Draft prospects -- follows with a tilt between Georgia and Texas at 8 p.m. ET.

On the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo -- with host Jason Ratliff -- take a deeper dive into each of these matchups and provide a team-by-team breakdown of the squads that will appear in Omaha. Below is a preview of what to watch for at the MCWS, along with each team's best prospect in the upcoming Draft, as well as in future Drafts.

Troy

Best 2026 Prospect: SS Aaron Piasecki (unranked): Posted a .407 average between the Sun Belt and NCAA tournaments. He homered in an opening round win over Arkansas-Little Rock and helped turn three double plays in the second game. He went 2-for-8 in the Super Regionals.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: None
Underclassman To Watch: C Jimmy Janicki (2027)
Quick Take: They were a No. 3 seed, lost the opener against Miami and then won four games in a row. They had a much easier time in their Super Regional against Arkansas-Little Rock. Won in two straight, first time there ... They're probably the eighth best team, but West Virginia might be the seventh-best team, so it’s a good matchup for them. It’s an underdog program that has kept the magic going. It’s a very well coached program. -- Callis

West Virginia

Best 2026 Prospect: RHP Dawson Montesa: The team didn't need him in the Super Regionals after he earned two wins in Regional play. He will be needed in Omaha.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Montesa (No. 167)
Underclassman To Watch: C/2B Gavin Kelly (2027)
Quick Take: They hit exceedingly well against Cal Poly, whose pitching leaves something to be desired. And their best player is Gavin Kelly, who hit an absolute tank in the game we were at, and he is super athletic. I saw him behind the plate, he looks pretty good there and he has a chance to be a Top 10 pick. -- Mayo

Predictions:
Callis: West Virginia
Mayo: West Virginia

Mississippi

Best 2026 Prospect: RHP Cade Townsend: The team didn't need him in the Super Regionals as he is currently lined up as their No. 3 starter. But he will be pivotal in Omaha.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Townsend (No. 27), RHP Taylor Rabe (No. 90), LHP Wil Libbert (No. 179)
Underclassman To Watch: SS Owen Paino (2027)
Quick Take: Townsend didn’t pitch in supers. Didn’t need him to. And I always think of Ole Miss as this big powerhouse, but I think it was surprising that they beat Auburn. Not to mention, swept them. And if you look at the way they were built, the number of recruits on that team is really impressive. -- Mayo

North Carolina

Best 2026 Prospect: SS Jake Schaffner: A transfer from North Dakota State, he is a steady shortstop who sets the table at the top of the lineup. Went 3-for-11 in Super Regionals.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Schaffner (No. 91), RHP Ryan Lynch (No. 97), RHP Jason DeCaro (No. 125), OF Owen Hull (No. 158), 2B Gavin Gallaher (No. 198)
Underclassman To Watch: RHP Caden Glauber (2028)
Quick Take: Lost the first game late and then won the last two games. Lone ACC representative in Omaha. And I think what stands out most about North Carolina is that they’re just a very good college baseball team. They don’t have a first-round pick on the team, but they have five guys on our Top 200 and they all can go in the second or third round. They have about five guys who could all be their top pick. -- Callis

Predictions:
Callis: Mississippi
Mayo: UNC

Oklahoma

Best 2026 Prospect: OF/C Brendan Brock: Continues to shine for this squad with a 4-for-6 showing at Super Regionals with a stolen base.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Brock (No. 109), 3B Camden Johnson (No. 129), SS Jaxon Willits (No. 146), LHP Cameron Johnson (No. 166), RHP LJ Mercurius (No. 172)
Underclassmen To Watch: LHP Cord Rager (2028); OF/LHP Alec Blair (2028)
Quick Take: One of the things I love about the college baseball postseason is that anything can happen in these short series. So, I wouldn’t say that it’s a shock that Oklahoma made it, [but] I think how handily they dispatched Kansas -- who had been a No. 1 seed in the Super Regional -- really surprised me. After losing to Georgia Tech they had to beat them twice in the Regional, so they’re a little battle tested and they just absolutely trounced Kansas. And, the most surprising thing is that they got good pitching, which they have not had for much of the year. -- Mayo

Alabama

Best 2026 Prospect: SS Justin Lebron: Went 3-for-8 with a double against St. John's in Super Regionals.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Lebron (No. 9)
Underclassman To Watch: RHP Myles Upchurch (2028)
Quick Take: They’re the No. 7 national seed. They’re on this right side of the bracket in Omaha that is all SEC teams. I think they flew under the radar a little bit more than they should have. They’ve had a very strong season. But you never really heard Alabama as a team that was going to win the SEC regular season, but they earned the No. 7 national seed. They’ve rolled through the Regionals and Super Regionals. They overmatched St. John's, gave up two runs in two games to get to Omaha. It’s the first time they’ve been in Omaha since 1999. But this is a formidable team. -- Callis

Predictions:
Callis: Alabama
Mayo: Alabama

Texas

Best 2026 Prospect: OF Aiden Robbins: Went 1-for-6 with a leadoff homer in the second game of Super Regionals. He also went 6-for-14 with four home runs in Regionals.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Robbins (No. 30), RHP Ruger Riojas (No. 77), C Carson Tinney (No. 86)
Underclassmen To Watch: OF Anthony Pack Jr. (2028); LHP Dylan Volantis (2027); RHP Sam Cozart (2027)
Quick Take: They won two very close games against Oregon in the Super Regionals. And there aren’t that many teams in this tournament that have what Texas has in Volantis, which is a guy who you really trust to front your rotation. -- Mayo

Georgia

Best 2026 Prospect: C Daniel Jackson: Became the first catcher in SEC history to complete a 25/25 season. He was named the SEC Player of the Year. Went 4-for-10 with a pair of home runs (including a game-winner in the clincher) in Super Regionals and also stole a base.
Draft Top 200 Prospects: Jackson (No. 39), RHP Joey Volchko (No. 73), 3B Tre Phelps (No. 116), OF Rylan Lujo (No. 187), RHP Dylan Vigue (No. 199)
Underclassmen To Watch: OF Cole Johnson (2028); RHP Joe Nottingham (2028)
Quick Take: Won the SEC regular season in pretty convincing fashion, they won the SEC tournament, I think they had the best Super Regionals -- nine homers hit in two games against Mississippi State. Very formidable SEC team, they’re on the SEC side of the bracket. They probably have the most experienced team in terms of age. It’s a transfer-heavy team. They led the nation in homers. But, they play in a park where the ball flies and that is not true in Omaha. Will their power-hitting approach play in Omaha as well as it does in Athens? -- Callis

Predictions:
Callis: Texas
Mayo: Georgia

Future predictions

Semifinals:
Callis: Mississippi over West Virginia; Texas over Alabama
Mayo: UNC over West Virginia; Georgia over Alabama

Championship series:
Callis: Texas over Mississippi
Mayo: Georgia over UNC