Men’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player: Full Winners List and History

One player receives the Most Outstanding Player title at the conclusion of the Men’s College World Series each year. The college baseball player that performed the best at the MCWS in Omaha, Nebraska, receives the award.

The Tigers won their eighth national championship in school history in 2025, and the most recent recipient of the trophy is LSU pitcher Kade Anderson. With just three hits and five walks allowed while recording ten strikeouts, Anderson pitched a complete game shutout in Game 1 against Coastal Carolina.

What is the MCWS Most Outstanding Player Award?

The Men’s College World Series kicked off in 1947 when California triumphed over Yale with a score of 8-7, marking the inaugural Division I baseball national championship. Interestingly, not only was the venue unusual — the championship took place in Kalamazoo, Michigan — but the Most Outstanding Player trophy was also absent. Or should we say, it was nonexistent?

Tom Hamilton became the first player to receive this esteemed accolade, but it wasn’t until the third Men’s College World Series that the award was actually given out. He claimed the trophy — now officially known as the Jack Diesing, Sr. Most Outstanding Player Award — in 1949 during the first of the Texas Longhorns’ six national championship wins.

While Hamilton was part of the victorious team, this has not always been the case. The Most Outstanding Player award is conferred for the best overall performance in Omaha, from the opening pitch of the CWS to the final out. Occasionally, record-breaking performances — such as Dave Winfield’s for Minnesota in 1973 — merit the award, even if they do not culminate in a national championship.

Starting in 1999, the trophy itself underwent a transformation. The recipient of the Most Outstanding Player award received a smaller replica of the iconic “Road to Omaha” trophy, which is displayed outside Charles Schwab Field Omaha. This solid bronze statue stands sixteen inches tall and weighs close to 50 pounds.

Who wins the CWS Most Outstanding Player Award?

As previously stated, this honor is given for the best overall performance throughout the championship tournament’s Men’s College World Series portion. At the final series, the media members vote to choose the winner.

Starting in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the championship series, every member of Omaha’s media is able to cast their vote. After ballots are counted and a winner is declared, voting ends in the eighth inning.

If the MCWS championship series reaches a crucial third game, those votes will be discarded, and the process will repeat in the same manner.

The MCWS Most Outstanding Player Award: A Look at Past Winners

In 1949, Texas first baseman Tom Hamilton became the inaugural college baseball player to receive this honor at the Men’s College World Series. Hamilton, a first baseman, was the first of seven players to win this award throughout the years. The latest recipient is Kade Anderson from LSU, marking him as the 39th pitcher to achieve this distinction.

Pitchers have largely dominated this award, with thirty-nine of them earning MOP accolades, including six utility players who also made contributions with their batting. Infielders follow as the second most frequent recipients, with 22 full-time position players recognized. Thirteen outfielders have also received the award, along with five catchers, the most recent being Adley Rutschman, who had a record-setting performance for Oregon State in 2018. Notably, Greg Ellena from Miami (FL) is the sole full-time designated hitter to have won the Most Outstanding Player title.

Only one MOP has made it to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame: Minnesota’s Dave Winfield. However, many other notable names have won MLB World Series titles, awards, and All-Star selections. Sal Bando, the 1965 winner, was a four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion with the Oakland A’s. Bob Horner, who won the award in 1977 while at Arizona State, became the first overall pick in the 1978 MLB draft and earned Rookie of the Year honors that same year. Terry Francona has emerged as one of the more successful managers in recent MLB history, while Phil Nevin, Pat Burrell, Dansby Swanson, and Paul Skenes are among the more recent players selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft.

Unsurprisingly, Southern California and LSU — the two leading programs with the highest number of College World Series titles — are tied for the most award recipients, each having seven. Texas follows closely with six, while both Arizona State and Cal State Fullerton have five.

The award has been won most frequently by juniors, totaling 28 wins. Seniors come in second with 21, while sophomores have 17. Freshmen have secured six Most Outstanding Player awards, including Kumar Rocker’s victory in 2019.

We previously highlighted Dave Winfield and his remarkable performance in the 1973 College World Series, where he achieved 29 strikeouts over two starts (still ranking third all-time) and earned MOP honors, even though Minnesota did not win the championship. He is joined by 15 others whose teams also fell short of a national title. The most recent to achieve this was John Hudgins from Stanford in 2003. The complete list includes:

Ray Van Cleef (1950, Rutgers), Sidney Hatfield (1951, Tennessee), J.L. Smith (1953, Texas), Tom Yewcic (1954, Michigan State), Tom Borland (1955, Oklahoma A&M), Cal Emery (1957, Penn State), Littleton Fowler (1961, Oklahoma State), Bob Garibaldi (1963, Santa Clara), Joe Ferris (1964, Maine), Gene Ammann (1970, Florida State), Jerry Tabb (1971, Tulsa), Phil Nevin (1992, Cal State Fullerton), Pat Burrell (1996, Miami), and Marshall McDougall (1999, Florida State).

Below is the complete list of Most Outstanding Player winners: