3 most impactful players Oklahoma is guaranteed to lose after CWS title run

The Oklahoma Sooners have forgotten how to lose on the baseball field, but even national champions lose at least a little bit during the offseason.

The Sooners on Monday night in Omaha completed their unprecedented postseason run as national champions after crushing No. 5 national seed North Carolina 13-2 in Game 3 of the championship series at the Men's College World Series. As confetti fell at Charles Schwab Field and the Sooners celebrated, three big-time contributors to win that trophy had for sure just played their final game in crimson and cream.

The 2026 MLB Draft next month and the transfer portal will likely take even more players before the Sooners eventually start the 2027 season as reigning national champions, but the 2026 roster included five seniors who don't have a choice but to move on, and three were massive contributors that Skip Johnson will have to replace as Oklahoma looks to defend its title.

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Right-handed pitcher Jackson Cleveland threw the final out of the last game of the season to secure the Sooners' national title. He had taken over OU's closer role this season after transferring from Miami (FL) for his final year of eligibility. He finished his senior campaign with a 5.31 ERA and 3-2 record with nine saves in 26 relief appearances.

Johnson could look in the portal again for a closer, but he's also loaded with young pitching talent, as long as he can keep them all in Norman.

Trey Gambill delivered maybe the quote of the season when he told SEC Network, "You're going to get punched in the face, you're going to bleed from the mouth. The question is, do you like the taste of blood?" The comment involved how resilient this team was, and a lot of that toughness came from the fact that Gambill and 12 other players on the roster came from the JUCO grind.

Gambill transferred to Oklahoma from Salt Lake Community College ahead of the 2025 season. He started 109 games in two seasons with the Sooners, including every game he appeared in this year while primarily playing left field. As a senior, he hit .285 with 11 home runs, 50 runs and 40 RBI.

Dayton Tockey will forever be remembered by OU fans and is the one to thank for the Sooners even having a chance to make their run to a national title. He hit the towering 454-foot walk-off home run to upset No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regional and advance to the Super Regional.

That historical swing came after what was a disappointing regular season for Tockey, during which he even lost his starting job at first base. But he looked like an All-Star during the Sooners' winning streak after a monumental turnaround and even delivered one more big-time homer in Game 3 of the championship series.

Tockey, another JUCO product, ultimately finished his senior campaign with a .250 average and nine home runs.

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