Nate Smithburg, a 2022 Fairfield High School graduate from Libertyville, is a national champion.
The University of Oklahoma captured its third national title Monday night, June 22nd, with a dominant 13-2 victory over No. 5 North Carolina in a winner-take-all College World Series championship game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha before a crowd of 23,248. The Sooners finished the season 43-23, completing one of the most remarkable postseason runs in college baseball history as an unranked team.
Oklahoma’s road to the title was nothing short of extraordinary. The Sooners defeated No. 2 Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regional, swept No. 15 Kansas in the Lawrence Super Regional, then knocked off No. 7 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 5 North Carolina in the College World Series. Their nine wins over nationally seeded opponents are the most by any team since seeding began in 1999. Georgia Tech, Kansas, and Georgia had all won their respective conference regular season and tournament titles. Oklahoma was the 11 seed in the SEC Tournament and unranked nationally heading into the postseason — and won it all anyway.
The championship caps a remarkable season for Smithburg, who appeared in 19 games and pitched 19 total innings with 18 strikeouts, a 3.79 ERA ranking among the top five on the pitching staff, and a 2-0 record. His defining moment came on June 8th in the Lawrence Super Regional against Kansas, where he pitched 3.2 innings in relief to earn the win and send Oklahoma to Omaha. He also made his College World Series debut on Sunday, June 21st against North Carolina, pitching 1.1 innings in relief with two strikeouts before Oklahoma lost that game 6-2. The Sooners came back a day later to claim the title with the dominant 13-2 win in the decisive third game.
Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson, who was named the 2026 National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association after leading the Sooners to the title, spoke at length about what Smithburg’s journey meant to the program.
“Smithburg got in here last year and first bullpen, hurts his arm,” Johnson said. “Has Tommy John surgery, goes to our team doctor and gets Tommy John and was there all year long supporting his teammates. Worked extremely hard with our trainer to get back. He had a little setback in the fall, but kept going out there. I didn’t throw him for the first two to three weeks to a month, and I bring him in my office and tell him, ‘Keep persevering, you’re going to get out there.’ He got better and better and was a vital piece of our bullpen this season. Had an incredible outing in Kansas to send us to Omaha and got to pitch in Omaha for us and get some much-needed outs. You never know who is going to make the most important pitch and he’s living proof of that and just his perseverance the past two seasons has been pretty incredible.”
Fairfield High School baseball coach Josh Allison, who coached Smithburg during his time with the Trojans, expressed pride in his former player’s achievement.
“What a special moment for Nate and his family,” Allison said. “We couldn’t be more proud of him and know his dedication to the game he loves is something special. National champion! Way to go Smitty!”
Matthew Torrez, who coached Smithburg during his time at Indian Hills Community College, also shared his thoughts on his former pitcher’s championship run. “You could tell from the moment Nathan arrived on campus he had a drive to be successful on and off the field,” Torrez said. “He proved he understood he had to work to reach his goals of moving to the highest level he could reach. That work ethic has given him the opportunity to return from injury and enjoy the success the Sooner baseball team was able to enjoy this year.”
Smithburg’s path to this moment began in Libertyville, where he spent countless hours on the little league diamond with his late father Erik and his brother Brad before going on to a decorated career at Fairfield High School. He was a three-time all-conference and all-district selection who earned second-team all-state honors as a senior after going 6-1 with a 0.45 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 83.0 innings. From there he went to Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, posting a combined 78 strikeouts across two seasons before earning a transfer to Oklahoma — where, after a year lost to injury, he helped deliver a national championship to a team that defied the odds.
