OMAHA — The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 9-3 in Game 1 of the 2026 Men's College World Series Championship Series in Omaha on Saturday, June 20. The championship series is a best-of-three format.

Oklahoma scored two runs in the first inning after Deiten Lachance hit a home run. North Carolina responded with three runs in the bottom of the first, with Gavin Gallaher driving in two runs with a single and Collin Hynek hitting a sacrifice fly. However, Lachance hit another home run later in the game to tie the score at 3-3, and Oklahoma scored four runs in the fourth inning. A defensive play by Carter French prevented a double for the Sooners during the game.

The start time for Game 1 was moved to 3 p.m. ET from a previously scheduled evening time due to weather conditions. The game was broadcast on ESPN. This marks North Carolina's first appearance in the Men's College World Series Championship Series since 2007. The Tar Heels have not won a Men's College World Series championship. The Oklahoma Sooners last won an NCAA baseball title in 1994, and advanced to the finals after going 3-0 in their side of the College World Series bracket.

North Carolina's projected starting pitcher for Game 1 was Jason DeCaro, who allowed five hits and two runs in 6.2 innings against Ole Miss in a prior game. DeCaro has an 11-2 record in 18 appearances with a 2.31 ERA for the season. North Carolina went 8 for 10 with runners in scoring position when they scored 12 runs against West Virginia, a game where Gavin Gallaher had four hits and four RBIs, and Owen Hull had four hits and two RBIs. Hull is hitting 16 for 26 with 8 RBIs, six doubles, a triple, and a home run since the Chapel Hill Super Regional. Gallaher has six hits and seven RBIs in three Men's College World Series games.

In their last 16 games, the Oklahoma Sooners hit 43 home runs, with Lachance, Brendan Brock, and Trey Gambill contributing 40 of those. Lachance has recorded 16 home runs and 65 RBIs for the season, with a 1.011 OPS. Hull went 4 for 5 against West Virginia. Colin Hynek has 10 home runs for the season. Oklahoma's pitching staff has a season ERA of 4.98. Nick Wesloski has a 3.63 ERA for the season, and Cord Rager has not allowed a run in his last 13 innings pitched. Jackson Rose has a 2.15 ERA for the season, and Jason Bodin has nine saves. Walker McDuffie leads the nation with 37 appearances.