After 23 since his retirement, former Arkansas baseball coach Norm DeBriyn will be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He is the second Razorback to earn the honor in the accolade’s 19-year history.

Norm DeBriyn to be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

When it comes to Hog legends, DeBriyn is in the upper echelons of Arkansas’ athletic history. Spanning across four decades, DeBriyn led Razorbacks’ baseball between 1970 and 2002. In the process, the Ashland, Wis., native won 1,161 games (the most in school history) with a winning percentage of .641. Under DeBriyn’s guidance, the Hogs won two Southwest Conference titles, one SEC title, made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, and four at the College World Series, finishing as the runner-up in 1979.

It’s without a doubt that DeBriyn laid the groundwork for the machine fans see at Baum-Walker today. Arkansas baseball is arguably the most consistently elite team in the country, with head coach Dave Van Horn at the helm, and one of the supporters of Van Horn landing the job was DeBriyn.

The 18th induction class will be honored at the 2026 Night of Champions event at the home of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Overland Park, Kan. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 12, 2026. Along with DeBriyn, the College Baseball HOF will induct 20 additional players, coaches, and persons who have otherwise helped grow the game.

THE 2025 COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS

Players

• Gene Ammann, Pitcher, Florida State University, 1968-70
• Kris Benson, Pitcher, Clemson University, 1994-96
• Kip Bouknight, Pitcher, University of South Carolina, 1998-2001
• Hubie Brooks, Shortstop, Mesa College/Arizona State University, 1976-78
• Gene Hooks, Third Baseman, Wake Forest University, 1947-50
• Mike Loynd, Pitcher, Florida State University, 1984-86
• Mark McGwire, First Baseman/Pitcher, University of Southern California, 1982-84
• Phil Nevin, Third Base, Cal State Fullerton, 1990-92
• David Price, Pitcher, Vanderbilt University, 2005-07
• Earl Sanders, Pitcher, Jackson State University, 1984-86
• Mike Stenhouse, Outfielder, Harvard University, 1977-79
• Stephen Strasburg, Pitcher, San Diego State University, 2007-09
• Joe Thomas, Pitcher/First Baseman, Marietta College, 1994-97

Coaches

• Norm DeBriyn, Coach, University of Arkansas, 1970-2002
• *Clint Evans, Coach, University of California, 1930-54
• *Ray Fisher, Third Baseman/Pitcher/Coach, Middlebury College 1907-09/1910 (Third Baseman/Pitcher/Coach) / University of Michigan / 1921-59 (Coach)
• Les Murakami, Coach, University of Hawai’i, 1968-97
• Ray Tanner, Coach, North Carolina State, 1988-96/University of South Carolina, 1997-2012
• Jerry Weinstein, Coach, Sacramento City College, 1975-98

Administrators / Builders / Umpires

• Scott Boras, Agent, University of the Pacific, 1972-76
• Paul Guillie, Umpire – 1990-2014/SEC Coordinator of Baseball Umpires – 2014-current

In mid-May, I did the insane thing of trying to not only project who will make the College Football Playoff, but also trying to guess which teams would win in the postseason.

A few weeks later, the CFP opted to move to the straight-seeding model. As we learned last year, seeding can have a profound impact on how the entire tournament shakes out, so we took the same rankings, updated the seeding and tried to project again how it would play out.

It changed. Let’s get into it.

First Round 

No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 LSU
Boise State makes its second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. And because of the new seeding rules, the Broncos have a more manageable test in the first round instead of playing Ohio State, who would have been the No. 5 seed behind the Big 12 Champion enjoying a bye. Boise State had a first-round bye a year ago and didn’t measure up with Penn State, so it’s hard to imagine a Group of 5 team playing their way into a top-four seed this year, regardless of record. Boise loses to LSU in the first round.

No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Illinois
Oregon got screwed with last year’s seeding rules. Had the rules not changed, Oregon would have had to face Texas in the first round, so the Ducks actually get a break. And because the Big Ten is too big and everyone can’t play everyone, this would be an in-conference matchup happening for the first time. Though Illinois had a great run of a season, it faces a better Big Ten team it was fortunate to avoid on its regular-season schedule and comes up short.

No. 11 BYU vs. 6 Notre Dame
Go try to pick the Big 12 champion in June. It’s impossible. I went with BYU because I like the pieces the Cougars bring back. The Big 12 champion gets an automatic spot in the CFP, but the new rules don’t guarantee a bye, so the Cougars will likely find themsleves in the back half of the final top 12. It faces a Notre Dame team that has one of the best offensive lines in the country, and though BYU plays a hard-fought game, the Irish advances to the next round.

No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Georgia
The thing about the 12-team CFP era that people didn’t really acknowledge when we expanded was how many rematches we would get. Here’s another example of two SEC superpowers who met in the regular season once and have to play again. Though it’s really hard to tell right now which of these two will be better this year, I find it hard to believe either of these teams would go 2-0 against each other. I have Georgia winning the regular-season matchup and Alabama advancing under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Quarterfinals

No. 5 LSU vs. No. 4 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl
Ohio State didn’t win the Big Ten but it was one of two teams from that conference to enjoy a first-round bye. It doesn’t have an easy road though, having to play a top-tier SEC team in LSU its first time out. Though there is some question about whether the bye can kill momentum, Ohio State captures some of that magic from last year and gets hot in the CFP, ending Brian Kelly’s first postseason run with the Tigers in the quarterfinals.

No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas
Oregon had the benefit of not playing Texas in the first round, but the Ducks’ reward for winning their first-round-game was a date with the Longhorns. Texas is the deepest, most talented team in college football in 2025. That team is led by Arch Manning, who will be fresh off a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It’s not that Oregon hasn’t gotten better year over year, but the Ducks continue to have an unfortunate path to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Texas wins.

No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Clemson
Though there is some doubt lingering about just how good Clemson will be this year, it’s hard to picture a world in which the Cade Klubnik-led Tigers don’t won the ACC. The Tigers, backed by head coach Dabo Swinney, fall back on some of the postseason experience and handle Notre Dame in the second round. Notre Dame’s program is building in the right direction and the Irish, especiall after a hot month on the recruiting trail, know they’ll be back in this position for many years to come.

No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 2 Penn State
Alabama didn’t win the SEC or win its first matchup with Georgia, but the Crimson Tide get hot at the right time. Penn State is still trying to prove it can win against top-tier competition in the postseason and it has the unfortunate reality of facing an ultra-talented Alabama team that’s feeling good about itself right out of the gate. Alabama advances.

Semifinals

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl
There have been a lot of familiar matchups in this CFP projection, both in terms of 2025 rematches and games from last year’s Playoff popping back up again. But even though the CFP has expanded, there are still going to be usual suspects in the semifinals. So we get another Ohio State-Texas game, which is expected given the talent both teams possess. This year, though, Texas finally gets over the hump and knocks off the Buckeyes to advance to the title game.

No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 3 Clemson
We get a classic CFP matchup in the semifinals between two teams who are very familiar with seeing each other in the postseason. After people spent the entire year doubting Swinney, he proves he’s a made scientist with a well-rounded roster. The Tigers return to the national championship game by beating Alabama, proving everything is well and good with the Clemson football program.

National Championship Game

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Clemson in the national title game
It has been 20 years since Texas won the national championship and it has been a rough two decades for Longhorns fans. But Steve Sarkisian has built a program that was good enough to consistently knock on the door before finally kicking it down. Manning becomes the next star of the sport and Texas asserts itself as one of the premier programs in college football, conquering the SEC and the the nation. Clemson, though disappointed, has a regained confidence in Swinney and his plan.

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Following the death of Greg Sharpe, the longtime voice of Nebraska football, the Cornhuskers have selected a replacement. Kyle Crooks will fill the role.

Crooks comes by way of Florida, where he spent the last eight years as broadcast coordinator and play-by-play broadcaster. He has worked on the radio network’s football, men’s basketball, baseball, softball and soccer broadcasts.

Now he’ll transition to calling games for one of the Big Ten’s premier programs. Nebraska announced his hire with a press release on Monday.

“I am incredibly excited for this opportunity! It’s a dream come true to broadcast the great moments ahead for the Cornhuskers,” Crooks said. “I can’t wait to get to Lincoln and meet Husker Nation. It will be an honor to work alongside a talented team in the Greg Sharpe Radio Booth. Greg is a legend in the broadcast industry and beyond, and I will work passionately to continue his elite standard of excellence both in the booth and in the community.”

Greg Sharpe died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 61.

The veteran broadcaster arrived at Nebraska in 2008, serving as a senior announcer, host and producer. He became the “Voice of the Huskers,” calling football and basketball games on the radio and running point on the Sports Nightly show. He announced his cancer diagnosis in April 2024.

Amid his battle, Nebraska honored Sharpe, who kept working as much as he could. The Cornhuskers also honored him by renaming the radio booth the Greg Sharpe Radio Booth in December.

Suffice it to say, Crooks will have big shoes to fill. But Nebraska is confident in his abilities.

“Kyle Crooks is a rising star in the broadcast world, and we are thrilled to have him join the Huskers Radio Network and our Nebraska family,” Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “Kyle’s play-by-play abilities and voice speak for themselves, and I was equally impressed with his dedication to his craft and his energy.

“I would like to credit Playfly Sports for leading a successful search with many excellent candidates. Kyle will be a great lead voice on one of the nation’s best football broadcasts, and we are so fortunate to have him join our impressive group of play-by-play voices across all sports.”

The Arkansas Razorbacks 2025 baseball season didn’t quite deliver the happy ending most fans wanted but one player who saved his best for last was junior centerfielder Justin Thomas Jr. The Savannah, Ga., native finished the season by going eight for 10 at the plate last week over three games in the College World Series against Murray State, UCLA and LSU to earn the final Razorbacker of the Week Award for the Diamond Hogs.

Justin Thomas CWS performance earns him final baseball ROW

“After (the Murray State) game I just wanted to come in with that same approach,” Thomas said last week. “I feel like I did that. Batting practice was really good for me. It gave me a little bit more confidence going into (Tuesday). Hopefully I can just keep it going.”

That he did.

Thomas, who was eight for 14 overall at the CWS played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, also joined junior pitcher Gage Wood — who pitched a complete game shutout against Murray State June 16 — as Arkansas’ two representatives named to the CWS’ All-Tournament team.

While Wood was capturing national headlines by throwing a near perfect game against the Racers, Thomas was a perfect 4-for-4 in Arkansas’ 3-0 win last Monday. Thomas followed that up by going 2-for-3 with an RBI in each of Arkansas’ next two games — a 7-3 victory on June 17 against UCLA and Thursday’s heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers.

Thomas said he was inspired by Wood’s historic performance on the mound and that energy carried through the rest of the week.

“I feed off of it like really good because I like when I see a pitcher getting energized like that, ” Thomas said. “I feel like the rest of our hitters feed off of it too.”

Thomas had an RBI double against the Bruins and delivered a clutch two-RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to give Arkansas a two-run lead going into the final stanza against LSU. On the season Thomas finished with a .303 batting average with nine home runs, 38 RBIs and six doubles.

Thomas added that his team embraced the challenge of playing on college baseball’s biggest stage.

“It’s a bit challenge to get into with a bigger outfield and a bigger gap, but it’s nothing our outfielders can’t handle,” Thomas said of playing at Charles Schwab Field.