College baseball's preseason No. 1 team ended its season where it started..

Mason Hickman threw six innings of one-run ball, striking out 10 and leading Vanderbilt to an 8-2 victory over Michigan in the deciding game of the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday night.

Catcher Philip Clarke led the Commodores with three hits, center fielder Pat DeMarco had a big home run and scored twice and left fielder Stephen Scott added a huge two-RBI single.

Left-hander Jake Eder finished with three one-run innings, earning his fourth save of the season.

Vandy trailed 1-0 after the first inning, but rallied with one in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth. VU did most of its damage off Michigan starter Karl Kauffmann, who gave up five runs in three innings.

Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, and Clarke, third baseman Austin Martin and right fielder J.J. Bleday made the all-tournament team.

VU, which started the season preseason No. 1, finished the season with a school-record 59 wins against just 12 losses. It caps an amazing season in which the Commodores won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and conference title, too.

It was the first national title for any player on a roster that included seven seniors, including Scott and two more starters in first baseman Julian Infante and shortstop Ethan Paul.

Those seniors are the last remaining teammates of the late Donny Everett, who drowned on the eve of the 2016 Nashville Regional, an event that hung over the program for the better part of their time there.

You don’t always get what you want in life, and to watch this situation come full-circle for them is particularly gratifying,” VU coach Tim Corbin said. “The program didn’t feel right for a time and rightfully so.”

But Michigan rarely made it easy. The Wolverines, who won Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series, provided Vandy with some anxious moments early on Wednesday.

“[Michigan] gave us everything we wanted, and more,” Corbin said.

Michigan second baseman Ako Thomas lined a 1-2 pitch to left to start the game. Jesse Franklin lined a 1-0 pitch to right before right fielder Jordan Brewer lined a 1-0 pitch to left to give Michigan a 1-0 lead before the Commodores registered an out.

Paul went to the mound for a few words in an attempt to settle Hickman down.

"Yeah, he was just trying to get a little confidence going with me, just give me a breather," Hickman said, when asked what Paul said. "Said, Just keep the ball down. Let's get a ground ball, let's turn two, and we'll be out of this thing soon. So it was just a little break for me and a little reassurance."

It worked. Hickman struck out Jimmy Kerr, Blake Nelson and Christian Bullock in order on 11 pitches, to escape the first.

DeMarco, leading off the second, hit a hanging slider from Kauffmann on a 2-1 count to tie the game.

In the fourth, Kauffman gave up a two-out walk to Bleday followed by a single to shortstop Ethan Paul and a walk to Clarke to load the bases. DeMarco took a 3-2 pitch inside and then Scott ripped the first pitch up the middle for a 4-1 lead.

Michigan got two on with an out in the fourth, but a line drive to Paul, followed by a walk to DH Riley Bertram that loaded the bases.

That prompted Vanderbilt sending closer Tyler Brown to the bullpen and getting Eder up to throw. But a line drive to Scott in left ended the inning.

When Kauffmann walked DH Ty Duvall on seven pitches to start the fourth, Michigan went to starter-turned-reliever Jeff Criswell, its closer throughout its run in Omaha.

After Criswell walked Martin on a 3-2 pitch, Bleday laced a soft single off the end of the bat up the middle to put VU up four. Paul hit an opposite-field fly ball deep to left to score Martin for another.

Meanwhile, Hickman settled down to retire the side in order the next two innings, ending the sixth at 101 pitches.

In the seventh, DeMarco reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on Harrison Ray’s two-out single to left.

The Wolverines got a two-out double from Nelson, who ended the eighth at third after Eder fanned Bullock to end the inning.

Eder allowed a two-out walk in the ninth, but Thomas hit his 51st pitch of the ninth high into the air. It settled into DeMarco’s glove, and the Commodores clinched their second national title, the first--also under Corbin--coming in 2014.

Everett's parents, Teddy and Susan, joined the team for the trophy presentation.

"You know, those two mean so much to this program and all the players and the seniors," Paul said. "II mean, to this day every time I look at Teddy I think of Donny, and just being able to share that moment with them was something that I think -- I can speak for the seniors, but probably the whole team, is something that we've all really wanted to do.

"This team is so special for so many reasons, but we're all genuinely -- we all care about each other, and they're just as much a part of the team as we all are."

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VU's other seniors are outfielders Walker Grisanti and Kiambu Fentress, pitcher Pat Raby and A.J. Franklin.

Kauffmann walked a career-high five and had the shortest start of his season. The Rockies selected Kauffmann with the 77nd overall pick of the MLB Draft earlier in the month.

The Wolverines played without leadoff man Jordan Nwogu, who suffered a leg injury early in Tuesday's Game 2.

M1: Brewer single to left scored Thomas. M, 1-0

V2: DeMarco homer to left center. Tied-1

V3: DeMarco walk scored Bleday. V, 2-1

V3: Scott single to center scored Paul, Clarke. V, 4-1

V4: Bleday single up the middle off Criswell scored Duvall. V, 5-1

V4: Paul sacrifice fly to left scored Martin. V, 6-1

V7: Ray single to left scored DeMarco. V, 7-1

M8: Nelson double to left scored Franklin. V, 7-2

V8: Clarke single to right scored Bleday. V, 8-2