National Baseball Congress World Series
National Baseball Congress World Series or NBC World Series is an annual collegiate and semi-pro baseball tournament held in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The next series will happen on July 24 to August 2, 2025. It will be held at Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in northeast Wichita, and the final championship game will be held at Equity Bank Park on the west side of the river in downtown Wichita.
Satchel Paige, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Albert Pujols are just a few of the Major League Baseball stars who have played in the tournament.
When the national tournament started in 1935, participants were primarily town teams and industrial teams. Team rosters featured aging former minor league and major league ballplayers and players ineligible for major league baseball. In the mid-1960s team rosters transitioned to collegiate players, including prospects on the fast path to the major leagues. In 1975, the NBC World Series began recognizing a tournament participant who went on to a major league career as Graduate of the Year.
The first NBC World Series called the "Little World Series" was held August 13–27, 1935 at Lawrence Stadium in Wichita. National Baseball Congress founder Hap Dumont was director of the National Tournament Committee of Wichita that put on the tournament. Thirty-two teams were invited to the first national tournament. A focus was put on diversity with five teams classified as "integrated," one team consisted of Native American players and another of Japanese players.
Future Baseball Hall of Famer Satchel Paige was signed to a $1,000 personal appearance contract for the 1935 tournament. A victim of the baseball color barrier, Paige was not eligible to play minor league or major league baseball. Paige won four games, striking out 60 batters while leading the Bismarck Churchills to the first NBC World Series championship. He was named MVP of the tournament.
Dumont recruited Baseball Hall of Fame member Honus Wagner as the guest of honor at the 1935 opening night banquet. In addition to Wagner, celebrity guests who have been honored at the opening night banquet include: Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Dizzy Dean, Connie Mack, Allie Reynolds, Fred Clarke and Rin Tin Tin.
Teams bolstered by military service players dominated the WWII and Korean War tournaments. During these eras, major league players were serving at military bases across the country and playing for the base teams. 1953 World Series MVP Billy Martin played in the 1954 NBC World Series with the Goodland, Kansas Tigers. A new rule making major league "name" stars unavailable in National Baseball Congress tournaments was implemented following the 1955 NBC World Series.
NBC Champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | MVP |
| 2025 | Hutchinson Monarchs | Lonestar Kraken | Jake Gutierrez |
| 2024 | Hays Larks | Hutchinson Monarchs | Garrett Gruell |
| 2023 | Hutchinson Monarchs | Santa Barbara Foresters | Max Buettenback |
| 2022 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Hays Larks | Gavin Kash |
| 2021 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Lonestar, Texas | Justin Eckhardt |
| 2020 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Cheney Diamond Dawgs | Sean Johnson |
| 2019 | Seattle Studs | Cheney Diamond Dawgs | Henry Cheney |
| 2018 | Santa Barbara Foresters | NJCAA National Team | Patrick Mathis |
| 2017 | Kansas Stars | Everett Merchants | Ryan Langerhans |
| 2016 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Hays Larks | Jacob Patterson |
| 2015 | Seattle Studs | Haysville Aviators | Connor Savage |
| 2014 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Seattle Studs | Jon Duplantier |
| 2013 | Seattle Studs | Wellington Heat | David Benson |
| 2012 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Seattle Studs | Zach Fish |
| 2011 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Peninsula Oilers | Mitch Morrman |
| 2010 | Liberal Bee Jays | Seattle Studs | Paul Gonzalez |
| 2009 | El Dorado Broncos | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Jake Sabol |
| 2008 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Seattle Studs | Kevin Keyes |
| 2007 | Lake Havasu City Heat | Hays Larks | Brad Arnett |
| 2006 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Derby, Kansas Twins | Jon Qualls & Matt Whitaker |
| 2005 | Prairie Gravel | Santa Barbara Foresters | Ryan Annetsberger |
| 2004 | Aloha Knights | Mat-Su Miners | Scott Simon |
| 2003 | Chinese Taipei | Santa Barbara Foresters | Chang-Wei Tu |
| 2002 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Blake Gill |
| 2001 | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Hays Larks | Jeff Francis |
| 2000 | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Hays Larks | Cory Metzler |
| 1999 | Dallas, Texas Phillies | Peninsula Oilers | Marco Cunningham |
| 1998 | El Dorado Broncos | Nevada, Missouri Griffons | Jason Aspito |
| 1997 | Mat-Su Miners | Nevada, Missouri Griffons | Jeff Juarez |
| 1996 | El Dorado Broncos | Tacoma, Washington Timbers | Kevin Frederick |
| 1995 | Team USA | Hays Larks | Lance Berkman |
| 1994 | Peninsula Oilers | Wichita Broncos | Jesse Zepeda |
| 1993 | Peninsula Oilers | Beatrice, Nebraska Bruins | Jeff Poor |
| 1992 | Midlothian, Illinois White Sox | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Mike Kane |
| 1991 | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Peninsula Oilers | Chris Hmielewski |
| 1990 | Wichita Broncos | Midlothian, Illinois White Sox | Kirk Vucsko |
| 1989 | Wichita Broncos | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivans | Jim Huslig |
| 1988 | Everett, Washington Merchants | Midlothian, Illinois White Sox | Dave Wong |
| 1987 | Mat-Su Miners | Wichita Broncos | Ken Kreimers |
| 1986 | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Steve Bales |
| 1985 | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | North Pole Nicks | Kerry Richardson |
| 1984 | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Bill Bates |
| 1983 | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Curtis Morgan |
| 1982 | Santa Maria, California Indians | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Dave Hengel |
| 1981 | Clarinda, Iowa A's | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Keith Mucha |
| 1980 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Kevin McReynolds |
| 1979 | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Santa Maria, California Indians | Gary D'Onofrio |
| 1978 | Boulder Collegians | Rapid City, South Dakota Macy's Diesels | Bob Ferris |
| 1977 | Peninsula Oilers | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Bob Skube |
| 1976 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Greg Harris |
| 1975 | Boulder Collegians | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Mike Colbern |
| 1974 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Boulder Collegians | Steve Kemp |
| 1973 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Lee Iorg |
| 1972 | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Kerry Dineen |
| 1971 | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Bruce Bochte |
| 1970 | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Al Gerhardt |
| 1969 | Anchorage Glacier Pilots | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Chris Chambliss |
| 1968 | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Jackson, Mississippi Braves | Joe Tanner |
| 1967 | Boulder Collegians | Honolulu, Hawaii Islanders | Frank Duffy |
| 1966 | Boulder Collegians | West Point, Mississippi Packers | Ray Henningsen |
| 1965 | Wichita, Kansas Dreamliners | Liberal, Kansas BeeJays | Bob Boyd |
| 1964 | Wichita, Kansas Glassmen | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Dick Sanders |
| 1963 | Wichita, Kansas Dreamliners | Ponchatoula, Louisiana Athletics | Sam Suplizio |
| 1962 | Wichita, Kansas Dreamliners | Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks | Rocky Krsnich |
| 1961 | Ponchatoula, Louisiana Athletics | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Al Ware |
| 1960 | Grand Rapids, Michigan Sullivan-Polynesians | Ponchatoula, Louisiana Athletics | Bob Seltzer |
| 1959 | Houston, Texas Fed | Elgin, Illinois Athletics | Clyde Girrens |
| 1958 | Drain, Oregon Black Sox | Alpine, Texas Cowboys | Jim O'Rourke |
| 1957 | Sinton, Texas Plymouth Oilers | Fort Wayne, Indiana Dairymen | Wilmer Fields |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne, Indiana Dairymen | Deming, Washington Loggers | Clyde McCullough |
| 1955 | Wichita, Kansas Boeing Bombers | Sinton, Texas Plymouth Oilers | Daryl Spencer |
| 1954 | Wichita, Kansas Boeing Bombers | Springfield, Missouri Generals | Don Lee |
| 1953 | Fort Leonard Wood Hilltoppers | Wichita, Kansas Boeing Bombers | Robert McKee |
| 1952 | Fort Myer Military District of WA | Fort Leonard Wood Hilltoppers | Danny O'Connell |
| 1951 | Sinton, Texas Plymouth Oilers | Atwater, California Packers | Steve Rapach |
| 1950 | Fort Wayne, Indiana Capeharts | Elk City, Oklahoma Elks | Pat Scantlebury |
| 1949 | Fort Wayne, Indiana G-E Club | Golden, Colorado Coors | Bill Ricks |
| 1948 | Fort Wayne, Indiana G-E Club | Elkin, North Carolina Chatham Blanketeers | Veo Story |
| 1947 | Fort Wayne, Indiana G-E Club | Golden, Colorado Coors | Bruno Konopka |
| 1946 | St. Joseph, Michigan Auscos | Carmichael, California Firemen | Les Lollis |
| 1945 | Enid Army Air Field | Orlando Army Air Base | Cot Deal |
| 1944 | Sherman Field, Kansas Flyers | Enid Army Air Field | Cot Deal |
| 1943 | Camp Wheeler, Georgia Spokes | Enid Army Air Field | George Archie |
| 1942 | Wichita, Kansas Boeing Bombers | Waco, Texas Dons | Ed Borom |
| 1941 | Enid, Oklahoma Champlins | Waco, Texas Dons | Red Barkley |
| 1940 | Enid, Oklahoma Champlins | Mount Pleasant, Texas Cubs | Vance Cauble |
| 1939 | Duncan, Oklahoma Halliburtons | Mount Pleasant, Texas Cubs | Roy Helser |
| 1938 | Buford, Georgia Bona Allens | Enid, Oklahoma Eason Oilers | Andy Johnson |
| 1937 | Enid, Oklahoma Eason Oilers | Buford, Georgia Bona Allens | Claude Gilchrist |
| 1936 | Duncan, Oklahoma Halliburtons | Buford, Georgia Bona Allens | Harry White |
| 1935 | Bismarck, North Dakota Churchills | Duncan, Oklahoma Halliburtons | Satchel Paige |
NBC World Series Champions and MVPs.