OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Friday at Charles Schwab Field.
Schedule
Friday, June 13
No. 13 Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona; 2 p.m. ET
No. 8 Oregon State vs. Louisville; 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 14
No. 15 UCLA vs. Murray State; 2 p.m.
No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 LSU; 7 p.m.
Arizona (44-19)
Coach: Chip Hale
Last CWS appearance: 2021
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1
All-time record in CWS: 43-32
National titles: 1976, 1980, 1986, 2012
Quotable: "We're going to go there, put our best foot forward and try to win our fifth national championship." - Hale.
Short hops: Wildcats are back in Omaha for first time since going 0-2 in the 2021 CWS under current LSU coach Jay Johnson. Dawson Netz, who made relief appearances in both games, is a graduate manager. ... Hale played on Arizona’s 1986 championship team. ... White’s 48 career homers rank second in program history. The Tucson native has hit 35 of them at road or neutral sites. ... Wildcats’ 36 triples lead nation. ... Pluta’s 14 saves are a school record.
Road to Omaha: Won Eugene Regional: beat Cal Poly 3-2, beat Utah Valley 14-4, beat Cal Poly 14-0. Won Chapel Hill Super Regional: lost to North Carolina 11-2, beat North Carolina 10-8, beat North Carolina 4-3.
MLB alumni: Kenny Lofton, J.T. Snow, Tony Clark, Ron Hassey, Scott Erickson, Dan Meyer, Trevor Hoffman, Nick Hundley, Jack Howell, Casey Candaele, Terry Francona, Gil Heredia, Hank Leiber, Craig Lefferts, Joe Magrane, Mark Melancon
Arkansas (48-13)
Coach: Dave Van Horn
Last CWS appearance: 2022
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2
All-time record in CWS: 18-22
Quotable: "We want to win a natty bad for him. He deserves it. So yeah, we'll give it all we got in Omaha for him, for sure," - Charles Davalan, on Van Horn.
Short hops: No. 3 Razorbacks are the highest remaining national seed. ... Wehiwa Aloy is the SEC player of the year. His first name means “prized one” in Hawaiian. He leads the team with 20 homers and is among seven Arkansas players with double-digit homers. ... Hogs’ 123 homers are program record and fifth in the country. ... Arkansas has had at least one player selected in each of the past 50 MLB drafts dating back to 1975.
Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville Regional: beat North Dakota State 62, beat Creighton 12-1, beat Creighton 8-3. Won Fayetteville Super Regional: beat Tennessee 4-3, beat Tennessee 11-4.
MLB alumni: Kevin McReynolds, Eric Hinske, Jeff King, Andrew Benintendi, Les Lancaster, Tom Pagnozzi, Ryne Stanek, Blake Parker, Drew Smyly, Cliff Lee, Dallas Keuchel, Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, Robert Person, Tim Lollar,
Coastal Carolina (53-11)
Coach: Kevin Schnall
Last CWS appearance: 2016
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0
All-time record in CWS: 6-2
National titles: 2016
Quotable: "This is not a Cinderella story. We're one of the premier, most successful college baseball programs in the entire country." - Schnall.
Short hops: Chanticleers have the nation's longest active winning streak, at 23 games. Since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999, no team has entered the CWS with so many consecutive wins. ... Schnall was an assistant on Gary Gilmore's national championship-winning team in 2016. He succeeded Gilmore, who retired after last season, and is in his 22nd season on the staff over two stints. ... Chants' 53 wins are most in nation. ... Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament champion. ... Chants batters have been hit by 170 pitches, most in the nation.
Road to Omaha: Won Conway Regional: beat Fairfield 10-2, beat East Carolina 18-7, beat East Carolina 1-0. Won Auburn Super Regional: beat Auburn 7-6 in 10 innings, beat Auburn 4-1.
MLB alumni: Mickey Brantley, Tommy La Stella, Kirt Manwaring, Taylor Motter, Dave Sappelt, Zach Remillard, Luis Lopez
Louisville (40-22)
Coach: Dan McDonnell
Last CWS appearance: 2019
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0
All-time record in CWS: 4-10
Quotable: "We're going to Omaha to win it all. We're not just going there just to play." - Eddie King.
Short hops: Cardinals are 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament after entering regionals coming off losses in six of seven games. ... King is on a tear, having gone 12 for 22 (.545) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in six tournament games. ...Moore leads the nation with 51 stolen bases and has been caught stealing just once. ... A thumb injury has forced Alicea, a switch hitter, to bat left-handed exclusively since the start of May. ... Biven moved from the closer’s role to weekend starter in May. He has received a no-decision in all four starts but allowed just five earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.
Road to Omaha: Won Nashville Regional: beat East Tennessee State 8-3, beat Vanderbilt 3-2, beat Wright State 6-0. Won Louisville Super Regional: beat Miami 8-1, lost 9-6 to Miami, beat Miami 3-2.
MLB alumni: Adam Duvall, Will Smith, Adam Engel, Nick Solak, Chad Green, Sean Green, Reid Detmers, Tyler Fitzgerald, Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Koch
LSU (48-15)
Coach: Jay Johnson
Last CWS appearance: 2023
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1
All-time record in CWS: 46-29
National titles: 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023
Quotable: "Everyone just plays for each other. We know we're a team and if we don't get the job done, the guys behind us or the guy in front of us is going to protect us and get it done for us. Everyone genuinely cares about each other." - Anthony Eyanson
Short hops: Tigers went 2-1 this season against Arkansas, their opening opponent. ... Tigers have second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.708, 182-75). ... Anderson’s 163 strikeouts are most among CWS pitchers and rank second nationally. Eyanson’s 135 Ks rank third. ... Pitching staff is in top 10 nationally in ERA (3.80), hits allowed per nine innings (7.34) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.9).
Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Little Rock 7-0, beat Dallas Baptist 12-0, lost to Little Rock 10-4, beat Little Rock 10-6. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: beat West Virginia 16-9, beat West Virginia 12-5.
MLB alumni: Joe Adcock, DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hill, Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Ben McDonald, Alex Bregman, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Theriot, Russ Springer, Kevin Gausman, Jason Vargas, Warren Morris, Austin Nola, Paul Byrd, Aaron Nola, Mark Guthrie, Paul Skenes
Murray State (44-15)
Coach: Dan Skirka
Last CWS appearance: None
2025 record against CWS teams: 0-0
All-time record in CWS: 0-0
Quotable: "Hopefully, it motivates everybody. This team could do it with 28 newcomers and three new coaches. Came together and hit their stride at the right time." — Skirka.
Short hops: Only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS, joining Fresno State (2008 national champion), Stony Brook (2012) and Oral Roberts (2023). ... This is Racers’ fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. ... 44 wins are program record. ... 10.8 runs per game in NCAA Tournament ranks second. ... Hogart has hit a nation-leading eight of his 22 homers to lead off a game. ... Kelham has recorded four saves and one win over his last five appearances, and his nine saves are a program record.
Road to Omaha: Won Oxford Regional: beat Mississippi 9-6, beat Georgia Tech 13-11, lost to Mississippi 19-8, beat Mississippi 12-11. Won Durham Super Regional: lost to Duke 7-4, beat Duke 19-9, beat Duke 5-4.
MLB alumni: Jack Perconte, Kirk Rueter, Pat Jarvis.
Oregon State (47-14-1)
Coach: Mitch Canham
Last CWS appearance: 2018
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0
All-time record in CWS: 21-12
National titles: 2006, 2007, 2018
Quotable: "When we're all hitting, it's dangerous. No one can really compete with us." - Trent Caraway
Short hops: The Beavers surpassed 100 home runs for the second consecutive season. The 103 are the second-most in program history, trailing the 2024 club’s 118. ... Five home runs in Game 3 of the super regional were a postseason program record. ... Beavers are 5-1 in elimination games this postseason. ... Talt has walked 62 times, fifth-most in the country.
Road to Omaha: Won Corvallis Regional: lost to Saint Mary’s 6-4, beat TCU 7-2, beat Saint Mary’s 20-3, beat Southern California 14-1, beat Southern California 9-0. Won Corvallis Super Regional: beat Florida State 5-4 in 10 innings, lost to Florida State 3-1, beat Florida State 14-10.
MLB alumni: Jacoby Ellsbury, Michael Conforto, Darwin Barney, Bob Forsch, Steven Kwan, Adley Rutschman, Ken Forsch, Trevor Larnach, Matthew Boyd, Drew Rasmussen.
UCLA (47-16)
Coach: John Savage
Last CWS appearance: 2013
2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1
All-time record in CWS: 9-9
National titles: 2013
Quotable: "We're the only team that has gotten to play there. We have played in front of a big crowd there, too, which is useful. Just using that is going to help us." — Roch Cholowsky, on playing in the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field last month.
Short hops: Bruins were Big Ten regular-season co-champions in their first season in the league. ... Their .372 batting average in the NCAA Tournament ranks first. ... UCLA more than doubled its win total from 2024, when it went 19-33. ... Cholowsky is Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year. ... Cholowsky’s 23 home runs are the most by a Bruins player since Forrest Johnson in 2000. ... Bruins lead the nation with 63 double plays.
Road to Omaha: Won Los Angeles Regional: beat Fresno State 19-4, beat Arizona State 11-5, beat UC Irvine 8-5. Won Los Angeles Super Regional: beat UTSA 5-2, beat UTSA 7-0.
MLB alumni: Chris Chambliss, Todd Zeile, Jeff Conine, Bobby Grich, Chase Utley, Eric Karros, Brandon Crawford, Troy Glaus, Jackie Robinson, Don Slaught, Eric Byrnes, Shane Mack, Mike Magnante, Matt Young, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer.