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Brennan's 3 hits, 2 RBIs help UCLA beat UTSA 7-0 and win super regional, clinch berth in CWS

Brennan's 3 hits, 2 RBIs help UCLA beat UTSA 7-0 and win super regional, clinch berth in CWS

Yahoo4 days ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Payton Brennan had three hits, two RBIs and scored two runs on Sunday and UCLA beat UTSA 7-0 to win the Los Angeles Super Regional and advance to the College World Series.
UCLA won its first super regional title since 2013 when the Bruins claimed the program's only national championship.
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The No. 15 seed Bruins (46-16) advance to the College World Series and play the winner between Duke and Murray State in the CWS.
Brennan hit a two-out double and Toussaint Bythewood followed with an RBI single off starter Conor Myles (5-2) to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Phoenix Call led off the fifth with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dean West before Roch Cholowsky drove in Call with a single to left field that made it 2-0.
UCLA starter Brandon Stump hit Andrew Stucky with a pitch to lead off the fifth and was replaced by Chris Grothues (4-1), who got Norris McClure to ground into a 6-3 double play — the Bruins 63rd of the season, the most in the nation — before Mason Lytle struck out looking to end the inning.
Grothues, Cal Randall, August Souza and Easton Hawk combined for five no-hit innings of relief for the Bruins.
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The Bruins added two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth, including Brennan's two-run single.
Umpire Eric Goshay was hit on the chin with a foul ball off the bat of Cholowsky in the seventh inning and left the field in the eighth. Second base umpire Travis Carlson moved behind the plate to accommodate for a three-man officiating crew.
UTSA (47-15) saw its historic season, including a new program single-season wins record, come to a close. The Roadrunners beat Kansas State in their opener at the Austin Regional for UTSA's first postseason win and then beat No. 2 national seed Texas twice to claim the program's first-ever regional title.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

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Báez, Hinch Chase Redemption With MLB-Leading Detroit Tigers
Báez, Hinch Chase Redemption With MLB-Leading Detroit Tigers

Yahoo

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  • Yahoo

Báez, Hinch Chase Redemption With MLB-Leading Detroit Tigers

BALTIMORE — When the low-budget Detroit Tigers broke camp in Lakeland, Fla., this spring, manager A.J. Hinch bitterly complained about the lack of a starting center fielder. Espousing the 'all for one' philosophy his team has been playing with during the first half of the season, Hinch went to veteran infielder Javier Báez, in the fourth year of a six-year, $140 million free-agent contract, and asked him to make the switch to the outfield. Báez said yes, despite not having played center field since 2015 in winter ball—and for 33 games thus far this season, it's worked out. Advertisement More from 'I'm just trying to help in any way,' Báez said after Tuesday's game at Camden Yards. 'Everything's getting better for us this year as a team. The only difference for me is that I'm healthy. I'm making adjustments.' 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College World Series: Meet the 8 teams playing for the national championship in Omaha
College World Series: Meet the 8 teams playing for the national championship in Omaha

Chicago Tribune

time3 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

College World Series: Meet the 8 teams playing for the national championship in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. — A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Friday at Charles Schwab Kevin Schnall (53-11 in 1 year at Coastal Carolina and overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0 Last CWS appearance: 2016 All-time record in CWS: 6-2 in one appearance (won national title in 2016). Meet the Chanticleers Starting pitchers: RHP Cameron Flukey (7-1, 3.35 ERA), RHP Jacob Morrison (11-0, 2.11), RHP Riley Eikhoff (6-2, 2.90) Relievers: LHP Hayden Johnson (4-0, 3.43), RHP Ryan Lynch (2-1, 0.59, 8 saves), RHP Matthew Potok (4-1, 2.55), LHP Dominick Carbone (6-0, 2.61), RHP Darin Horn (5-1, 2.96), RHP Luke Jones (4-2, 3.51), RHP Scott Doran (1-0, 4.15) MLB alumni: Mickey Brantley, Tommy La Stella, Kirt Manwaring, Taylor Motter, Dave Sappelt, Zach Remillard, Luis Lopez 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. 'This is not a Cinderella story. We're one of the premier, most successful college baseball programs in the entire country.' — Coach: Chip Hale (152-93 in 4 years at Arizona and overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1 Last CWS appearance: 2021 All-time record in CWS: 43-32 in 18 appearances (won national titles in 1976, 1980, 1986, 2012) Meet the Wildcats Staring pitchers: RHP Owen Kramkowski (9-6, 5.48 ERA), RHP Raul Garayzar (2-0, 2.81), RHP Smith Bailey (3-3, 4.01) Relievers: RHP Tony Pluta (3-0, 1.26, 14 saves), RHP Garrett Hicks (5-0, 5.61), RHP Julian Tonghini (4-2, 4.26), RHP Casey Hintz (7-4, 5.53), RHP Michael Hilker Jr. (2-1, 6.45), RHP Hunter Alberini (1-0, 3.48), RHP Matthew Martinez (3-0, 4.42), RHP Collin McKinney (0-2, 3.98), LHP Eric Orloff (1-0, 5.14) 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 Short hops: Wildcats are back in Omaha for the 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. Quotable: 'We're going to go there, put our best foot forward and try to win our fifth national championship.' — Coach: Dan McDonnell (791-357-1 in 19 years at Louisville and overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0 Last CWS appearance: 2019 All-time record in CWS: 4-10 in 5 appearances Meet the Cardinals Starting pitchers: RHP Patrick Forbes (4-2, 4.36 ERA), RHP Tucker Biven (3-0, 4.19), LHP Ethan Eberle (6-2, 4.34) Relievers: RHP Brennyn Cutts (3-1, 4.89), LHP Justin West (2-2, 6.12), LHP Wyatt Danilowicz (0-1, 2.25), RHP Jack Brown (5-5, 6.69), LHP Ty Starke (1-0, 8.50), RHP Jake Schweitzer (4-2, 2.15) MLB alumni: Adam Duvall, Will Smith, Adam Engel, Nick Solak, Chad Green, Sean Green, Reid Detmers, Tyler Fitzgerald, Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Koch 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. Quotable: 'We're going to Omaha to win it all. We're not just going there just to play.' — Coach: Mitch Canham (223-101-1 in 6 years at Oregon State and overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0 Last CWS appearance: 2018 All-time record in CWS: 21-12 in 7 appearances (won national titles in 2006, 2007, 2018) Meet the Beavers Starting pitchers: RHP Dax Whitney (6-3, 3.66 ERA), LHP Ethan Kleinschmit (8-4, 3.54), RHP James DeCremer (3-0, 5.34) Relievers: LHP Nelson Keljo (3-2, 3.74), RHP AJ Hutcheson (3-0, 4.00), RHP Kellan Oakes (4-0, 3.60), RHP Laif Palmer (2-0, 2.12), RHP Wyatt Queen (3-1, 3.35), RHP Eric Segura (8-2, 4.76), RHP Zach Kmatz (2-0, 4.21) MLB alumni: Jacoby Ellsbury, Michael Conforto, Darwin Barney, Bob Forsch, Steven Kwan, Adley Rutschman, Ken Forsch, Trevor Larnach, Matthew Boyd, Drew Rasmussen 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. Quotable: 'When we're all hitting, it's dangerous. No one can really compete with us.' — Coach: Dan Skirka (209-150 in 7 seasons at Murray State and overall) 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. 2025 record against CWS teams: 0-0 Last CWS appearance: None All-time record in CWS: 0-0 Meet the Racers Starting pitchers: RHP Nic Schutte (8-4, 4.85 ERA), RHP Isaac Silva (9-2, 5.09), RHP Kane Elmy (6-2, 4.45) Relievers: RHP Reese Oakley (3-0, 5.64), LHP Dylan Zentko (4-1, 4.38), RHP Graham Kelham (4-1, 4.40, 9 saves), RHP Jacob Hustedde (2-0, 5.09), LHP Ethan Lyke (2-1, 4.64), RHP Jack Wajda (2-3, 5.56) MLB alumni: Jack Perconte, Kirk Rueter, Pat Jarvis 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. 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.' — Coach: John Savage (723-479-2 in 21 seasons at UCLA; 811-563-3 in 24 seasons overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1 Last CWS appearance: 2013 All-time record in CWS: 9-9 in 5 appearances (won 2013 national title) Meet the Bruins Starting pitchers: RHP Michael Barnett (12-1, 4.09), RHP Landon Stump (6-1, 4.54), RHP Wylan Moss (2-1, 2.47) Relievers: RHP Jack O'Connor (3-0, 1.80), RHP August Souza (0-0, 5.40), RHP Easton Hawk (1-1, 4.84), LHP Chris Grothues (4-1, 4.94), RHP Cal Randall (2-1, 3.09), LHP Ian May (7-3, 5.00) 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 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. 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.' — Coach: Jay Johnson (185-77 in 4 seasons at LSU; 502-249 in 13 seasons overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1 Last CWS appearance: 2023 All-time record in CWS: 46-29 in 19 appearances (won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023) Meet the Tigers Starting pitchers: LHP Kade Anderson (10-1, 3.58 ERA), RHP Anthony Eyanson (11-2, 2.74), RHP Jaden Noot (2-1, 4.26) Relievers: LHP DJ Primeaux (0-0, 3.86), RHP William Schmidt (7-0, 4.73), RHP Maverick Ritzy (0-0, 4.74), LHP Cooper Williams (0-1, 1.83), RHP Chase Shores (5-3, 5.24), RHP Casan Evans (4-1, 1.90), RHP Zac Cowan (3-3, 3.09), LHP Conner Ware (4-1, 5.48) 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 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). 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.' — Coach: Dave Van Horn (931-470 in 23 seasons at Arkansas; 1,516-710 in 38 seasons overall) 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. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2 Last CWS appearance: 2022 All-time record in CWS: 18-22 in 11 appearances Meet the Razorbacks Starting pitchers: LHP Zach Root (8-5, 3.59 ERA), RHP Aiden Jimenez (4-1, 3.66), RHP Gage Wood (3-1, 5.02) Relievers: RHP Ben Bybee (3-0, 4.38), RHP Steele Eaves (1-0, 1.86), LHP Colin Fisher (3-0, 4.62), RHP Gabe Gaeckle (4-2, 4.76), LHP Parker Coil (3-0, 1.27), LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.92), RHP Will McEntire (1-0, 2.59), RHP Dylan Carter (6-0, 2.18) 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 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. 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,' —

Eight things to know about the 2025 NCAA Men's College World Series field
Eight things to know about the 2025 NCAA Men's College World Series field

New York Times

time3 hours ago

  • New York Times

Eight things to know about the 2025 NCAA Men's College World Series field

The 2025 College World Series begins at 2 p.m. ET on Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. The field consists of two teams from the SEC (Arkansas and LSU) and one each from the ACC (Louisville), Big 12 (Arizona), Big Ten (UCLA), Missouri Valley (Murray State) and Sun Belt (Coastal Carolina) as well as one independent (Oregon State). Advertisement Here are eight things to know about the 2025 CWS. Arkansas has had no trouble recruiting elite high school talent to Fayetteville over the years, but the 2025 Razorbacks were built by the transfer portal. Of the Hogs' eight position players with at least 30 starts, catcher Ryder Helfrick is the only one who signed with the Razorbacks out of high school. The imports: Wehiwa Aloy, the SEC Player of the Year, is the only one on that list who has been with the program for more than one season. Starting pitchers Zach Root (ECU) and Landon Beidelschies (Ohio State) also arrived via the portal last offseason. The bullpen, however, is almost exclusively homegrown, with Dylan Carter (Crowder College) and Aiden Jimenez (Oregon State) the only transfers. The previous two College World Series featured a total of 15 future first-round MLB Draft picks, including five of the top nine picks in 2023. The 2025 field does not appear to be as star-studded, with only five players in the first round in Keith Law's most recent mock draft. Three players were mentioned among 'others to watch' — Arkansas pitchers Zach Root and Gage Wood and Louisville pitcher Patrick Forbes. Some fun facts on the eight head coaches in the 2025 field: • Four of the eight are coaching at their alma mater — Arkansas' Dave Horn, Arizona's Chip Hale, Coastal Carolina's Kevin Schnall and Oregon State's Mitch Canham. • Three coaches played in the College World Series. Hale was on the Arizona team that won the national title in 1986. Louisville's Dan McDonnell was on the 1990 The Citadel team that reached the CWS as a No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Regional when the field was still 48 teams (with eight six-team Regionals). Canham was a catcher on the Oregon State teams that won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. Advertisement • Two coaches have taken other schools to the CWS — Van Horn (Nebraska, 2001 and 2002) and LSU's Jay Johnson (Arizona, 2016 and 2021). • Hale can become the third person to manage in the major leagues and lead a team to the College World Series title. The list of two right now includes Jack Barry and Bobby Winkles. Barry, who led Holy Cross to the 1952 national championship, spent one season as the Boston Red Sox manager (90-62 in 1917). Winkles won three national titles at Arizona State in the 1960s and later managed the Angels and A's in the 1970s. Hale went 148-176 in two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-16). Eight players on the LSU roster were also on the 2023 team that won the national championship, but only three saw action in Omaha. Pitcher Gavin Guidry made four appearances out of the bullpen, giving up seven hits and three earned runs in five innings. He was on the mound for the final two innings of the 18-4 win over Florida in Game 3. Outfielder Josh Pearson struggled, going a combined 2-for-20, but he hit a home run in the clincher. Jared Jones, a freshman at the time, went 1-for-2 in two appearances as a pinch hitter. Coastal Carolina has two players on its roster who were on teams that played in the College World Series — pitchers Cullen McKay (Virginia in 2023 and 2024) and Chance Mako (NC State in 2024). Neither appeared in a game in Omaha. Arkansas outfielder Logan Maxwell, a transfer from TCU, went 3-for-7 in three games with the Horned Frogs in the 2023 CWS. Getting elite high school players to campus is always a challenge, even in the NIL era. The eight CWS teams combined to sign 17 of the top 100 players in Perfect Game's Class of 2024 recruiting rankings. Nine of the 17 enrolled in college, headlined by two top-10 prospects at LSU — pitcher William Schmidt (No. 5) and outfielder Derek Curiel (No. 10). Advertisement LSU's signing class featured 11 top-100 players (six enrolled), while Oregon State and Arkansas each signed two and Arizona and UCLA each signed one. Here's a look at the 2024 top-100 recruits who made it to campus for the teams in the 2025 CWS. No. 5 William Schmidt, RHP, LSU: Schmidt has pitched in 17 games, mostly in nonconference action, and has a 7-0 record with a 4.73 ERA. He has 41 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. No. 10 Derek Curiel, OF, LSU: Curiel has been one of the best freshmen in the nation. He's hitting .347 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. No. 40 Mason Russell, LHP, Arizona: White has thrown only 7 1/3 innings in seven appearances. He has a 13.50 ERA and a 2.45 WHIP. No. 43 Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State: Whitney has been a key part of the Beavers' weekend rotation. The Idaho native is 6-3 with a 3.66 ERA and has struck out 111 batters in 71 1/3 innings. No. 56 Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas: Wiggins has made 14 appearances, all in relief, and is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA and three saves. He has given up only seven hits and has 20 strikeouts in 14 innings. No. 73 Cooper Williams, LHP, LSU: Williams has been a key left-handed option out of the bullpen. He has thrown 19 2/3 innings over 20 appearances and has an 0-1 record with a 1.83 ERA. No. 74 Casan Evans, RHP, LSU: Evans started three SEC games but has mostly been used out of the bullpen. He is 4-1 with a 1.90 ERA and six saves. He has 65 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. No. 79 David Hogg II, INF, LSU: Hogg played in only three games and recently entered the transfer portal. No. 92 Ryan Costello, 1B, LSU: Costello, like Hogg, is in the transfer portal after playing sparingly in 2025. Last year's CWS field featured some of the game's most prodigious power hitters. Led by Florida's Jac Caglianone and Tennessee's Christian Moore, seven of the nation's top 16 home run leaders played in Omaha in 2024. Advertisement It's a different story this time around. The 2025 field features only two of the top 20 sluggers: Jonathan Hogart of Murray State (tied for fourth with 24) and Roch Cholowsky of UCLA (tied for sixth with 23). Three teams in the field rank among the top 20 nationally in home runs — Arkansas (fourth with 124), Oregon State (tied for 16th with 103) and LSU (19th with 101). Next up is Louisville (43rd with 83). Coastal Carolina is the only team not in the top 100. The Chants are 108th with 66. Murray State is the fourth No. 4 Regional seed to crash the College World Series since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999. Here's a look at how the Cinderellas got to Omaha, and how they fared. Fresno State, 2008: Aaron Judge's alma mater (no, he was not on the '08 Bulldogs) won the Long Beach Regional and then beat Arizona State in three games in the Tempe Super Regional to advance to Omaha. The Bulldogs beat No. 6 seed Rice 17-5 and No. 2 seed North Carolina 6-2 to stay in the winners' bracket. They lost to North Carolina 4-3 but then beat the Tar Heels 6-1 to move on to the championship series. Georgia won the opener 7-6, but Fresno State bounced back with wins of 19-10 and 6-1 to claim the title. Stony Brook, 2012: The America East champs had to come out of the losers' bracket to win the Coral Gables Regional and advance to face mighty LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. LSU won the first game, but Stony Brook won the next two, 3-1 and 7-2, to stun the college baseball world. The Seawolves' stay in Omaha did not last long; they lost to No. 2 seed UCLA 9-1 in the opener and then bowed out with a 12-2 loss to No. 3 Florida State. Oral Roberts, 2023: Oral Roberts, which cruised through the Summit League with a 23-1 record, went 3-0 at the Stillwater Regional and then beat Oregon in three games at the Eugene Super Regional (after losing the opener 9-8 after leading 8-0!). The Golden Eagles went 1-2 in Omaha, beating TCU in the opener and then losing to Florida and TCU. The eight teams in Omaha have a combined 74 appearances in the College World Series and 16 national championships. LSU leads the way with 20 CWS appearances, followed by Arizona (19), Arkansas (12), Oregon State (eight), Louisville (six), UCLA (six), Coastal Carolina (two) and Murray State (one). The titles belong to LSU (seven), Arizona (four), Oregon State (three), Coastal Carolina (one) and UCLA (one). (Photo of Murray State: Jaylynn Nash / Imagn Images)

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