College World Series predictions, picks for Day 1 in Omaha: Who starts with wins?
OMAHA, Neb. ― The 2025 College World Series is set to get underway June 13 with the first set of four teams. Arizona and Coastal Carolina will face off in the early matchup (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Louisville will face Oregon State in the nightcap (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
In the College World Series, eight teams face off in two double-elimination brackets, with teams getting eliminated once they have lost twice. The winners of each individual bracket face off in a best-of-three championship series to determine the national champion.
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Here are our predictions and picks for the first day of games:
Arizona vs Coastal Carolina
The Wildcats and Chanticleers are the two most pitching-focused teams in Omaha. Both are very strong on the mound but lack offensive firepower. Because of that, I'm rolling with the team whose pitching is just a bit better, and that's Coastal Carolina.
Pick: Coastal Carolina 3, Arizona 1
Louisville vs. Oregon State
This is a fun matchup of stylistically different teams. The Beavers hit a lot of home runs and draw a lot of walks while avoiding small ball. The Cardinals love to steal bases and rarely strike out.
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Although Oregon State has been the better team, this isn't a good matchup for the Beavers, whose defense lags behind the other teams in Omaha this season. Louisville could take advantage.
Pick: Louisville 5, Oregon State 4
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College World Series predictions, picks for Day 1 in Omaha
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