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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College World Series predictions, picks for Day 2: Will Arkansas or LSU start CWS strong?
OMAHA, NE ― Day 2 of the 2025 Men's College World Series will get underway June 14 with the second half of the bracket beginning play. In the afternoon game (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), Murray State will take on UCLA. In the nightcap (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), Arkansas will face LSU. Advertisement The game between the Tigers and Razorbacks is the only one among the Omaha openers featuring two teams that hosted a regional. Saturday's two losing teams will play an early game Monday in the losers bracket, while the winning teams will play Wednesday night for a spot in the semifinals. Here are our predictions: Murray State vs. UCLA UCLA 9, Murray State 7 How's this one for intrigue? UCLA hasn't been to Omaha since its national title run in 2013 and Murray State is making its first trip ever. The Racers are the mid-major darlings who have proven near-impossible to put away. Their offense is a perfect fit for Charles Schwab Field, too. Advertisement But the Bruins, while lacking a true ace, have a trump card: arguably the best player in Omaha, shortstop Roch Cholowsky. He has the ability to take over any game, and that's a powerful thing. CWS storylines: Biggest strength, weakness of every team in Omaha LSU vs. Arkansas Arkansas 4, LSU 2 This matchup, which features a battle of aces (Zach Root vs. Kade Anderson), is the headliner of the Omaha slate. It's easy to see either team coming away victorious, as LSU has better top-end pitching, but Arkansas has more depth and a better offense. The Tigers won the series when the two teams faced off earlier this season in Baton Rouge, but the bet is that the Razorbacks get a few more big hits. Advertisement Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College World Series picks, predictions for Day 2 in Omaha
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Arkansas' Cam Kozeal comes back to his hometown to make some more College World Series memories
OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas' Cam Kozeal was a top 150 prospect for the Major League Baseball amateur draft two years ago, but pro ball was always going to have to wait. Having grown up in Omaha and been a two-time Nebraska high school player of the year, and with his father a member of the Charles Schwab Field grounds crew, his goal was to play in the College World Series.
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Arkansas' Cam Kozeal comes back to his hometown to make some more College World Series memories
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Arkansas' Cam Kozeal was a top 150 prospect for the Major League Baseball amateur draft two years ago, but pro ball was always going to have to wait. Having grown up in Omaha and been a two-time Nebraska high school player of the year, and with his father a member of the Charles Schwab Field grounds crew, his goal was to play in the College World Series. Kozeal will accomplish that Saturday night when the No. 3 national seed Razorbacks (48-13) play No. 6 seed LSU (48-15) in the first round. 'It is surreal. It's a dream come true. It's a cool journey. It's very fun. It's a lot of blessings,' Kozeal said. 'Took a lot of people to get here. It wasn't just me. A lot of coaches throughout the years. My dad, obviously. All my siblings. All the time I spent with them. It's good to be back in Omaha.' Kozeal has played a major role in getting Arkansas to this point. His .450 batting average in the NCAA Tournament is best on his team and ranks 11th among players in the CWS. He's batting .346 for the season, and three of his team-best 18 doubles and two of his 15 homers have come in the postseason. Kozeal became a high-level recruiting target when he was at Millard South High School in Omaha. He led Millard South to a state title in 2021 and hit a monster grand slam in a loss in the 2022 state final. He began his college career at Vanderbilt last year and hit .284 with five homers while splitting time between second base and designated hitter. The fit wasn't right, so he decided to transfer. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said he knew Kozeal had difficulty making the transition from high school to college, but he also found Kozeal willing to do anything asked of him. Kozeal began this season as the Razorbacks' starting first baseman and began playing more second base after Gabe Fraser was injured at midseason. 'His development is there. The talent has always been there. The strength is there,' Van Horn said. 'I think just mentally he had to know that everything was OK. It's OK. And he's been great, putting up good numbers.' The CWS was a big part of Kozeal's childhood. His father, Matt Kozeal, was on the grounds crew at Rosenblatt Stadium, which had been home to the CWS until 2010. Cam was only 5 years old when the last games were played at Rosenblatt, but he made some of his earliest memories at the ballpark. Before it was torn down, he and brother Carson and their dad spent a couple hours playing ball in the empty stadium. To this day when the Kozeals drive past the Rosenblatt site, Matt exclaims, 'Viva Le Rosenblatt!' By his senior year of high school, Cam made up his mind that college would be his next step. After some rocky times at Vanderbilt, he's made it to the college game's biggest stage. On Saturday, his father will help prepare Schwab Field for when his son and the Razorbacks square off against their Southeastern Conference rivals. That the game will be played on Father's Day weekend will make it the most cherished of all the Kozeals' CWS memories. Before Arkansas' practice Thursday, Cam and his dad shared a hug on the warning track. It was a touching sight. But as the embrace ended, Cam jokingly made a request. 'I told him he should have mowed,' he said, 'because the grass is really long.' ___ AP college sports:
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
NCAA College World Series Odds: Arkansas, LSU Open As Betting Favorites
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks are one of the College World Series betting favorites after taking down reigning champ Tennessee in the Super Regional. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks are one of the College World Series betting favorites after taking down reigning champ Tennessee in the Super Regional. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Starting this Friday, June 13, NCAA College World Series host Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, will once again take center stage for college baseball fans. Eight teams -- including Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville in Bracket 1 and Arkansas, LSU, UCLA and Murrray State in Bracket 2 -- have a chance to be crowned national champs after surviving Regional and Super Regional play over the last few weeks. This year's edition of the "Greatest Show on Dirt" will run from June 13-23*, with Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona (2 p.m. ET on ESPN) and Oregon State vs. Lousville (7 p.m. ET on ESPN) getting the party started on Friday. *Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-three CWS Championship Series are scheduled for Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22. If a decisive Game 3 is necessary, that will take place Monday, June 23. NCAA College World Series Futures Odds FanDuel DraftKings bet365 Arkansas (Bracket 2) +200 +195 +210 LSU (Bracket 2) +230 +230 +240 Coastal Carolina (Bracket 1) +650 +600 +550 Oregon State (Bracket 1) +650 +650 +600 UCLA (Bracket 2) +850 +900 +800 Arizona (Bracket 1) +1400 +1400 +900 Louisville (Bracket 1) +1600 +1700 +1100 Murray State (Bracket 2) +3500 +4500 +4000 SEC powers Arkansas (the highest remaining seed in the field) and LSU have the shortest odds to win the national championship. Oddsmakers aren't exactly sleeping on Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and UCLA, though. Each of those teams boasts CWS winner odds as short as +800. The longshots entering this year's College World Series are Arizona, Louisville and Murray State. Louisville got to Omaha by taking down conference rival Miami, 3-2, in Game 3 of its home Super Regional. Neither Arizona -- which took down North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional -- nor Murray State, which upset Duke in the Durham Super Regional, should be written off after both won their super regional matchups as road 'dogs. College World Series Picks, Best Bets Can Arkansas And LSU Maintain SEC's Recent Dominance? The SEC sent four teams to Omaha a year ago, including eventual champ Tennessee and runner-up Texas A&M. The conference's incredible recent CWS track record is a big reason why Arkansas and LSU are this year's betting favorites. In six of the last seven College World Series, the national champ has hailed from the SEC: Tennessee in 2024, LSU in 2023, Ole Miss in 2022, Mississippi State in 2021, Vanderbilt in 2019 and Florida in 2017. Oregon State, in 2018, was the last non-SEC team to win the Men's College World Series. Remarkably, last year marked the fourth all-SEC national title championship series in seven years. The 2023 (LSU over UF), 2021 (Mississippi State over Vanderbilt) and 2017 (Florida over LSU) national titles also were decided by all-SEC affairs in the CWS Championship Series. 2025 College World Series Best Bet: Why LSU Will Win It All With LSU and Arkansas meeting in Bracket 2, we already know that a maximum of one SEC team will reach this year's final. Our money is on LSU, which went 48-15 (19-11 SEC) this year. The Tigers blew out West Virginia 16-9 and 12-5 in two meetings in the Baton Rouge Super Regional last weekend. In six games across Regional and Super Regional Play, the Tigers scored 61 runs total while plating at least seven in all but one of those contests. The biggest reason to fade LSU is probably the fact that it will have to get by familiar foe Arkansas in Bracket 2. These teams will go head-to-head to open play in Omaha on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Tigers took two of three from the Razorbacks when these teams met in Baton Rouge in early May, including a 13-3 mercy rule victory in seven innings on May 10. With that in mind, LSU strikes me as the best bet to make it out of Bracket 2 ahead of not only Arkansas, but also UCLA and Murray State. Another reason to like the Tigers is the strong pitching they've gotten all year from top starters Kade Anderson (11-2, 2.74 ERA) and Anthony Eyanson (10-1, 3.58 ERA). In a hypothetical final against whoever comes out of Bracket 1 -- whether that's Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State or Louisville -- I like LSU's bats and the dominant pitching duo of Anderson and Eyanson to carry the program to its second natty in the last three years. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
