The World Baseball Classic has been everything I could’ve wanted and more. Every single game, even the ones that seem to have little stakes, has made me rife with excitement. It’s clear that the players are all-in, and that makes it easy for me to be too.

There are so many moments that I would love to write 1,000-word essays about — maybe I’ll crank out a full tournament retrospective when this whole thing’s done and dusted, but I can make zero promises (you know, life and all) — but Saturday’s action has really stuck with me. It started with a thrilling 8-6 victory for Japan over Korea that solidified the fact that the Japanese, led by Shohei Ohtani and all his glory, were once again not to be messed with. Sure, the Koreans gave Samurai Japan a run for their money, but in the end the Tokyo Dome was still singing the praises of the home team.

Then the Netherlands and Ozzie Albies had their moment in the sun. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Albies absolutely drilled a ball into the right-field seats at loanDepot Park to give the Netherlands a thrilling victory that will surely be remembered for eternity in Dutch circles. As Albies rounded the bases in jubilation, his teammates ready to greet him at home plate, the Nicaraguan players on the field and in the dugout could only look down at the ground. It was one of those moments that is equal levels amazing and wonderful and also completely demoralizing and hard to watch. One team’s dreams were coming true while the others were snatched right out of their hands.

But that wasn’t the only walk-off of the day. Enter Darell Hernaiz, whose walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th against Panama is the definition of joy. In many ways, baseball is the epitome of joy, especially for the residents of Puerto Rico. That tiny island loves the sport so much, and Hernaiz is the personification of that adoration. He leaped and screamed and smiled his way around the bases. He was mobbed by his teammates not at home plate, but halfway down the third-base line. Puerto Rico’s roster is not at 100 percent — far from it, actually — but you wouldn’t know it in that moment. Hernaiz was a hero, one his country will never forget.

As the night was coming to a close, and the folks on the East Coast of the United States were putting their heads on their pillows, Taiwan and Korea were in the middle of a knock-down, drag-down fight. Taiwan was fighting for its tournament life. Korea, to a lesser extent, was too. Nine innings weren’t enough to decide the outcome. Good. The game was so good, nobody wanted it to end. Taiwan took the lead. Korea tied it. Taiwan took the lead again. Korea snatched it away. Taiwan said, “No you don’t!” and scored two runs in the eighth. Korea retaliated with a tally in the ninth. Tied again. Off to the 10th it was. And in the 10th, Taiwan scored, and Korea could not. Taiwan, which had gotten off to such a lousy start in the WBC, had a tiny sliver of hope it could make it to the knockout stage. And even though those dreams weren’t realized — Korea ended up advancing anyway — that moment will be one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

So, yeah. Saturday was great. Tonight could be even greater.

The United States can’t beat Mexico in baseball. It’s inexplicable. The U.S. has much more talent than Mexico — how can the results be this lopsided? I have no answer. All I know is that the best U.S. team of all time will have a chance to avenge all those losses tonight at Daikin Park in Houston. The best the U.S. has to offer will be taking the field. Mexico’s pitching staff is depleted, but the lineup has been delivering bangers throughout the first two games of the WBC. Which country will win? I have no idea.

All I can ask of you is this: watch the game. I hope that my posts about the WBC have driven at least one person to watch the tournament and love it as much as I do. It’s one of those things that hooks into you like a stingray barb the second you get your first taste of it. The WBC is intoxicating, at least in my experience, and it’s games like tonight’s USA-Mexico clash that make me all the more in love with it.

The plucky Mexicans, the underdogs that they are, have gotten the best of the Americans three consecutive times. There’s no way it happens again, right? The only way to find out is to watch, so do it!

(It’s at 7 p.m. ET on FOX. Get your rabbit ears out and turn on that dang channel!)

It took approximately three seconds for Japan to make sure everybody knew that its opening contest of the World Baseball Classic against Taiwan was going to be a snoozer. I hadn’t even rubbed all the sleep out of my eyes before it was evident that Japan, with all its MLB and NPB firepower, was going to decimate Taiwan into oblivion via a 13-0 mercy-rule victory in seven innings.

After both sides failed to put up any runs in the first inning – Shohei Ohtani did knock a leadoff double, the beginning of what was a fantastic game for the world’s greatest player – Japan unloaded in the second. Ten runs came across in the frame, a WBC record for most runs in a single inning, half of which were driven in by Ohtani. The greatest chunk of his run production came via a mammoth grand slam – a home run that still boggles my mind with how off balance he was when he hit it – with the other RBI being the result of a scorching single to right field. For anyone familiar with Ohtani, this type of performance on this stage wasn’t surprising. He’s the best baseball player maybe ever – of course he came up when it mattered most for his home country!

It’s pretty amazing how much love the entire nation of Japan has for him. For example, teams usually take batting practice in front of a half-empty crowd – perhaps even entirely empty – before the game starts. When Japan came out for batting practice before its matchup with Taiwan, the entirety of the Tokyo Dome was buzzing and full of anticipation. The attendees wanted to see Ohtani smash baseballs to the heavens, and he happily obliged. With every home run, the crowd oohed and aahed. He’s the only player in the world that gets this type of reception, and it’s only amplified when he returns home.

I know there’s a good amount of folks in the U.S. who have soured on Ohtani’s greatness. That’s understandable given that he resides on a Los Angeles Dodgers squad that’s the villain of all of baseball at the moment. And while people like to watch athletes be amazing, there’s a certain limit that we’re willing to accept before we start to root against that person. It’s just human nature, and it’s rarely personal. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate just how tantalizing a player Ohtani is, especially when he’s in front of his home fans. While Americans might not adore him as much as they did when he first came over to the States – and perhaps I’m just speaking for myself there – the Japanese people love and respect him more than anybody else in the world. If Ohtani ran for elected office in Japan, he’d almost definitely win.

Ohtani’s performance is pretty much the sole talking point from what was otherwise a tough game to watch. Japan’s lineup was too much for Taiwan’s already overworked pitching staff to handle, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto – while not his peak self – was more than good enough to handle a Taiwanese lineup that has yet to put a single run on the board throughout this tournament so far. Perhaps a 13-0 blowout wasn’t something that could’ve been predicted, but this result is nonetheless not all that surprising.

Japan has won three out of the first five World Baseball Classic tournaments, and based on its effort against Taiwan in the opener it appears that it could be well on its way toward putting another trophy in the trophy case. Sure, the United States and the Dominican Republic will have something to say about that, but there’s no other country in the world that plays better on the international stage than Japan. This is what they live for. It’s evident by the way the players and coaches carry themselves on and off the field during the tournament and by the way the fans wrap their arms around their team (the atmosphere in the Tokyo Dome was absolutely bonkers).

This might all be an overreaction to just one game, obviously, but how can one not be excited for what Japan can do in the WBC after witnessing its destruction of Taiwan’s dignity? Taiwan is no slouch – it beat Japan in the WBSC Premier12 gold medal game in 2024 – but just doesn’t have the same firepower that the Japanese have to offer. Even then, the gap between the two isn’t 13 runs! But that was not the reality in Tokyo today, and that’s all that matters.

Moving forward, Taiwan’s chances of making it out of Pool C and into the knockout round are dead. At 0-2, it’s already lost the tiebreaker to Australia and Japan, and its run differential is in the absolute toilet. For Japan, its dreams and aspirations are right in front of it. All it needs to do is take care of business the rest of the way – it could push all its chips in for the game against Korea – and move on to single-elimination play.

But the macro isn’t really the story from this game. It’s Ohtani. It’s Yamamoto. It’s Japanese baseball as a whole. It’s the love and passion that Taiwanese fans have for their team and country. In victory and defeat, both sides continued to show why baseball is such a wonderful thing, and why I adore it so much.

I’m going to go take a nap now. These 4 a.m. wakeups are kicking my butt already.

We’re three games into the World Baseball Classic and I’m already having a ball. Australia opened the festivities with a 3-0 shutout win over Taiwan, an upset that’s already sent shockwaves through Pool C. Korea followed that up with a dominant 11-4 triumph over Czechia, flexing its offense along the way thanks to two home runs by Shay Whitcomb and a grand slam by Bo Gyeong Moon. Australia then picked up its second win of the tournament versus Czechia, putting the Aussies on the right track toward making it out of the group while essentially eliminating the Czechs.

All those games were just the appetizers, though. The real meat and potatoes begin today.

As you’re reading this, the first matchup of the day between Japan and Taiwan is probably well under way, or maybe even over. I can’t forecast the future about how that game is going to transpire, but I’ll predict that Japan comes out on top and that Shohei Ohtani hits a homer that sends the Tokyo Dome into absolute hysterics. If I’m wrong, make sure to send my personal assistant, Toby, a rude email regarding my incompetence.

Once Japan and Taiwan wrap up their big-time clash in the early morning, you’ll need to take a quick power nap, grab some caffeine (I don’t care how you ingest it, but I promise you’ll need it), and sit down on the couch/recliner/lawn chair/office chair and prepare for some amazing baseball. And if you want around-the-clock coverage of all the games, make sure to subscribe by clicking the button below!

Note: All times are ET.

The Earliest Window of All Time

Primary Screen: Japan vs. Taiwan – 5 a.m. – FS1

Taiwan had a fantastic contingent show up to the Tokyo Dome for the team’s opening game against Australia. They’ll certainly be outnumbered by the rabid Japanese faithful who are sure to bring the noise and create an atmosphere that few baseball events can challenge. Watch this game — either live or on tape delay, it doesn’t matter. This bout is going to be a spectacle, if only for the fact that Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Seiya Suzuki, and many other Japanese stars will be suiting up for their home country once again. That’s always a sight to behold.

Early Window

Primary Screen: Mexico vs. Great Britain – 1 p.m. – FS1
Secondary Screen: Netherlands vs. Venezuela – 12 p.m. – Tubi
Tertiary Screen: Cuba vs. Panama – 11 a.m. – FS2

All three games in the early window present their own interesting storylines. Can Great Britain pull off a monumental upset over Mexico with its new and slightly improved roster? How will the Netherlands fare after the disappointing news that Jurickson Profar will not be available due to him making some stupid decisions? Can Venezuela shake off the heartbreak from the last WBC and start the tournament off on the right foot? And what are we going to see from Cuba and Panama? Yes, the Cubans have had a lot of success in the WBC in the past, but the roster is extremely depleted — at least compared to the tournament’s prior iterations. Panama, meanwhile, might be the dark horse out of Pool A. It can prove that moniker right if it comes out of the gates with a win in its opening game.

Evening Window

Primary Screen: United States vs. Brazil – 8 p.m. – FOX
Secondary Screen: Puerto Rico vs. Colombia – 6 p.m. – FS1
Tertiary Screen: Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic – 7 p.m. – FS2

The United States is probably going to beat the brakes off Brazil, and I can’t wait to watch. This lineup, which I wrote about extensively the other day after the team’s exhibition matchup with the San Francisco Giants, is unlike any I’ve ever seen before. Unfortunately for Brazil, it’s about to bear the full weight of America’s quest to redeem itself from 2023’s failure.

Pool A is wide open, and Puerto Rico’s clash with Colombia could be an important game in deciding which country moves on and which one goes home. Puerto Rico is the obvious favorite here — it has a deep baseball history, the better roster, and it’s the host — but Colombia’s got some chops that it’ll seek to put on display.

The Dominican Republic just got the unfortunate news that shortstop Jeremy Peña fractured his finger. While that might set the team back a little in terms of how it compares to the U.S. and Japan, it doesn’t mean jack squat for the game against Nicaragua. The Dominican Republic should clobber the Nicaraguans. Any other result would be surprising, but also quite entertaining.

Late Window

Primary Screen: Taiwan vs. Czechia – 10 p.m. – FS2

The Czechs are pretty much done, and at the time of me writing this I have no idea how Taiwan will do against Japan. This game could very well be a meaningless matchup with zero stakes, or it could be do-or-die for Taiwan. I’ll be watching either way!

The first two games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic have come and gone, and man, it was fun to have this tournament back on our television screens. Maybe it’s just because I’ve missed baseball so much, but watching games that actually mean something – compared to the dirt and drab that is spring training – was so entertaining.

Sure, the games were at weird times, and a lot of America didn’t have the opportunity to witness them live. Don’t blame me! Blame time zones. Those pesky little buggers. Why can’t everything just happen at a reasonable hour? Why do good sporting events have to take place at 10 p.m. ET and 5 a.m. ET? I’m sure we’ll all adjust, but it’s just so frustrating. Stupid time zones. Stupid sun!

Anyway, Australia’s 3-0 shutout win – which I stayed up late and enjoyed so you didn’t have to, but you totally should’ve stayed up to watch it because it was a ton of fun – over Taiwan kicked off the tournament. This result, while surprising to some and not to others, was indicative of why international sporting events are so great. In front of a sold-out crowd in the Tokyo Dome, the majority of which were Taiwanese supporters, Australia completely took the wind out of everybody’s sails thanks to some dominant pitching and timely hitting. It was a great way to start off the WBC.

The story of this game starts and ends with Australia’s pitching staff. Three Aussie pitchers combined for the 3-0 shutout, a dominant effort that made me completely rethink what this team is capable of. Alex Wells started the game and was lights out. He struck out six, walked just one, and didn’t allow a hit. If the WBC didn’t have the weird pitch count rules that it does – don’t even get me started on those – then Wells would’ve most likely thrown a couple more innings. Alas, he was pulled after three spectacular frames, though it didn’t really matter in the long run as Australia’s arms were just that good.

Jack O’Loughlin, who I can only describe as “lanky,” and Jon Kennedy, who has a weird arm slot that confuses even the viewers at home, shut the door the rest of the way. Both pitchers threw three innings, with O’Loughlin striking out two, walking none, and allowing just two hits. Kennedy was just as dominant and efficient, putting up zero after zero en route to the win.

Of course, the production of Taiwan’s lineup – or lack thereof – is going to be a story throughout the entire tournament. Multiple key pieces were absent due to injury, with captain Chieh-Hsien Chen leaving the game in the sixth inning after getting hit on the hand by a 94 mph fastball from O’Loughlin. Losing all that output proved detrimental in Taiwan’s first game, and it probably will continue to set it back over the course of the next couple of matchups.

Enough about the macro, though. There’s plenty of time for that later (and by later, I mean in a couple of paragraphs). Let’s talk about Travis Bazzana.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft is no stranger to big moments, but most of those have come at the collegiate level with Oregon State and now in the minor leagues in the Cleveland Guardians’ system. Now he was on the stage he dreamed of as a kid, representing his country in the world’s most prestigious international baseball tournament. And when the moment finally came where he could make a difference, Bazzana capitalized and made sure everybody knew it.

With Australia up 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-run homer by Robbie Perkins earlier in the game, Bazzana came to the plate with an opportunity to give his team a little extra cushion. And boy, did he ever. He clobbered the first pitch he saw from Yi Chang 383 feet and over the right-field fence for a solo homer. He knew immediately that he’d gone yard, causing him to flip his bat in jubilation. Both Bazzana and the Australia dugout went absolutely ballistic. It was almost as if they knew that this home run was the dagger. With how Taiwan was hitting, there was no way Australia was losing now. It had the momentum, the swagger, and best of all, it had Bazzana.

“The two things I thought about most growing up was playing in the WBC – thinking about the Tokyo Dome because we always come here – and obviously playing in the World Series in MLB,” Bazzana said. “It’s special.”

But while Bazzana was living his childhood dream and the rest of the Australians were going nuts, the crowd in the Tokyo Dome was completely silent. It’s like the world was frozen in place around Bazzana as he rounded the bases. It was a weird sight, one which Bazzana himself thought odd.

“It was a weird feeling when I hit the home run because the crowd went very quiet, and it was strange,” Bazzana said after the game. “My mind didn't know what to think because I was expecting a cheer, but, no, it's so, so quiet.”

Still, it didn’t take away from the absolute joy and wonder that the moment inspired. Australia was up 3-0 thanks to the wonder kid’s blast, and it was almost certainly going to take home a major victory.

These are the moments that the WBC is built to capture best. Bazzana has never played an inning in Major League Baseball. Heck, a good majority of either Australia or Taiwan has never stepped foot on an MLB diamond. But that doesn’t matter. Both sides had one goal in mind when the game started, and that was to represent their country well and come away with a win. That passion was evident from the first pitch to the last out, and Bazzana’s solo shot in the seventh – a moment that he and his entire country are sure to never forget – was the epitome of why international competition is the best that sports have to offer.

Australia’s path to the knockout round has become a whole lot simpler after its “upset” of Taiwan as it can now throw all its eggs into beating Korea on March 9. While taking down a nation as in love with baseball as Korea seems unlikely, remember that Australia did it in the 2023 WBC and can certainly do it again, especially if it pitches like it did versus Taiwan. Should it win that monumental clash, it’ll most likely secure one of the top two spots in Pool C, barring a supernatural loss to Czechia that would set the entire group on fire.

The outlook is less rosy for Taiwan. Man, what a disaster. The Taiwanese really needed to win this one if they wanted a chance at advancing. Now that they didn’t, everything has become a whole lot more complicated. A massive bout versus Japan, the reigning champions that are filled to the brim with talent, is up next. That matchup is essentially win-or-go-home for Taiwan, as falling to 0-2 is almost a death sentence in a group with Japan and Korea. Taiwan has a deep baseball history, especially at the youth level, but it’ll need a minor miracle if it wants to extend that history into the 2026 WBC.

Fun baseball, huh? There should be a whole lot more of it in the next two weeks.

We looked at Pool A yesterday for anybody that wants to check that out. You can do so by clicking here.

Doing a deep-dive analysis of each of these rosters would be an arduous task for a team of 15 writers, let alone one simple 23-year-old who’s juggling many different responsibilities. Still, it’s important to at least touch on each one, so that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. Each team will get a paragraph – at most – or a single sentence – at least. If that doesn’t suffice, I’m sure that there’s some article out there somewhere – probably written by a really smart man in a tuxedo who works on the top of a big, tall tower in New York City – that covers all 20 countries participating in the World Baseball Classic at a comprehensive-but-slightly-unhinged level.

The five teams in Pool C – Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czechia, Japan, and Korea – all have vastly different rosters. The talent level in this group is vast, making it one of the more interesting of the four pools in this tournament. No more dilly-dallying – let’s get into it. After all, the tournament starts really soon!

Note: The projected starting lineups are mine (with some help by the great Shawn Spradling). For the most part, it’s based off merit and vibes. That’s just how I operate.

One more note, I promise: Players with MLB experience are in bold and italics. Players with other major professional experience (NPB or KBO) are in bold. Players with MiLB experience are in italics. If a player has major professional experience (MLB unless expressed otherwise), his last season’s statistics (2025 unless expressed otherwise) will be in parentheticals next to his name.

Just one more note, pretty please: For anybody that’s not familiar with baseball statistics and what they mean, click here to get a good summary of what a slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage), OPS, home runs, and runs batted in entail. For anybody that’s on their high horse wondering why I’d need to include such a thing, 1) respect the newbies that just want to read something about Colombia’s roster, and 2) get off that high horse! You’ll fall off anyway so might as well get down.

Additional note, I promise this is the last note: These lineups and rotations are PROJECTED. Everything is subject to change.

Australia

Projected starting position players

1. Robbie Perkins, C

2. Rixon Wingrove, 1B

3. Travis Bazzana, 2B

4. Curtis Mead, 3B (.233/.299/.321 [.620 OPS], 3 HR, 19 RBI)

5. Jarryd Dale, SS (.297/.357.398 [.755 OPS], 2 HR, 14 RBI in NPB)

6. Tim Kennelly, LF

7. Aaron Whitefield, CF (.000/.000/.000 [.000 OPS], 0 HR, 0 RBI in 2022)

8. Robbie Glendinning, RF

9. Alex Hall, DH

Projected rotation

• Jack O’Loughlin, LHP (4.66 ERA, 9.2 IP, 6 K, 5 BB, 13 H in 2024)

• Lachlan Wells, LHP

• Alexander Wells, LHP (4.91 ERA, 3.2 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 5 H in 2022)

• Josh Hendrickson, LHP

Schedule

• Chinese Taipei, 10 p.m. ET (Wednesday, March 4)

• Czechia, 10 p.m. ET (Thursday, March 5)

• Japan, 6 a.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Korea, 6 a.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

Travis Bazzana is going to be so much fun to watch in this tournament. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Bazzana has been going bananas (that really flows off the tongue and the page) in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He will now get his opportunity to flash on an international stage in front of thousands of onlookers in Tokyo and millions more watching at home. I, for one, will be one of the many spectators watching.

Chinese Taipei

Projected starting position players

1. Lyle Lin, C

2. Yu Chang, 1B (.162/.200/.352 [.552 OPS] 6 HR, 18 RBI in 2023)

3. Hao-Yu Lee, 2B

4. Nien-Ting Wu, 3B (.299/.408/.441 [.849], 3 HR, 35 RBI in NPB in 2023)

5. Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (.000/.000/.000 [.000], 0 HR, 0 RBI)

6. Cheng Jui Sung, LF

7. Chieh-Hsien Chen, CF

8. Stuart Fairchild, RF (.216/.273/.333 [.606 OPS], 0 HR, 2 RBI)

9. An-Ko Lin, DH

Projected rotation

• Jo Hsi Hsu, RHP

• Po-Yu Chen, RHP

• Ruei-Yang Gu Lin, RHP (2.94 ERA, 49 IP, 50 K, 13 BB, 40 H in NPB)

• Yu-Min Lin, LHP

Schedule

• Australia, 10 p.m. ET (Wednesday March 4)

• Japan, 5 a.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Czechia, 10 p.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Korea, 10 p.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

If this were the Little League World Series, Chinese Taipei would be a lock to make it to the final of the World Baseball Classic. Alas, it is not — all the players on Taiwan’s roster are adults. As such, it’s hard to foresee an avenue for the team getting into the knockout stage, though it is possible given South Korea’s inconsistency and the unknowns surrounding Australia’s pitching. But remember, this is baseball — weird things happen. Maybe both Australia and Chinese Taipei will make it out of the group. Wouldn’t that be something?

Czechia

Projected starting position players

1. Martin Cervenka, C

2. Martin Muzik, 1B

3. Milan Prokop, 2B

4. Terrin Vavra, 3B (.000/.000/.000 [.000 OPS], 0 HR, 0 RBI)

5. Vojtech Mensik, SS

6. Willie Escala, LF

7. Marek Chlup, CF (.265/.321/.394 [.715 OPS]

8. Marek Krejcirik, RF

9. Martin Zelenka, DH

Projected rotation

• Daniel Padysak, RHP (0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 2 K, 4 BB, 4 H in NPB)

• Ondrej Satoria, RHP

• Ryan Johnson, LHP (7.36 ERA, 14.2 IP, 16 K, 5 BB, 24 H)

• Tomas Ondra, RHP

Schedule

• Korea, 5 a.m. ET (Thursday, March 5)

• Australia, 10 p.m. ET (Thursday, March 5)

• Chinese Taipei, 10 p.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Japan, 6 a.m. ET (Tuesday, March 10)

This Czech team is all vibes and no brakes. There is almost zero expectation that Czechia makes it out of Pool C and into the knockout stage, but there’s also that little thought in the back of everyone’s head saying, “Wouldn’t it be soo cool?” This is a baseball team that’s filled with electricians and plumbers — with some exceptions — who have traveled to Tokyo to take on some of the best players from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia. It’s one of the biggest underdog stories of the entire tournament. If Czechia picks up just one win, it’ll be an epic story. If that win comes against one of the baseball giants like Japan or Korea, whew, boy, that’d be something special.

Japan

Projected starting position players

1. Seishiro Sakamoto, C (.247/.357/.326 [.683 OPS], 2 HR, 27 RBI in NPB)

2. Munetaka Murakami, 1B (.286/.392/.659 [1.051 OPS], 24 HR, 52 RBI in NPB)

3. Shugo Maki, 2B (.277/.325/.475 [.800 OPS], 16 HR, 49 RBI in NPB)

4. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B (.322/.411/.581 [.992 OPS], 15 HR, 51 RBI in NPB)

5. Kaito Kozono, SS (.309/.365/.388 [.753 OPS], 3 HR, 47 RBI in NPB)

6. Masataka Yoshida, LF (.266/.307/.388 [.696 OPS], 4 HR, 26 RBI)

7. Seiya Suzuki, CF (.245/.326/.478 [.804 OPS], 32 HR, 103 RBI)

8. Kensuke Kondoh, RF (.309/.417/.508 [.925 OPS], 11 HR, 42 RBI in NPB)

9. Shohei Ohtani, DH (.282/.393/.622 [1.014 OPS], 55 HR, 102 RBI)

Projected rotation

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP (2.49 ERA, 173.2 IP, 201 K, 59 BB, 113 H)

• Yusei Kikuchi, LHP (3.99 ERA, 178.1 IP, 174 K, 74 BB, 180 H)

• Hiromi Itoh RHP (2.52 ERA, 196.2 IP, 195 K, 29 BB, 179 H in NPB)

• Tomoyuki Sugano, RHP (4.64 ERA, 157 IP, 106 K, 36 BB, 173 H)

Schedule

• Chinese Taipei, 5 a.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Korea, 5 a.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Australia, 6 a.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Czechia, 6 a.m. ET (Tuesday, March 10)

On paper, Japan’s roster has taken a minor step back from its 2023 championship team. That deficiency is especially seen on the pitching side of things, where several key arms like Shohei Ohtani — who’s obviously still present to smash baseballs around the yard like no one else — Yu Darvish, and Roki Sasaki aren’t available. That means this show is going to be run by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yusei Kikuchi. Those two are certainly no slouches — both were MLB All-Stars last season, and Yamamoto is one of the best pitchers in the world — but the depth just isn’t there like it was in the last tournament.

I’m a massive fan of this lineup, though. Ohtani is obviously the anchor, but Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida should also provide a good amount of pop. The rest of the order is basically just an NPB All-Star team, and what a squad it is. From the power hitting of Munetaka Murakami to Kaito Kozono’s fantastic consistency, this lineup has it all. It’s for sure the best roster in Pool C and should be a near lock to make it to the knockout stage.

Korea

Projected starting position players

1. Dong Won Park, C (.253/.342/.455 [.797 OPS], 22 HR, 76 RBI in KBO)

2. Bo Gyeong Moon, 1B (.276/.371/.460 [.831 OPS], 24 HR, 108 RBI in KBO)

3. Hyeseong Kim, 2B (.280/.314/.385 [.699 OPS], 3 HR, 17 RBI)

4. Shay Whitcomb, 3B (.125/.125/.219 [.344 OPS], 1 HR, 1 RBI)

5. Do Yeong Kim, SS (.309/.361/.582 [.942 OPS], 7 HR, 27 RBI in KBO)

6. Ja Wook Koo, LF (.319/.402/.516 [.918 OPS], 19 HR, 96 RBI in KBO)

7. Jung Hoo Lee, CF (.266/.327/.407 [.735 OPS], 8 HR, 55 RBI)

8. Hyun-min Ahn, RF (.334/.448/.570 [1.018 OPS], 22 HR, 80 RBI in KBO)

9. Ju-won Kim, DH (.289/.379/.451 [.830 OPS], 15 HR, 65 RBI in KBO)

Projected rotation

• Hyun-jin Ryu, LHP (3.46 ERA, 52 IP, 38 K, 14 BB, 53 H in 2023)

• Hyeong-jun So, RHP (3.30 ERA, 147.1 IP, 123 K, 29 BB, 155 H in KBO)

• Young-pyo Ko, RHP (3.30 ERA, 161 IP, 154 K, 30 BB, 170 H in KBO)

• Been Gwak, RHP (4.20 ERA, 109.1 IP, 107 K, 41 BB, 96 H in KBO)

Schedule

• Czechia, 5 a.m. ET (Thursday, March 5)

• Japan, 5 a.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Chinese Taipei, 10 p.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Australia, 6 a.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

Korea has been a consistent underperformer in the WBC, especially in the last couple of tournaments. It hasn’t made it out of the group stage in the past three iterations, which is insane given the plethora of baseball talent in the country. As such, the expectation is that this team will compete for one of the two top spots in Pool C — and it should be able to get it done. At least on paper.

Color me skeptical that it can win a championship, though. When your best pitcher is arguably Hyun-jin Ryu, a former MLB star who hasn’t thrown in the big leagues in several seasons, that’s saying something. Of course, Ryu is a Korean legend and probably has some gas left in the tank, but it’s certainly telling that he’s here and figures to be a key piece of Korea’s puzzle. In the end, I’m in wait-and-see mode with this team. I’m fairly certain it’ll be able to advance to the knockout round, but I’ve been sure of that the last three tournaments — and look what that’s gotten me.

The masses — also known as the lovely, loyal SethStack enjoyers — have clamored for more watchlists over the past several months, and I am here to deliver. With the World Baseball Classic starting today, let’s get back into that watchlist groove by breaking down which games are set to take place across the world’s most prestigious international baseball tournament.

There is only one official WBC contest slated to take place today, so let’s start there. Chinese Taipei (or Taiwan for the uninitiated) will face Australia at 10 p.m. ET at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The game will be televised in the United States on FS1 and probably on some other channels across the world. What? You think I know the international broadcasting rights for the entire globe for this event? Who do you think I am?

For how much baseball talent resides in Taiwan, especially at the youth level — Chinese Taipei has won a whopping 18 Little League World Series titles — the nation has experienced little success in the World Baseball Classic. Its best finish is eighth, which it achieved in 2013. It didn’t even make it out of the group stage, which it hosted, in 2023. The country definitely has something to prove in Tokyo, though the road to prove people wrong is littered with potholes, the first of which being a pesky Australian squad.

On paper, Australia wouldn’t be tabbed as a country that’s humming with a love for baseball. For the most part, that’s true, but there is a significant love for the sport down under that’s sure to be unleashed at the 2026 WBC. In fact, the 2023 iteration showed just how much love for it is present when the Aussies surprisingly made it out of the group stage and were one run away from beating Cuba and advancing to the semifinals. This group is still considered a major underdog in Pool C, but don’t count out Australia solely on the basis of it being an odd hotbed for baseball talent.

Taiwan is scheduled to send RHP Jo Hsi Hsu to the mound as its starting pitcher. In 19 starts with the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Hsu posted a 2.45 ERA over 114 innings of work. He struck out 120 and walked just 14. Despite his small frame, he is by far one of Taiwan’s most impressive arms, with his fastball reaching the upper 90s. He pairs that with an excellent splitter that gets hitters off balance and makes those who attempt to swing look silly. He was good enough to attract some interest from MLB teams this past offseason, but he will instead be taking his talents to Japan for the 2026 campaign. He should be a fun watch tonight in Tokyo.

Opposite Hsu will be Australian hurler Alexander Wells. Wells is a former major leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles from 2021-22, though his time stateside was pretty unmemorable. He posted a 6.60 ERA over 46 1/3 innings in the big leagues before injuries sent his career into the bin. He picked baseball back up in 2024 with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, where he has been one of the best pitchers in the league for two straight seasons. It’s now time for him to use those talents to try to lead Australia to a victory in the country’s opening game against Chinese Taipei.

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Yeah, Team USA is really good.

The U.S. played an exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants today, winning 15-1 (!) in what was a dominant effort from start to finish. Even once the subs came in—heck, even a Giants prospect named R.J. Dabovich, who wore a Team USA uniform for the day, pitched well—everything was smooth sailing for the favorites in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Watching Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, and Aaron Judge all hit in succession in the top of the first inning was a dream come true. Witt slapped a single to left field to lead off the game. Harper then drove a double to the opposite field to put runners at second and third for Judge, who singled both of them home to put the U.S. up 2-0. Even though this game was just a simple exhibition with absolutely zero stakes, it was one of those sports moments that I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Three of the greatest hitters on the planet working in perfect harmony. What a joy!

That top of the order produced a total of six hits and four RBIs throughout the game against the Giants, who were overmatched throughout the entirety of the afternoon. It’s not their fault, obviously. This USA team is built to be the best there ever was. No other lineup—past or present—can compare to the one that the United States is rolling out there on a daily basis. Today’s performance reinforced that.

I was extremely impressed with Roman Anthony1. Anthony, who figures to be one of the Boston Red Sox’s key pieces this season and was added to the U.S. roster late in the process due to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll suffering an injury to his hamate bone, absolutely smashed a two-run homer in the sixth. That thing flew so far, I’m not sure that the camera even caught where it landed. If Anthony can be as productive as he was with Boston throughout the latter half of last season, then this lineup becomes even deeper than it already is.

Speaking of homers, Alex Bregman also put one into the seats. Bregman is obviously one of the best hitters in the world, but I was still somewhat wary of what he could accomplish at the WBC this year. Maybe that’s because I’m a Rangers fan and I’m still jaded at him being an ex-Astro. Regardless, he proved me wrong—at least in the short term—with his performance today in Scottsdale.

Another thing we learned from this exhibition is that Paul Skenes is not invincible, but man, he is one of the best pitchers on the planet. Pretty much all of Skenes’ pitches were working, which is nuts because it was evident he wasn’t going full throttle. Other than a first-inning run that came about via a leadoff double by Willie Adames (no shame in that; Adames is a quality hitter), Skenes shut the door on San Francisco for three innings. He struck out four, walked none, and left the U.S. faithful feeling grateful that he was a part of the team. With him on the bump, everything feels possible for Team USA’s pitching prospects at this tournament.

The same can be said for Matthew Boyd, who had a phenomenal day as well. He threw 2 2/3 innings, striking out four batters and allowing two hits. He didn’t allow a run. Boyd should be able to provide the U.S. with quality length out of the bullpen, which is extremely necessary given the limited pitch counts that some of the starters will have throughout the entirety of the tournament.

David Bednar, Mason Miller, Griffin Jax, and Gabe Speier all threw one inning apiece and looked good as well. I’m especially excited to watch Miller pitch in this thing. Whew, boy, is he a fun pitcher to see in person.

I left this exhibition feeling even better about Team USA’s chances of winning the WBC than I already did. For one, the lineup appeared dominant, and the pitching was pretty stout as well. Also, many other international teams didn’t fare as well in their exhibition matchups with other MLB squads. For instance, Team Canada lost 10-7 to the Toronto Blue Jays; the Pittsburgh Pirates—who are projected to be one of the worst teams in baseball this summer—beat Colombia 7-1; and the New York Yankees demolished Panama 11-1. It’s easy to look at those results and write off those teams in the tournament, but just remember that these are just exhibitions. Heck, even Japan—one of the favorites in the event and the reigning champions—lost to the Orix Buffaloes in a scrimmage the other day. It’s baseball; weird things happen. The sun will come up tomorrow, and everything will change.

That being said, it’d be a disaster if the U.S. didn’t win this tournament. This is the best roster I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes, and watching it demolish the Giants only convinced me more of its prowess.

The U.S. will kick off its WBC journey on Friday, March 6, versus Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. Logan Webb is the scheduled pitcher for Team USA in what should be a victory for the red, white, and blue. Because Brazil is not nearly as good as the Giants—and that’s saying something. (No offense, Giants fans! I just have little faith.)

As mentioned earlier, there are 20 nations that are split into four groups of five. Pool A, which will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, features Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico. Pool B, which will be played at Daikin Park – the home of the Houston Astros – features Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. Pool C (my personal favorite group), which will be played in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome, features Australia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Czechia, Japan, and Korea. Finally, Pool D, which will be played in Miami at loanDepot Park, features the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Here’s a handy-dandy chart that makes that a whole lot more legible:

Doing a deep-dive analysis of each of these rosters would be an arduous task for a team of 15 writers, let alone one simple 23-year-old who’s juggling many different responsibilities. Still, it’s important to at least touch on each one, so that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. Each team will get a paragraph – at most – or a single sentence – at least. If that doesn’t suffice, I’m sure that there’s some article out there somewhere – probably written by a really smart man in a tuxedo who works on the top of a big, tall tower in New York City – that covers all 20 countries participating in the World Baseball Classic at a comprehensive-but-slightly-unhinged level.

Today we’ll be covering the five teams – Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico – that make up Pool A, which will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Note: The projected starting lineups are mine (with some help by the great Shawn Spradling). For the most part, it’s based off merit and vibes. That’s just how I operate.

One more note, I promise: Players with MLB experience are in bold and italics. Players with other major professional experience (NPB or KBO) are in bold. Players with MiLB experience are in italics. If a player has major professional experience (MLB unless expressed otherwise), his last season’s statistics (2025 unless expressed otherwise) will be in parentheticals next to his name.

Just one more note, pretty please: For anybody that’s not familiar with baseball statistics and what they mean, click here to get a good summary of what a slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage), OPS, home runs, and runs batted in entail. For anybody that’s on their high horse wondering why I’d need to include such a thing, 1) respect the newbies that just want to read something about Colombia’s roster, and 2) get off that high horse! You’ll fall off anyway so might as well get down.

Additional note, I promise this is the last note: These lineups and rotations are PROJECTED. Everything is subject to change.

Canada

Projected starting position players

1. Bo Naylor, C (.195/.282/.379 [.661 OPS], 14 HR, 47 RBI)

2. Josh Naylor, 1B (.295/.353/.462 [.816 OPS], 20 HR, 92 RBI)

3. Edouard Julien, 2B (.220/.309/.324 [.633 OPS], 3 HR, 12 RBI)

4. Abraham Toro, 3B (.239/.289/.371 [.659 OPS], 7 HR, 27 RBI)

5. Otto Lopez, SS (.246/.305/.368 [.672 OPS], 15 HR, 77 RBI)

6. Tyler O’Neill, LF (.199/.292/.392 [.684 OPS], 9 HR, 26 RBI)

7. Denzel Clarke, CF (.230/.274/.372 [.646 OPS], 3 HR, 8 RBI)

8. Owen Caissie, RF (.192/.222/.346 [.568 OPS], 1 HR, 4 RBI)

9. Jared Young, DH (.186/.234/.488 [.722 OPS], 4 HR, 6 RBI)

Projected rotation

• Jameson Taillon, RHP (3.68 ERA, 129.2 IP, 98 K, 27 BB, 110 H)

• Michael Soroka, RHP (4.52 ERA, 89.2 IP, 95 K, 29 BB, 72 H)

• Cal Quantrill, RHP (6.04 ERA, 117.2 IP, 85 K, 35 BB, 136 H)

• Logan Allen, LHP (5.46 ERA, 28 IP, 21 K, 10 BB, 32 H in 2024)

Schedule

• Colombia, 11 a.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Panama, 7 p.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Puerto Rico, 7 p.m. ET (Tuesday, March 10)

• Cuba, 3 p.m. ET (Wednesday, March 11)

Canadian baseball talent has increased over the years, and this year’s WBC team is much improved from the one that took the field in 2023. That’s especially evident in the lineup, which is filled with Major League talent from top to bottom. The Naylor brothers are the obvious centerpieces, with Josh, who is coming off a fantastic season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, leading the charge. I’m a massive fan of the rest of the infield, though I do have some reservations about the outfield — Denzel Clarke notwithstanding (I think that guy is amazing). Canada’s limitations are on the mound, however. Apart from Jameson Taillon and Michael Soroka, there aren’t any other bona fide starters that manager Ernie Whitt can throw out there. Then there’s the bullpen, which only features one player — Rob Zastryzny — who appeared in an MLB game last year. With how important bullpens are in the WBC, it’s hard to imagine Canada making a super-far run with those constraints. That being said, this is the best roster the nation’s assembled in its six trips to the tournament, and it is poised to capitalize on that in what is a pretty weak group — at least in comparison to what Canada has faced in the past.

Colombia

Projected starting position players

1. Elías Díaz, C (.204/.270/.337 [.607 OPS], 9 HR, 29 RBI)

2. Reynaldo Rodríguez, 1B

3. Michael Arroyo, 2B

4. Gio Urshela, 3B (.238/.287/.326 [.613 OPS], 0 HR, 20 RBI)

5. Dayan Frías, SS

6. Gustavo Campero, LF (.172/.273/.345 [.618 OPS], 3 HR, 8 RBI)

7. Brayan Buelvas, CF

8. Harold Ramírez, RF (.261/.280/.324 [.604 OPS], 2 HR, 29 RBI in 2024)

9. Donovan Solano, DH (.247/.291/.337 [.628 OPS], 3 HR, 21 RBI)

Projected rotation

• José Quintana, LHP (3.96 ERA, 131.2 IP, 89 K, 50 BB, 120 H)

• Adrián Almeida

• Julio Teherán (13.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB, 6 H in 2024)

• Luis Patiño, RHP (4.57 ERA, 21.2 IP, 18 K, 14 BB, 21 H)

Schedule

• Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Canada, 11 a.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Cuba, 12 p.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Panama, 12 p.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

I saw Julio Teherán pitch for the Atlanta Braves on May 31, 2013, against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field. He allowed three runs on seven hits over the course of 6 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked one. I’m certain my family left before the game was over, but I can’t remember. Anyway, that personal anecdote is all I really have to say about this Colombian team.

OK, that’s a joke. There are some things to like about this Colombian squad. For instance, José Quintana is a good MLB pitcher who has had success in the WBC in the past. Gio Urshela, Elías Díaz, and Donovan Solano are more than capable hitters, with Jorge Alfaro, who could be an option at catcher or DH, also providing some pop off the bench. I’m still not bullish on their chances, though. Sure, Colombia can go out there and win a game or two but making a run to the semifinals seems unlikely. Prove me wrong, Colombia!

Cuba

Projected starting position players

1. Omar Hernández, C

2. Ariel Martínez, 1B (.241/.299/.471 [.770 OPS], 10 HR, 32 RBI in NPB)

3. Yiddi Cappe, 2B

4. Yoan Moncada, 3B (.234/.336/.448 [.783 OPS], 12 HR, 35 RBI)

5. Erisbel Arruebarruena, SS (.195/.244/.220 [.464 OPS], 0 HR, 4 RBI in 2014)

6. Yoelkis Guibert, LF

7. Roel Santos, CF

8. Yoel Yanqui, RF

9. Alfredo Despaigne, DH (.239/.453/.391 [.844 OPS], 8 HR, 30 RBI in 2023 in NPB)

Projected rotation

• Liván Moinelo, LHP (1.46 ERA, 167 IP, 172 K, 42 BB, 112 H in NPB)

• Josimar Cousín, RHP

• Julio Robaina, LHP

• Denny Larrondo, RHP

Schedule

• Panama, 11 a.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Colombia, 12 p.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Puerto Rico, 7 p.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

• Canada, 3 p.m. ET (Wednesday, March 11)

The days of Cuban baseball dominance in international play are over. For a variety of factors — both political and developmental — Cuba has failed to contribute the same amount of formidable baseball talent over the past several years, which has led to a downward trend in its performance at international events. Add in the fact that many of Cuba’s best players just straight-up refuse to play for the country — again, politics — and the roster becomes a sad affair. Yoan Moncada is probably the most well-known name in the lineup, and Liván Moinelo is probably the best pitcher in the NPB. That isn’t enough to win the WBC, though, so color me surprised if Cuba makes it out of Pool A.

Panama

Projected starting position players

1. Miguel Amaya, C (.281/.314/.500 [.814 OPS], 4 HR, 25 RBI)

2. Johan Camargo, 1B (.222/.300/.222 [.522 OPS], 0 HR, 2 RBI in 2023)

3. Leonardo Jiménez, 2B (.069/.129/.172 [.301 OPS], 1 HR, 1 RBI)

4. Edmundo Sosa, 3B (.276/.307/.469 [.777 OPS], 11 HR, 39 RBI)

5. José Caballero, SS (.236/.339/.347 [.686 OPS], 5 HR, 36 RBI)

6. Allen Córdoba, LF (.208/.282/.297 [.579 OPS], 4 HR, 15 RBI in 2017)

7. Enrique Bradfield Jr., CF

8. José Ramos, RF

9. Christian Bethancourt, DH (.209/.241/.367 [.608 OPS], 5 HR, 22 RBI in 2024)

Projected rotation

• Logan Allen, LHP (4.25 ERA, 156.2 IP, 122 K, 62 BB, 157 H)

• Ariel Jurado, RHP (11.25 ERA, 4 IP, 2 K, 0 BB, 9 H in 2020)

• Humberto Mejía, RHP (7.25 ERA, 22.1 IP, 20 K, 9 BB, 32 H in 2021)

• Jaime Barría, RHP (5.68 ERA, 82.1 IP, 62 K, 30 BB, 91 H in 2023)

Schedule

• Cuba, 11 a.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Puerto Rico, 6 p.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Canada, 7 p.m. ET (Sunday, March 8)

• Colombia, 12 p.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

This Panamanian group is underrated. Miguel Amaya is a dude, Edmundo Sosa is more than capable, and Logan Allen is one of the better starters in the whole tournament. That’s more than some other teams in the WBC can boast about on their roster, which definitely separates Panama from the bottom of the pack. As such, it is my opinion that if any team is going to challenge Puerto Rico — or perhaps even Canada — for the top spot in Pool A, it’ll be Panama. Throw tomatoes at me all you want; I think that this team has the capability to surprise some people over the next week.

Puerto Rico

Projected starting position players

1. Martín Maldonado, C (.204/.245/.327 [.572 OPS], 4 HR, 12 RBI)

2. Emmanuel Rivera, 1B (.250/.291/.283 [.575 OPS], 0 HR, 13 RBI)

3. Willi Castro, 2B (.226/.313/.366 [.679 OPS], 11 HR, 33 RBI)

4. Nolan Arenado, 3B (.237/.289/.377 [.666 OPS], 12 HR, 52 RBI)

5. Darel Hernaiz, SS (.231/.292/.306 [.599 OPS], 2 HR, 16 RBI]

6. Matthew Lugo, LF (.232/.243/.464 [.707 OPS], 4 HR, 9 RBI]

7. Bryan Torres, CF

8. Carlos Cortés/MJ Meléndez, RF (.309/.323/.543 [.866 OPS], 4 HR, 14 RBI)/(.083/.154/.167 [.321 OPS], 1 HR, 1 RBI)

9. Heliot Ramos, DH (.256/.328/.400 [.728 OPS], 21 HR, 69 RBI)

Projected rotation

• Seth Lugo, RHP (4.15 ERA, 145.1 IP, 125 K, 55 BB, 133 H)

• Elmer Rodríguez, RHP

• Eduardo Rivera, LHP

• José de León, RHP (4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 8 K, 3 BB, 8 H)

Schedule

• Colombia, 6 p.m. ET (Friday, March 6)

• Panama, 6 p.m. ET (Saturday, March 7)

• Cuba, 7 p.m. ET (Monday, March 9)

• Canada, 7 p.m. ET (Tuesday, March 10)

One of the many things holding the WBC back from greatness is insurance. Don’t believe me? All it takes is one look at the players who aren’t on Puerto Rico’s roster to see that insurance is the real stealer of joy in 2026. Several of Puerto Rico’s key pieces, like Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Javier Baez, failed to obtain the proper insurance to play in the event, rendering their participation impossible. That has led to this Puerto Rico squad being a shell of what it could’ve been.

That’s really sad, so I’d like to take a moment and acknowledge a really cool story instead. Bryan Torres, who is slated to start in center field for the Puerto Ricans, is probably the most feel-good underdog story of the WBC. Just three years ago, Torres — after failing to cement a place in affiliated ball — was playing independent baseball in the American Association with the Milwaukee Milkmen. He absolutely tore up the league, hitting .374 in 2022 and .370 in 2023. As a result, the St. Louis Cardinals signed him and sent him to Double-A. He dominated there, earning a spot in Triple-A in 2025, where he once again couldn’t stop hitting the baseball. Now he’s on Team Puerto Rico, and he’ll probably get called up to the big leagues to play for what should be a pretty miserable Cardinals club. It’s these types of stories that make the WBC special — players achieving their childhood dreams of representing their country getting the opportunity to do so on one of baseball’s grandest stages. Even the least emotional of us tear up at the thought of it.

SethStack’s coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is all because of you! Yes, that’s right — you! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. If you’d like to contribute monetarily to my work — even though your eyes and attention over these past ~2,000 words is more than enough — you can do so by clicking the subscribe button below. Or you could just give me a wad of cash next time you see me on the street. If you don’t know what I look like, don’t worry, I’m easy to spot. I’m average height, a little skinny, have dark hair, wear glasses. . . wait, never mind. I’m pretty innocuous. I guess I’d make a good spy.

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When Tarik Skubal, the greatest pitcher on the planet, announced that he would be playing for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the sports world was in awe. It was a surprising development given Skubal’s upcoming free agency, because why would he want to jeopardize what’s certainly going to be an otherworldly payday on the open market? Additionally, the Detroit Tigers are about to embark on one of their most important seasons of the 21st century, and Skubal is set to be a major part of it. Why would risking an injury in the WBC seem worth it?

The answer, at least at the onset, was clear: a love for country and a chance to avenge the 2023 defeat alongside some of the best players in America.

But then Skubal dropped another bombshell last week, this one significantly less pleasant: He would only be making one start in the tournament before heading back to Tigers spring training to continue his ramp-up for the 2026 MLB season. That start, at least according to some reports out in the ethos, would come on March 7 against Great Britain, not versus the better teams in Pool B like Italy or Mexico. Pitching Skubal against Great Britain seems almost laughable and a waste of time — it’d be like watching prime Barry Bonds (jacked all the way up with steroids) hit against a six-year-old. It’s just not fair. Sports aren’t fair, though, and it appears that Great Britain — because of Skubal’s choice to be a limited participant in the tournament — will feel the great wrath of Team USA’s best and brightest hurler.

Let’s analyze the why. While somewhat selfish (at least on paper), Skubal’s decision makes sense. He’ll participate in the event, albeit in a small start against Great Britain, where he’ll likely dominate (if he doesn’t, then that’s a whole different discussion). He’ll then hang up his USA cleats, return to Florida for the rest of spring training, and make sure he’s in a good spot before Opening Day. Everybody’s happy. The Tigers are pleased that Skubal is returning to their safe arms, Team USA is thrilled because the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner just threw four or so innings for them, and Skubal can feel relieved that he stayed healthy enough to both pitch for the U.S. and continue ramping up with the Tigers.

That’s one frame of mind, and a completely valid one at that.

The other is that if this was Skubal’s intention the entire time, why even show up in the first place? Why not leave that roster spot open for somebody else who would stick around and make more than just one abbreviated start? Just stay on the couch with the rest of us if that’s what you’re going to be doing for the most part anyway.

Another completely valid train of thought.

But let’s step back for a second and marvel at the fact that Skubal even agreed to this in the first place. Yes, it’s fair to be upset that he’s going to be a limited participant. If the WBC is to take off and be among the best international sporting events, then it needs more buy-in from the top talent in the sport. But is it Skubal’s fault that this MLB season is perhaps the most important of his career? The one that could set him up financially for years to come? The one that could see his Detroit Tigers make a run at an American League pennant? Absolutely not. Him deciding he wants to represent Team USA on top of all that is just icing on the cake.

I am frustrated with Skubal, but I’m also not willing to let this decision mar my opinion of him. Because while it would be great if the U.S. could enter the knockout stage with Skubal at its disposal, it most likely won’t even need him. Paul Skenes, Logan Webb, and Joe Ryan are more than capable of delivering Team USA a WBC title. Heck, if 40-year-old Adam Wainwright and Kyle Freeland almost did it in 2023, why can’t the reigning NL Cy Young winner and two of the better American pitchers in the league?

Also, the crux of the issue doesn’t rest with Skubal, but at the timing of this tournament. It’s completely rational for a player to prioritize his own personal well-being and financial security over participating in a two-week event that could potentially derail both those things in an instant should the situation go haywire. Until the timing of the WBC is changed — either to where it’s played in the middle of the season (perhaps during the All-Star break) so the maddening insurance issues that have plagued several teams are curtailed and so that players like Skubal feel less obligated to be half-in and half-out because of their duties to their big-league ballclubs — similar problems will persist. Fixing this doesn’t lie at the feet of the players or the national teams, but at the WBC’s and MLB’s. Agree with the players on timing that suits all and that will also make this tournament more likely to grab the attention of the masses. Bam! Everybody’s happy.

So, yes, it’s maddening that Skubal isn’t going to stick around for the long run. The U.S. would be much better if he were around for the entire tournament. Still, this roster should be good enough to get it done regardless — with Skubal or without Skubal.

SethStack’s coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is all because of you! Yes, that’s right — you! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. If you’d like to contribute monetarily to my work — even though your eyes and attention over these past ~1,000 words is more than enough — you can do so by clicking the subscribe button below. Or you could just give me a wad of cash next time you see me on the street. If you don’t know what I look like, don’t worry, I’m easy to spot. I’m average height, a little skinny, have dark hair, wear glasses. . . wait, never mind. I’m pretty innocuous. I guess I’d make a good spy. Or maybe not. I’m not very sneaky. Anyway, carry on!

The World Baseball Classic is awesome.

If you don’t believe me, I honestly don’t blame you. Some of you might not be big baseball fans. Others might not want to wake up early or stay up late to watch games happening in Tokyo. Even more probably aren’t even aware that the World Baseball Classic even exists. For anybody in that latter camp, this article is for you.

Imagine this scene: It’s the top of the ninth. Japan is up 3-2 against the United States in the championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. There are two outs and nobody on base. On the mound for the Japanese is perhaps baseball’s grandest superstar since Babe Ruth: Shohei Ohtani. From his days in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, to his first season in MLB with the Los Angeles Angels, to now with the Los Angeles Dodgers (the reigning two-time World Series champions), Ohtani’s accomplishments are just pure electricity. Not only is he one of the greatest pitchers of his generation — his fastball lives in the upper 90s, sometimes touching 100, and his sweeper is a hitter’s nightmare — but he’s probably the greatest hitter on the planet, too. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2019, then the MVP in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Yeah, he’s good.

At the plate facing this mammoth of an arm was Mike Trout. Prior to Ohtani’s arrival stateside, it was Trout who was the sport’s greatest player. From 2012-19, Trout — a native of New Jersey — slashed .310/.420/.579, hitting 235 home runs and collecting 218 doubles. His defense in center field was pretty stellar as well, making him one of the sport’s most well-rounded athletes. By the time he stepped into the box to face Ohtani in an at-bat I’ll remember for the rest of my life, Trout’s production had begun to wane with age. Multiple back injuries hampered both his output and his availability. He appeared in just 36 games in 2021, but bounced back (no pun intended) with a really good 2022 season, posting a 6.1 bWAR after hitting 40 home runs in 119 games. And even though the Angels stunk — how that was even possible with both Trout and Ohtani on the roster for six consecutive seasons is beyond even the most knowledgeable baseball fan — Trout’s presence consistently provided a glimmer of hope.

It was that hope the U.S. was counting on as Trout dug in to battle his Angels teammate and friend, Ohtani.

The first pitch, an 88-mph sweeper, just missed the zone. Trout didn’t bite. One ball, no strikes.

Ohtani then unfurled a 100-mph fastball right in Trout’s wheelhouse at the bottom of the zone. This was the moment. If Trout was going to be the hero for the Americans, this was the pitch.

He swung and missed. One ball, one strike.

Ohtani went back to the fastball, trying to paint the outside corner, but missed by a couple inches. Two balls, two strikes.

A 2-1 count is one of the best hitter’s counts. In 2025, hitters batted .329 in that situation, meaning Trout was in a spot to do real damage. Despite those odds, Ohtani challenged him again, pumping a 100-mph fastball right down the middle. Trout swung and missed. Two balls, two strikes.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Ohtani went for the jugular. He threw as hard as he possibly could — 101.6 mph — but missed badly. Three balls, two strikes.

Everybody at loanDepot Park in Miami was on their feet. Everybody watching at home was, too. This was surreal. The game’s most recognizable stars, Trout and Ohtani, facing off for international glory. This wasn’t the World Series, but it somehow felt even bigger. The United States and Japan, the two greatest baseball nations on the planet, relying on their best when it mattered most.

Three balls, two strikes.

Ohtani had thrown four straight fastballs at 100-plus. If he dropped a sweeper into the zone, there was a decent chance Trout wouldn’t be ready for the velocity change and would hack over the top. If he missed, though, the tying run would reach and the go-ahead run would step to the plate. Still, the risk was worth it. Ohtani’s sweeper is that lethal.

He reared back and fired.

Everybody held their breath.

(Is this too dramatic?)

Trout loaded up, ready to swing.

He missed.

Strike three. Ballgame.

Ohtani spread his arms wide before tossing his glove in jubilation. The Japanese dugout spilled onto the field, mobbing their star pitcher. Japan had won the World Baseball Classic for the third time. The Americans, the reigning champions, were heading home empty-handed.

That’s the joy of the World Baseball Classic — and that’s the joy I hope we all get to experience again in 2026.

So. . . What Is This Thing Anyway?

The World Baseball Classic is a simple enough concept to explain. Twenty international teams battle for global baseball supremacy. Like most international sporting competitions, those 20 teams are split into groups. Each group plays a round-robin schedule, with the top two squads advancing to a single-elimination knockout tournament. Survive and advance long enough, and you’re crowned champion.

The nuances come fast once you get into the nitty-gritty, though. For starters, the World Baseball Classic — especially compared to events like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games — is still relatively new. The first iteration took place in 2006 with 16 teams, and Japan emerged on top. Since then, five WBCs have been played, with Japan winning three times (2006, 2009, 2023), while the Dominican Republic (2013) and the United States (2017) have each claimed one title.

Second, buy-in has been a slow burn. Countries like Japan, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela have rarely struggled to get their best players to participate. The United States, on the other hand, has dealt with some hurdles. The last two tournaments have helped, especially on the position-player side, but getting pitchers fully on board has remained a challenge. That’s not because those players lack patriotism or don’t want to represent their country — it’s all about timing.

The World Baseball Classic is held every four years (well, every three for a bit, then every four, then COVID blew the whole thing up, so honestly, who knows anymore) during MLB spring training, right before the regular season. Spring training is a critical ramp-up period for pitchers preparing for the 162-game grind, and workload management is everything. As a result, many pitchers have been hesitant to jump into a tournament where they’re expected to go full throttle.

That issue appears to be at least partially alleviated for 2026. Both Cy Young winners from last season — Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes — have agreed to represent Team USA. Everybody was understandably fired up, until it was announced this past week that Skubal would make just one short group-stage start before returning to Detroit Tigers camp to continue preparing for the 2026 MLB season. His reasoning makes sense in a vacuum, but it’s still frustrating. For what it’s worth, Skenes is expected to make two starts — one in group play and another in the knockout round if the U.S. advances.

But all of the nuts and bolts can wait for another time. Because at its core, this is a fun event, even with limited participation from some elite pitchers. It’s a fantastic way to kick off the baseball season, and I sure as heck can’t wait for it to get started on March 4.

My goal is to have extensive coverage of the World Baseball Classic right here on SethStack. I can’t promise exactly what “extensive” means, but I’m hoping for at least a couple of posts per week throughout the tournament.

What I do know is that I’ll be watching every single game — and doing it my own way. Anyone who knows me knows I love scoring a baseball game. iPad, paper scoresheet, or an app like GameChanger — it doesn’t matter. I just love scoring baseball games. I’ll be doing exactly that throughout the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and if you’re interested, you can follow along. You can click here to track the tournament and each individual team via my scorekeeping! And if you want to help me keep score, that’d be fun too! Just give me a shout and I’m sure we can work something out.

I hope you’ll join me on this WBC journey. Stay tuned in the coming days for breakdowns of each group, plus any news and notes that feel worth your time.

SethStack’s coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is all because of you! Yes, that’s right — you! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. If you’d like to contribute monetarily to my work — even though your eyes and attention over these past ~1,500 words is more than enough — you can do so by clicking the subscribe button below. Or you could just give me a wad of cash next time you see me on the street. If you don’t know what I look like, don’t worry, I’m easy to spot. I’m average height, a little skinny, have dark hair, wear glasses. . . wait, never mind. I’m pretty innocuous. I guess I’d make a good spy.

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The 2025 MLB All-Star festivities started several days ago with the Futures Game, and the draft began last night. Tonight, everything continues with the crown jewel of it all: the Home Run Derby.

In an era where All-Star games across every major sport are fading into irrelevance, the Midsummer Classic reigns supreme in its relevance. Still, even baseball’s grip on the All-Star Game is slipping, leaving the sole hope for the week in the hands of the big-time sluggers who crash onto the scene once a year to hit long ball after long ball.

Even then, the superstars who once made up the field of participants have slowly receded in their interest in the competition. But unlike the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, where it’s extremely uninteresting to watch nobodies—Mac McClung being the lone exception—do dunks that everybody has seen before, in the Home Run Derby, it doesn’t matter who’s hitting the ball; it’s just fun seeing that five-ounce baseball go 450+ feet.

With all that on the table, here are this year’s competitors:

• Cal Raleigh (38 home runs) — Seattle Mariners

• James Wood (24) — Washington Nationals

• Junior Caminero (23) — Tampa Bay Rays

• Byron Buxton (21) — Minnesota Twins

• Brent Rooker (20) — Oakland Athletics

• Matt Olson (17) — Atlanta Braves

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. (17) — New York Yankees

• Oneil Cruz (16) — Pittsburgh Pirates

Um, where is Pete Alonso?

For the first time since 2018, Alonso is not competing in the Derby. It’s shocking, really, given that for years it’s felt like he cared more about winning this event than he did about playing the actual games. After all, he won it in 2019 and 2021, so he’s quite good at it.

In terms of the competitors in the field this year, Raleigh is the obvious front-runner. He’s on pace for 65 home runs this season, which would break the American League record of 62 that Aaron Judge set just three years ago.

Where the rest of the competition falls is anybody’s guess. James Wood and Oneil Cruz possess a ton of pop, while Byron Buxton and Brent Rooker could be two overlooked guys who surprise everybody. And don’t sleep on Matt Olson. Ronald Acuña Jr. was originally slated to be in that slot, but once he dropped out, Olson jumped in and took his place. The home crowd will be heavily in his favor, and sure, that doesn’t mean that much during the Home Run Derby, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

The most underrated part of every iteration of this hallowed event is the pitchers. Whether the hitter is getting good pitches to hit or not is extremely consequential to the outcome. Just look at the last several Rangers players who have participated. Joey Gallo was one of the favorites in 2021, but Tony Beasley couldn’t throw him a quality pitch to save his life, and his Home Run Derby journey ended in the first round. Corey Seager attempted a run at the title the next year, but his dad, Jeff, was just as bad as Beasley. Finally, Adolis García, the home run, bat-flipping, swag machine that he is, flamed out in the first round thanks to a tough outing by Franmy Peña. The pitching is important, so don’t sleep on it!

For me, I have Oneil Cruz taking this thing over James Wood. Cruz’s raw athleticism and strength will immediately pop off the screen, and I believe that’ll translate to some balls heading over the fence. As someone who’s been rooting for Cruz to take the Pirates to new heights (unfortunately, he has fallen well short of that goal), it’d be fun witnessing him win the Home Run Derby.

I hope everybody has a good time watching this evening’s festivities. Yes, the All-Star Game might be going out of style, but chicks still dig the long ball, and there’s sure to be plenty of those tonight.

The College World Series concluded last weekend with LSU sweeping Coastal Carolina in the championship series. After such an enthralling tournament, it ending in just two games, the second of which featured some controversial umpiring that overshadowed the whole ordeal, was disappointing. Regardless of how I feel about it all, LSU is the national champion for the second time in the last three seasons. So, congratulations to them.

It was a tournament that was filled with highs, lows, and everything in between. We saw Cinderella stories rise and then fall. We saw phenomenal pitching performances from unlikely prospects, with Gage Wood’s masterpiece no-hitter in Omaha being the star. We saw the SEC, which had a whopping 13 schools in the tournament, crash and burn early only to end up winning it all in the end anyway. But what we saw the most was good baseball, and that’s all that really matters.

Today, it’s time to reminisce on the 2025 college baseball postseason. From the start of the regional round to the very end of the road, this piece chronicles everything that transpired throughout the best time on the college baseball calendar. What you’re about to read is every word I wrote regarding the tournament. That’s right. All 19,354 of them.

Some of the articles featured were once behind paywalls but are now free and unlocked for your entertainment right here. That’s pretty exciting if you ask me.

Overall, this year’s tournament was a blast, and I had a ton of fun covering it from start to finish. I hope that you all enjoyed the ride with me as much as I did.

The Greatest Show on Dirt is Here

Button up the jersey and lace up the spikes, because it’s time to start the trek to Omaha.

Remember March Madness? Do you recall the promised exhilaration that usually comes from crazy upsets and improbable buzzer-beaters? Do you also remember how this year’s iteration of March Madness failed to deliver on almost all of those promises? I do.

While it may be an overstatement to say it left us with an emptiness beyond reproach, the tournament undeniably underwhelmed. It was certainly a shame. Fortunately, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to postseason sports at the collegiate level because the NCAA Division I baseball tournament is officially here.

On Sunday, the remainder of the conference tournaments wrapped up, meaning that it was time for the selection committee to gather together and select the 64-team field. Sixteen of those schools will host regionals, while the remaining teams will travel across the country ready to duke it out with the goal of claiming the ultimate prize in Omaha.

Of all the postseasons in collegiate sports, the baseball tournament every May and June is undoubtedly underrated. Unlike the College Football Playoff and March Madness, the College World Series doesn’t have as much pizzazz or fanfare. But it almost certainly has as much, or maybe even more, heart.

I can’t wait for this year’s tournament, which is slated to start on Friday, May 30. Which school will carefully climb their way through the obstacle course that is the regional and super regional rounds to make it to Omaha, and then which team will be able to conquer the remaining field in order to reach the top of the metaphorical mountain?

As I am prone to say, only time will tell.

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Congratulations to every school that earned a berth in this year’s tournament. Making it into college baseball’s best bracket is incredibly hard work. No matter the route taken, the goal was reached, and that is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Let’s take a quick look at the bracket. Teams in italics won their respective conference’s automatic bid:

Nashville Regional

1. Vanderbilt (No. 1 Overall Seed)

2. Louisville

3. East Tennessee State

4. Wright State

Hattiesburg Regional

1. Southern Mississippi (No. 16 Overall Seed)

2. Alabama

3. Miami (FL)

4. Columbia

Corvallis Regional

1. Oregon State (No. 8 Overall Seed)

2. TCU

3. USC

4. Saint Mary’s

Tallahassee Regional

1. Florida State (No. 9 Overall Seed)

2. Northeastern

3. Mississippi State

4. Bethune-Cookman

Chapel Hill Regional

1. North Carolina (No. 5 Overall Seed)

2. Oklahoma

3. Nebraska

4. Holy Cross

Eugene Regional

1. Oregon (No. 12 Overall Seed)

2. Arizona

3. Cal Poly

4. Utah Valley

Auburn Regional

1. Auburn (No. 4 Overall Seed)

2. NC State

3. Stetson

4. Central Connecticut

Conway Regional

1. Coastal Carolina (No. 13 Overall Seed)

2. Florida

3. East Carolina

4. Fairfield

Austin Regional

1. Texas (No. 2 Overall Seed)

2. UTSA

3. Kansas State

4. Houston Christian

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA (No. 15 Overall Seed)

2. UC Irvine

3. Arizona State

4. Fresno State

Athens Regional

1. Georgia (No. 7 Overall Seed)

2. Duke

3. Oklahoma State

4. Binghamton

Oxford Regional

1. Ole Miss (No. 10 Overall Seed)

2. Georgia Tech

3. Western Kentucky

4. Murray State

Baton Rouge Regional

1. LSU (No. 6 Overall Seed)

2. Dallas Baptist

3. Rhode Island

4. Little Rock

Clemson Regional

1. Clemson (No. 11 Overall Seed)

2. West Virginia

3. Kentucky

4. USC Upstate

Fayetteville Regional

1. Arkansas (No. 3 Overall Seed)

2. Kansas

3. Creighton

4. North Dakota State

Knoxville Regional

1. Tennessee (No. 14 Overall Seed)

2. Wake Forest

3. Cincinnati

4. Miami (OH)

So, there’s the bracket. For a more succinct, and probably more palatable, view of the entire field, here’s a handy dandy picture that probably would’ve sufficed. Hey, I just wanted to type it all out because I thought it would be fun (it was).

If you aren’t familiar with how it all works, each regional is a four-team, double-elimination bracket. The winner of each regional advances to the Super Regional round, where teams will face off in a best-of-three series. Whichever team triumphs there moves on to the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, which is a double-elimination bracket that ultimately culminates in a best-of-three final series between the last two teams standing. If that sounds complicated, I promise that it’s not. It’s actually a load of fun.

Every time that a bracket is released, whether it be during March Madness or the College Football Playoff, there’s always intense debate about what we, the people, believe the selection committee should’ve done instead. There’s definitely some of that that could be done here, but not that much. Sure, there are some teams, like TCU, who believe that they should probably be hosting a regional right now. In terms of resumé, they’re probably right. Should UConn have been in over a team like Kentucky? In my opinion, yes. But was it a slam dunk? Absolutely not. All the teams were incredibly close, and overall, this committee did a good job.

I’m still on the bandwagon calling for active school employees, like athletic directors, to not be on these selection committees, but it doesn’t look like that made much of a difference this year. Jay Artigues is the chair of the committee this year and he is also the AD of Southeastern Louisiana. Want to guess which school was the first team out of the tournament? Yep, it was Southeastern Louisiana. Perhaps these committees aren’t rigged after all.

Speaking of the first four and last four out, here are the teams that were on the right and wrong side of the bubble after everything was said and done:

Last Four In

• Arizona State

• Kansas State

• Oklahoma State

• USC

First Four Out

• Southeastern Louisiana

• Troy

• UConn

• Virginia

If you’d told me before the season started that Virginia, who was ranked No. 2 in the D1 Baseball preseason poll, wouldn’t make the tournament, I’d have been shocked. Then, if you’d added on that Texas A&M, the national runners-up from a year ago and the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason, would also not make it, I’d have been flabbergasted. Well, that’s what happened. Sports are crazy, folks.

Of the 25 teams ranked in the D1 Baseball preseason poll, only four didn’t make the field. Those schools are Texas A&M (No. 1), Virginia (No. 2), UC Santa Barbara (No. 22), and Troy (No. 25).

Final note on the bracket itself: 13 SEC schools made the field, with eight of them hosting. That’s bananas. What’s even more nuts — befuddling is a better word for it, actually — is that eight Big 12 teams are in the bracket, but none of them are hosting a regional. If a conference is good enough to have over half of its members in the bracket, then surely one of them should be good enough to host. Well, I’m not on the committee, so that certainly didn’t happen.

The national championship is the SEC’s to lose, with the ACC running a distant second. If another league can pull off the coup and claim the title this year, then the 2025 iteration of the College World Series is truly set up to be a classic.

There will be plenty of time for real analysis throughout the rest of this week leading up to the start of the tournament. For now, I believe that it’s appropriate to analyze this 64-team field the only way I know how: through pure vibes and pure vibes only.

Here’s what I believe is going to happen, based on a vibes mindset of course:

• Nashville Regional: Louisville is going to shock the world, winning the Nashville Regional and sending the No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt Commodores packing. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because Louisville is the literal home to the Louisville Slugger company? Yeah, that’s totally why.

• Hattiesburg Regional: Southern Mississippi is a wagon. They’ll roll through the Hattiesburg Regional. Communicate to the masses that they are not to be trifled with and that they aren’t the only team from Mississippi that’s got a shot at a national title.

• Tallahassee Regional: Northeastern has won 27 games in a row. That’s good enough for me to pick them to win the Tallahassee Regional. Fight on Huskies!

• Corvallis Regional: Go Frogs. Oregon State, I’m sorry that TCU had to be sent to Corvallis angry and ready to show the world what they’re made of. The Horned Frogs move on to the supers.

• Chapel Hill Regional: Oh, North Carolina. Carolina Blue is my favorite color, and I’d love to continue to see those beautiful jerseys on my television screen for as long as possible. Go win the Chapel Hill Regional for me!

• Eugene Regional: As someone who just witnessed Arizona beat up the rest of the field in the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field last week, I’d be a fool not to say that they at least have a fighting chance to pull off the upset and win the Eugene Regional. You know what? I’ll go ahead and say it. Arizona wins. Oregon, Utah Valley, and Cal Poly are going home.

• Conway Regional: Remember in 2016 when Coastal Carolina won the national championship? Wasn’t that insane? While I don’t think we’re heading in that direction this season, the Chanticleers are very good, and as such, they’re my pick to win the Conway Regional.

• Auburn Regional: Jacob deGrom just finished a pretty good outing for the Texas Rangers as I’m typing this, and he’s a Stetson alum. That’s a good enough reason for me to pick them to win the Auburn Regional. Other notable baseball players that went to Stetson include Logan Gilbert and Corey Kluber.

• Austin Regional: Jim Schlossnagle jumped ship from Texas A&M, heading to Texas last offseason in what was a confusing move. It’s apparently paid off, as A&M is at home right now as Texas will be hosting the Austin Regional against Houston Baptist, UTSA, and Kansas State. The path is pretty clear for the Longhorns, and I think they cruise on through this regional.

• Los Angeles Regional: UCLA shouldn’t be hosting in my opinion, and that’s good enough reason for me not to pick them. Instead, I’ll be going with the Anteaters of UC Irvine. First, that mascot is so awesome. Second, it’d be funny.

• Oxford Regional: I used to live on a cul-de-sac when I was younger, and my brother and I would play touch football with our neighbors from down the street. We created a team called the Stingers, which was derived from us realizing that Georgia Tech’s mascot, the Yellowjackets, was cooler than all get out. As a grown adult, I still believe that Georgia Tech has an awesome mascot. Thus, the Yellowjackets are moving on!

• Athens Regional: Georgia ripped my heart to shreds when they destroyed TCU in the national championship a couple years ago. Ever since that day, I made a pledge that I would never, and I mean never, root or cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs to be successful at anything. It’s uncertain to me whether Duke, Oklahoma State, or Binghamton has the chops to overtake Georgia in Athens this next weekend, but they must do it. They must avenge me.

• Baton Rouge Regional: LSU is the clear pick here from a real analytical standpoint. Compared to the competition of Dallas Baptist, Rhode Island, and Little Rock, they stand way above the rest of the field. That won’t stop me from being tempted to go another direction, particularly with DBU. The Patriots have been so close to reaching Omaha over the past decade, and while I don’t think this will be the year, I’m certainly hoping for it.

• Clemson Regional: A former work colleague of mine is a Clemson fan so I’ll pick them here. My heart really wants to go with West Virginia, however, so it’s a struggle. It’s still Clemson, though.

• Knoxville Regional: Tennessee won a national championship a year ago, and Wake Forest was right there two seasons ago. It’s a heavyweight battle in Knoxville, and I think it’s the Volunteers that come out on top. Mostly because “Rocky Top” is such an electric song. It seriously bops.

• Fayetteville Regional: Woo Pig Sooie! Please, and I mean please, Arkansas, don’t fail me now. From being one out away from a national title in 2018, to continually dropping the ball (no pun intended) over and over again ever since, it’s been a barrage of heartbreak for Razorback fans. It’s time to change up the narrative and win the school’s first national championship in baseball.

Once Friday rolls around and all 64 teams are in action, duking it out, we’ll all have a much clearer picture on how everything is going to play out. For now, all we have are the vibes and feelings that have brought us this far.

Not to get all deep or anything, but isn’t that what sports is exactly about? The feelings we have and the vibes that are created after each game are what makes the college baseball season so special. It’s only fitting that all of that reaches its ultimate conclusion throughout the rest of May and into June.

Omaha, of course, is the goal for each and every one of the teams that find themselves in the bracket. Only eight schools get to make that trip every year. Who will it be in 2025? I can’t wait to find out.

Toad to Omaha Starts Now

TCU is back in the postseason, but faces an uphill battle to make it back to the College World Series.

After a brief one-year hiatus, the TCU baseball team is back in the postseason and is ready to attempt to make the long trek to Omaha.

It might be a stretch to call this season a great one so far for the Frogs — they didn’t win the Big 12 in the regular season or in the tournament — but it’s certainly been a good one. There’s no doubt that what TCU has done in 2025 has been an improvement over what 2024 was, with the most glaring evidence being that last year’s team failed to make the tournament while this year’s squad is in the field.

The Frogs were snubbed, though. When we all look back at the 2025 college baseball season, I believe that we’ll all collectively facepalm at the fact that TCU is not hosting a regional in Fort Worth. You’re telling me that eight Big 12 schools made the cut, but none of them are hosting? Not buying the logic behind that, señor.

In all seriousness, it’s truly baffling to me that the selection committee believed that the Big 12 was the third-best conference by awarding it eight bids, but couldn’t even hand over one little host spot to TCU, Arizona, Kansas, or West Virginia. It’s blasphemy!

Alas, all those schools will have to get past the snubbery (not a word, I know) and get ready to pull off an upset in their respective regionals. For TCU, that means making the long trek up to Corvallis where they’ve been grouped into a regional that consists of No. 8 overall seed Oregon State, as well as USC and Saint Mary’s.

Starting with TCU, let’s briefly analyze what’s going on for each squad.

TCU (39-18; RPI: 17)

Whatever angst and anger that the Horned Frogs have towards the selection committee for not awarding them a host spot needs to be taken out on the field this weekend in Corvallis. If they do that, then surely they’ll be making a trip to the supers.

Just like in 2023, when TCU made it all the way to the final four of the College World Series, the Frogs possess some great veteran leadership on top of a fantastic freshman class. It’s been that great combination that’s enabled them to rise to the top of the pack in the Big 12.

Three freshmen in particular stand out, with Sawyer Strosnider (.354/.426/.646), Nolan Traeger (.329/.425/.477), and Noah Franco (.325/.409/.569) being some of the most prolific first-year players in the country.

On the veteran side of the coin, Karson Bowen (.333/.425/.516), Cole Cramer (.326/.439/.423), Chase Brunson (.323/.402/.562), and Anthony Silva (.278/.347/.424) have all brought excellent play to the table in 2025 that’s enabled the Frogs to be where they are today. It should be noted that Bowen suffered a rib injury during TCU’s last series of the season, so his availability for the postseason is up in the air.

What’s so astounding about the offense for TCU is the improvement from last season. With the return of Bill Mosiello to the coaching staff, the Horned Frogs offense returned to the state it was when Mosiello was with the team from 2014–22. Whatever magic he possesses clearly works.

The pitching, on the other hand, has been a bit more turbulent. That doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been all-around impressive — TCU’s team ERA of 4.24 ranks 19th in the country — but it’s been a little more difficult to find consistent arms in the rotation and the bullpen. Head coach Kirk Saarloos has fiddled around with it enough to this point, however, where it can be believed that the Frogs feel comfortable heading into a regional with what they have.

So, what arms are in their arsenal? Well, Tommy LaPour leads the way for the starting rotation, and will be starting against USC in game one of the regional. The transfer from Wichita State has been nothing short of amazing with a 2.89 ERA over 87 1/3 innings of work. He’s struck out 83 and walked 26, while holding hitters to a batting average of just .223.

The other pitchers that can give TCU some length are Masson Brassfield (3.56 ERA over 60 2/3 IP), Louis Rodriguez (2.76 ERA over 45 2/3 IP), Braeden Sloan (4.02 ERA over 53 2/3 IP), and Caedmon Parker (5.63 ERA over 48 IP). Rodriguez, Sloan, and Brassfield have all been utilized out of the bullpen more often than not, with Parker being a steady weekend starter. But with health being a potential issue for Parker, questions persist about who Saarloos will turn to throughout the Corvallis Regional.

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Oregon State (41-12-1; RPI: 7)

Oregon State battled a ton of adversity this year that was bestowed upon them by school administrators and conference commissioners. As one of two schools that were left in the dust after the Pac-12 crumbled, Oregon State was sent scrambling in every direction to try and find a schedule for their 2025 baseball season. Somehow, the Beavers created a slate of games that worked, with the unfortunate caveat that they’d only play 19 games at home throughout the year.

Fortunately for the Beavers, head coach Pat Casey and company always find a way, as Oregon State steamrolled through the competition en route to yet another successful campaign.

Of the many downsides presented to them because of their unique situation, the most glaring might be that the Beavers aren’t as battle-tested as some other regional hosts. Other than some pretty prestigious early season tournaments, Oregon State didn’t play as many top-end teams as a usual top-eight seed might. Yes, wins against UC Irvine and UCLA are massive, but four losses to in-state rival and fellow regional host Oregon might raise a few eyebrows about whether the Beavers are really up to snuff with the rest of the competition. Regardless of any of the doubts, Oregon State is quite formidable, and if history is any indicator, then everybody needs to watch out for the scruffy underdogs from Corvallis.

On the offensive side, the three-headed monster of Aiva Arquette (.348/.473/.676), Gavin Turley (.338/.470/.622), and Wilson Weber (.332/.415/.576) lead the way for the Beavers. Just a glance at those slash lines paint a wonderful picture at just how potent the Oregon State offense can be if it’s really clicking on all cylinders.

There are two starting pitchers to watch out for for Oregon State. Both Ethan Kleinschmit and Dax Whitney have started 14 games, and have been fantastic. Kleinschmit boasts a 3.84 ERA over 72 2/3 innings of work, with 89 strikeouts and 27 walks. Meanwhile, Whitney has been just as good, with a 3.86 ERA over 60 2/3 innings pitched. He also has struck out 89 hitters while walking 32.

USC (35-21; RPI: 44)

Much like Oregon State, the USC baseball program was faced with some adversity when it came to scheduling in 2025. For one, they’d be zigzagging all over the country in the new Big Ten, having to fly out to Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania during their conference schedule. But when the Trojans were back home in Los Angeles, they didn’t have a home field due to ongoing renovations. As such, they bounced around the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, playing at several different places throughout the course of the season.

It appears that that didn’t have any factor into how the Trojans performed, as for the first time since 2015, USC made the tournament.

USC was the last team in the field, and their reward is a battle with a TCU team that believes it should be hosting. It’s not the luckiest draw, that’s for certain, but could USC utilize some extra motivation of their own from earning their first bid in the tournament in a decade to go out and upset the Frogs? It’s certainly in the cards.

Ethan Hedges (.343/.459/.602), Adrian Lopez (.337/.409/.576), and Brayden Dowd (.322/.447/.533) are the best three hitters in the lineup. And don’t forget Jack Basseer, a former player at TCU who’s had quite the impressive season for the Trojans with a .280/.353/.523 slash line.

Look for Caden Aoki to get the nod on the bump for USC in game one of the regional against TCU. His 4.21 ERA over 87 2/3 leads all starters for the Trojans. He also leads the team in strikeouts with 81, compared to just 14 walks. Also keep an eye out for Hedges, who’s not only the best hitter for the Trojans but also one of their best arms out of the bullpen, to make a real difference on the mound as well. His 2.40 ERA over 15 innings in relief is quite impressive for the two-way star.

Saint Mary’s (35-24; RPI: 89)

The Gaels won the West Coast Conference Tournament to make the field and are looking to wreak havoc as a four seed. Can they do it? Probably not, but I’m sure they’re going to give it the good old college try.

If any one player can uplift a team to a massive upset, it might be Eddie Madrigal for Saint Mary’s. Madrigal’s statistics are out of this world, as he’s slashing .372/.464/.719 with 21 home runs and a whopping 77 RBIs. Aiden Taurek (.336/.419/.578) is no slouch himself, and the two of them make a fantastic one-two punch at the top of the Gaels’ lineup.

The pitching is where Saint Mary’s is most likely to struggle. As a team, the Gaels have a 6.20 ERA, which if you’re not familiar with baseball, is not good at all. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that it’s one of the worst ERA figures a team could possibly have. Anyway, somebody is going to have to go out there and attempt to get some outs for Saint Mary’s, and that’s going to be Dylan Delvecchio, who has started 13 games for the team and has a 4.85 ERA over 65 innings of work.

My Predictions

As the top seed in the regional, Oregon State is the obvious pick to advance out of this foursome of teams. While it’s a tempting option to go with the Beavers, I just believe that TCU’s desire to prove the doubters wrong will overcome everybody else. That means that it’s goodbye to Oregon State, USC, and Saint Mary’s. Sorry.

As for the other three teams, I’ll say that the Beavers likely finish second here, with Saint Mary’s defying the odds and finishing third. USC brings up the rear in fourth.

So Long, Frogs

TCU baseball’s season is done. How?

TCU baseball’s season came to a sudden end yesterday afternoon in Corvallis following a horrific 7-2 defeat to Oregon State.

It’s hard to imagine a rougher end to a season. Following the Horned Frogs’ 11-1 win over Kansas in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament, TCU then proceeded to lose three in a row, once to Arizona in the Big 12 championship game, and then twice in embarrassing fashion in the Corvallis Regional.

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Let’s start with Friday afternoon’s defeat to USC. The Trojans were the last team awarded a bid into the tournament, but they certainly didn’t look like it against the Frogs as they beat up on TCU’s pitching en route to a dominating 13-1 win.

Tommy LaPour, who’d been the best pitcher on TCU’s staff and one of the best arms in the country, failed to get out of the fourth inning. Command issues—he walked one and plunked two more—plagued him throughout his outing. To be honest, though, I don’t know if anybody would’ve done a good job against USC on Friday. Their approach was superb, and as each arm came out of the bullpen for TCU, the Trojans were ready to pounce.

After that disappointing outcome, TCU’s season hung in the balance in an elimination game against host Oregon State on Saturday. The Beavers, just like TCU, came up short in their inaugural game of the regional losing 6-4 to Saint Mary's. Everybody had pegged Oregon State and TCU to eventually meet up in Corvallis, but nobody had projected that it would be in game two of the regional with elimination on the line.

Alas, here we were. For one school, their season would live. For the other, it would go down in flames in the span of 24 hours. Unfortunately for everybody in Fort Worth, it was TCU that couldn’t answer the call.

From the very first pitch, it was clear that the Horned Frogs weren’t in it. Dax Whitney, the freshman star pitcher for Oregon State, struck out Jack Bell, Sawyer Strosnider, and Cole Cramer in order in the top of the first. That set up the Beavers’ offense to go to work on Frogs’ starter Mason Brassfield. Projected top-five pick Aiva Arquette doubled down the left field line, and Gavin Turley walked on five pitches, allowing Wilson Weber to crush a middle-middle fastball from Brassfield 420 feet off the batter’s eye in straight away center field. Bang. 3-0, Beavers.

It would never get better for TCU. As the crowd continued to come to life in Goss Stadium, the Beavers’ bats kept on slugging. Trent Caraway hit a solo shot to lead off the home half of the second to make it 4-0, and then A.J. Singer and Jacob Krieg hit solo and two-run homers in the bottom of the third, respectively. Before TCU had even recorded nine outs, they were down 7-0, and the sun was setting fast on their season.

Oregon State didn’t score another run for the rest of the game, with Braeden Sloan and Caedmon Parker shutting the Beavers down after the barrage of homers. It didn’t matter, though. TCU mustered just two measly runs, both via an Isaac Cadena two-run shot in the top of the fifth. For the rest of the supposedly potent Frogs offense, nothing was going.

Whitney was unbelievable for Oregon State. He tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts through his six innings of work, allowing just the two runs on four hits. The task was always going to be tough for TCU against any pitcher, let alone one that was on point for his entire outing.

After Nelson Keljo came out of the 'pen in relief of Whitney and continued to shut the Horned Frogs down, that was that. For the first time in TCU baseball history, the Horned Frogs had been eliminated in just two games in a regional.

In an attempt to explain the unexplainable, I’ll offer this point: the majority of production in TCU’s lineup, and in the pitching staff for that matter, came from freshmen. Sawyer Strosnider was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and Noah Franco and Nolan Traeger were also fantastic in their first season in college. While he wasn’t great yesterday, Mason Brassfield had proved a reliable arm for Kirk Saarloos’ squad throughout 2025. But then the lights got bright, and it seemed like the young bucks became a little unsure of themselves.

Obviously, the freshmen aren’t the only ones to blame. There is plenty of veteran leadership on the team that should’ve been able to ignite some sort of spark in the team. Even still, the veterans themselves weren't that experienced, at least when it came to playing in the postseason. Only two players on the active roster – Jack Bell when he was at Texas A&M and Anthony Silva on the 2023 team that made the College World Series – had been on rosters that had made it to a regional.

Of course, the flame never came, and the Horned Frogs now enter 2026 with a lot of questions.

The most glaring one comes in the dugout in the form of head coach Kirk Saarloos. The former big league pitcher with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics just finished his fourth season at the helm in Fort Worth. His TCU teams have made the tournament in three of those seasons, including one where they made it to the final four in Omaha. Yet despite that success, the Horned Frogs have yet to host a regional in Saarloos’ tenure, and the supposed marquee that Saarloos brings to a squad, the pitching staff, has consistently been the worst aspect of the team throughout his time in Tarrant County.

I don’t believe a coaching change is imminent. First-year TCU athletic director Mike Buddie has given zero indication that a coaching shakeup for baseball is high on the to-do list. Nevertheless, less shocking things have occurred in the history of Horned Frogs athletics, so it wouldn’t completely shock me if Buddie decided that a new voice was needed.

Still, I don’t think it’s necessary. TCU baseball has been at its best with Saarloos on the staff. Whether that’s as the head coach or as the pitching coach during Jim Schlossnagle’s tenure, the Frogs have been in the national conversation more often than not when he's around. At a school as small as TCU, where success is not guaranteed in any sport, let alone baseball, making a drastic change that isn’t necessary seems rash.

The 2025 baseball season for the Horned Frogs was an improvement in many regards. They returned to the postseason after a one-year absence and were competing for a Big 12 title late into the year. Yet, here we are, three days into the tournament, and their season is over. It’s disappointing, and frankly, not acceptable. The expectations are high for this baseball program — the success of the last decade has made it so—thus, winning, and winning soon, is paramount.

Back to Normal in Fayetteville

After a two-year hiatus, Arkansas is back to winning in the postseason.

Everybody can breathe a sigh of relief because, after two years of complete disappointment, the Arkansas baseball team is back to winning regionals.

Some thought that Arkansas' prominence on the national stage in baseball was over. Those fools were clearly incorrect.

The Razorbacks completed a clean sweep of the Fayetteville Regional on Sunday evening after defeating Creighton 8-3. Arkansas looked every bit as dominant as it was in the regular season, as the offense continued to hit out of its mind and the pitching staff did what every Razorbacks pitching staff seems to do year in and year out: shove.

There are many reasons to be excited about what this team can do throughout the rest of the postseason. For the first time in what feels like forever, the lineup is alive. A subpar offense is what has held the Razorbacks back in past postseasons and in a sport where offense often has to carry a team through the ups and downs of the tournament, having one that doesn't show up consistently is a doomed proposition.

Alas, that's not been the case in 2025, as the Hogs completely revamped the lineup and are now hitting home runs like nobody's business. A whopping 120 long balls have left the yard for Arkansas this season, which is a program record. If there's any statistic that illustrates why this team might be different from others in the past, that's it.

That offense was on full display over the weekend, especially in the two games against Creighton on Saturday and Sunday. After scraping by against a pesky North Dakota State team, the bats went berserk versus Creighton. The Hogs put up 13 hits against the Bluejays en route to a dominating 12-1 win over the Big East champions. And just like all season, it was the stars who shone brightly for Arkansas.

Wehiwa Aloy, the SEC Player of the Year and a projected first-round pick in this year's MLB Draft, recorded five RBIs via two home runs. Ryder Helfrick joined the party as well with two long balls of his own. Logan Maxwell, a transfer from TCU brought in to instill life into the lineup, had two hits and scored two runs. Cam Kozeal drove in a couple of runs too, while Reese Robinett walked three times. It was truly a team effort, and it was more than enough.

Add a great pitching outing from ace Zach Root, and a blowout victory was inevitable. Root, who's been the Razorbacks' most consistent starting arm this season, threw six innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven and walking just one. He was extremely efficient, throwing 94 pitches, 55 of which were strikes.

With a massive lead to buoy them, the trio of Ben Bybee, Steele Eaves, and Colin Fisher came out of the bullpen and shut down Creighton to end the night. When the dust settled, Arkansas was moving on to the regional final to await the winner of Creighton and North Dakota State.

Once Creighton defeated NDSU to advance to the final, Arkansas knew that all it had to do was beat a team it had crushed the previous night. Could they do it again? Yes.

Arkansas pounced early and often against the Bluejays, tallying two runs in the first, three in the second, and another in the third. Before Creighton could even catch its breath, Arkansas was up 6-0.

Other than a three-run frame from the Bluejays in the top of the fourth, it was smooth sailing for the home team. Gage Wood delivered a fantastic outing on the mound, going six innings and allowing just three runs. Oh, wait. What? He had 13 strikeouts and zero walks? Talk about dominance. Wow.

Time out. Gabe Gaeckle came out of the bullpen, threw three shutout innings, and struck out another seven Creighton hitters? Oh my gosh.

That's right. Arkansas struck out a whopping 20 hitters on Sunday night. Yes, this team is legit.

The 8-3 win was another team effort. As you can tell, the pitching was electric, and the offense was hitting homers all over the yard, with Justin Thomas Jr., Helfrick, and Maxwell all hitting long balls. Even with Aloy being kept relatively quiet, the lineup was still able to produce loads of runs.

That's what makes this group of players different from Arkansas teams of the past, and it's what gives me hope that this roster could be the one to finally break through.

The job is not yet finished, however, to use an old cliché. The goal, of course, is a national championship, with the next step being to win the Super Regional against Tennessee this weekend. Still, that won't stop Razorback fans from looking toward what could be in the future.

Head coach Dave Van Horn has been in Fayetteville since 2003. In that time, Arkansas has been an extremely successful baseball program, consistently making the tournament and competing at a high level in the SEC. But despite making it to Omaha nine times, a national championship has always eluded him and the school. They've come so close — one out away, in fact — but at times, it has felt like the ultimate goal was so far away.

Let's reflect on just how close this program has come to a national title. If you recall, 2018 was the year of the Razorback. Well, not in everything. The football team went 4-8 during that athletic year and only managed to win one conference game. The basketball team fared better but was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Butler. It was then the baseball team's turn to attempt to salvage an otherwise mediocre campaign for the "Big 3" sports, and they certainly did.

The Razorbacks were spectacular in the regular season, earning the right to host a regional where they quickly dispatched Oral Roberts, Southern Mississippi, and Dallas Baptist to advance to the Super Regional round, where they'd face South Carolina. Beating the Gamecocks was a bit more difficult, as the two teams split the first two games of the three-game series before Arkansas won 14-4 in the winner-take-all Game 3 to advance to the College World Series.

In Omaha, Arkansas made easy work of their side of the bracket, beating Texas, Texas Tech, and No. 1 overall seed Florida. It was then on to the championship series, where Oregon State and future first-round pick Adley Rutschman awaited.

Despite being outhit 9-5, the Razorbacks utilized a four-run fifth inning to beat the Beavers 4-1 in the opening game of the series. That set them up well, as all the Hogs had to do was win one more game. Do that, and they'd be national champions for the first time in school history.

As Game 2 progressed, it appeared that Arkansas was well on its way to doing just that. After Oregon State took a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Razorbacks struck for two runs in the frame to take a 3-2 advantage. If they could just hold that lead, the crown would be theirs.

That set the stage for one of the most dramatic finishes to any College World Series game ever. Oregon State had a runner on third with two outs. They were on the ropes. One more out, and Arkansas would be the national champion. But if Oregon State could manage just one hit, their season would live.

Countless words have been written about that top of the ninth inning, and I certainly don't believe I can do it justice. Here it is in its entirety (skip to around 13:42 to see the disaster that set up a whole other set of more devastating disasters):

Bang. From catching one foul pop-up away from being on top of the world to being down 5-3. Unbelievable. There's no other word to describe it. It was unbelievable.

Of course, Oregon State went on to win Game 3 5-0, as it was clear that Arkansas never truly recovered from the whiplash of the night before. In the span of 24 hours, the Razorbacks went from one out away from glory to being so far from it that they might as well have been on the moon.

Ask any Razorback fan about those two games in Omaha, and they'll likely shrivel up into a little ball. It's one of the most traumatizing sports moments I've ever witnessed, and it has probably taken years for many people in Fayetteville to recover, if they have at all.

All that shame and sadness could potentially go away this year. Arkansas isn't there yet, but if they can keep climbing the ladder, they'll eventually make it to the top. For the sake of everyone involved with Arkansas, I sure hope they can get it done.

A date with Tennessee now awaits in the Super Regional round starting this Saturday at 4 PM CDT at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. Win two games before the other team does, and the Hogs will be racing to Omaha by this time next week.

Tennessee just finished a tumultuous and challenging regional test against Wake Forest, Cincinnati, and Miami (OH). Wake Forest took the Volunteers to the brink, but Rocky Top was up to the task and advanced.

The Volunteers are not the same team they were last year when they won the national title, but they are still extremely talented and formidable. Head coach Tony Vitello will have those players ready to play, and Arkansas is going to have to match that energy to succeed.

As long as the offense keeps hitting and the pitching continues to do what it's done all season, the Hogs should be in good shape. After all, Arkansas did win a series against these same Volunteers a couple of weeks ago in what was a fantastic three-game set. If that series is any indication of what we'll see this weekend, then be prepared for runs, runs, and a whole lot more runs.

In years past, that wouldn't have suited Arkansas' strengths. But in 2025, a shootout is exactly what this lineup is equipped to handle. It's a nice change of pace, and I believe it'll be enough to get the Razorbacks back to Omaha for the first time since 2022.

Regionals Recap: Part 1

Vanderbilt is done, Oregon State lives, and Coastal Carolina looks like a wrecking ball.

The college baseball season is underrated, and the tournament that follows it is the most under appreciated in all North American sports. As I discussed in my tournament preview last week, the College World Series and the rounds that precede it provide some of the most entertaining sports moments of the year.

This year’s tournament has been no different. Upsets have been common occurrences all around the bracket, with top team after top team falling. Let’s just look at the numbers:

• Seven out of the 16 regional hosts failed to advance.

• Of the 13 SEC teams that entered the field, only four won their regional (Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee).

• The ACC, which produced nine tournament teams, has five schools going to the next round (North Carolina, Florida State, Duke, Louisville, Miami).

• Two Big 12 schools, West Virginia and Arizona, advanced. TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and Arizona State couldn’t make their conference proud.

• Five four-seeds (Wright State, Columbia, Saint Mary’s, Utah Valley, and Little Rock) won games against the top teams in their regional.

Those are just some of the figures that illustrate how dramatic this past weekend of baseball was. If you don’t believe me, take the internet’s word for it. All across the World Wide Web, people were discussing how this was one of, if not the best, regional rounds that we’ve seen in a long time.

So, let’s break it all down in Part 1 of my Regionals Recap.

Nashville Regional

Whoa.

In my post last week projecting and predicting the outcomes of every regional, I said that Louisville was going to be the team to advance out of Nashville. That ended up being a correct read (one that I’ll admit was based on a totally bogus reason). The way the regional wound up getting to that point, however, was nothing short of shocking.

If you had told me that Vanderbilt, the number one overall seed in the tournament, would bow out before even reaching the regional final, I would’ve probably left the room laughing my face off. It was such a ridiculous proposition to even think about, but man, it happened, and it was weird.

Did Louisville’s path become much easier the second that Vanderbilt lost to Wright State on Sunday afternoon? Absolutely. Don’t forget, though, that Louisville still had to get through the barrier that was the Commodores, as their win over the hosts on Saturday was the sole reason that Vanderbilt found itself in the loser’s bracket.

Wright State deserves a lot of credit for its performance over the weekend. The Raiders were nine outs away from beating Vanderbilt on Friday evening, only to choke it away the second that head coach Alex Sogard decided to pull starting pitcher Cam Allen, who was throwing a no-hitter at the time of his exit. That gut punch of a game didn’t get them down, and they bounced back in their next two games, winning 7-5 against East Tennessee State, and then getting revenge on the Commodores the next day. They’re a great story, and it’s kind of a shame that they didn’t get a chance to extend their season to this weekend.

Alas, Louisville won the gauntlet and is two wins away from Omaha.

Hattiesburg Regional

Of all the regionals this weekend, this is the one that I probably got the least amount of eyes on. None of the teams in this part of the bracket particularly interested me, but even then, an entertaining weekend of baseball was played down in Hattiesburg.

Southern Mississippi is a top-tier mid-major program. Year in and year out, they find themselves near the top of the college baseball pantheon. So, when they lost their opening game to Columbia of all schools, the alarm bells started going off.

Combine that shocking loss with Alabama’s defeat to Miami (FL) on the same day and you got yourself a major crisis. If you were paying attention to the ACC Tournament, then you’ll remember that Miami got run-ruled by California to end their run in that bracket. That loss left the Hurricanes’ hopes in the hands of the selection committee, who then graciously awarded them a bid in the Hattiesburg Regional.

Miami would take full advantage of that opportunity. After beating Alabama, the Hurricanes cruised against Columbia, beating them 14-1. That then set up a matchup with Southern Mississippi, who had rallied back after their opening loss to make it back to the regional final. And when the Golden Eagles killed Miami 17-6 to force a win-or-go-home game on Monday, it appeared the Hurricanes’ hopes of making a Cinderella run were down in the dumps.

It wasn’t. Miami slayed the host team in the finale, winning 5-4 to advance to face Louisville in a Super Regional matchup that nobody saw coming.

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Corvallis Regional

I wrote a lot about the Corvallis Regional from a TCU perspective on Sunday morning, so go check that out before reading the rest of this piece.

In terms of every other team in the regional, man, was it competitive. USC put up a heck of a fight for a team that barely made the field, and Saint Mary’s certainly has a lot to be proud of. But putting up a fight and being proud doesn’t necessarily equate to wins, and in the case of the Trojans and Gaels, they both fell victim to the mighty beast that is Oregon State.

The Beavers lost their opening game of the regional to Saint Mary’s, and honestly, it was looking like they were going to be just one of many hosts this past weekend that couldn’t find a way to advance. Against all odds, though, Oregon State fought its way out of the loser’s bracket, beating TCU, Saint Mary’s, and then USC twice to move on to the next round.

According to PEAR Analytics, the Beavers’ journey through the Corvallis Regional was the second most difficult of the 16 teams that advanced to the supers. Only Murray State, who I’ll talk about later, had a more difficult trek.

Oregon State’s entire athletic department is one of the most underrated stories in all of collegiate sports. The university was left for dead when the Pac-12 decided to not exist anymore, and it has consistently had to find ways to survive over the past year and a half. In baseball, it had to make a schedule from scratch, a task that I have to imagine was extremely difficult. Prior to the regional this past weekend, the Beavers had only played 19 games in Corvallis all season. Luckily for the team and its fans, there will be at least two more games at Goss Stadium before this season is said and done.

Tallahassee Regional

Can I be frank real quick? I’m really upset that Northeastern didn’t find a way to come out of Tallahassee unscathed.

Coming into the postseason, the Northeastern Huskies had won 27 games in a row. 27! In my regional preview, I picked the Huskies for this exact reason. How could I discount such a large sample size of winning?

Maybe I should’ve. The moment that the lights got bright and the Huskies had to face a team with a bunch of good players, in this case Mississippi State, they crumbled. Mississippi State won 11-2, and it was on to the loser’s bracket.

But Northeastern isn’t the story of the Tallahassee Regional. How could it be when it was Florida State, the host, that easily swept its way through its own regional. The Seminoles beat Bethune-Cookman on Friday, made a statement against Mississippi State on Saturday, and then took care of business against the Bulldogs again on Sunday. Bing, boom, pow. Three games, three wins. Easy peasy.

Shoutout to Northeastern, though. Wish it could’ve been done. Oh well.

Chapel Hill Regional

Carolina Blue will forever and always be the best color on the planet. Perhaps that’s why North Carolina won the Chapel Hill Regional? I certainly think so.

The Tar Heels utilized fantastic pitching by ACC Pitcher of the Year Jake Knapp and Jason DeCaro through their first two games of the regional, before having to fight hard against Oklahoma in the regional final. The Sooners, whom Carolina had beaten on Saturday, came out of the loser’s bracket and defeated the Tar Heels 9-5 to force a finale on Monday afternoon.

Doubts could’ve set in within the North Carolina dugout that maybe a choke was imminent. If any worries did end up surfacing following the loss, then it all vanished pretty quickly once the game on Monday commenced.

North Carolina scored three in the first, four in the third, and another in the fourth. Three more in the eighth, with another trio of runs coming across in the ninth, completed a 14-4 blowout of the Sooners where the Tar Heels recorded 17 hits. Sometimes when the lights get bright, the bats can tend to shrivel up. That was definitely not the case in Chapel Hill, and the Tar Heels are better off for it.

Eugene Regional

There were several surprising outcomes during the weekend, but Arizona’s “upset” advancement in the Eugene Regional was not one of them for me.

Yes, Arizona was not the host. Oregon was. But if you just look at the results, then that doesn’t make any sense at all.

The Ducks were out after just two games, losing to Utah Valley (who?) and Cal Poly (excuse me?) to end their season. Meanwhile, Arizona was rocking and rolling its way toward a sweep. Cal Poly? Nah, that’s light work. Utah Valley? Even easier! Cal Poly again? How about a 14-0 shutout win? Yeah, that sounds right.

Sure, I picked this result and thought it was going to happen, but I didn’t think that Arizona would be able to get through this regional without even having to face the host. It’s mind-boggling to me that Oregon managed to biff this so badly. Huh, I wonder what it’s like for your favorite school’s season to end after just two games in a regional? Never happened to me before.

Arizona’s going to be a real tough out for North Carolina this weekend. If the Tar Heels even think for just a little bit that Arizona will be an easy beat, then they better prepare themselves for a beating.

Auburn Regional

I’ll breeze through these next two regionals because, honestly, there’s not much to say.

Auburn was far and away the best team among NC State, Stetson, and Central Connecticut. The fact that anybody would even consider not picking them to advance out of that foursome is ludicrous to me. I mean, who would even do such a thing? (Ignore anything that I wrote about Auburn last week.)

Of all the teams here, it was Central Connecticut, the four-seed, that gave the Tigers the biggest fight. The first two innings of that game on Friday were a bloodbath. Pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone to save their lives, and hitters were teeing off on anything and everything. But Central Connecticut just couldn’t find that next level, which allowed Auburn to do its thing en route to a 9-5 win.

Stetson was next, and the Hatters put up pretty much zero resistance. Actually, no. At least they put up a little bit of a fight, which I can’t say was the case for NC State. The Wildcats have been a tournament darling for several years now, and I saw some people picking them to make a little bit of a run this season. It was not to be. Auburn put on a clinic in the regional final, winning 14-1.

Not much else to say. Auburn’s got itself a pretty good baseball team, along with some fairly sick uniforms.

Conway Regional

Coastal Carolina might have a thing or two to say about who has the best uniforms in the land. Teal is just such a majestic color to put on a baseball jersey.

The Conway Regional was named the “Group of Death” by many. Florida, East Carolina, and Fairfield were all formidable opponents for Coastal. There were no doubts that it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, but it also wasn’t that hard either.

The Chanticleers, which is a fun and unique mascot that doesn’t necessarily inspire fear in opponents but still gives off a somewhat menacing vibe, beat Fairfield 10-2 on Friday, defeated East Carolina in an 18-7 rout on Saturday, and then won a 1-0 pitcher’s duel on Sunday to advance. The “Group of Death” was dispatched in three games. I think Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall has to be proud of that.

By the way, he runs a really good program down there. People forget that Coastal Carolina won a national championship in 2016 and has been a contender pretty much every season since. It takes a lot of hard work to build up a mid-major program to the levels that Coastal is at right now, and I think that accomplishment should be commended more often than it is.

Auburn and Coastal Carolina is a juicy matchup this weekend. I’ll be watching, and you should too.

Regionals Recap: Part 2

UTSA plays spoiler, Murray State shocks the world, and LSU escapes.

The college baseball season is underrated, and the tournament that follows it is the most under appreciated in all North American sports. As I discussed in my tournament preview last week, the College World Series and the rounds that precede it provide some of the most entertaining sports moments of the year.

This year’s tournament has been no different. Upsets have been common occurrences all around the bracket, with top team after top team falling. Let’s look at the numbers:

• Seven out of the 16 regional hosts failed to advance.

• Of the 13 SEC teams that entered the field, only four won their regional (Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee).

• The ACC, which produced nine tournament teams, has five schools going to the next round (North Carolina, Florida State, Duke, Louisville, and Miami).

• Two Big 12 schools, West Virginia and Arizona, advanced. TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and Arizona State couldn’t make their conference proud.

• Five four-seeds (Wright State, Columbia, Saint Mary’s, Utah Valley, and Little Rock) won games against the top teams in their regional.

Those are just some of the figures that illustrate how dramatic this past weekend of baseball was. If you don’t believe me, take the internet’s word for it. All across the World Wide Web, people were discussing how this was one of, if not the best, regional rounds we’ve seen in a long time.

So, let’s break it all down in Part 2 of my Regionals Recap.

Austin Regional

If the results of the Nashville Regional were surprising, then what happened in Austin last weekend was flat-out flabbergasting.

For pretty much the entire back half of the regular season, Texas found itself at the top of the polls. It was only toward the end of the campaign that the Longhorns slipped to number two once Vanderbilt picked it up a notch. At the end of the day, both schools failed to make it out of their own regional.

In Nashville, it was Louisville, an ACC program that’s historically been a successful baseball school, that beat the host. In Austin, on the other hand, it was UTSA that upset the apple cart, a mid-major program that’s defying the odds with each and every victory in the postseason.

Don’t get it twisted: UTSA’s success in Austin was not a fluke. Beating Texas twice in two days was something that the collective college baseball world didn’t see coming, yes, but it was also a feat that makes a lot of sense once you look back at the body of work for the Roadrunners in 2025.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, take Longhorns’ head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s, who called UTSA “an Omaha-caliber team.” Now, could you possibly take that with a grain of salt since he said it after the Roadrunners had beaten him twice and he might’ve been trying to save face? Possibly. But the work done by UTSA speaks for itself.

Los Angeles Regional

Of all the regional hosts that I believed would falter, UCLA might’ve been at the top of the list. The other teams in the regional — UC Irvine, Arizona State, and Fresno State — all had reasons why they could be the school to dethrone UCLA in Los Angeles.

Alas, it was not to be.

There was never a moment this past weekend when UCLA looked uncomfortable. The Bruins scored runs upon runs, starting with a 19-4 trouncing of Mountain West champion Fresno State. A bout with Arizona State, one of the new darlings of the Big 12, was just as easy. It was then on to the regional final, where UC Irvine, another California powerhouse, awaited. That game, while close at times, was never in doubt, as UCLA won 8-5 to conquer the regional.

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Athens Regional

It was an active war zone in Georgia over the weekend, as bombs were flying everywhere. Oh, look, a home run! Wait, there’s another one! Oh my gosh, you wouldn’t believe what just happened in Athens. A home run!

Every time I looked at the television, a ball was leaving the yard at Foley Field. A whopping 37 home runs were hit among Georgia, Duke, Oklahoma State, and Binghamton during the Athens Regional last weekend. Wow.

The two most impactful long balls occurred during the penultimate game of the regional between Georgia and Oklahoma State. It was an elimination contest, with the winner moving on to the regional final to face Duke and the loser packing their bags and heading home. Neither side wanted to fit into the latter category, and they fought tooth and nail to avoid it.

Down 9-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth, it appeared that Oklahoma State’s hopes of staying alive were gone. Not so! After Nolan Schubart walked to start the frame, Kollin Ritchie hit a moon shot to right field to tie the game. That prompted a Georgia pitching change, which ultimately didn’t help much, as four batters later, Brock Thompson hit a wall-scraping home run to left field to walk it off. The hosts were eliminated, and Oklahoma State lived.

Ultimately, however, that game didn’t end up mattering. Duke dispatched Oklahoma State later that day to win the regional.

Everybody is going to remember that ninth inning between Georgia and Oklahoma State, though. For years to come, when people ask me about the Athens Regional in 2025, I’ll point to Ritchie and Thompson’s home runs as my favorite moments.

Oxford Regional

The SEC apocalypse continued in Mississippi.

Ole Miss earned the right to host this regional, but it didn’t earn the right to live another day due to Murray State barging in and making everything about them instead.

Murray State, a small school in the Missouri Valley Conference that managed to win the league by a wide margin this season, put itself on the map in Oxford this past weekend via several gritty victories against top-tier teams.

The first came on Friday evening, when the Racers (what a cool mascot, by the way) battled hard to defeat Ole Miss 9-6, sending the host Rebels to the loser’s bracket right off the bat.

A hitter’s paradise ensued the next day against ACC regular-season champion Georgia Tech, where both teams couldn’t stop hitting en route to a 13-11 win for Murray State.

Those two wins sent Murray State to the regional final, where Ole Miss, which had scratched and clawed its way out of the loser’s bracket, wanted revenge. And payback is what the Rebels delivered, at least on Sunday night, when Murray State fell 19-8 to set up a win-or-go-home matchup the next evening.

Now, this is where the fun begins. Right out of the gate, Murray State was on a mission. Two runs in the second, followed by three in the third, set up the Racers with a nice, cushy 5-1 lead. Ole Miss cut into that a bit in the fourth, but Murray State responded with four more in the fifth, another tally in the sixth, and two more in the seventh to take a 12-3 lead heading into the seventh-inning stretch.

In the pros, an eight-run advantage might be enough to make the leading team feel comfortable. In college, though, where bullpens are fickle and oftentimes unreliable, everything is still fair game.

Ole Miss erupted for five runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut into the lead big time, making it 12-8. Once Murray State failed to respond in the top of the eighth, that set up the Rebels to continue to chip away. Three more runs crossed the plate in the home half of the eighth, and all of a sudden, Murray State’s once-massive lead had dwindled to just one.

But all of that resurgence from Ole Miss still wasn’t enough. Murray State pitcher Graham Kelham shut down the Rebels in the bottom of the ninth, and the celebration ensued. Murray State, the four-seed in the Oxford regional, had done it.

Baton Rouge Regional

On paper, LSU’s path to a super regional was as easy as could be. It played two games against Little Rock, which finished the season with a 27-34 record, and another against a Dallas Baptist team that looked dead on arrival the second it landed in Baton Rouge. Despite that allegedly painless path, the Tigers certainly didn’t do themselves any favors.

After cruising in the first two games against Little Rock (7-0) and Dallas Baptist (12-0), LSU went into the regional final with its head held high. It’d be facing Little Rock again, a team it had crushed just two days prior. Little Rock would be on basically no rest, too. Man, this was going to be a cakewalk!

Except it wasn’t. Little Rock came to play on Sunday, beating LSU 10-4 to force a regional-deciding game the next night. But come on! It’s Little Rock, for crying out loud. It’s going to be easy, right? Right?

Not particularly. While LSU did end up coming out on top, the road to victory was paved with shattered glass. Through two innings of play, LSU was down 5-1 to a Little Rock team that hadn’t won 30 games. Things were bleak, and the folks at Alex Box Stadium were getting antsy.

“Have no fear,” LSU said, “we’ll fix it!”

And fix it, the Tigers did.

Three runs in the fourth, courtesy of a three-RBI double by Ethan Frey, completely changed the game, as LSU would end up mounting a comeback. Later, in the sixth, Luis Hernandez launched a solo home run to tie the game at five. The next inning, Steven Milam hit an RBI groundout to give the Tigers the lead. Then in the eighth, Hernandez hit what at the time was considered the dagger, a solo homer, his second of the night, to left field to make it 7-5. Finally, in the ninth, the real dagger to the heart of Little Rock’s hopes landed, when Jared Jones hit a moon shot to left-center field and Hernandez drove in yet another run, this time on a single. Just like that, it was 10-6, and the LSU Tigers were moving on.

Clemson Regional

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads

Was that corny? Probably. Just wanted an excuse to shoehorn that song in. West Virginia won the Clemson Regional, if you hadn’t guessed that already.

Yet again, another regional host, this time the Clemson Tigers, fell victim to a lower-seeded team. It was truly an epidemic this past weekend. I’m fine with it.

West Virginia was the best team in the Big 12 during the regular season, and it was, frankly, disrespected by the selection committee when it came time to pick the bracket. By the way the Mountaineers performed in Clemson this past weekend, it was clear that they deserved to host. Alas, they weren’t awarded that honor, and it didn’t even matter.

It wasn’t smooth sailing, however. West Virginia played two really good teams — Kentucky and Clemson — en route to this regional championship. Both games against Kentucky, in particular, came down to the wire, with the second contest between the two being a classic that West Virginia baseball fans will remember for a long time.

Down by five runs in the bottom of the eighth, West Virginia mounted a comeback for the ages. Six runs scored in the frame, erasing the 12-7 deficit and turning it into a 13-12 lead. That eighth inning really was death by a thousand cuts for Kentucky. Just take a look at the play-by-play of the frame:

Watch out for the Mountaineers. That’s a really good baseball program up there in Morgantown, and they’re just itching to prove it.

Fayetteville Regional

I won’t dwell on this regional too much due to the fact that I wrote all about Arkansas’ triumph in Fayetteville yesterday morning, so if you haven’t read that yet, click the link below and check it out.

This Arkansas team is different; I can just feel it in my bones. The doubters will say that no matter what they do, the Razorbacks will always be fool’s gold. Not in my eyes. This is a squad that’s capable of not only reaching the College World Series but winning it outright.

Now, doing that is, of course, easier said than done. But why not just do it, right? Like, come on, Hogs! Throw us all a bone for once.

Knoxville Regional

Knoxville seems like a lovely place to live. The Smoky Mountains elicit such charm and spectacle that I believe I could dwell there and be happy all my days. Maybe that’s why Tennessee’s baseball program is so successful; they’re just so enamored with the scenery that it causes them to be excellent ballplayers.

Probably not. But we all need some sort of explanation as to why this school is so good at baseball. While there’s probably a complicated reason to be found somewhere, the actual answer might be that Tony Vitello is the best head coach in the nation.

Vitello led Tennessee to a national title last year, and while the Volunteers aren’t as good as they were a year ago, they’re certainly not to be trifled with. Catch them on a good day, and your favorite team is bound to give up buckets of runs. Heck, catch them on a bad day, and there’s still a pretty decent chance that things will go poorly.

Tennessee’s offense was electric in Knoxville this past weekend, where it put up nine runs on Friday against Miami (OH), 10 on Saturday versus Cincinnati, and then six and 11, respectively, in the two games it played against Wake Forest. Not once did that unit look inept over the four games it played during the Knoxville Regional.

Arkansas will certainly have its hands full against the Volunteers, and that matchup should be juicy, juicy, juicy.

It’s Time to Be Super

One more stop before Omaha.

The super regionals are officially here. Sixty-four teams started this journey a week ago, and now a special 16 of them get to continue their quest for a national title.

While the regionals are definitely the more, let’s say, chaotic bunch of games, the supers provide a different type of entertainment. It’s the first to win two games in the best-of-three series. If your team can do that, then a trip to Omaha is on the horizon. If not, then it’s time to start the offseason.

There are several different ways I could go about previewing these matchups. Real analysis that’s filled with statistics and facts is attractive, sure, but vibes are really where it’s at. And to be honest, aren’t vibes and feelings what this world is built on anyway? Or is that too New Age? Doesn’t matter. Vibes are where I’ll dwell, at least today.

This exercise won’t be too complicated. If you’re at all worried, go check out my regional preview from last week where I previewed that round with a similar process. Trust me, it’s not scary.

Before jumping into the crazy predictions that I might have, it’s probably important to lay out who all is playing this weekend. Here are the super regional matchups that are in store:

• Louisville Super Regional: Louisville (38-21, 15-15) vs. Miami (34-25, 15-14)

• Corvallis Super Regional: No. 8 Oregon State (45-13-1) vs. No. 9 Florida State (41-14, 17-10)

• Chapel Hill Super Regional: No. 5 North Carolina (45-13, 18-11) vs. Arizona (42-18, 18-12)

• Auburn Super Regional: No. 4 Auburn (41-18, 17-13) vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina (51-11, 26-4)

• Los Angeles Super Regional: No. 15 UCLA (45-16, 22-8) vs. UTSA (47-13, 23-4)

• Durham Super Regional: Duke (40-19, 17-13) vs. Murray State (42-14, 17-8)

• Baton Rouge Super Regional: No. 6 LSU (46-15, 19-11) vs. West Virginia (44-14, 19-9)

• Fayetteville Super Regional: No. 3 Arkansas (46-13, 20-10) vs. No. 14 Tennessee (46-17, 16-14)

That’s a pretty spicy slate of matchups, if I do say so myself. The shocking lack of national seeds truly widens the possibilities for what could occur this weekend. Anything and everything is on the table.

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So, what could happen? Lots of things, probably, but in my eyes, there are really only a couple of possibilities. Here is what I believe will transpire, and who I think will be making the trip to Omaha this time next week:

• Louisville Super Regional: Despite overwhelming odds, Louisville winds up getting an opportunity to host a super. Who among us could’ve seen that coming? I don’t know, how about me? That’s right, I picked the Cardinals to be here, and I fully expect them to come out on top over Miami. Why? Because of the Louisville Slugger bat factory, obviously. The wonders that that place can bring are truly immeasurable.

• Corvallis Super Regional: Perhaps the most challenging super regional to pick is this one between Oregon State and Florida State. Both schools carry a sense of prominence when it comes to college baseball, but I think that the Seminoles will get the best of the Beavers this time around. Contrary to popular belief, Florida State’s baseball program has never won a national championship. Their quest to achieve that should continue here in 2025.

• Chapel Hill Super Regional: Remember what I said: Carolina Blue will forever and always be the best color on this earth. That color will single-handedly carry the Tar Heels on to Omaha. And some pretty good pitching headlined by Jack Knapp and Jason DeCaro, will help as well. It’s mostly the Carolina Blue, though.

• Auburn Super Regional: The “experts” will tell you that the SEC team is the favorite here, but what do they know? Coastal Carolina’s the school that’s won a national championship most recently — in 2016 — and knows better than most of the teams in the field what is required to reach that level of play. So, give me Coastal. The fightin’ Chanticleers will live another day!

• Los Angeles Super Regional: It’s UTSA. I’m sorry, UCLA, but I’m the vibes guy, and that means that I am legally obligated to pick the Roadrunners. UTSA’s run through the Austin Regional was nothing short of spectacular, and to see that story continue to Omaha would be a dream. Getting to see amazing stories play out is what sports are all about for me, so go Roadrunners, and I’m so sorry, Bruins.

• Durham Super Regional: The same logic that I applied to Los Angeles could apply here. After all, Murray State is the darling four-seed that nobody gave a chance to. Still, my head is pulling me in Duke’s direction, and it’s hard to resist. I wish I could go with Murray State, and I’m sure I’ll be putting my foot in my mouth by the end of the weekend when they inevitably find a way to win, but Duke it is.

• Baton Rouge Super Regional: LSU barely got by Little Rock, while West Virginia played exceptionally well against some high-level opponents during the Clemson Regional. As a certified Big 12 homer, the Mountaineers present me with an easy choice. I’m going to take it. Bank on West Virginia getting to Omaha for the first time in school history.

• Fayetteville Super Regional: The most enticing matchup of the weekend is the easiest decision for me, personally. Arkansas will beat Tennessee, and if the Razorbacks somehow don’t, then I’ll be catastrophically upset. Wehiwa Aloy, Logan Maxwell, Zach Root, Ryder Helfrick, and Cam Kozeal, please don’t fail me now! Let’s get the Hogs back to the College World Series.

Only two wins separate these squads from reaching Omaha. Reaching the College World Series is the goal for every college baseball program in America, and 16 schools are so close to reaching the promised land.

If your school is lucky enough to still be in the hunt, don’t take it for granted. It takes a special group of players to reach this point in the season, and with how unpredictable baseball can be, the quest for a championship can end just as quickly as it got started.

See, I told you that wouldn’t be scary.

The OmaHogs are Back

For the first time since 2022, Arkansas is headed to the College World Series.

Winning is hard. Not just in sports, but in anything.

Achieving that ultimate goal in sports presents a certain form of euphoria that is hard to match anywhere else. For some reason, when the clock hits zero or the final out is made, and it’s your team that’s standing alone in victory, the emotions hit an all-time high. And for the people who are actually involved in the winning, the players and the coaches, those feelings of joy are probably overwhelming.

When I watched the Arkansas baseball team yesterday advance to the College World Series after an 11-4 romp of rival Tennessee, I didn’t see that overwhelming joy from the players on the field. Sure, the fans in the stands were riding on cloud nine, but every Arkansas player on the field was extremely measured. Why? Because the job isn’t finished yet. There’s still work to be done and another goal that needs to be accomplished before the true celebration can begin.

Heading into the super regionals weekend, the matchup between Arkansas and Tennessee was billed as the main event. It’s easy to see why. Two top-16 seeds that play in the same conference and despise each other going at it, with the prize being a trip to Omaha. Compound that with the fact that Volunteers’ head coach Tony Vitello was a longtime assistant at Arkansas prior to taking the job in Knoxville, and that he just led that same Tennessee program to its first-ever national championship in baseball, and boy oh boy, you’ve got yourself some bad blood.

But hate and passion are only part of what made the stakes of this three-game series massive. These same two schools played one another back in mid-May, and while that series had some weight, it certainly didn’t possess the pressure that this one did this past weekend. Why? Well, Omaha was on the line, and Omaha is everything in college baseball.

Arkansas hadn’t been to the College World Series since 2022, where it had flamed out right before the end to eventual champion Ole Miss. Prior to that defeat, the Razorbacks had come so close to winning the program’s first national title, but infamously fell to Oregon State in the championship series in 2018. On the other hand, there were the Volunteers, who had just come off a national title and were hungry for more.

Those stakes, alongside the rivalry between the two schools, created an atmosphere that was buzzing with electricity. Heading into game one on Saturday afternoon, everybody knew that this series had the potential to be one for the history books if everything broke right. There was also the possibility that one team could dominate all weekend and would be able to hang that embarrassment over the other school’s head for years to come.

As Saturday’s game started, it was clear that there was no love lost between the Razorbacks and the Volunteers. Constant chirping between players permeated throughout game one, with the most notable example being Arkansas starter Zach Root’s overwhelming hatred for Tennessee star Andrew Fischer.

The first incident came in the top of the fourth, with Fischer at the plate and Root on the mound. Root had been dominant up to that point. Through three innings of work, he’d yet to allow a baserunner. It was par for the course for the transfer from East Carolina, who’d been Arkansas’ best pitcher all season and had consistently risen to the occasion when the lights were brightest.

Here, in the top of the fourth, he certainly wasn’t going to let anybody step on that moment. With his team up 1-0 after Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch in the second inning, Root got ready to pitch against Fischer. Andrew Fischer is a name that baseball fans around America will know (if they don’t already) soon enough. He’s a hitting machine — he ended the year with a .341/.497/.760 (1.257 OPS) slash line — and is projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

But he’s also been known to, let’s say, aggravate opposing teams, and against the Hogs on Saturday, his antics were in full force, much to Root’s and the Fayetteville faithful’s disdain.

At one point during this particular at-bat, Fischer “spat on home plate and nodded at the Arkansas crowd.” Root, as he’s prone to do, didn’t take kindly to this and, after striking Fischer out moments later, proceeded to yell at him.

That’s just act one of this three-act drama. In the bottom of that same inning, Fischer, who plays first base for Tennessee, threw a ball into the stands, which an Arkansas fan promptly hurled right back at him. Tensions were, well, high.

The day hit its climax in the top of the sixth inning. Arkansas was up 3-2 after Ryder Helfrick had hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to regain the Hogs’ advantage. With the top of the Tennessee order coming to bat, and with Root finally looking a bit human after giving up the lead just an inning prior, perhaps this could be the moment that the Volunteers decided to land another counterpunch.

After Root got Manny Marin to fly out, he walked Gavin Kilen to bring up Fischer as the go-ahead run. It was a massive moment, and everybody in the crowd, in the dugout, and on the field knew it. If Fischer got into one, then this game would be flipped upside down. But if Root could get him to roll over and force an inning-ending double play, then Baum-Walker Stadium would erupt at the seams.

Indeed, it was the latter that ended up transpiring. Fischer went up in the count 3-0 before swinging at a strike and fouling one off. He rolled over the sixth pitch of the at-bat, hitting a grounder to second that was promptly turned into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play. As for what happened next, I’ll just let Root do the talking:

Perhaps controversially, Root was not ejected from the premises. I’ve certainly seen less egregious acts be punished. Regardless, the umpires gave both dugouts a warning, and play resumed, but the statement had been made.

When asked after the game what he said, Root claimed that he blacked out and didn’t remember. Usually, I’d be suspicious of a claim like that, but in this case, I think I believe it.

That Fischer double play was crucial, not just because of that moment, but because of the moment that it set up. In the bottom of the sixth, Arkansas, in need of some extra insurance, plated another run on a Charles Davalan single to left field, scoring Australian Brent Iredale. It was now 4-2, Hogs.

Flash forward to the ninth. Gabe Gaeckle had come on to pitch in the eighth, relieving Root, who was spectacular on the afternoon. As well as his frequent ranting, Root put up a solid seven innings of work and only allowed two runs. He struck out six and walked just two. Of the 92 pitches he threw, 60 landed for strikes.

Back to Gaeckle and the ninth. Gaeckle had pitched a 1-2-3 eighth but was due to face the top of the Tennessee lineup in the ninth, meaning that Fischer was going to get one more crack at the Arkansas pitching staff before the day was through. With one out and, crucially, nobody on base, Fischer finally made his mark, hitting a solo home run to right field to cut the Arkansas lead in half. And while it didn’t end up mattering because Gaeckle was able to get through the rest of the inning unscathed to cement the victory, it certainly was a confidence booster for Fischer, which, if you’re an Arkansas fan, is never a good thing.

It was now on to the series’ second game on Sunday. If Arkansas could pull it out, then it would be playing in Omaha this time next week. If Tennessee won, though, then a decisive win-or-go-home third game would be played on Monday. Since nobody likes playing on Mondays, an Arkansas win was paramount.

It was a massacre. 11-4 was the final score, but it felt like it was 30-0 throughout the entirety of the contest.

Facing Tennessee ace and projected second overall pick Liam Doyle, Arkansas’ offense, as it had done all season, came alive with a fury. In the top of the third, Davalan continued to make hay while the sun shone with a two-run home run to kick off the scoring. And while the Vols got one back in the home half of that frame, it would be the fourth inning that would be the downfall for the folks from Knoxville.

Kozeal started it off with a single. After Iredale flew out, Reese Robinett hit another single to put two on with one away. Justin Thomas Jr. then struck out swinging for out number two. Everything’s going to be OK for Tennessee, right?

Wrong.

A wild pitch advanced Kozeal and Robinett another 90 feet, which prompted Vitello to intentionally walk the leadoff hitter Davalan. That brought up SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award finalist Wehiwa Aloy with the bases loaded. This was going to be a juicy at-bat, with two projected first-round picks going at it. Except, not, because Vitello came walking out of the dugout and pulled Doyle out of the game.

What?

There’s no doubt that Doyle did not look like his normal self. But pulling your ace in this spot just didn’t feel right. It felt like it was tempting fate. If it didn’t work out, then there’d be hell to raise.

The new pitcher for Tennessee, Brayden Krenzel, immediately appeared off. His fourth pitch of the day got away from the catcher, allowing Kozeal to score and the other two baserunners to advance a station. He then hit Aloy on the next pitch to load the bases once again. Vitello had seen enough, and he went back to his bullpen for AJ Russell to face three-hole hitter Logan Maxwell. All Tennessee needed was just one out, and this nightmare would be over. Sure, it’d be 3-1, but that’s just a two-run deficit and would’ve been manageable.

Russell couldn’t get it. Maxwell hit a fly ball to left field that had just an 89.4 MPH exit velocity. Somehow, someway, however, it landed over the fence for a grand slam. Boom. Just like that, it was 7-1, Razorbacks, and that was pretty much all she wrote for the Tennessee season.

From there, Arkansas cruised en route to an 11-4 win that sent the Hogs back to Omaha. When the final out was recorded, the Razorbacks didn’t race out of the dugout and create a dogpile (or a hog pile). Instead, they did what they always do after a win and entered a handshake line. There are bigger and better things to celebrate on the horizon.

Now, it’s on to Omaha. Arkansas has previously been there 11 times, with seven of those being with head coach Dave Van Horn at the helm. It’s now his mission to achieve something he and the Razorbacks have yet to do: win a College World Series.

Omaha

It’s here. The College World Series is here.

Very few cities evoke such emotion as Omaha does for college baseball fans. Every year, people flock to the middle of America to the otherwise nondescript city of Omaha, Nebraska. For two weeks, this town erupts with a thirst for glory and triumph like no other. There’s truly nothing like it anywhere in collegiate athletics.

The eight schools that earned the right to play in the College World Series know that it’s a privilege. I’m sure they’re also aware of just how amazing an opportunity it is. In front of every single one of them is the chance for greatness. If they can grab hold of it, then they’ll be remembered forever.

The College World Series starts tomorrow afternoon when Arizona and Coastal Carolina kick off the final stage of this monstrous baseball tournament we’ve been engulfed in for over two weeks. From there, who knows what will happen? Will the titans of the sport continue to prove their worth, or will the little guys rise to the top and slay the giants? Will the SEC continue to have a stranglehold on national titles? And, most importantly, which school’s fanbase will win the Jell-O shot challenge?

It truly feels as if everything is in the air leading up to tomorrow’s games. In my opinion, that’s a fantastic place to be.

As always, my predictions for these things rely on vibes and solely vibes. The time for expert analysis with statistics can come closer to game time. For now, how do these teams make me feel? The answers to that question will determine which school I believe can win this whole darn thing.

Oh, I almost forgot, here’s the bracket just in case you’re unaware and haven’t been initiated into the college baseball zeitgeist.

• No. 13 Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona: A rematch of the final series in 2016 in which Coastal Carolina won its first national title in school history, this game presents a lot of different storylines. Arizona got off the mat in the Chapel Hill Super Regional after getting killed in the series’ first game, and now finds itself here in Omaha. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina steamrolled through the Conway Regional and beat up on an Auburn team that looked unprepared for the moment. While my Big 12 brain is telling me that Arizona is the way to go, my Sun Belt heart is pulling me toward Coastal Carolina. And the heart always gets what it wants.

• No. 8 Oregon State vs. Louisville: Remember when Oregon State lost the first game of its regional against Saint Mary’s and appeared as if their storybook season was flaming out in an instant? Yeah, that seems like forever ago. Oh, do you also recall when Louisville took down No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt en route to winning the Nashville Regional? Yeah, that also seems like it was eons ago. Regardless of the weird concept that time and space are, these two teams converge in Omaha in what’s shaping up to be a battle of titans. These two programs, historically, have been quite successful on the diamond, with Oregon State winning three national titles this century and Louisville being a consistent power player nationally. Despite the story that Louisville is this season, Oregon State’s ability to fight through adversity gives them the edge.

• No. 15 UCLA vs. Murray State: This is a no-brainer. Murray State is the ultimate vibes team. The Racers went into Oxford and won that regional over Ole Miss. All-time stuff right there. Then, they traveled up to Durham and laid down an offensive masterclass against Duke. Now, they’re here in the College World Series for the first time in program history. I’m sorry, UCLA, but Murray State is the story of the college baseball season right now, and it’s going to take a miracle for any casual fan to root for the Bruins over the Racers in this one.

• No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 LSU: There’s a reason this game is the nightcap on Saturday. The only two SEC schools remaining shoulder a load to capture another national title for the conference, and they’ve received the tough task of playing each other from the jump. LSU had a relatively easy path to Omaha, while Arkansas had to get through Tennessee in the super regionals to advance. Still, both schools are battle-tested and absolutely have what it takes to win it all. For me, it’s the Hogs all the way. LSU had its chance in the sun back in 2023 when Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Tommy White took over the world. It’s Arkansas’ opportunity now.

That’s how I believe the opening games shake out. But what about the rest of the tournament? After all, winning the first game is no guarantee that it’s a cakewalk to the title.

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In the top bracket that consists of Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State, and Louisville, I believe that it’ll be Coastal and Oregon State battling it out in the end, with the Beavers ultimately winning and advancing to the finals. On the other side of the bracket, Arkansas and LSU will start it, and I think they’ll also end it, with the Razorbacks advancing.

That’d set up a rematch of the 2018 College World Series Finals between Oregon State and Arkansas. If you don’t remember how that one played out, just read my story from a week ago. Trust me, it was dramatic.

It should be a great week of baseball in Omaha. Even if the games don’t turn out to be classics like we all hope they will, the experience of witnessing the atmosphere of the College World Series is a gift nonetheless.

It Was Never Going to be Easy

Now it’s just a little harder.

Well, that wasn’t ideal.

Arkansas’ inaugural game in the College World Series was a pitcher’s duel that did not go its way. While the arms were solid overall for the Hogs, the bats that had been alive for the entirety of the season fell silent at the absolute worst moment. As such, the Razorbacks will now have to trek their way through the loser’s bracket if they want to win their first national title in school history.

We all knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. The Arkansas baseball program has seemingly been snakebitten for its entire existence, so getting over the hump and achieving the ultimate goal was always going to take an otherworldly effort. It’s safe to say that that didn’t happen last night in Omaha.

Here are my thoughts from LSU 4, Arkansas 1.

The Root Cause

Zach Root just didn’t have his best stuff yesterday evening. While his first inning was a breeze as he got through the top of the LSU order without any damage, it was the second frame that ultimately was his demise.

It started off innocently enough with a dominant strikeout of the Tigers’ cleanup hitter Steven Milam. A walk to Luis Hernandez on four pitches then opened the door for disaster, with another free pass to Derek Curiel, which came after he started the at-bat with two consecutive strikes, further complicating the situation. Not everything was lost at that point, but when Daniel Dickinson laid down a perfect bunt down the third base side for a single to load the bases, it was officially time to be alarmed.

The next three batters all drove in runs for LSU. Chris Stanfield laced a single to left field to score the Tigers’ first run. Michael Braswell III was hit on his back foot with the bases loaded to make it 2-0, and then Josh Pearson beat out a potential double play ball to keep the inning alive and also plate another run. The score was 3-0, and Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn had seen enough. Root had only thrown 38 pitches, but he was done, as Van Horn turned to the bullpen to try and get out of the jam.

To say that Root’s performance was disappointing would be an understatement. There were a lot of superlatives thrown around describing this game in the last week, with the pitching matchup between Root and LSU ace and potential number one overall pick Kade Anderson being the top among them. Only half of that equation lived up to their potential, with Anderson throwing seven innings of one-run baseball against an Arkansas lineup that led all power conferences in runs per game.

While Root didn’t need to be perfect, he definitely needed to be on his A-game. The second Van Horn realized he wasn’t, he called an audible, which, admittedly, ended up being the correct call due to what his replacement ended up accomplishing.

Magnificent Gaeckle

If there’s any silver lining to last night’s effort, it’s Gabe Gaeckle. After Root exited, Gaeckle got out of the trouble he was thrown into and proceeded to provide the Hogs with six innings of excellent pitching out of the ‘pen. He struck out 10 — at one point he fanned five Tigers hitters in a row — and landed 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes. Only one run crossed the plate while he was on the hill as he did an excellent job of keeping Arkansas in the game.

Gaeckle’s journey this season has truly been tumultuous. From starting the year in the weekend rotation to being bumped out of it after several disappointing performances in April, he’s overcome a ton of adversity. Ever since that transition to the bullpen, which occurred after a start against Georgia on April 12 that saw him give up five runs through just two innings, Gaeckle’s been fantastic. Including last night against LSU, he’s only allowed six runs since that fateful game in April. Outstanding stuff.

It’s a shame that his efforts couldn’t be rewarded with a comeback victory. It’s the least that the rest of the team could’ve done.

Offensive Malpractice

Of all the times for the Arkansas bats to fall silent, last night might’ve been the absolute worst moment.

The Razorbacks recorded just four hits against LSU pitching, with Charles Davalan, Wehiwa Aloy, Cam Kozeal, and Reese Robinett all delivering one base knock apiece. Robinett’s lone hit of the night resulted in Arkansas’ lone run of the evening, when he smashed a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Other than that, there was nothing. The pitching trio of Anderson, Chase Shores, and Casan Evans had Arkansas off balance and uncomfortable all night. Any adjustments that the hitters attempted to make fell flat over and over again as the Tigers continued to pour quality strikes into the zone. To see a potent offense completely fall on its face for three hours was certainly not a pleasant sight for any Arkansas fan.

Last night’s lackluster effort at the plate continued a trend for the Razorbacks’ bats in Omaha. Dating back to 2022, the most recent instance that the team made it to the College World Series, the Hogs have scored just four runs over their last 27 innings at Charles Schwab Stadium. In the words of Josh Teeter on X, “That’s rough.”

Six of the hitters in Arkansas’ lineup last night have a batting average of at least .300, with three of those players having one that’s .345 or higher. If last night’s game was the first Arkansas baseball game you’ve watched all season, then you’d have no idea that that was the case and that this offense was as awesome as it actually is. And frankly, that’s a real shame.

Backs Against the Wall

Only 12 teams have ever gone on to win the College World Series after losing their first game in Omaha, with one of those schools being the Oregon State squad that beat the Razorbacks in the CWS Final in 2018. There’s no doubt that the odds are against them, but that’s how it’s always been for Arkansas baseball. Now would be as good a time as ever to buck the trends and come out on the other side victorious.

A date with Murray State, the Cinderella of this year’s tournament, awaits on Monday afternoon. Win that, and Arkansas lives another day to face LSU or UCLA. Lose, and the questions about whether this program can actually win it all will persist at least another year.

Getting out of the loser’s bracket shouldn’t be that difficult of a task, all things considered. Murray State’s a great story, sure, but Arkansas is far and away the more complete team. From there, my confidence in the Hogs either beating UCLA or getting revenge over LSU is honestly fairly high. This offense can’t be kept quiet for the entirety of their stay in Omaha. There’s just no way. Right?

Getting to the College World Series Final is an entirely different story. Triumphing over whoever comes out of the winner’s bracket twice will be tough and is improbable. But that’s what happens when you start off arguably the biggest College World Series in your school’s history on the back foot.

"Greatness from Gage"

Gage Wood saved Arkansas' season with the third no-hitter in MCWS history.

It is hard to get 27 outs in a baseball game, especially at the highest levels of collegiate and professional ball. Hitters are just too skilled and composed to make it easy. So, when one pitcher gets all 27 outs on his own, that’s a big deal. It becomes an even bigger moment when that pitcher accomplishes the incredible feat of getting all those outs without allowing a single hit. That, my friends, is what we call special in the baseball world.

That special circumstance came to fruition yesterday afternoon in Omaha, when Arkansas’ Gage Wood did what few have ever done: throw a no-hitter in the College World Series.

Nine innings, 119 pitches, 19 strikeouts, no runs, and no hits.

A no-hitter in an elimination game in the College World Series? That’s right. Arkansas’ season continues because of what Wood did yesterday afternoon. Here are my thoughts on Arkansas’ 3–0 victory over Murray State.

The Game

If not for a hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning, Wood would have thrown a perfect game.

Everything was working for the right-hander. His fastball, which he throws about 60% of the time, was electric. Murray State hitters consistently swung underneath it, as the late rising action caught them by surprise over and over. Here are some statistics that show just how fantastic that pitch was for him last night, courtesy of Mike Monaco:

• 58 of 71 fastballs landed for strikes (82%)

• The fastball generated 25 whiffs on 45 swings (56%)

• Of the 27 outs he recorded, 18 came via the fastball

• 13 of his 19 strikeouts were generated by the fastball

He was throwing that pitch out of his mind yesterday. Nobody — absolutely nobody — was going to hit Gage Wood’s fastball. With the way it was dancing, not even the best in the big leagues could have made a dent (only somewhat hyperbolic).

His fastball-first mentality allowed him to mix in his off speed pitches effectively, particularly his curveball, which left several batters completely confused. While not many will remember Wood’s performance for the curveball, it was just as crucial in getting the job done.

Wood set down the first 21 hitters he faced, making it appear effortless. At one point during that stretch, he struck out seven batters in a row, all while reportedly battling an emerging blister.

Let’s dive into the details. As he went through the Murray State batting order for the first time, he struck out five of the nine hitters. The second time through was just as breezy, with Wood striking out all three hitters at the top of the order — Jonathan Hogart, Dustin Mercer, and Carson Garner — in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, he recorded two more strikeouts, both looking, with a groundout ending the streak of seven consecutive strikeouts.

The perfect game continued until the eighth, when Dominic Decker, the first hitter of the inning, was hit in the foot by Wood’s first poor breaking pitch of the day. With that, the perfect game was gone, but the no-hitter remained intact. Wood didn’t let it faze him, however, as he secured three more outs in the inning, the final two via swinging strikeouts.

Now, it was on to the ninth. The situation became dicey when Wood hit the leadoff hitter, Nico Bermeo, in the elbow with two strikes. The Razorbacks argued that Bermeo leaned into thepitch, meaning it should have been called a strike and Bermeo should have been out. To most, including ESPN’s broadcasters, there didn’t seem to be enough evidence to overturn the call. Fortunately for the Hogs, the replay command center in Pittsburgh saw it differently and ruled that Bermeo had stuck his elbow out. One down.

That brought Conner Cunningham, Wood’s longtime friend and high school teammate from Batesville, Arkansas, to the plate. Wood and Cunningham train together in the offseason, and their bond is strong, which made the ensuing strikeout all the more cathartic. Two down.

The final batter was perhaps the best hitter in Murray State’s lineup: Jonathan Hogart. The fifth-year senior had been the leader for the Racers all season and was a tough out. Wood missed with the first pitch but got Hogart to foul off the second, evening the count at one ball and one strike. The third pitch was a beauty — a fastball at the bottom of the zone for strike two. With the crowd on its feet and America in awe, Wood delivered his 119th pitch of the afternoon, a 97 MPH fastball at the top of the strike zone that Hogart had no chance of hitting. He swung, he missed, and Charles Schwab Field erupted.

Gage Wood had thrown a no-hitter — with 19 strikeouts (!) — and Arkansas was still alive.

The History

The last time someone threw a no-hitter in the College World Series was in 1960, when Oklahoma State’s Jim Wixson accomplished the feat. Before that, only one other pitcher, Texas’ Jim Ehlers, did it in 1950. That’s it — just those three special men.

Wood also broke the record for the most strikeouts in a game by an Arkansas pitcher with his 19 punchouts, surpassing Razorback legends Hagan Smith (2024) and Jess Todd (2007), who each struck out 17. When you’re one strikeout shy of tying the Major League record of 20, you’ve done something truly special.

Only 10 other Razorback pitchers have thrown a solo no-hitter in the program’s history. Without further research, I’m confident that Wood’s was by far the most dominant and impressive. There’s no doubt it was the most important, as without it, Arkansas would be packing its bags and heading back to Fayetteville.

The Significance

Arkansas will play tonight against UCLA, who just lost to LSU in a game that lasted until this morning due to inclement weather in the Omaha area.

The extra life the Razorbacks have been granted is solely due to Wood’s performance. The offense, which had been one of the nation’s best before arriving in Nebraska, has vanished over the past two games. Murray State’s zero runs against Wood allowed the offense to coast. Anything more than zero would have sufficed, and that’s a massive credit to the pitcher on the mound for the Hogs. For that alone, the entire lineup owes Wood a beer.

Hopefully, the offense figures it out soon, and the pitching staff won’t need otherworldly efforts to carry the team to victory. It sounds ludicrous, but after Wood’s no-hitter, I couldn’t help but wish the lineup had produced its usual output against LSU, potentially sending Arkansas to the bracket final instead. Alas, that’s not the case, and Arkansas still needs three more wins to reach the College World Series Final.

Commentary abounds about Arkansas’ struggle to win a national baseball title. For a program as successful as it has been over the last 25 years under Dave Van Horn, the failure to claim a championship remains baffling. Year after year, the talent in Fayetteville has been there, but it hasn’t happened. While the journey is far from over, Gage Wood did all he could to keep the dream alive for another day.

There’s no certainty about how much longer Arkansas will stay alive in this College World Series. A loss to UCLA tonight could end it, leaving us empty despite Wood’s historic performance. Or maybe the Hogs continue to plow through the competition on their way toward a championship. Nothing is out of the question, but one thing is indisputable: Arkansas must keep winning.

The Curse Lives

Yet again, Arkansas baseball failed on the biggest stage.

Up 5-3 with one out in the ninth over LSU, all Arkansas needed was two more outs, and its season would live another day. Just two more outs, and the dream of winning the first national championship in program history would survive.

With runners on first and second, freshman lefty Cole Gibler got the ground ball he desired. Steven Milam punched it straight into the dirt and right at Razorbacks shortstop and SEC Player of the Year Wehiwa Aloy. The tailor-made 6-4-3 double play was on the platter; all Aloy had to do was snatch it up and eat it.

Instead, he decided to throw to third to get the force out at that base, thinking he didn’t have enough time to turn two. Replay proved him wrong, however. The ESPN broadcast repeatedly showed that Aloy had plenty of time—almost eons—to toss the ball to second baseman Cam Kozeal, who then would have had even more time to relay the baseball to first. If that scenario had played out, the game would have been over, and Arkansas would be game-planning for a winner-take-all rematch with the Tigers on Thursday.

It was a foolish mistake, frankly. With Arkansas up by two, the run represented at third if Aloy had just thrown to second wouldn’t have mattered. Sigh. It didn’t happen that way, but the Hogs were still leading and just needed one more out. Only one. How hard could that possibly be?

According to Arkansas left fielder Charles Davalan, incredibly hard. LSU’s cleanup hitter Luis Hernandez, who had come up big in multiple moments for the Tigers throughout the postseason, hit a sinking liner to left, which Davalan misread off the bat. He initially took a couple of steps back, but when he realized the ball had topspin, he frantically attempted to regather himself. It was too late. As he clumsily dove toward the baseball, the ball clanked off his right shoulder and ricocheted toward the foul line. Both runners scored, and Hernandez scampered to second base. Brutal.

As catastrophic as that was, the game was still not over. Yes, the game had been knotted up in devastating fashion, and the air had been sucked out of the Arkansas dugout, but the contest was just tied. If the Hogs could just get—say it with me—one more out, then they’d be heading to extra innings with a chance to redeem themselves.

Head coach Dave Van Horn made the move to the bullpen at this point, pulling Gibler and replacing him with Aiden Jimenez, one of the most trusted relievers Arkansas employs. It would be up to him to retire arguably LSU’s best hitter, Jared Jones, and send the game to extras.

The game plan against Jones seemed clear from the very first pitch: only throw sliders, but don’t give him one that’s too juicy. Jones spat on the first one that was low and took a hack at the second that probably caught a little too much of the plate for Jimenez’s liking. The third missed, setting up a 2-1 pitch that was crucial. Everybody knew it. Land this one for a quality strike, and the two teams were most likely headed to the 10th. Throw it for a ball, and Jones most likely heads to first with a walk, setting up freshman Josh Pearson as the man deciding the fate of the game. But throw it for a less-than-quality strike, and Jones probably smashes it and ends it.

It was the latter scenario that transpired.

Jones hammered a slider that caught too much of the zone right up the middle. Arkansas second baseman and Omaha native Cam Kozeal leaped with all his might to try to grab it, but the ball tipped off the very end of his glove and trickled into center field. Hernandez scampered around third and scored, and LSU was moving on. Arkansas was done, and the curse lived.

Boy, there’s a lot that can be said.

First, Arkansas should have won that game. Aloy should have thrown to second for the double play, and Davalan should have caught the ball in left. If just one of those two things happens, I’m not writing this article right now.

Second, the baseball program in Fayetteville is cursed. Long soliloquies have been written about the collapse in 2018, when that team was just one out away from a national title but failed to catch a foul pop-up and wound up losing instead. That’s just one chapter in the many failures in Omaha, as the Hogs under Van Horn have reached the College World Series eight times since 2004 and have won zero national championships.

Does a team that’s not cursed throw away a perfect opportunity for a game-ending double play? Does a team that hasn’t been bewitched by some ancient coven have a left fielder slip and miss an easy fly ball? Does a team that’s not jinxed continue to falter over and over in the biggest spot in all of college baseball? I don’t think so.

The talent has been there. Arguably the best coach in the sport has been there. The fanbase has been there. Yet, nothing. For all the winning that has happened in Fayetteville over the past two decades, not a single piece of hardware from Omaha is in the trophy case. That hurts. It hurts a ton.

That bottom of the ninth inning will forever taint what was one of the most special groups Arkansas baseball has ever seen. From the top of the order with Davalan to the bottom with Justin Thomas Jr., who put the Hogs ahead in the top half of the ninth with a clutch single, the pieces were there. The pitching was electric, with arms like Zach Root and Gage Wood headlining a staff that certainly had what it took to win it all.

But when everything was said and done, the skeletons in the closet that have haunted the Razorbacks for years emerged once again. When the lights got as bright as they possibly could, Arkansas failed to rise to the occasion. Sloppy, silly mistakes that even a middle school baseball team knows not to make emerged out of nowhere, and before anybody knew it, the season was done, and everybody was sad.

That’s the final word that beckons to me regarding this loss: sadness. Nobody deserves anything, least of all in sports. But Dave Van Horn deserves a title. He’s done everything short of climbing to the top of the college baseball mountain, and I believe there was a large contingent of people who thought that maybe 2025 would be the season that crescendoed an amazing career. And while the roster was amazing and the coaching staff was fantastic, the ending remained the same.

For the 127th year in a row, Arkansas will not win a national championship. And that, my friends, is a real shame.

Stunning and gorgeous are the first two words that come to mind to describe Oracle Park.

Simply put, the home of the San Francisco Giants is one of the most attractive places to watch a baseball game in the entire country. No matter what type of baseball, good or bad, is happening on the field, there’s no denying the absolute beauty on display when sitting at Oracle Park.

The Giants have played in the friendly confines of Oracle Park since it was constructed in 2000, when it was known as Pacific Bell Park. Countless historic memories have been made at the stadium, with Barry Bonds hitting his record-breaking 756th home run there on August 7, 2007, being chief among them.

Yesterday’s contest between the Giants and the Miami Marlins was nowhere near as consequential as the aforementioned moment, but it still provided spectators with an enjoyable baseball experience.

An aging Justin Verlander got the start for San Francisco, with Cal Quantrill opposing him for the visiting Marlins. On its face, the pitching matchup was one that could have supplied the fans with some fireworks. Verlander is obviously one of the best pitchers of his generation, with his résumé including three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles. Unfortunately, Father Time is undefeated, and Verlander’s abilities on the mound have steadily decreased over the past several seasons.

For Quantrill, being in Miami has presented him with a fresh start. After a disappointing final season with Cleveland in 2023 and a subpar campaign with the Rockies last year, becoming a member of the Marlins for 2025 was a necessary step in solidifying his place in the league as a steady starting pitcher. While the early returns haven’t been fantastic—heading into yesterday’s game, he had a 5.68 ERA over 63 1/3 innings of work—the season is still young, and a good performance against the Giants could be just what the doctor ordered.

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My friend Zion and I had the chance to explore the beautiful University of California, Berkeley campus yesterday afternoon. While the town of Berkeley itself isn’t all that spectacular—at least from what I saw—the university grounds are a sight to behold. Towering redwood trees dominate the landscape, with iconic architecture complementing a picturesque setting. As someone who went to a college that was fairly nonchalant in its architectural style, seeing a campus with some real pizzazz in that department was a refreshing change.

What wasn’t beautiful, however, was Berkeley’s baseball stadium. Stu Gordon Stadium, home of the California Golden Bears’ baseball program, is a full-on dumpster fire. While most ACC ballparks (yes, it’s still weird that Cal is in the Atlantic Coast Conference) offer fans a great experience with both solid baseball and an inviting atmosphere, Cal’s facility leans hard into an aesthetic that is anything but charming.

For a university that clearly takes pride in its attractive buildings—including a football stadium that, while a bit dull, still offers some stunning views—having a baseball stadium this ugly is just plain disappointing.

Maybe being born and raised in Texas—a place where high school’s frequently invest in state-of-the-art athletics facilities that often include out of this world baseball stadiums—has skewed my view of what is an acceptable college baseball environment. Or maybe I just believe that Division I collegiate athletes deserve the best of the best. It’s probably a little bit of both.

What’s probably even more disheartening than poor stadium design is the team’s performance on the field. In its first season as an ACC member, the program finished a lackluster 24–31 overall and just 9–21 in conference play. In fact, this past season’s results are fairly representative of what the Golden Bears have been producing for the last half-decade. Cal hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019, when it went 0–2 in the Fayetteville Regional with losses to TCU and Central Connecticut State. Before that, the team had found flashes of success, including a College World Series appearance in 2011 that ended with a fifth-place finish. But right now, all of that feels like ancient history.

Would a more artistic stadium fix Cal baseball’s problems? I doubt it, but I’d venture to guess there’s a lot more going on than just infrastructure. For starters, playing in a conference where most schools are three time zones away is a logistical and emotional grind that probably puts a cap on what the Golden Bears can realistically achieve. Add in Cal’s notoriously tough academic standards, and it becomes a whole lot harder to find athletes who check every box. That’s not a unique issue—Stanford deals with the same thing—but it still matters.

To me, the biggest problem is perception. Right now, California baseball feels like a non-entity. Be honest, if you had to list every college baseball program that comes to mind, how long would it take you to get to Cal? Ten guesses? Twenty? Fifty? Probably somewhere in that range. That’s not good. For the Golden Bears to rise again, someone is going to have to work hard to reshape how the program is viewed on a national scale.

Personally, I say let’s start with the ballpark. Stu Gordon Stadium isn’t cutting it. If Cal is going to be playing below-average baseball, the least the school can do is give them a cool place to do it. Come on, it's not asking much

Enough ball talk. Here are some other pictures from my time at Berkeley:

It’s a stunning campus. I just wish the athletic programs could measure up to the rest of the competition.

The Athletics are no longer in Oakland. That is an indisputable fact of life now. Instead, they reside, temporarily, in California’s state capital of Sacramento.

Why? Well, greed and incompetence are the two words that come to mind.

The number of words that have been poured out over the past several years regarding the ineptitude of the Athletics in regard to their handling of the stadium situation in Oakland and the subsequent relocation to Las Vegas, with a stop in Sacramento in between, has been otherworldly.

Many baseball writers have commented on how John Fisher, the owner of the team, has made countless blunders throughout the process of attempting to get his franchise a new ballpark. From the numerous bids at securing a new home in Oakland to the ragtag process of building a new stadium in Nevada, the errors have been insane. It’s truly been a masterclass in making a fanbase distant and ticked off.

What truly makes baseball great, at least in my opinion, is the fans. There is no other sport in North America that has more passionate and loyal fans than baseball. And in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Giants and Athletics competed for dominance for 55 years, that was especially true. It was during that span of time, with them being located just across the water, that we all were privileged enough to witness countless fantastic contests—most notably the 1989 World Series—where both squads gave it their all to show the world that they were the best in the bay.

Unfortunately, we will not all be privy to those types of matchups any longer, all because of the move away from Oakland. And while Sacramento is a lovely place, it’s not home. Home is in Oakland, yet the A’s have still decided to stray.

Instead of the subpar confines of the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s now play at Sutter Health Park, a minor league stadium that’s been home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats since 2000. Usually, the summer at Sutter Health Park would be controlled by the River Cats. But in 2025, and presumably until the end of 2027, the baseball season will be co-opted alongside the A’s.

There are pros and cons to this arrangement. On the positive side, there are few places in the country where you can watch MLB players as closely as you can at an A’s game. With a small seating capacity of just 14,000, there’s not a bad seat in the house. It’s rare to be able to watch a Major League Baseball game and actually be able to read the letters on the back of the uniforms.

In my opinion, though, that’s about it. The negatives severely outweigh the positives in this case. Never, and I mean never, should an MLB franchise be playing its entire season in a stadium as, to put it bluntly, minor league as Sutter Health Park is. To put everything in perspective, when the Athletics announced that they’d be transitioning temporarily to Sacramento, Sutter Health Park had to be completely retrofitted to adapt to the MLB landscape. The dugouts had to be expanded, new light poles had to be put up, and a brand-new two-story clubhouse for the Athletics had to be constructed. If all of that had to be done to accomplish the goal of making a place worthy (and it hardly is) of Major League Baseball, then I’d argue that it wasn’t fit for it in the first place.

Regardless, that’s the location where they find themselves, and the players and coaches, as bad a hand as they’ve been dealt, have been trying to make the most of it. And while they haven’t been winning a ton of games—they’re 16 games under .500 right now and in last place in the AL West—the Athletics are still delivering entertaining baseball for the masses.

Of all the baseball games that I’ve been to in my life, yesterday’s tilt between the Cleveland Guardians and the A’s was one of the more interesting I’ve ever witnessed. Not necessarily because of the action on the field, but because of the fascinating atmosphere that we, the fans, players, and coaches, all found ourselves in.

For the fans, I’ve already explained why it’s so revolutionary. The big-league players that we all know and love are right in front of us. There’s no possible way that they could be any closer.

For the players, competing in front of a small crowd in a tight environment must feel surreal. A lot of the players on the A’s roster are relative newcomers to MLB, with one making his debut in yesterday’s contest. It must be such a downer to get called up and still have to compete in a minor league stadium. I’m sure the pay raise they get all but makes up for that disappointment, though.

Finally, the coaches on the A’s have the difficult task of guiding a roster that’s frankly not good enough in the right direction. Manager Mark Kotsay had to know that when he took the job in 2022, being the head man for the Athletics wouldn’t be easy sailing. With the ownership and stadium situations, alongside a roster rebuild that’s been a slow burn, his job was always going to be difficult. Now he’s coaching a team that’s not even in a big-league ballpark. That’s got to be depressing.

It’s a miracle that with all that adversity, a good baseball product was put on the field yesterday. We were graced with two great pitching performances by both teams: the Guardians with Slade Cecconi, and the A’s with JP Sears.

The first inning went by like a breeze, with each starting pitcher allowing just a single base hit in each half of the frame. It was in the second where the runs started coming, as Sears began to lose the mojo that he’d developed. After he struck out Kyle Manzardo, he walked Angel Martinez, who subsequently stole second. Gabriel Arias, who was just one of many players on the Guardians who could be classified as nondescript, then singled Martinez home with a sharp line drive to left. That then brought up Nolan Jones, a player Cleveland developed, then traded to the Rockies, and then acquired back from Colorado late this past offseason. He shot a hot liner past first baseman Nick Kurtz and into the right field corner, scoring Arias and doubling the score to make it 2-0.

Those two tallies, alongside the additional run that Cleveland scored in the top of the fifth off an RBI single by 2024 All-Star David Fry, were plenty enough to take care of the reeling A’s. You see, coming into yesterday’s contest, the Athletics were in the dumpster. Not just in the sense that the organization is in the process of an ill-designed relocation, but also in the standings.

On paper, the roster that the A’s have is good enough to at least compete for third place in the AL West. Players like Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, and Nick Kurtz are plenty good enough to propel an offense to at least close to .500. Still, four people can’t make a baseball team, and a lackluster bottom of the order paired with a suboptimal pitching staff equals unsatisfactory results. So, when the pitching finally has a decent day like it did yesterday—the combination of Sears, Tyler Ferguson, and rookie Jack Perkins combined to allow just three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and two walks—then the offense has to take advantage. Unfortunately for the A’s, it did not.

Before the bottom of the ninth, the home team didn’t have many chances to put runs on the board. Cecconi was fantastic for Cleveland, throwing seven innings of shutout baseball. His performance allowed manager, and former Athletic, Steven Vogt, to turn to a bullpen that’s been sizzling since the start of last season. He sent out Cade Smith to pitch the eighth, and after he got the first two outs but was having trouble getting the last, Vogt turned to lefty hurler Tim Herrin to take care of Kurtz with two on. He did, and it was on to the ninth.

Vogt handed the ball to Emmanuel Clase to try to achieve the win. The fireball closer has been a staple of the backend of the bullpen for Cleveland ever since he was traded to the Guardians by the Texas Rangers back in 2020 for Corey Kluber. Of all the trades that have been lopsided in my life, it’s the Clase-Kluber deal that stings the most, as Clase has gone on to be one of the best relievers in baseball, and Kluber pitched one measly inning in a Rangers uniform before exiting because of an injury that sidelined him for the entire season.

Anyway, Clase was on to finish it out, and he was in luck! The bottom of the A’s order was coming to bat, and let’s just say that besides Tyler Soderstrom, there aren’t many formidable foes in that part of the lineup. All it would take was some calm pitching, and the Guardians would leave Sacramento with a win.

Luis Urías led off the frame and flew out to center field. Soderstrom, who’d had a good day at the plate with a base hit earlier in the day, then singled to right. A matchup with Gio Urshela was next for Clase, and Urshela won, as Clase couldn’t locate his slider—he bounced two of them in the dirt—and walked him.

Just like that, the tying run was at the plate in the form of pinch hitter JJ Bleday. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Clase executed his best pitch, his cutter, perfectly. He threw it right on the hands of the lefty Bleday at 99.8 MPH and got the result he wanted: a broken bat. But the ball was hit into no-man ’s-land, and neither Clase nor third baseman Jose Ramirez could get it in time to throw Bleday out at first. After a single, a walk, and a bloop hit single that had an exit velocity of 31.6 MPH, the A’s had the bases loaded with just one out.

Mark Kotsay continued to empty his bench, pinch-hitting Max Muncy (the other one) to try and produce some magic. Muncy has not had a great season, and that showed in his at-bat against Clase, where he appeared overmatched. Clase threw three consecutive cutters that Muncy hacked at and missed each time. Two outs.

A battle with leadoff hitter Lawrence Butler was next. Clase continued to rely on his cutter, trying to jam the pesky Butler. With the count even at 2-2 and the crowd on its feet and the loudest it’d been all afternoon, Butler hit a weak ground ball to second base that he just couldn’t leg out. Despite a valiant effort against one of the best pitchers in the sport, the A’s had fallen just short and had lost their 48th game of the season, 3-0.

Austin Hedges played yesterday, which is meaningless to most people, but not to me.

Hedges was a member of the 2023 Texas Rangers that won the World Series. Member might actually be a strong word. He was certainly there, but the contributions he made were slim. In fact, his ability to make an impact, specifically at the plate, has been lacking for his entire career.

He’s one of the worst hitters in baseball. For his career, he has a .184/.242/.313 (.556 OPS) slash line and a career OPS+ of just 52. But what he doesn’t bring as a hitter, he definitely provides as a defender. If you desire a fantastic defensive catcher who’s going to call a good game and steal some pitches for strikes via some spectacular framing, then Hedges is your man. And if you also want some great vibes in the clubhouse, then Hedges will also supply that as well.

It was that combination of great defense and good vibes that made him an attractive player to the Rangers in 2023. And while he didn’t even play that often down the stretch run of that championship season—he only had 24 at-bats with Texas in 2023—the positive energy he brought to the team was undoubtedly worth every penny the team paid him.

You don’t want him up in a big spot, though. So, when he came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth of Game 1 of the 2023 World Series with two on and two out, not a lot was going to happen. I mean, just look at this at-bat. It’s pitiful!

Despite all the negatives, the positives continue to allow Hedges to be employed by MLB franchises, with the Guardians being the latest team to attract his services. There’s no doubt that he had an impact on the game yesterday with the pitching performance of Cecconi. Hedges has always been a great caller of pitches, and that showed with how well Cleveland was able to keep the A’s off balance.

But at the plate, it was, well, funny.

Every time he came up to bat, I got excited. All I wanted was for Austin Hedges to get a big hit. Alas, it was not to be. Here’s the ending of his first time up to hit:

And the second:

He grounded out and flied out in his third and fourth plate appearances, which I guess is progress. But that doesn’t matter. The point is this: Hedges is a great catcher, a terrible hitter, and just a fun dude to watch play. It was a privilege to grace his presence yesterday.

The A’s are now 32-48 and in last place in the AL West, 14 games behind the first-place Houston Astros. Time will tell if the A’s can turn it around and find some semblance of hope heading into 2026, but at the moment, I’d call this campaign a disappointment.

Everybody within the A’s organization is searching for the right next step as they move toward Las Vegas. If this is the product that they’re going to be putting out by the time they arrive in Nevada, and it most certainly will not be, then that’s trouble. Some winning is going to have to happen at some point. Unfortunately, it appears that that’s going to have to wait at least another season.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Sacramento watching the Athletics. Despite all the adversity, the players on the field are still attempting to give it their best effort. While that’s all well and good, it still doesn’t mask the fact that this is a franchise that’s playing in the wrong place. Sacramento, or Las Vegas, is not where this team is meant to be, and everybody except A’s ownership knows that. It’s Oakland that is home. Maybe one day the prodigal son will return, but I wouldn’t count on it. For the sake of the fanbase and the city, however, let’s hope and pray that that miracle comes to fruition.

As you're reading this, I'm probably 36,000 feet above the ground inside an Airbus A321neo that's taking me, alongside my friend and fellow host of Bleav in TCU, Zion Trammell, to San Francisco.

Together, we are embarking on a short, five-day journey around the Bay Area to see all that we can. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Painted Ladies, I'm sure we'll do it all. But those attractions, iconic and beautiful as they may be, are only part of the equation. San Francisco and the areas surrounding it are filled to the brim with baseball. From the Giants to the A's, America's pastime is truly alive in Northern California.

This trip to America's most populous state is the second leg of my summer of baseball that I wrote about several weeks ago. The adventure began in Cleburne about a month ago with the Railroaders of the American Association. Now, after a brief hiatus, the campaign is back on, this time in California.

As I said in that post about the summer of my dreams, there will be frequent posts about this trip on the website over the coming days. It'll start with a trip to Sacramento tomorrow to watch the Athletics play in their temporary digs. Who knows what that place will bring? Probably a whole load of sadness for what should've been in Oakland, if I had to guess. Oh, speaking of which, while it's impossible to attend a Major League Baseball game at the Coliseum now because of John Fisher's ineptitude, it's still possible to stand outside of it and marvel at what once was. I cannot wait for that.

The crown jewel of San Francisco's baseball scene is Oracle Park, though. Set right on the water, the Giants play in one of the most scenic ballparks in the country. The view over right field onto McCovey Cove is one that I've been waiting to see my entire life. And while we won't be in kayaks hoping for a splash hit, we'll be sitting in the stands behind home plate yearning for a good time at the yard.

Whatever else we might do remains a surprise to both you and me. The goal is to have a fun time, and I'm sure we won't have any trouble accomplishing that task.

Up 5-3 with one out in the ninth over LSU, all Arkansas needed was two more outs, and its season would live another day. Just two more outs, and the dream of winning the first national championship in program history would survive.

With runners on first and second, freshman lefty Cole Gibler got the ground ball he desired. Steven Milam punched it straight into the dirt and right at Razorbacks shortstop and SEC Player of the Year Wehiwa Aloy. The tailor-made 6-4-3 double play was on the platter; all Aloy had to do was snatch it up and eat it.

Instead, he decided to throw to third to get the force out at that base, thinking he didn’t have enough time to turn two. Replay proved him wrong, however. The ESPN broadcast repeatedly showed that Aloy had plenty of time—almost eons—to toss the ball to second baseman Cam Kozeal, who then would have had even more time to relay the baseball to first. If that scenario had played out, the game would have been over, and Arkansas would be game-planning for a winner-take-all rematch with the Tigers on Thursday.

It was a foolish mistake, frankly. With Arkansas up by two, the run represented at third if Aloy had just thrown to second wouldn’t have mattered. Sigh. It didn’t happen that way, but the Hogs were still leading and just needed one more out. Only one. How hard could that possibly be?

According to Arkansas left fielder Charles Davalan, incredibly hard. LSU’s cleanup hitter Luis Hernandez, who had come up big in multiple moments for the Tigers throughout the postseason, hit a sinking liner to left, which Davalan misread off the bat. He initially took a couple of steps back, but when he realized the ball had topspin, he frantically attempted to regather himself. It was too late. As he clumsily dove toward the baseball, the ball clanked off his right shoulder and ricocheted toward the foul line. Both runners scored, and Hernandez scampered to second base. Brutal.

As catastrophic as that was, the game was still not over. Yes, the game had been knotted up in devastating fashion, and the air had been sucked out of the Arkansas dugout, but the contest was just tied. If the Hogs could just get—say it with me—one more out, then they’d be heading to extra innings with a chance to redeem themselves.

Head coach Dave Van Horn made the move to the bullpen at this point, pulling Gibler and replacing him with Aiden Jimenez, one of the most trusted relievers Arkansas employs. It would be up to him to retire arguably LSU’s best hitter, Jared Jones, and send the game to extras.

The game plan against Jones seemed clear from the very first pitch: only throw sliders, but don’t give him one that’s too juicy. Jones spat on the first one that was low and took a hack at the second that probably caught a little too much of the plate for Jimenez’s liking. The third missed, setting up a 2-1 pitch that was crucial. Everybody knew it. Land this one for a quality strike, and the two teams were most likely headed to the 10th. Throw it for a ball, and Jones most likely heads to first with a walk, setting up freshman Josh Pearson as the man deciding the fate of the game. But throw it for a less-than-quality strike, and Jones probably smashes it and ends it.

It was the latter scenario that transpired.

Jones hammered a slider that caught too much of the zone right up the middle. Arkansas second baseman and Omaha native Cam Kozeal leaped with all his might to try to grab it, but the ball tipped off the very end of his glove and trickled into center field. Hernandez scampered around third and scored, and LSU was moving on. Arkansas was done, and the curse lived.

Boy, there’s a lot that can be said.

First, Arkansas should have won that game. Aloy should have thrown to second for the double play, and Davalan should have caught the ball in left. If just one of those two things happens, I’m not writing this article right now.

Second, the baseball program in Fayetteville is cursed. Long soliloquies have been written about the collapse in 2018, when that team was just one out away from a national title but failed to catch a foul pop-up and wound up losing instead. That’s just one chapter in the many failures in Omaha, as the Hogs under Van Horn have reached the College World Series eight times since 2004 and have won zero national championships.

Does a team that’s not cursed throw away a perfect opportunity for a game-ending double play? Does a team that hasn’t been bewitched by some ancient coven have a left fielder slip and miss an easy fly ball? Does a team that’s not jinxed continue to falter over and over in the biggest spot in all of college baseball? I don’t think so.

The talent has been there. Arguably the best coach in the sport has been there. The fanbase has been there. Yet, nothing. For all the winning that has happened in Fayetteville over the past two decades, not a single piece of hardware from Omaha is in the trophy case. That hurts. It hurts a ton.

That bottom of the ninth inning will forever taint what was one of the most special groups Arkansas baseball has ever seen. From the top of the order with Davalan to the bottom with Justin Thomas Jr., who put the Hogs ahead in the top half of the ninth with a clutch single, the pieces were there. The pitching was electric, with arms like Zach Root and Gage Wood headlining a staff that certainly had what it took to win it all.

But when everything was said and done, the skeletons in the closet that have haunted the Razorbacks for years emerged once again. When the lights got as bright as they possibly could, Arkansas failed to rise to the occasion. Sloppy, silly mistakes that even a middle school baseball team knows not to make emerged out of nowhere, and before anybody knew it, the season was done, and everybody was sad.

That’s the final word that beckons to me regarding this loss: sadness. Nobody deserves anything, least of all in sports. But Dave Van Horn deserves a title. He’s done everything short of climbing to the top of the college baseball mountain, and I believe there was a large contingent of people who thought that maybe 2025 would be the season that crescendoed an amazing career. And while the roster was amazing and the coaching staff was fantastic, the ending remained the same.

For the 127th year in a row, Arkansas will not win a national championship. And that, my friends, is a real shame.

It only took a little over four months for another professional sports organization to make a baffling trade decision mid-season.

On Sunday afternoon — in the middle of the final round of the U.S. Open, no less — it was reported by multiple sources that the Boston Red Sox were trading away star third baseman/designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.

It’s an epidemic. First, there was Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison shipping away superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a return that, while including another star in Anthony Davis, was lackluster at best given Dončić’s proven capabilities. Then, there’s the Devers deal, which similarly shocked the baseball world to its core.

The Red Sox’s gripes with Devers over the past several months have been well documented. Ever since they signed Alex Bregman late in spring training to take over third base duties, you could cut the tension within the organization with a knife. Devers, the team’s longtime third baseman, didn’t want to relinquish his fielding duties, despite the fact that Bregman was far and away the better defender. As such, Devers voluntarily sat out most of spring training, making the transition to the regular season all the harder. He had an abysmal start to the season but has since turned a corner and was slashing .272/.401/.504 (.905 OPS) prior to the trade on Sunday afternoon.

Just like the Dončić trade, it’s the timing of the transaction that has everybody scratching their heads. Boston’s struggles to start the 2025 season had put them in an early hole, but a hot last couple of weeks, including a sweep of the rival Yankees over the weekend, had propelled them back over .500. Things were appearing to be on the rise. Then, bang. Devers was gone, and the air had been sucked out of the room.

But why? Why trade the franchise cornerstone and sole remaining member of the 2018 team that won the World Series? What’s the upside?

Well, the main benefit from a Red Sox perspective is the offloading of a massive contract. Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension back in January 2023 that, at the time, was viewed as a step in the right direction by Boston’s front office, which had a bad habit of shipping away franchise-altering players, like Mookie Betts, to slim down the payroll. It appears that bad habits die hard, though, and the Red Sox seem to have facilitated a trade for that very reason once again, as the Giants absorbed the remaining money left on the contract.

Before going any further, I need to clarify something. This piece is not about Rafael Devers. No, this piece is about Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy.

Breslow is Boston’s chief baseball officer and the man in charge of player personnel, while Kennedy is the president and CEO. These two (mostly Breslow), as the headline suggests, are Nico Harrison’s clones. On Monday afternoon, Breslow and Kennedy held a joint press conference to address the Devers trade. And just like the press conference that Harrison put on the day following Dončić’s departure to Los Angeles, this meeting with the media was an abject disaster. So, from here on out, I’m going to sprinkle in some words of wisdom (sarcastic) from Breslow and Kennedy.

Here’s what Kennedy had to say after he was asked why the Red Sox keep trading generational talents like Betts and Devers:

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It is hard to get 27 outs in a baseball game, especially at the highest levels of collegiate and professional ball. Hitters are just too skilled and composed to make it easy. So, when one pitcher gets all 27 outs on his own, that’s a big deal. It becomes an even bigger moment when that pitcher accomplishes the incredible feat of getting all those outs without allowing a single hit. That, my friends, is what we call special in the baseball world.

That special circumstance came to fruition yesterday afternoon in Omaha, when Arkansas’ Gage Wood did what few have ever done: throw a no-hitter in the College World Series.

Nine innings, 119 pitches, 19 strikeouts, no runs, and no hits.

A no-hitter in an elimination game in the College World Series? That’s right. Arkansas’ season continues because of what Wood did yesterday afternoon. Here are my thoughts on Arkansas’ 3–0 victory over Murray State.

The Game

If not for a hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning, Wood would have thrown a perfect game.

Everything was working for the right-hander. His fastball, which he throws about 60% of the time, was electric. Murray State hitters consistently swung underneath it, as the late rising action caught them by surprise over and over. Here are some statistics that show just how fantastic that pitch was for him last night, courtesy of Mike Monaco:

• 58 of 71 fastballs landed for strikes (82%)

• The fastball generated 25 whiffs on 45 swings (56%)

• Of the 27 outs he recorded, 18 came via the fastball

• 13 of his 19 strikeouts were generated by the fastball

He was throwing that pitch out of his mind yesterday. Nobody — absolutely nobody — was going to hit Gage Wood’s fastball. With the way it was dancing, not even the best in the big leagues could have made a dent (only somewhat hyperbolic).

His fastball-first mentality allowed him to mix in his off speed pitches effectively, particularly his curveball, which left several batters completely confused. While not many will remember Wood’s performance for the curveball, it was just as crucial in getting the job done.

Wood set down the first 21 hitters he faced, making it appear effortless. At one point during that stretch, he struck out seven batters in a row, all while reportedly battling an emerging blister.

Let’s dive into the details. As he went through the Murray State batting order for the first time, he struck out five of the nine hitters. The second time through was just as breezy, with Wood striking out all three hitters at the top of the order — Jonathan Hogart, Dustin Mercer, and Carson Garner — in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, he recorded two more strikeouts, both looking, with a groundout ending the streak of seven consecutive strikeouts.

The perfect game continued until the eighth, when Dominic Decker, the first hitter of the inning, was hit in the foot by Wood’s first poor breaking pitch of the day. With that, the perfect game was gone, but the no-hitter remained intact. Wood didn’t let it faze him, however, as he secured three more outs in the inning, the final two via swinging strikeouts.

Now, it was on to the ninth. The situation became dicey when Wood hit the leadoff hitter, Nico Bermeo, in the elbow with two strikes. The Razorbacks argued that Bermeo leaned into thepitch, meaning it should have been called a strike and Bermeo should have been out. To most, including ESPN’s broadcasters, there didn’t seem to be enough evidence to overturn the call. Fortunately for the Hogs, the replay command center in Pittsburgh saw it differently and ruled that Bermeo had stuck his elbow out. One down.

That brought Conner Cunningham, Wood’s longtime friend and high school teammate from Batesville, Arkansas, to the plate. Wood and Cunningham train together in the offseason, and their bond is strong, which made the ensuing strikeout all the more cathartic. Two down.

The final batter was perhaps the best hitter in Murray State’s lineup: Jonathan Hogart. The fifth-year senior had been the leader for the Racers all season and was a tough out. Wood missed with the first pitch but got Hogart to foul off the second, evening the count at one ball and one strike. The third pitch was a beauty — a fastball at the bottom of the zone for strike two. With the crowd on its feet and America in awe, Wood delivered his 119th pitch of the afternoon, a 97 MPH fastball at the top of the strike zone that Hogart had no chance of hitting. He swung, he missed, and Charles Schwab Field erupted.

Gage Wood had thrown a no-hitter — with 19 strikeouts (!) — and Arkansas was still alive.

The History

The last time someone threw a no-hitter in the College World Series was in 1960, when Oklahoma State’s Jim Wixson accomplished the feat. Before that, only one other pitcher, Texas’ Jim Ehlers, did it in 1950. That’s it — just those three special men.

Wood also broke the record for the most strikeouts in a game by an Arkansas pitcher with his 19 punchouts, surpassing Razorback legends Hagan Smith (2024) and Jess Todd (2007), who each struck out 17. When you’re one strikeout shy of tying the Major League record of 20, you’ve done something truly special.

Only 10 other Razorback pitchers have thrown a solo no-hitter in the program’s history. Without further research, I’m confident that Wood’s was by far the most dominant and impressive. There’s no doubt it was the most important, as without it, Arkansas would be packing its bags and heading back to Fayetteville.

The Significance

Arkansas will play tonight against UCLA, who just lost to LSU in a game that lasted until this morning due to inclement weather in the Omaha area.

The extra life the Razorbacks have been granted is solely due to Wood’s performance. The offense, which had been one of the nation’s best before arriving in Nebraska, has vanished over the past two games. Murray State’s zero runs against Wood allowed the offense to coast. Anything more than zero would have sufficed, and that’s a massive credit to the pitcher on the mound for the Hogs. For that alone, the entire lineup owes Wood a beer.

Hopefully, the offense figures it out soon, and the pitching staff won’t need otherworldly efforts to carry the team to victory. It sounds ludicrous, but after Wood’s no-hitter, I couldn’t help but wish the lineup had produced its usual output against LSU, potentially sending Arkansas to the bracket final instead. Alas, that’s not the case, and Arkansas still needs three more wins to reach the College World Series Final.

Commentary abounds about Arkansas’ struggle to win a national baseball title. For a program as successful as it has been over the last 25 years under Dave Van Horn, the failure to claim a championship remains baffling. Year after year, the talent in Fayetteville has been there, but it hasn’t happened. While the journey is far from over, Gage Wood did all he could to keep the dream alive for another day.

There’s no certainty about how much longer Arkansas will stay alive in this College World Series. A loss to UCLA tonight could end it, leaving us empty despite Wood’s historic performance. Or maybe the Hogs continue to plow through the competition on their way toward a championship. Nothing is out of the question, but one thing is indisputable: Arkansas must keep winning.

Well, that wasn’t ideal.

Arkansas’ inaugural game in the College World Series was a pitcher’s duel that did not go its way. While the arms were solid overall for the Hogs, the bats that had been alive for the entirety of the season fell silent at the absolute worst moment. As such, the Razorbacks will now have to trek their way through the loser’s bracket if they want to win their first national title in school history.

We all knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. The Arkansas baseball program has seemingly been snakebitten for its entire existence, so getting over the hump and achieving the ultimate goal was always going to take an otherworldly effort. It’s safe to say that that didn’t happen last night in Omaha.

Here are my thoughts from LSU 4, Arkansas 1.

The Root Cause

Zach Root just didn’t have his best stuff yesterday evening. While his first inning was a breeze as he got through the top of the LSU order without any damage, it was the second frame that ultimately was his demise.

It started off innocently enough with a dominant strikeout of the Tigers’ cleanup hitter Steven Milam. A walk to Luis Hernandez on four pitches then opened the door for disaster, with another free pass to Derek Curiel, which came after he started the at-bat with two consecutive strikes, further complicating the situation. Not everything was lost at that point, but when Daniel Dickinson laid down a perfect bunt down the third base side for a single to load the bases, it was officially time to be alarmed.

The next three batters all drove in runs for LSU. Chris Stanfield laced a single to left field to score the Tigers’ first run. Michael Braswell III was hit on his back foot with the bases loaded to make it 2-0, and then Josh Pearson beat out a potential double play ball to keep the inning alive and also plate another run. The score was 3-0, and Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn had seen enough. Root had only thrown 38 pitches, but he was done, as Van Horn turned to the bullpen to try and get out of the jam.

To say that Root’s performance was disappointing would be an understatement. There were a lot of superlatives thrown around describing this game in the last week, with the pitching matchup between Root and LSU ace and potential number one overall pick Kade Anderson being the top among them. Only half of that equation lived up to their potential, with Anderson throwing seven innings of one-run baseball against an Arkansas lineup that led all power conferences in runs per game.

While Root didn’t need to be perfect, he definitely needed to be on his A-game. The second Van Horn realized he wasn’t, he called an audible, which, admittedly, ended up being the correct call due to what his replacement ended up accomplishing.

Magnificent Gaeckle

If there’s any silver lining to last night’s effort, it’s Gabe Gaeckle. After Root exited, Gaeckle got out of the trouble he was thrown into and proceeded to provide the Hogs with six innings of excellent pitching out of the ‘pen. He struck out 10 — at one point he fanned five Tigers hitters in a row — and landed 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes. Only one run crossed the plate while he was on the hill as he did an excellent job of keeping Arkansas in the game.

Gaeckle’s journey this season has truly been tumultuous. From starting the year in the weekend rotation to being bumped out of it after several disappointing performances in April, he’s overcome a ton of adversity. Ever since that transition to the bullpen, which occurred after a start against Georgia on April 12 that saw him give up five runs through just two innings, Gaeckle’s been fantastic. Including last night against LSU, he’s only allowed six runs since that fateful game in April. Outstanding stuff.

It’s a shame that his efforts couldn’t be rewarded with a comeback victory. It’s the least that the rest of the team could’ve done.

Offensive Malpractice

Of all the times for the Arkansas bats to fall silent, last night might’ve been the absolute worst moment.

The Razorbacks recorded just four hits against LSU pitching, with Charles Davalan, Wehiwa Aloy, Cam Kozeal, and Reese Robinett all delivering one base knock apiece. Robinett’s lone hit of the night resulted in Arkansas’ lone run of the evening, when he smashed a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Other than that, there was nothing. The pitching trio of Anderson, Chase Shores, and Casan Evans had Arkansas off balance and uncomfortable all night. Any adjustments that the hitters attempted to make fell flat over and over again as the Tigers continued to pour quality strikes into the zone. To see a potent offense completely fall on its face for three hours was certainly not a pleasant sight for any Arkansas fan.

Last night’s lackluster effort at the plate continued a trend for the Razorbacks’ bats in Omaha. Dating back to 2022, the most recent instance that the team made it to the College World Series, the Hogs have scored just four runs over their last 27 innings at Charles Schwab Stadium. In the words of Josh Teeter on X, “That’s rough.”

Six of the hitters in Arkansas’ lineup last night have a batting average of at least .300, with three of those players having one that’s .345 or higher. If last night’s game was the first Arkansas baseball game you’ve watched all season, then you’d have no idea that that was the case and that this offense was as awesome as it actually is. And frankly, that’s a real shame.

Backs Against the Wall

Only 12 teams have ever gone on to win the College World Series after losing their first game in Omaha, with one of those schools being the Oregon State squad that beat the Razorbacks in the CWS Final in 2018. There’s no doubt that the odds are against them, but that’s how it’s always been for Arkansas baseball. Now would be as good a time as ever to buck the trends and come out on the other side victorious.

A date with Murray State, the Cinderella of this year’s tournament, awaits on Monday afternoon. Win that, and Arkansas lives another day to face LSU or UCLA. Lose, and the questions about whether this program can actually win it all will persist at least another year.

Getting out of the loser’s bracket shouldn’t be that difficult of a task, all things considered. Murray State’s a great story, sure, but Arkansas is far and away the more complete team. From there, my confidence in the Hogs either beating UCLA or getting revenge over LSU is honestly fairly high. This offense can’t be kept quiet for the entirety of their stay in Omaha. There’s just no way. Right?

Getting to the College World Series Final is an entirely different story. Triumphing over whoever comes out of the winner’s bracket twice will be tough and is improbable. But that’s what happens when you start off arguably the biggest College World Series in your school’s history on the back foot.