Live updates: 2025 Men's College World Series
🐯 LSU DRAWS FIRST BLOOD | Top 2: LSU 3, ARK 0
The Tigers are the first team to get on the board, scoring three in the second inning and ending Arkansas' Zach Root's day.
LSU's xxxx stretch started with one out. Root consecutively walked catcher Luis Hernandez and left fielder Derek Curiel, and allowed back-to-back singles to shortstop Daniel Dickinson and center fielder Chris Stanfield — the latter was an RBI.
Stanny puts the Tigers in front!
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball)
📺 ESPN
Matters turned from bad to worse for Root, hitting third baseman Michael Braswell III, which resulted in a run and right fielder Josh Pearson's fielder's choice groundout that led to another.
Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn pulled Root after that, tying the right-hander for the shortest start of his career. Frustrated with his performance, Root shook his head multiple times as we walked to the dugout. Right-handed reliever Gabe Gaeckle got LSU designated hitter Ethan Frey to ground out to third to end the inning.
LSU is 31-7 when it scores first this season.
📝 Lineups for Arkansas - LSU
The Razorbacks and Tigers are minutes away from the first pitch.
Here are the lineups for each team.
ARKANSAS
Tonight’s starters in Omaha 🐗
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB)
LSU
Let’s Ride
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball)
⚾️ Arkansas' Zach Root, LSU's Kade Anderson pitch grips
Ahead of the SEC showdown, starting pitchers and lefty aces for both teams in Arkansas' Zach Root and LSU's Kade Anderson broke down their pitch grips during the MCWS media days.
Below is a look at each player's arsenal and the thoughts behind it.
Razorbacks' Zach Root
Zach Root's pitch grips ⚾️ x
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
Tigers' Kade Anderson
Kade Anderson's pitch grips ⚾️ x
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
🍿 Arkansas - LSU starting in less than 45 minutes
The most anticipated first-round matchup of the MCWS is almost here.
Arkansas and LSU, the top two national seeds remaining, will battle at 7 p.m. ET in hopes of facing UCLA on Monday. The two met during the regular season, where the Tigers won the series 2-1.
Expect Charles Schwab Field to be flooded in cardinal-and-white and purple-and-gold.
🐻 UCLA BEATS MURRAY STATE | FINAL: UCLA 6, MUR 4
The Bruins downed Murray State, 6-4, after a hot start and a four-run fourth inning to improve UCLA to 6-0 in the ɬַ tournament.
They jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after a bases-loaded walk in the first and an RBI single in the second, taking advantage of Racers' right-hander Nic Shutte's early lack of control.
The Bruins broke the game open in the fourth — a rally that started with back-to-back one-out singles followed by a sacrifice bunt that scored a run. The next three batters got on, leading to an RBI single and a two-run RBI double.
Murray State started to chip away at the deficit, scoring a run in the top of the fifth to end the Bruins' shutout streak at 11.2 innings. They added another run in the sixth and two more in the eighth to make it a two-run game heading into the ninth. But the Racers couldn't complete the comeback, leaving nine runners on base and going just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the loss.
That's some Bruin baseball! 🐻 x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
UCLA moves on to face the winner of tonight's matchup between LSU vs. Arkansas on Monday night. Murray State drops into the elimination bracket and will face the loser of tonight's game on Monday afternoon.
Notable performances:
- A. Salgado, RF, UCLA: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI
- R. Martin, 3B, UCLA: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
- M. Barnett, P, UCLA: 4.2 IP, 4 K
- D. Tauken, LF, MUR: 1-for-2, RBI, 2B
RACERS CUT UCLA'S LEAD TO 2️⃣ | Top 8: UCLA 6, MUR 4
Murray State hasn't gone away just yet,
Like the last two innings, the Racers started the frame with back-to-back singles. They scored one in the sixth, but left both runners on base in the seventh. Murray State has left nine runners on base in the game.
They were able to get over the hump in the eighth, though, scoring both runs to make it a 6-4 contest.
14 teams have overcome a six-plus run deficit to win a MCWS game.
👀 MURRAY STATE ADDS ANOTHER | Top 6: UCLA 6, MUR 2
The Racers are slowly chipping away at the Bruins' lead, cutting it to a four-run deficit in the sixth.
Hitting back-to-back singles to start the frame by first baseman Luke Mistone and catcher Will Vierling, Dan Tauken collected an RBI sacrifice fly to left center.
Murray State has just one win this season after trailing by five or more runs. Since 2009, no team has overcome a six-run deficit in the MCWS.
🔥 RACERS ON THE BOARD | Top 5: UCLA 6, MUR 1
Murray State has scored its first run of the contest, breaking up UCLA's shutout streak at 11.2 innings.
The Racers did it all with two outs in the fifth. Center fielder Jonathan Hogart's single up the middle and Dustin Mercer's walk, setting the table for third baseman Carson Garner's RBI single to right field.
History MADE. ✍️ x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
They nearly added to the lead with second baseman Dominic Decker's slicing line drive to left, but Dean West made a diving catch to end the inning.
"GO GET IT YOUNG MAN!" 👏 x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
😬 BRUINS BREAK THE GAME OPEN | Bot 4: UCLA 6, MUR 0
UCLA tripled its lead in the fourth, scoring four runs and taking a 6-0 lead.
Following Cashel Dugger's lineout to center to start the frame, the Bruins caught fire at the plate. Four of the next five hitters would reach base by either hit by pitch, single or double.
The mashing began with consecutive singles by Phoenix Call and Dean West. Shortstop Roch Cholowsky scored Call on a sacrifice bunt and moved West to second. Mulivai Levu was hit by a pitch and third baseman Roman Martin singled to center to score West. Right fielder AJ Salgado then brought in Levu and Martin with a two-RBI double.
6 RUN LEAD FOR THE BRUINS 😤 x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
🫨 Over the shoulder catch saves runs | Bot 2: UCLA 2, MUR 0
With two outs and runners on first and third, UCLA designated hitter Blake Balsz gave a 2-0 pitch a ride to deep left center. The team's longest hit ball of the game, the Bruins were nearing a 4-0 lead and their second double of the game.
That's when left fielder Dan Tauken made the best catch of the MCWS yet, an over-the-shoulder grab at the warning track to stop UCLA from breaking the game wide open.
Racers reel it in 🎣 x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
❗️UCLA TAKES 2-0 LEAD | Top 2: UCLA 2, MUR 0
The Bruins tacked on another run in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead.
Catcher Cashel Dugger hit his fifth double of the season to left center and second baseman Phoenix Call moved him over to third with a sacrifice bunt.
Left fielder Dean West singled to right during the next at-bat to bring in Dugger, but was thrown out by right fielder Dustin Mercer at first after rounding the bag too hard.
Dean doubles the lead 💪 // ESPN
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball)
😅 SHUTTE ALLOWS ONLY ONE AFTER ROUGH START | Top 1: UCLA 1, MUR 0
The Bruins jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, but Murray State right-hander Nic Shutte quickly found the zone afterwards and kept it at a one-run contest.
UCLA capitalized on Shutte's lack of control early with two walks to start the inning. First baseman Mulivai Levu hit a line drive single to load the bases with zero outs, and Shutte walked in a run to hand the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
That brings in the first run on the board for the Bruins! x 🎥 ESPN /
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
Shutte locked in after the rough start, striking out the next two batters and forcing a ground out to get out of the jam.
UCLA is 26-1 this season when scoring first and 18-2 when scoring in the first inning — the best in DI.
📝 Lineups for UCLA - Murray State
UCLA and Murray State are minutes away from the first pitch. Here are the lineups for both teams:
UCLA
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 👇
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball)
📺ʱ
📻
📊
Murray State
Our lineup vs UCLA 🏇
— Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball)
Day 2️⃣ of MCWS starting soon, Murray State recreates 🏈 celebration
Day 2 of the 2025 Men's College World Series is starting soon, with UCLA versus Murray State kicking it off.
The Bruins return to Omaha for the first time since their national championship win in 2013. A national seed, UCLA went 5-0 in the regionals and super regionals combined. The Racers have become this year's Cinderella team, making the MCWS for the first time in program history and the fourth-ever regional No. 4 seed since the current tournament format was established.
The second game will feature Arkansas and LSU at 7 p.m. ET, a battle between the top remaining national seeds.
Racers recreate football selection show celebration
During the ɬַ baseball tournament's selection show, Murray State had a celebration to remember.
When the camera panned to the Racers, the team immediately broke into an offensive line stance, hiked the imaginary ball and blocked their made-believe defensive assignments.
Ahead of the MCWS, the group recreated it and revealed how the idea came about.
“We’ve got to be different, it’s been 20 years” 🤣
— ɬַ Baseball (@ɬַBaseball)
Murray State players explain and recreate their football celebration 🏈 x