The 2025 Men’s College World Series kicked off Friday, with No. 13 Coastal Carolina earning the first win of the tournament over Arizona and No. 8 Oregon State outlasting Louisville in the late game.
Oregon State 4, Louisville 3
Oregon State had a win in hand entering the ninth inning — and didn’t let some misadventures stop them from advancing in the winner’s bracket.
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Gavin Turley hit a walk-off double to give his team a 4-3 win after the Beavers blew a two-run lead in the top of the ninth. Aiva Arquette, one of the top prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft, set it up with a one-out single, then motored first-to-home on Turley’s line drive into left field.
Turley and Arquette were the heroes of the bottom of the ninth and the goats of the top. Defensive blunders from both players allowed Louisville to tie the game, with a missed dive from Turley turning into a triple and a bad throw from Arquette giving the Cardinals another man on third, who later scored.
The miscues nearly spoiled a great outing from star freshman Dax Whitney, who struck out nine across 5 1/3 innings while allowing three hits and a single run. The lanky right-hander with big heat and a bigger curveball outlasted the Cardinals’ Patrick Forbes in a battle of future MLB Draft picks.
Whitney was ranked as the No. 56 prospect of the 2024 MLB Draft by MLB Pipeline. The No. 57 prospect, Boston Bateman, got $2.5 million from the San Diego Padres. Whitney has more than helped his stock this season and now projects as a future first-round pick after earning second-team Freshman All-America honors.
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Curiously, the first 15 hits of this game were all singles, with Rose getting the first extra-base hit of the game with his leadoff triple in the ninth inning.
The Beavers got their first runs when they opened the bottom of the fourth with four straight singles. Louisville got one run back in the sixth with its own rally but then handed Oregon State an insurance run when shortstop Alex Alicea booted a potential double-play ball with the bases loaded.
With the victory, Oregon State advances to face Coastal Carolina in the next round, while Louisville will get Arizona in the loser’s bracket on Sunday.
Coastal Carolina 7, Arizona 4
The Chanticleers, who came into the CWS with the best record in Division I, overcame a 4-4 tie with a few clutch doubles in the bottom of the eighth to keep their 24-game winning streak alive.
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It was a quiet first inning for both teams. But in the second inning, Coastal Carolina had a huge opportunity, loading the bases off a muffed infield catch by Arizona pitcher Owen Kramkowski. Outfielder Wells Sykes took advantage, hitting a two-run single to put the Chanticleers on the board.
Arizona came alive in the top of the fourth, starting with a solo homer from shortstop Mason White. Then the Wildcats hit back-to-back doubles, sending catcher Adonys Guzman home to tie the game 2-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, a single from Chanticleers right fielder Blagen Pado sent second baseman Blake Barthol home for a 3-2 lead.
Coastal Carolina is known for getting hit by pitches; the team has been hit by an NCAA-leading 170 pitches this season. But in the sixth inning, it was Arizona who took advantage of getting hit. Chanticleers reliever Cameron Flukey hit three batters, allowing the Wildcats to load the bases and score a game-tying run before they recorded an out.
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Then a grounder from second baseman Garen Caulfield sent White home to give Arizona a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Chanticleers catcher Caden Bodine drove in a run to make it 4-4.
The two teams stayed locked in a tie for the next two innings off some strong defensive play, with Flukey settling in. In the bottom of the eighth, with the Chanticleers sitting on two outs, it looked like the game would come down to the final inning. Then Coastal Carolina’s offense broke through.
It started with Sykes getting on second on a hit that landed right on the line. Left fielder Sebastian Alexander then hit an RBI single to send Sykes home for a 5-4 lead. Another huge double from Barthol sent Alexander and Bodine, who was intentionally walked, home to give the Chanticleers a 7-4 lead heading into the ninth.
Arizona wasn’t done yet, as designated hitter Andrew Cain earned a double with some bold running, and first baseman Tommy Splaine got a base hit. But a huge double-play ended the game and sent Coastal Carolina to the winners’ bracket.
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Jell-O Shot challenge update
The men’s College World Series has one of the most entertaining side plots of any NCAA championship: the Jell-O shot competition at Rocco’s, where patrons compete annually to see which school’s fan base can consume the most Jell-O shots.
LSU, which set the record with 68,888 Jell-O shots purchased in 2023, is off to an early lead after the first day of the MCWS, with a monstrous 4,410 shots as of 10 p.m. CT. That tally is far ahead of last year’s pace, setting LSU up for another record victory.
However, Murray State and Coastal Carolina are also on a roll, coming in at 2,180 and 1,753 shots, respectively, after a back-and-forth Friday.
Regardless of who wins, all three schools are currently on pace to break LSU’s 2023 record.
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