5 men’s NCAA baseball tournament players to watch
The Mongomery Advertiser’s Adam Cole and The Tennesseean’s Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men’s NCAA baseball tournament.
The field is set for the 2025 College World Series, with eight remaining teams vying for the national championship trophy.
For the first time since 1957, there aren’t any repeat teams in Omaha, as none of the eight teams went to the College World Series a year ago and three did not even qualify for the NCAA tournament. The field is also represented by teams from six different conferences and one independent, the most since 2003.
Bracket 1, which begins play June 13, will feature Oregon State facing Louisville and Coastal Carolina taking on Arizona. Bracket 2 will start June 14 and includes UCLA against Murray State and Arkansas vs. LSU. All games are played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
Here is the biggest strength and weakness of every team in Omaha:
Arizona
Biggest strength: The bullpen. Closer Tony Pluta set the school’s single-season saves record with 14 and has a 1.26 ERA, but he’s not the only one. Hunter Alberini averages 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings and while he’s also been used as a starter, Raul Garayzar has a 2.81 ERA across 57â…” innings.
Biggest weakness: Lineup depth. The Wildcats’ middle of the order has three very good bats in Mason White, Brendan Summerhill and Aaron Walton. But nobody outside of those three has an on-base plus slugging (OPS) over .900.
Arkansas
Biggest strength: Well-roundedness. Arkansas is the only team in the country in the top 10 nationally in both ERA and OPS. The ability to win games in multiple ways has benefited the Razorbacks in the postseason.
Biggest weakness: Does this offense work in Omaha? Arkansas runs a very power-oriented attack, and teams with that sort of offense sometimes struggle at the cavernous Charles Schwab Field. The Razorbacks’ offense isn’t built for playing small ball.
Coastal Carolina
Biggest strength: Pitching. Coastal Carolina is second in the country in team ERA. The Chanticleers have a whopping nine pitchers with at least 20 innings and an ERA below 4.00, including all three starters and relief aces Ryan Lynch and Dominic Carbone.
Biggest weakness: Offensive firepower. Coastal Carolina’s 66 home runs lag behind the other teams in Omaha. Just two players have a slugging percentage over .500 and nobody has an OPS over 1.000.
Louisville
Biggest strength: Small ball. Louisville’s offensive attack is a good fit for the ballpark. The Cardinals’ 15.3% team strikeout rate is the lowest among teams in Omaha and their 155 steals are 49 more than any other College World Series team.
Biggest weakness: Pitching staff walks. Louisville’s team walk rate of 13.4% was the highest of any team that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
LSU
Biggest strength: Top-end pitching. LSU’s top two starters (Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson) and top two relievers (Zac Cowan and Casan Evans) are difficult to beat.
Biggest weakness: Pitching depth. Beyond its top four, none of the Tigers’ other pitchers have ERAs below 4.00, and most of them have very elevated walk rates. If LSU falls into the losers bracket it could mean trouble.
Murray State
Biggest strength: Doubles power. Murray State is tied for second in the country with 148 doubles, something it should be able to take advantage of at Charles Schwab Field.
Biggest weakness: Pitching. The Racers have just a 1.82 strikeout-to-walk ratio and they are the only team in Omaha without a pitcher who has at least 20 innings pitched and an ERA below 4.00.
Oregon State
Biggest strength: Drawing walks. Oregon State’s offense draws walks at a 14.3% clip, 10th in the country and highest of the teams still remaining.
Biggest weakness: Lack of small ball. Despite the Beavers’ ability to draw walks, they don’t tend to push the pace on the bases. Their 36 steals are the fewest of any team remaining.
UCLA
Biggest strength: A star player. UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky leads all players in Omaha in home runs (23) and OPS (1.235), and he does it all while playing shortstop every day. Cholowsky has the chance to make himself a household name.
Biggest weakness: Lack of pitching strikeouts. UCLA’s pitching staff has a strikeout rate of just 20.3%, the lowest in the field. Could a lack of dominance be an issue when facing top-tier teams every game?
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.