Louisville Regional

Covered by Rhys White

Eddie King Jr., RF Louisville - 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI

The second straight day with two home runs in the Louisville regional, and boy, this one didn't change anything. Louisville ended up losing this one 9-6. Eddie King Jr. was the offense in this one, and frankly, he has been one of the hottest hitters in the country, as he has hit his third home run in the college postseason. Louisville has not been in the College World Series since 2019, which, for a program as historically strong as they have been, is far too long. We shall see tomorrow if Louisville can get back or not.

Jake Ogden, SS Miami - 3-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI 

Max Galvin, LF Miami - 2-for-5, 2B, R

Daniel Cuvet, 3B Miami - 1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI

Jake Ogden was the straw that stirred the drink for Miami in this one, getting on base and being a general problem. He also hit a homer in the 4th inning. Then there is Max Galvin, who is becoming a problem for Louisville as he continues to have multi-hit outings for Miami. Today there wasn’t as much offensive impact as there was yesterday, but the two-hole hitter continues to make contact and keep the offense moving. Then there is the star sophomore Daniel Cuvet, who ended up scoring and driving in the final runs that Miami needed to bring this game to a decisive game three. What is the saying, "Big time players make big time plays," and well, that is what Cuvet did in this one. I am excited to follow him in the 2026 draft class, because let’s be real, we are all kind of over the 2025 draft class and are dreaming of what a good draft class may look like.

Baton Rouge Regional

Covered by Max Ellingsen

Derek Curiel, LF LSU - 3-3, HR, 3R, 5 RBI, BB

Curiel had the first of many big hits for LSU in Saturday’s game, giving the Tigers their first lead of the day with a three run homer that snuck out down the left field line. Driving in two more runs on the day, Curiel finished the series opener with a massive day at the plate that helped propel the Tigers to 16 runs on the day. Curiel, having just recently turned 20 years old, was one of LSU’s bigger recruits from last offseason and has been a key cog in this lineup all season. With premiere OBP skills and solid defense out in left, Curiel is positioning himself well for the 2026 draft where he’ll be eligible as a sophomore. If he can sort out his left-on-left woes (his homer today was against a lefty), he’ll vault his way up draft boards in no time.

Steven Milam, SS LSU - 1-3, HR, 2R, 4 RBI, 2 BB

Steven Milam might only be a 20 year old sophomore, but he plays the game of baseball like a 10 year vet. Manning the six for LSU, Milam came through with a massive grand slam in the 5th inning to kick off what would eventually become a seven run inning, largely putting the game out of reach for the Mountaineers. Reaching base three times on the day, Milam made up for a pair of errors in the field with his steadying presence in the middle of the lineup. It’s not everyday you see a 5-8 shortstop hitting in the five hole and popping a grand slam out to the opposite field, but for Monster Milam, it’s just another day of playoff baseball.

Josh Pearson, RF LSU - 2-5, HR, 2R, 4 RBI

Josh Pearson saw how much fun Steven Milam had with his grand slam and decided he’d give that a try himself. Launching a pull side flyball out to right field in the sixth, Pearson was the primary weapon in LSU’s six run inning that slammed the door after WVU’s four run top half. LSU posted 13 runs in the 5th and 6th innings combined, a total that even a red hot West Virginia lineup could not match with their 27 outs. If LSU can maintain a similar level of offense the rest of the way, they're going to be incredibly hard to beat. Kade Anderson and company didn’t have their best stuff today and got hit around quite a bit, but I’ll bet on this LSU pitching staff any day of the week.

Kyle West, LF WVU - 2-5, HR, 2R, 2RBI

Sam White, DH WVU - 3-5, 3R

Gavin Kelly, 2B WVU - 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB

Though West Virginia wasn’t able to get it done today, their three, four, and five hitters in West, White, and Kelly were determined to go down fighting. Scoring six of the team’s nine runs and totaling all but three of their hits on the day, the heart of the Mountaineer lineup certainly held up their end of the bargain. It was clear the Mountaineer pitching was outclassed in Saturday’s bout, however it was ultimately encouraging to see the West Virginia offense tag Kade Anderson for seven runs on the day and continue to add on even though the game was well out of reach. This team absolutely refuses to quit, and I can’t imagine they’ll do anything different come game two.

FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL 

By James Weisser

Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas - 7 IP, H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HRA (92 pitches) 

The best pitcher on one of the best teams in the country showed on Saturday that he deserves to be considered as a potential late first round pick thanks to his ability to deliver in big games as he tossed 7 strong innings allowing just one hit and one earned run. In the first inning he quickly retired Gavin Kilen on a 94 mph fastball which resulted in a groundout to second base. Root then retired Andrew Fischer on a hanging 80 mph curveball that Fischer drove almost 400 feet to the warning track in center field, retiring 2 big bats on just two pitches. He retired the final batter looking to end the inning on an 82 mph curveball, needing just 6 pitches to retire the side. His fastball sat 94-95 mph. He led off the second inning with a strikeout looking on a fastball painted on the outside corner, and then retired Dean Curley on a ground ball to the shortstop on an 83 mph curveball. Root ended the second inning on another ground out. In the third inning he retired the side on 10 pitches working his way through the Tennessee lineup for the first time retiring all 9 batters on 29 total pitches, while striking out two. In the fourth inning Gavin Kilen led off for a second time and grounded out to second base once again on a fastball (93 mph). Facing Andrew Fischer for the second time Root once again started off the at bat with a curveball this time for a called strike one, then fell behind 3-1 before getting Fischer to swing and miss on an elevated fastball, and then reached back for a 98 mph fastball that got Fischer swinging for strike three. To end the fourth he threw a 99 mph fastball that Hunter Ensley hit out to the warning track in right field to end the inning with Root being perfect through four. In the top of the fifth inning, Dalton Bargo reached on a line drive off the first baseman's glove which was ruled an error, followed by a homerun by Dean Curley on a 3-2 80 mph cutter that hung over the outside part of the plate. He would then strike out the next batter, a lefty on an outside 80 mph cutter, helping to show his confidence in that same pitch, and later ended the inning with the cutter painting the outside corner to a righty, giving him four strikeouts through the first five innings with just one hit allowed. In the sixth inning he got a quick first out and would then face Gavin Kilen for a third time. Root came close to striking him out trying to paint the corners with two strikes but ended up walking Kilen, and then fell behind 3-0 to Andrew Fischer before getting him to ground out into a 4-6-3 inning ending double play on a 96 mph fastball. Root would come out for the seventh, retire 3 of the 4 batters, one via strikeout, walked Dean Curley, and ended the inning on a fly out to finish the day with 92 pitches while punching out six.

Dean Curley, 2B, Tennessee - 1-for-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB

Curley has been solid but not spectacular this season and that's hurt his draft stock a bit but in Game one Curley helped show why he has a good chance to go near the back end of the first round on Day one as he reached base twice. In the top of the fifth inning with a man on first and no outs Curley showed a patient approach taking the first five pitches before blasting 393 foot homerun to left center field on a 3-2, 80 mph cutter on the outside part of the plate to help put Tennessee up 2-1. It was Curley's 14th home run of the year. In his next, and final at bat he drew a walk on four pitches. 

Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas - 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, K

Helfrick has been streaky all season but now just like the weather Helfrick has started heating up. He homered in 5 of his last 22 at bats heading into today's game and had a slash line of .329/.449/.647, good for an OPS of 1.096, and continues to make a strong case to go in the 50 picks. In Game one on Saturday in the bottom of the fifth inning with a man on and two outs with Arkansas trailing 2-1 Helfrick crushed an 83 mph hanging slider to left field to put Arkansas up 3-2. The home run was Helfrick's 14th of the year and biggest home run with the Razorbacks.

Andrew Fischer, 1B, Tennessee - 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI, K

Fischer has been a force all season long putting up a slash line of .343-.500-.762 helping to earn him serious first round consideration. Fischer has also reached base in every game this season. In Game one he showed his tremendous power early in his first at bat as he flew out to the warning track in centerfield. Heading into his final at bat there was a chance that Fischer's on base streak might end but Fischer did what he does best and crushed a 2-0, 96 mph fastball to right field to continue his streak and bring the game within one run. The homerun was Fischer's 25th of the season 

Los Angeles Regional

By Joshua Salguero

Roman Martin, UCLA 3B - 4 AB, 2 H, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 BB

Potentially the second infielder the Bruins can see drafted on the first day in 2026, Roman Martin continued his amazing run this postseason and drove in his ninth, tenth, and eleventh runs in the four games played. Martin came through when it mattered most, providing a critical two-run triple in the eighth to give a couple insurance runs on the Bruins’s way to victory. Not to discredit too much but Martin was aided by a tight strike zone in this at bat but he did work the full count, kept cool in the moment, and drove the ball just out of the reach of a running Taussig to plate those two runs. The top five of the Bruins order has been nothing short of amazing all year and it will be these five that will take the Bruins as far as they can go. 

Michael Barnett, UCLA RHP - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 K (75 pitches) 

Immediately it looked as if the game would not bear well for the Bruins (no pun intended) after surrendering a home run on the second pitch of the game to Roadrunner’s leadoff hitter, Mason Lytle, but Barnett managed to bounce back and deliver six strong innings. It wasn’t to say those innings came easy, however. All but one inning saw a baserunner reach base including three reaching in the second and a steal of home!!! putting UCLA into a two run deficit early. Despite posting a K/9 of an even 9 during regular season play, Bartnett has struck out just one batter in the two games he’s pitched so far since regionals. Talk about putting trust in your defense. For how hot UTSA has been, you can’t ask for any better than what Barnett gave. 

Auburn Regional

By Jake Bargery

Walker Mitchell, Coastal Carolina 3B - 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI

Sebastian Alexander, Coastal Carolina LF - 4 AB, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 2B

Yesterday’s game was a massive pitchers’ duel until late, when the Coastal bats finally came alive. Fast-forwarding all the way to the seventh inning, Walker Mitchell got the ‘Chants on the board with an RBI single, scoring Sebastian Alexander and tying the game at one apiece. Mitchell also came around in that same inning to score the go-ahead run on an Auburn error. The bottom of the eighth was a repeat of the seventh for Mitchell as he drove in Alexander once again on another single, giving Coastal Carolina some insurance to make them feel much more comfortable going into the ninth. That was all they needed to get the victory over the tigers and to punch their ticket to Omaha. 

Andreas Alvarez, Auburn RHP - 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP (55 Pitches), ND

On the flip side, I mentioned the game being a pitchers’ duel until late and that was led by Auburn freshman right-hander Andreas Alvarez. The Super Regional moment wasn’t too big for the young arm whatsoever as he set the tone early by retiring the first three Coastal hitters in order, giving way for the offense to respond and take the early lead in the second. He did walk one batter in the second, but that was quickly negated by a strikeout and a fielder’s choice to get out of the inning with no damage done. There was a bit more trouble brewing for Alvarez in the third as he found himself with runners on second and third with two-outs as he got Blake Barthol to pop out to get out of the jam once again. Finally, he worked around the trouble one last time in the fourth, stranding runners on first and second and giving the ball up to the Auburn bullpen. This was an outstanding performance by the freshman and one he can absolutely build on going into next year. 

Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina RHP - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K (106 Pitches), ND

Hayden Johnson, Coastal Carolina LHP- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (56 Pitches), Win

The last thing I want to hit on for this game is the Coastal Carolina pitching. Both Jacob Morrison and Hayden Johnson were absolutely lights out for the ‘Chants yesterday en route to their second CWS appearance in school history and their first since they won the national title in 2016. The only run allowed by Morrison and Johnson came in the top of the second where Chase Fralick drove in Eric Snow on a single. Afterwards, it was all Coastal on the bump. Morrison responded with four scoreless innings, four strikeouts, and no more runs allowed. Johnson entered in the seventh with more of the same. He picked up a couple strikeouts and allowed no runs in his first inning, letting the Tigers know that he wasn’t going to give anything up easily. In the eighth he gave up a single to Snow and then struck out three to strand him at first base. Finally, in the ninth, he gave up a leadoff single then welt fielder’s choice, flyout, and groundout to end it and Coastal got to dogpile on Auburn’s turf. They are going to be a team that nobody in Omaha wants to get matched up against. 

Durham Super-Regional

By Drew Wheeler

Jonathan Hogart, CF, Murray State – 4 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Dom Decker, 2B, Murray State – 5 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K

Decker did most of the Racers’ damage on the day with a four-hit performance, something always worth calling out on the Sheet. The second baseman singled up the middle on a 2-1 count in the top second before following it with a top third single the same way to drive in Murray’s second run of the game. Decker harmlessly singled to right field in the top fifth before collecting his fourth hit of the contest in the seventh – a single to left center to score Hogart – the final run Murray would muster. Meanwhile, said centerfielder lacked a bit of the firepower he has shown this season but managed to walk once and score 50 percent of Murray State’s runs. Hogart got on with a single to left after reaching a full count opposite Owen Proksch in the top third, then was driven home by none other than Decker. Unfortunately, the Racers’ offense was hardly galloping today and could not capitalize on starter Nic Schutte’s sterling first frame in which he struck out Duke’s Wallace Clark and Ben Rounds swinging before inducing a Ben Miller flyout to Hogart to end the inning. Decker, a redshirt sophomore, had far and away his biggest postseason outing Saturday, and Hogart has established himself as one of my favorite eligible senior signs of this year’s draft, and while a flashy regional built his credibility, a strong game two (or even an Omaha berth) would do wonders for both men’s draft prospects.

Kyle Johnson, CF, Duke – 4 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K, 2B, HR

What’s that?! A two-way player batting 1.000 with five RBI in a game? Someone sound the “American Ohtani” alarm! Johnson first impacted the contest with a two-run blast in the bottom third, taking an 87 MPH offering yard for his fourth homer of the year to tie the game. In the bottom fourth, Johnson clobbered another fastball which leaked too far across to nearly the same spot in the outfield, though maybe six feet shorter; alas, the hit bounced across the wall for a ground-rule double. Johnson made impressive running catches through center field, and for those keeping track at home, the award-winning sophomore was Duke’s first two-way player to earn freshman All-American honors since Marcus Stroman and is also being tabbed as a potential starter for the Blue Devils today. No AJ Gracia, no problem, huh? 2026 Draft – look out!

Owen Proksch, LHP, Duke – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 7 K (115 pitches)

Proksch delivered a start charmingly reminiscent of his Athens Regional contest opposite Oklahoma State: as Will Thompson put it, “the junior lefty will not overpower anyone, but the slider and changeup are both plus pitches and generate a ton of whiffs.” I’ll second Will’s sentiments on the fastball – it’s mediocre for college ball, lackluster for the professional ranks – and the slider, which gets a ton of movement and caught my eye most frequently. Can of Coke to ‘ya, Owen, you ‘ole bird!

Corvallis Super Regional

By Adam Kiel

Ethan Kleinshmit, LHP Oregon State - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (110 pitches) 

This was a bona fide pitchers duel from the jump. The sophomore kept pace with the presumptive top 5 draft pick and looked like a future 1st round pick himself. He sat 6 of the first 7 batters he faced, 4 by the way of strikeout. In the bottom of the third, an error by Trent Carraway put the leadoff man on first. A couple strikeouts were followed by a walk to Alex Lodise, and he showed his inexperience a bit after a couple strikes were called balls, left a pitch in the middle of the zone for Max Williams to shoot past the SS for an RBI single.  Now he turned it on following that and got 9 outs against the next 10 batters. He certainly raised his own stock and gave his team every opportunity to stamp their ticket. Unfortunately, he was matched up against what is likely the first arm off the board this draft. 

Jamie Arnold, LHP Florida State - 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (113 pitches) 

While he didn’t have as many strikeouts, he certainly had an equal outing. Arnold v Arquette was one of the most anticipated, if not the most anticipated matchup in the Super Regional round. It did not disappoint. In the first inning, got the first batter in 3 straight strikes to bring Aiva Arquette up to bat. Arquette won round on after shooting a single up the middle. Arnold struck Gavin Turley, however Aiva found himself at second base, which became a problem because Wilson Weber also got himself a single that allowed Arquette to come around and score Oregon State’s lone run of the game. Arnold had a relatively easy day after the first, and was pulled in the seventh when Aiva came back up to bat with a man on base. I’d say Aiva won the battle but Arnold’s team won the war on Saturday. On to the decisive game 3. 

Chapel Hill Super Regional 

By Harris Yudin 

Tony Pluta, RHP, Arizona- 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Pluta has served as Arizona’s closer and been its best relief arm all year, and so with the season on the line, it was his time to shine. It wasn’t the cleanest outing, but he emerged unscathed, keeping the Heels off the board and the Wildcats’ season alive. The 2.1 IP and 52 pitches were both career highs for Pluta, who has now tossed 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 13 outings.

Maddox Mihalakis, 3B, Arizona- 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 3 RBI, 1 K

Mihalakis delivered the final blow in Saturday’s win over North Carolina, driving in a pair of runs to break an 8-8 tie in the seventh. With the bases loaded, he jumped on the first pitch thrown by Carolina lefty Folger Boaz. An inning earlier, he had added to Arizona’s lead at the time with a two-out RBI single. This was the second time he has driven in three runs this postseason— he only had two such games all regular season.

Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona- 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 K

With Arizona trailing in the fourth, Splaine decided to take matters into his own hands. He jumped on a 3-2 fastball from Jason Decaro and clobbered it over the shed in left field to pull the Wildcats within one, and then he singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth— both hits came with two outs. Splaine has recorded nine hits and driven in seven runs across five tournament games.