2025 College World Series predictions, picks: Arkansas seeks first national title amid diverse Omaha field

One of the eight teams in the 2025 College World Series is just days away from rising to the top as this year’s national champion. Will Arkansas deliver as the highest-seeded squad left in the field, or will a challenger uproot the Razorbacks from their post atop the bracket? That answer is set to play out in Omaha where eight super regional champions meet for a shot at glory.

Only five national seeds punched their tickets to the CWS. LSU is the strongest contender to take down the Razorbacks, and those two SEC powers are set to battle in the opening round. Oregon State, Coastal Carolina and UCLA are the three other regional hosts to make their way through the postseason, and they are all in search of another trophy after helping define the previous decade with titles.

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Perhaps one of the underdogs will pull off more surprises and celebrate in a dogpile at Charles Schwab Field. Murray State is a true Cinderella story fresh off its first regional and super regional championships in program history, while Louisville and Arizona are familiar faces in Omaha.

Here are five predictions for the College World Series, including a national championship pick:

Murray State already defeated a national seed twice and holds a 3-1 record against dangerous No. 2 seeds, so it is not as if the Racers just scooted their way to Omaha without a challenge. Every bit of this Cinderella run has been earned. The bats have been nothing short of outstanding, and home run leader Jonathan Hogart is largely to thank with his six long balls over the last two weekends.

Omaha is a different beast, though. There is a reason why only one regional No. 4 seed (Fresno State, 2008) has ever won the national championship. And unfortunately for the Racers, they landed in the tougher bracket of the two with UCLA, Arkansas and LSU all heading to Omaha as national seeds.

Getting past the Bruins in the opener will be a challenge as their ace, Michael Barnett, is mostly immune to blowup starts with his impressive command and ability to keep the ball in the yard. That is just one reason why UCLA is -295 on the moneyline, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Too often this postseason the Racers have relied on their offense to do the heavy lifting. As entertaining as it was in the regional and super regional rounds, that will not cut it against the tougher arms they will face the rest of the way.

Perhaps they stay hot enough to win a game and avoid an 0-2 trip, but the brutal draw makes it tough to envision Dan Skirka’s upstart squad playing more than two or three games.

There is no hotter team in college baseball than Coastal Carolina, which rides a 23-game winning streak to Omaha, has not lost a game since April 22 and is the first and only team in the nation to reach 50 victories — in fact, the Chanticleers have 53 of them. They are the second-largest favorite in the opening round at -245 on the moneyline and earned every bit of that respect when they cruised though their home regional and Auburn Super Regional with five straight triumphs.

Arizona will be in search of payback when it squares off against Coastal Carolina on Friday. The Chanticleers downed the Wildcats in the 2016 CWS finals to win the first national championship in program history. Motivation aside, Arizona does not have a trustworthy enough pitching staff to make them a convincing upset pick.

The Chanticleers are built to win more than just one game in Omaha, though. The arms are simply tremendous, from the three standout starters to the deep bullpen. Staff ace Jacob Morrison will not have to wait too long to hear his name called in the MLB Draft. The offense has a star of its own in catcher Caden Bodine, who gets on base at a stellar .466 clip, and is solid from top to bottom. This is a complete team more than capable of getting through the more favorable of the two brackets.

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Arkansas (+200) and LSU (+230) are effectively co-favorites to win the national championship according to FanDuel Sportsbook. There is one problem, though; they go head-to-head in the first round. Both of these SEC forces have what it takes to get all the way, but one will move into the loser’s bracket right out of the gate. Winning on Saturday is paramount, as only twice has a team lost its first game and proceeded to win the title (Oregon State, 2006 and 2018).

LSU will go with either Kade Anderson or Anthony Eyanson on the bump for this showdown, and the former has an additional day of rest after he tossed the opener in last weekend’s super regional. It was his worst start of the year from a run-prevention standpoint, though, as Anderson surrendered six runs to West Virginia. The southpaw will be one of the first picks in next month’s draft, and while he and Eyanson have gone back and forth as the Friday starter, Jay Johnson would be hard pressed to pass up on his upside against the top team in the bracket.

In the other dugout, Dave Van Horn will counter with a lefty of his own. A few teams got to Zach Root this year, but when he is at his best, it is clear why the East Carolina transfer was one of the most highly regarded prospects in last year’s portal. He took a no-decision in his regular-season outing against LSU when he threw six innings of two-run ball.

A rematch of the 2018 championship series? Not many would say no to that. The last time Arkansas and Oregon State met in Omaha, they delivered one of the most dramatic moments in CWS history. The Razorbacks were an out away from a sweep and the first title in program history, but a misplayed foul ball gave the Beavers a second chance, and they took advantage to storm back to a Game 2 win and eventual Game 3 shutout for their third CWS crown.

Arkansas faces the tougher path to this year’s finals but is as well suited as any team in their bracket to advance. Oregon State is by no means a lock to emerge from its bracket, even with just one other national seed residing in its four-team pod. But sixth-year coach and two-time national champion catcher Mitch Canham features perhaps the best roster of his tenure and has it playing its best baseball of the year at the perfect time.

There is a reason why Arkansas has been the betting favorite all along. This team simply checks all the boxes. And now that Van Horn’s crew is the top seed remaining in the field, there is no obvious reason as to why its stock should drop.

The Razorbacks lead the field in wRC+ and xFIP, making them the best offensive attack and best pitching staff in Omaha. The dominance goes beyond the advanced stats, too. Their .558 slugging percentage ranks sixth nationally, and their 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings is the seventh-best mark in the sport.

Elite talent abounds on a roster that looked like the deepest and most balanced in the country all season. SEC Player of the Year Wehiwa Aloy is a superstar yet boasts just the third-best batting average on the team. Six lineup regulars hit .320 or better. The bullpen complements an accomplished starting rotation tremendously and is the primary force behind a stellar 3.91 team ERA. There are hardly any holes for a celebrated program seeking its first CWS title.

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