- Murray State is making its first appearance in the Men’s College World Series.
- As a No. 4 seed, Murray State joins a select group of teams to reach the CWS, including 2008 national champion Fresno State.
- Murray State’s first opponent is UCLA in 2025 CWS.
OMAHA, NE ― Dan Skirka doesn’t actually cut the grass at Murray State’s home ballpark, as a viral social media post wrongly asserted, but the Racers’ coach has still done more with much less.
Murray State, making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2003, is in the Men’s College World Series for the first time. The Racers stunned in the Oxford Regional, defeating Ole Miss and Georgia Tech, and then again in the Durham Super Regional, defeating Duke.
The No. 4 regional seed — the lowest possible entering the NCAA Tournament — will take on UCLA in their opening game of the CWS on June 14 (1 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
It’s rare for No. 4 seeds to reach Omaha — only three other teams have accomplished the feat — but it’s not unprecedented for those teams to make noise (most notably Fresno State, the 2008 national champion).
Here’s how bottom seeds have fared in the College World Series and how Murray State compares to the teams that made runs:
2008 Fresno State
The original mid-major Omaha darling, Fresno State made the most of its 2008 trip to the CWS by winning the whole thing.
The Bulldogs weren’t a traditional No. 4 seed, as expectations were high entering the season. They were ranked in two polls and picked to win the WAC in the preseason. The roster consisted of four eventual major leaguers. But despite the talent, they got off to an 8-12 start.
Fresno State still won the WAC regular season and conference titles, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs won a regional at Long Beach State and a super regional at No. 3 national seed Arizona State to advance to Omaha. Despite losing Game 1 of the championship series to Georgia, Fresno State won the final two games by a combined score of 25-11.
2012 Stony Brook
Led by future big leaguer Travis Jankowski, Stony Brook was the class of the America East. The Seawolves had a whopping 43-7 regular season record and swept the America East tournament. A team from that conference, typically one of the worst in Division I, had never advanced to Omaha. And Stony Brook didn’t have an easy route. The Seawolves were sent to a regional against Miami, and they waded through the losers’ bracket to win. Then they rallied to win a super regional against LSU despite dropping the first game in a 12-inning heartbreaker.
Stony Brook’s run in Omaha ended quickly, as the Seawolves lost to UCLA and Florida State and were the first team eliminated.
2023 Oral Roberts
After a so-so start to the season, Oral Roberts got hot at the right time. The Golden Eagles were 14-2 in April and 11-0 in May, and even after being assigned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, it was clear they were dangerous.
Oral Roberts went 3-0 in the Stillwater Regional, defeating Oklahoma State, Washington and Dallas Baptist. Like Stony Brook, the Golden Eagles won their super regional, against Oregon, despite losing Game 1.
Oral Roberts was competitive in Omaha, too. The Golden Eagles won their first game against TCU and played a one-run game against Florida. But they ran out of gas and fell in their second game with TCU to end their season.
How Murray State compares to previous CWS 4-seeds
Murray State wasn’t ranked preseason and likely won’t have as many major leaguers as the Fresno State team that won it all. But the Racers are more akin to the 2023 Oral Roberts team than the Stony Brook underdogs. Murray State was viewed as one of the strongest — if not the strongest — 4-seeds in the field, and while the Racers have never been on this stage, teams from the Missouri Valley Conference have a good track record. Indiana State and Evansville, the last two MVC champions, advanced to super regionals, and the Sycamores even hosted in 2023.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
