Latest news with #JonathanHogart
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Murray State to the College World Series for first time after beating Duke
Omaha, meet the Racers. In what almost certainly goes down as the biggest and most thrilling win in program history, Murray State punched its first-ever ticket to the College World Series, defeating the Duke Blue Devils 5-4 in a back-and-forth Super Regional showdown. Advertisement The victory marks a historic moment not just for the Racers but for college baseball in Kentucky, as an in-state program breaks through to the sport's biggest stage. The Racers came out swinging in the top of the first inning. Jonathan Hogart opened the game with a leadoff homer—his 21st of the season—to give Murray State an early edge. That momentum continued when Carson Garner crushed a double off the right-field wall, and Dom Decker followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Duke answered with solo homers from Jake Hyde and Jake Berger to take a 3-2 lead, but the Racers refused to fold. Hogart tied the game with his second home run of the night, a 413-foot bomb in the seventh. Then, Luke Mistone and Dan Tauken delivered clutch hits in the eighth to make it 5-3. Advertisement Duke threatened late, but closer Graham Kelham slammed the door shut with 2.2 strong innings to clinch the win. For Kentucky fans, especially those who bleed blue for the University of Kentucky, this victory carries extra satisfaction. Beating Duke — the same Duke program still infamous in the Commonwealth for Christian Laettner's heartbreaking buzzer-beater in the 1992 NCAA Tournament — is always a little sweeter. Ironically, this, too, involved a controversial kick from a Duke player. What looked like base interference by a Duke player in the ninth inning could have ended the game, but the officials said it was not interference, giving the Blue Devils one more shot before grounding out. Now, Murray State is Omaha-bound, making school history and giving the Big Blue Nation one more reason to smile. Advertisement More from
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
College World Series: Power ranking the eight teams in Omaha. Where does LSU rank?
College World Series: Power ranking the eight teams in Omaha. Where does LSU rank? The College World Series is a championship like no other. Eight teams travel to Omaha with the aim of winning a national title. It's a 10-day event that features two four-team double-elimination brackets followed by a best-of-three championship series. The 2025 field features some fresh faces. No team from the 2024 CWS made it back this year. However, most of these teams aren't strangers to Omaha. LSU is back for the second time in three years after winning the national championship in 2023. West Coast powers like Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon State are here, too. Coastal Carolina has been to Omaha just once before, but it won the national title in 2016. Louisville is also familiar with the CWS, making its sixth appearance since 2007. Then there's Arkansas, a perennial contender chasing its first-ever national championship. You have your Cinderella story, too, with Murray State making its first CWS trip in program history. The action will begin on Friday, but before we get underway, let's rank the eight teams in the 2025 College World Series. 8. Murray State Racers This is no slight on Murray State in the midst of its historic run. What the Racers have done so far is incredible. Murray State has 44 wins, upset Ole Miss and Georgia Tech in the regional, and upset Duke in the super regional. The Ohio Valley from Kentucky plays in a home stadium that fits just 800. Now, it's playing in the College World Series. Don't underestimate this squad, but from a power ratings standpoint, they're the longest shot in Omaha. Per BetMGM, the Racers' national title odds are +3000. With Jonathan Hogart and Carson Garner, Murray State has some hitters that can hit it out of the park. Dom Decker and Justin Mercer are hit machines, too. But the pitching is a huge question mark. Murray State has won a few shootouts to get here, but that style of play won't work with the quality of pitcher it will face in Omaha. 7. Louisville Cardinals Louisville made it to Omaha despite losing its last three series of the regular season and being one-and-done in the ACC Tournament. The Cardinals have since turned it around, winning the Nashville Regional and beating Miami in a three-game Super Regional. But I have too many questions about this Cardinals squad to label them a contender. Louisville's ERA of 5.35 ranks 12th in the ACC, and the Cardinals allow 5.9 runs per game. There are things to like. Louisville has 155 steals and ranks fifth in the ACC in slugging, but I don't think it has enough to overcome the pitching woes. Louisville has a tough opener vs. Oregon State. If Louisville loses, it doesn't have the tools to climb out of the losers' bracket. 6. Arizona Wildcats Arizona has won 10 of its last 11 games entering Omaha. But the recent success came right on the heels of a stretch where Arizona dropped five of six. Arizona's run is impressive, but the Wildcats have been inconsistent vs. top competition this year. Arizona began its schedule 0-3, losing to Ole Miss, Clemson, and Louisville. Later in the year, Arizona dropped a game vs. Tennessee. The Wildcats' run differential also ranks in the bottom half of the Big 12. They do a little bit of everything, but there's not one elite unit that can carry this team. Arizona has a few guys that can hit it out of the park, but the lineup doesn't walk enough, and it's prone to strikeouts. That will hurt the Wildcats when facing teams like Coastal Carolina and Oregon State. 5. UCLA Bruins UCLA is 47-16 on the year and ranks No. 11 nationally in the Massey Ratings. Playing in the Big Ten, the Bruins didn't face the same caliber of schedule as some other teams in Omaha did. Their NCAA Tournament path has been on the easier side too, facing UTSA in the super regional. UCLA gets another favorable matchup in its CWS opener with Murray State on the docket. But UCLA must face LSU or Arkansas in its second contest. We'll find out a lot about this Bruins squad then. Expect to see quality at-bats from this lineup. UCLA ranked second in the Big Ten in batting average, takes walks, and avoids strikeouts. The path for UCLA involves stringing hits together, but that won't come easy vs. the LSU and Arkansas pitching staffs. 4. Oregon State Beavers Oregon State is making its first trip to Omaha since 2018 as the three-time champ looks to add a fourth trophy to the case. Oregon State ranks No. 7 nationally in the Massey Ratings. Its offense and pitching/defense both rank in the top 10. The Beavers had to play without a conference this year after the PAC-12 fell apart, forcing them to throw an independent schedule together. The strength of that slate was weaker than a few of their Omaha peers, but they've passed every test in the postseason. The Beavers' lineup is dangerous. The only team in the CWS field with more homers than Oregon State is Arkansas. The group is led by shortstop Aiva Arquette, a potential top-five MLB draft pick. On the mound, Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmidt give Oregon State two formidable starters who can duel it out with anyone in the field. Oregon State is favored to win its opening game vs. Arizona. 3. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Coastal Carolina is making its second trip to Omaha. The only time it was here before, the Chanticleers won it all in 2016. Now, Coastal arrives in Omaha as the hottest team in baseball, riding a 23-game win streak. Coming from the Sun Belt, there are naturally questions about how CCU will fare vs. top competition, but the Chanticleers have come through when tested. The 23-game win streak includes a win at Clemson and a super regional sweep of Auburn. The Massey Ratings slot Coastal as the fourth-best team in the sport, and the Chants are the favorite to win their side of the bracket. The pitching staff is among the best in the country, and the lineup is deep. They do the little things, too, leading the SBC in stolen bases and fielding percentage. LSU has been here before. The Tigers have won seven national championships. Several players on this team were members of the 2023 squad that won it all. Per BetMGM, LSU ranks No. 2 on the title odds board with +220 odds to win the championship. The Tigers have the pieces to capture the trophy. The one-two starting pitching punch of Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson is hard to beat. And LSU's lineup is riding high after scoring 28 combined runs vs. West Virginia in the super regional. 1. Arkansas Razorbacks The Razorbacks are the betting favorites to win the national title, and they take the top spot in our power rankings. Arkansas is led by long-time head coach Dave Van Horn, but it's yet to capture the elusive national championship. Perhaps, this is the Razorbacks' best chance yet. Led by ace Zach Root, Arkansas has the deepest pitching staff in the field -- that goes for the starting rotation and the bullpen. The group is battle tested after competing in the SEC, baseball's best conference. At the plate, Wehiwa Aloy is arguably the top position player in Omaha. He headlines a lineup that can do damage one through nine. Arkansas has looked like a juggernaut at times this year. It had the occasional slump, but so did every team that faced SEC pitching each week. Arkansas' status as the favorite this week is well earned.
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Luke Mistone hits go-ahead homer in the 8th to help Murray State advance to the program's first CWS
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Luke Mistone hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, Graham Kelham was solid in another long relief appearance, and Murray State beat Duke 5-4 on Monday night in a winner-take-all championship game at the Durham Super Regional to advance to the program's first College World Series. Murray State (44-15) became the fourth No. 4 seed to advance to Omaha, Nebraska. Duke (40-20) was seeking its first appearance in the CWS since 1961. Jonathan Hogart hit his second home run of the game in the seventh inning — his 21st of the season — into the pine trees over the left-field wall to tie it at 3. Murray State retook the lead in the eighth on Mistone's leadoff shot — just his fourth homer of the year. Then Dan Tauken's triple scored Will Vierling from first for a 5-3 lead after the ball caromed off the wall toward center field. Later in the eighth, the Racers had the bases loaded with no outs after back-to-back walks but James Tallon struck out two and got a groundout to end the threat. Murray State appeared to win the game after an interference call at second base, but it was overturned after an official review to give Duke another chance. Kelham regrouped after the celebration to get a groundout to first to end it. Kelham, who threw 43 pitches on Sunday in a three-inning save, struck out four in 2 2/3 innings for his fourth win of the season. Reid Easterly (9-3) took the loss after allowing two earned runs in three relief innings. ___ AP college sports:
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional
Duke baseball vs. Murray State: Prediction, odds for Game 3 of Durham Super Regional The Duke Blue Devils and Murray State Racers are playing in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Durham Super Regional on Monday. The winner of the game will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, and the loser's season will be over. Duke won the first game of the series, but Murray State evened it up on Sunday, blowing out the Blue Devils 19-9 at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina. Duke battled back and made it a 10-8 game in the sixth inning, but the Racers scored nine runs in the seventh inning to take control of the game. The Blue Devils are looking for their first-ever series win in the Super Regional round, losing their previous three in the decisive third game. Murray State is playing in the first Super Regional in program history and has never been to the CWS. Here is a look at the updated odds from FanDuel for Game 3 of Duke-Murray State and a prediction for the game. The Odds Murray State Racers: +190 Duke Blue Devils: -250 Despite losing by 10 runs in Game Two of the series, Duke is heavily favored in the game. The Blue Devils have been great at home all season, going 30-10. Murray State's Statistical Leaders Batting Average: Dustin Mercer (.360) Slugging: Jonathan Hogart (.695) Home Runs: Jonathan Hogart (20) RBI: Dan Tauken (75) Stolen Bases: Carson Garner (14) Duke's Statistical Leaders Batting Average: Ben Miller (.321) Ben Miller (.321) Slugging: Ben Miller (.638) Ben Miller (.638) Home Runs: Ben Miller (21) Ben Miller (21) RBI: Ben Miller (63) Ben Miller (63) Stolen Bases: Tyler Albright (15) Advice and Prediction Best Bet: Duke -250 The Blue Devils are the heavy favorites for the game, and they should be. Yes, they got blown out in Game Two on Sunday, but they have been excellent at home all season and should be playing in front of another excellent crowd. They haven't lost back-to-back home games this season, and it won't happen on Monday as Duke does enough to win the game and punch their ticket to the College World Series for the first time since 1961. How to watch, listen to Monday's game Date: Monday, June 9 Time: 7 p.m. ET TV: ESPN Streaming: ESPN+ The game between Duke and Murray State will start at 7 p.m. ET on Monday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina. The entire series will be streamed on ESPN+ with Clay Matvik and Gregg Olson on the call. Follow us @DukeWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Duke news, notes, and opinions.
