4 MLB prospects to watch during the 2025 Men’s College World Series
4 MLB prospects The Montgomery Advertiser’s Adam Cole and The Southwest Times Record’s Jackson Fuller are watching during the 2025 Men’s College World Series
By the end of the night Tuesday, a 2025 College World Series field that started with eight teams will be down to four.
No. 3 Arkansas, the highest-ranked team at the CWS, will square off against No. 15 UCLA in an elimination game on June 17 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
While the loser will have to head home, the winner will advance to take on No. 6 LSU on June 18 at 7 p.m. ET. The Razorbacks or Bruins, both of whom have already lost to LSU, would need to beat the Tigers twice to move on to the CWS championship series.
Watch Arkansas vs. UCLA baseball live with Fubo (free trial)
The matchup with Arkansas will be UCLA’s second game of the day after the Bruins played the final five innings of their 9-5 loss to LSU on Tuesday following a weather delay on Monday night that pushed the remainder of the game back a day.
USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Follow along.
This section will be updated throughout the game.
| TEAMS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F |
| UCLA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Arkansas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 7 |
UCLA added a third run in the ninth inning after a wild pitch from Will McEntire, but Arkansas settles down to secure a 7-3 win that pushes it to the College World Series semifinals, where the Razorbacks will face off against LSU.
A frustrating night for UCLA will end with at least a couple of runs. After a leadoff triple from Mulivai Levu, AJ Salgado trickles a grounder up the third-base line and reaches first on a fielding error to bring home his teammate.
One batter later, and with Salgado on second base, Payton Brennan singles and reaches second on a throwing error. The miscue from the Razorbacks allows Salgado to get home from second, cutting Arkansas’ lead to 7-2.
Justin Thomas Jr. adds on to Arkansas’ lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, ripping a line drive to left field to bring home Brent Iredale. Thomas reached second base with a stand-up double.
The Razorbacks’ lead is now up to 7-0.
With a runner on third base, UCLA’s Justin Lee throws a wild pitch, bringing Arkansas’ Cam Kozeal home and extending the Razorbacks’ lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With runners on first and third with one out, the Bruins had a superb chance to carve into Arkansas’ lead, but come up empty. Big Ten player of the year Roch Cholowsky grounds into a double play, with Wehiwa Aloy scooping up the grounder, stepping on second and throwing Cholowsky out at first.
UCLA is down to its final three outs.
With teammates on first and third and two outs, Logan Maxwell comes through for Arkansas in the bottom of the seventh inning, hitting an opposite-field double to the wall to bring in two runs.
The Lima, Ohio native has two hits tonight, the latest of which has pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 5-0.
The Bruins go three up and three down, with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts. A UCLA offense that has mustered only three hits today will need to heat up soon, with the Bruins down to their final six outs.
The Razorbacks go down in order, with UCLA’s Cal Randall striking out two Arkansas batters and getting a third to pop out to end the sixth inning.
The Bruins are retired in order, with Roman Martin striking out looking to end the top of the sixth inning to keep Arkansas’ lead at 3-0.
Wehiwa Aloy’s triple padded Arkansas’ lead, but the Razorbacks’ attempt at an even bigger fifth inning doesn’t come to fruition, with Ryder Helfrick popping out to second base with runners on first and third to end the inning.
With two outs and facing a 2-2 count with a runner on third, Wehiwa Aloy comes up big, hitting a shot to deep center field that goes off the wall — missing out on a home run by only a couple of inches — and brings home a run. Aloy ends up with a triple, giving him three RBIs on the evening.
The Razorbacks’ lead is up to 3-0, with UCLA yet again turning to its bullpen, replacing Ian May with Cal Randall.
With runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, UCLA turns to its bullpen, taking out starter Cody Delvecchio in favor of Ian May. Delvecchio exits the game after giving up seven hits and, for now, two earned runs while striking out three batters.
In a game in which runs have been at a premium, UCLA may have just squandered an excellent opportunity.
With runners on second and third and two outs, Dean West grounded out to second base, ending the top of the fifth inning and keeping the Bruins scoreless. UCLA is now 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
The Razorbacks are unable to build on their lead, going three up and three down in the fourth inning. Kuhio Aloy had the most promising at-bat, hitting a ball to deep left center field, but it was tracked down by UCLA’s Payton Brennan.
The Bruins come up empty for a third-consecutive inning. This time around was perhaps the most frustrating yet, with Mulivai Levu reaching first base on a throwing error, but slipping as he rounded the base, allowing Arkansas to retrieve the ball and throw him out at first.
The Razorbacks yet again get a man on base on a two-out single from Logan Maxwell, but Ryder Helfrick strikes out swinging to end the inning.
For the second consecutive inning, UCLA’s batters go down in order, with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. Arkansas and pitcher Zach Root have retired the past eight Bruins batters.
The Razorbacks get a pair of hits in the second inning, but come away scoreless after grounding into a double play before Justin Thomas Jr. gets thrown out at first on a bunt attempt to end the inning.
After an eventful first inning, Arkansas has more success against UCLA in the second. The Bruins go three up and three down, with Zach Root getting his first two strikeouts of the game to retire the final two batters.
With a man on first and no outs, Wehiwa Aloy does what he has for so much of the season, drilling a pitch 377 feet over the right-field wall for a two-run, opposite-field home run for Arkansas.
It’s the 21st homer of the season for the SEC player of the year and Golden Spikes finalist, giving the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
UCLA very nearly broke the game open its first time up to the plate, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. Arkansas was able to hold strong, though, with UCLA’s AJ Salgado lining out to shortstop and, more dramatically, Dean West getting caught stealing home.
The Bruins challenged the out call at the plate, but the ruling was upheld after a video review.
Here’s a look at the lineup Arkansas will roll out against UCLA in their College World Series elimination game:
Here’s the lineup UCLA will roll with against Arkansas on Tuesday night:
With its season on the line, Arkansas will trot its ace, Zach Root, who is 8-6 with a 3.82 ERA this season.
Looking to avoid elimination, UCLA will start Cody Delvecchio, who is 1-3 this season with a 6.82 ERA in just seven appearances.
What time does Arkansas vs UCLA baseball start?
Arkansas and UCLA are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET first pitch on Tuesday, June 17 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha in their College World Series elimination game.
What TV channel is Arkansas vs UCLA baseball on today?
The CWS elimination game between Arkansas and UCLA will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (analyst), Eduardo Pérez (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) will be on the call.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login), ESPN+ — ESPN’s subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which carries ESPN and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Arkansas vs UCLA baseball predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, June 17
- Spread: Arkansas -2.5
- Over/under: 10.5 runs
- Moneyline: Arkansas (-400) | UCLA (+280)
Prediction: Arkansas 6, UCLA 3
It’s highly unlikely Zach Root will match Gage Wood’s historical feat from yesterday, but the Razorbacks’ ace should have enough in his arsenal to keep a talented UCLA lineup at bay.
College World Series schedule
The College World Series began on June 13 and will run through June 22 or 23, depending on whether the best-of-three championship series requires two or three games. Here’s a look at the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.
- College World Series: June 13-22/23
- CWS finals: June 21-22/23
