NORTH CAROLINA (43-18)
Coach Mike Fox (889-377-1, 20 years at North Carolina; 1,425-518-5, 35 years overall)
Road to Omaha Won Chapel Hill Regional beat North Carolina A&T 11-0, beat Houston 4-3, beat Houston 19-11. Won Chapel Hill Super Regional beat Stetson 7-4, beat Stetson 7-5
2018 record vs. CWS teams 0-0
Last CWS appearance 2013
All-time record in CWS 17-21 in 10 appearances
MLB Alumni Tim Federowicz, Matt Harvey, Chris Iannetta, Andrew Miller, Colin Moran, Mike Morin, Kyle Seager, Jacob Stallings, Adam Warren
Short hops The No. 6 national seed Tar Heels are batting .343 and averaging 9.6 runs per game in the NCAA Tournament. ... Seventh CWS appearance in 13 seasons. ... Fox was a second baseman on the UNC team that went to the CWS in 1978. ... RHP Gianluca Dalatri (2-2, 3.08 ERA), who came into the season as the staff ace, was out 12 weeks with an elbow injury.
OREGON STATE (49-10-1)
Coach Pat Casey (894-456-6, 24 years at Oregon State; 1,067-565-7, 31 years overall)
Road to Omaha Won Corvallis Regional beat Northwestern (La.) State 9-3, beat LSU 14-1, beat LSU 12-0. Won Corvallis Super Regional beat Minnesota 8-1, beat Minnesota 6-3
2018 record vs. CWS teams 2-1
Last CWS appearance 2017
All-time record in CWS 15-10 in 6 appearances, national champion 2006, 2007
MLB Alumni Michael Conforto, Jacoby Ellsbury, Darwin Barney, Daniel Robertson, Josh Osich, Sam Gaviglio, Matt Boyd
Short Hops Beavers are No. 3 national seed. ... Heimlich, at 16-1, leads the nation in wins and is third in strikeouts (151). He sat out super regionals and CWS last year when The Oregonian newspaper reported he pleaded guilty to child molestation as a minor. In recent interviews with Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, Heimlich denied wrongdoing. ... Beavers' .320 batting average is highest in CWS field. ... 2B Nick Madrigal (.397) leads seven regular starters batting higher than .300. ... Beavers had six players taken in first 10 rounds of the draft, led by Madrigal (fourth overall by White Sox), Larnach (20th by Twins) and Grenier (37th by Orioles).
WASHINGTON (35-24)
Coach Lindsay Meggs (265-237-1, 9 seasons at Washington; 880-544-5, 25 seasons overall)
Road to Omaha Won Conway (N.C.) Regional beat UConn 7-1, beat Coastal Carolina 11-6, beat UConn 9-6. Won Fullerton Super Regional beat Cal State Fullerton 8-5, lost to Cal State Fullerton 5-2, beat Cal State Fullerton 6-5 in 10 innings
2018 record vs. CWS teams 1-2
Last CWS appearance None
All-time record in CWS 0-0
MLB Alumni Mike Blowers, Rondin Johnson, Jake Lamb, Brent Lillibridge, Tim Lincecum, Chris Magruder, Kevin Stocker.
Short hops Huskies were 18-18 after a loss to UT Rio Grande Valley and are 17-6 since. ... DH Joe Wainhouse (.312, 19 HRs, 59 RBI) has five home runs in past six games. ... 2B AJ Graffanino (.373, 0, 19) is the team's highest draft pick, going in the eighth round to Atlanta. ... RHP Joe DeMers pitched a perfect game against UC Riverside in February.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (37-27)
Coach Gary Henderson (37-23, 1 season at Mississippi State; 297-222, 9 seasons overall)
Road to Omaha Won Tallahassee Regional lost to Oklahoma 20-10, beat Florida State 3-2, beat Samford 9-8, beat Oklahoma 13-5, beat Oklahoma 8-1. Won Nashville Super Regional beat Vanderbilt 10-8, lost to Vanderbilt 4-3, beat Vanderbilt 10-6 in 11 innings
2018 record vs. CWS teams 6-0
Last CWS appearance 2013
All-time record in CWS 10-18 in 9 appearances
MLB Alumni Jeff Brantley, Will Clark, Sammy Ellis, Adam Frazier, Kendall Graveman, Jonathan Holder, Paul Maholm, Tyler Moore, Mitch Moreland, Rafael Palmeiro, Jonathan Papelbon, Hunter Renfroe, Buck Showalter, Chris Stratton, Bobby Thigpen, Del Unser
Short hops Henderson took over as interim head coach after Andy Cannizaro resigned for off-field conduct on Feb. 20. ... Swept CWS teams Arkansas and Florida in the regular season. ... Bulldogs have staved off elimination five times. ... RF Elijah MacNamee hit walk-off home runs against Florida State in regional and Vanderbilt in super regional. ... MacNamee has 8 home runs for the season, 5 in the past eight games.
TEXAS (42-21)
Coach David Pierce (81-46, 2 seasons at Texas; 278-154, 7 seasons overall)
Road to Omaha Won Austin Regional beat Texas Southern 10-0, beat Texas A&M 8-3, beat Indiana 3-2. Won Austin Super Regional lost to Tennessee Tech 5-4, beat Tennessee Tech 4-2, beat Tennessee Tech 5-2
2018 record vs. CWS teams 2-3
Last CWS appearance 2014
All-time record in CWS 85-59 in 35 appearances; national champion 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005
MLB Alumni Burt Hooton, David Chalk, Keith Moreland, Ron Gardenhire, Spike Owen, Roger Clemens, Calvin Schiraldi, Greg Swindell, Shane Reynolds, Brooks Kieschnick, Huston Street, J.P. Howell, Brandon Belt
Short hops The No. 13 seed Longhorns will be making their 36th appearance, 11 more than the next closest team (Miami). ... 2B Kody Clemens (.356, 24, 72), the Big 12 Player of the Year and son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, has hit 5 home runs and driven in 11 runs in the NCAA Tournament.
ARKANSAS (44-19)
Coach Dave Van Horn (639-362, 16 seasons at Arkansas; 1,224-602, 30 seasons overall)
Road to Omaha Won Fayetteville Regional beat Oral Roberts 10-2, beat Southern Mississippi 10-2, beat Dallas Baptist 4-3. Won Fayetteville Super Regional beat South Carolina 9-3, lost to South Carolina 8-5, beat South Carolina 14-4
2018 record vs. CWS teams 5-5
Last CWS appearance 2015
All-time record in CWS 11-16 in 8 appearances
MLB Alumni Andrew Benintendi, Dallas Keuchel, Darrel Akerfelds, Craig Gentry, Logan Forsythe, Eric Hinske, Randy Jackson, Jeff King, Les Lancaster, Cliff Lee, Tim Lollar, Kevin McReynolds, Tom Pagnozzi, Johnny Ray, Drew Smyly.
Short hops No. 5 seed Hogs' 94 home runs are fourth nationally and second among CWS teams behind Florida's 96. ... LHP Matt Cronin (2-1, 2.98 ERA, 12 saves) needs two saves to break school single-season record of 13 held by volunteer assistant Colby Suggs.
TEXAS TECH (44-18)
Coach Tim Tadlock (238-130, 6 seasons at Texas Tech; 673-256, 20 seasons overall)
Road to Omaha Won Lubbock Regional beat New Mexico State 9-2, beat Louisville 10-4, beat Louisville 11-6. Won Lubbock Super Regional beat Duke 6-4, lost to Duke 11-2, beat Duke 6-2
2018 record vs. CWS teams 1-3
Last CWS appearance 2016
All-time record in CWS 1-4 in 2 appearances
MLB Alumni Dallas Braden, Doug Ault, Mark Brandenburg, Keith Ginter, Travis Driskill, Joe Dillon, Chris Sampson, Jeff Karstens, AJ Ramos, Chad Bettis, Daniel Coulombe
Short hops Third CWS appearance in five seasons for No. 13 seed Red Raiders. ... 3B Josh Jung (.390, 12, 78) comes in with top batting average among CWS players. ... Highest-scoring (8.3 rpg) and top slugging team (.512) in field. ... Allowing 3.74 walks per nine innings in NCAA Tournament, down from 5.57 through May 27. ... LF Grant Little (.272, 12, 73, picked 74th overall by Padres) is program's highest draft pick since 2012.
FLORIDA (47-19)
Coach Kevin O'Sullivan (495-227, 11 seasons at Florida and overall)
Road to Omaha Won Gainesville Regional beat Columbia 13-5, beat Jacksonville 3-2, lost to Florida Atlantic 7-4, beat Florida Atlantic 5-2. Won Gainesville Super Regional beat Auburn 8-2, lost to Auburn 3-2, beat Auburn 3-2 in 11 innings
2018 record vs. CWS teams 2-5
Last CWS appearance 2017
All-time record in CWS 19-22 in 11 appearances; national champion 2017
MLB Alumni Mike Zunino, David Eckstein, Mark Ellis, Darren O'Day, David Ross, Anthony DeSclafani, Austin Maddox, Bobby Poyner, Brian Johnson, Harrison Bader, Preston Tucker, Matt LaPorta, Mike Stanley, Brad Wilkerson
Short hops This is the No. 1 seed Gators' seventh CWS appearance since 2010, all under O'Sullivan. ... Team has three of the top 33 draft picks in 3B Jonathan India (No. 5 to Reds), RHP Brady Singer (No. 18 to Royals) and RHP Jackson Kowar (No. 33 to Royals). ... Florida has hit 15 home runs in seven games and have 96 for the season, most of the remaining teams. ... C Jonah Girand (.161, 3 HRs, 6 RBI), filling in for the injured JJ Schwarz, homered 3 times and drove in 5 runs in regionals but went 0 for 11 with 8 strikeouts in super regionals.
Schedule All times Central
At TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
Omaha, Neb.
(Double elimination)
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Game 1 — Oregon State (49-10-1) vs. North Carolina (43-18), 2 p.m.
Game 2 — Washington 35-24) vs. Mississippi State (37-37), 7 p.m.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Game 3 — Arkansas (44-19) vs. Texas (42-21), 1 p.m.
Game 4 — Texas Tech (44-18) vs. Florida (47-19), 6 p.m.
MONDAY’S GAMES
Game 5 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 6 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Game 7 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Game 9 — Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, JUNE 21
Game 10 — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22
Game 11 — Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 12 — Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 23
x-Game 13 — Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
x-Game 14 — Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
(Best-of-3)
MONDAY, JUNE 25
Pairings TBD, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 26
Pairings TBD, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27
x-Pairings TBD, 6 p.m.
x-denotes if necessary
Sports on 06/14/2018