Those first games continue to plague the Wildcats
OMAHA, Neb.—Here we go again.
The College World Series marks the 18th weekend of the 2025 season, and for the ninth time Arizona has started out with a loss, falling 7-4 to Coastal Carolina on Friday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field.
The Chanticleers (54-11) extended their win streak to 24 games by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning, all with two outs. The winning run scored on a bloop single to center that followed a bloop double down the right field line before Coastal tacked on two huge insurance runs against freshly awarded NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta.
“It came down to some great two-strike hitting by them,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “Great pitch almost on the ground, guy dunks it into right for a double. Then they get jammed, hit a ball into center for a base hit. But that’s the reason, that’s why they have the record they have and they’ve been able to run so many off. They have a lot of confidence. Hopefully we’ll get another shot at them.”
Arizona (44-20) must now win four consecutive games in order to advance to the CWS championship series, starting with Sunday. The Wildcats will play at 11 a.m. PT against the loser of Friday’s late game between Louisville and Oregon State.
“It’s a familiar feeling being at the bottom,” shortstop Mason White said. “In a tough situation, tough spot. We’re going to have to play on Sunday (against) a really good team, whoever it is.”
The UA finished with nine hits, three by catcher Adonys Guzman and two by Tommy Splaine, but it took its only lead in the top 6th without a ball leaving the infield. Aaron Walton was hit by a pitch, a half inning after Coastal’s Sebastian Alexander was called for intentionally getting hit, then White was plunked to end an at-bat that saw him foul off several pitches from reliever Cameron Flukey and inducing a balk.
Guzman squared up for a sacrifice bunt and placed it perfectly, going under Flukey’s glove and into the dirt where Coastal’s shortstop had been before going over to cover third base. Maddox Mihalakis then drew Arizona’s third HBP of the inning—after the original call was a wild pitch—to score Walton to tie it, then Garen Caulfield beat out a throw on a double play ball to score White for a 4-3 lead.
“It was a good inning, I wish we could have capitalized more,” White said. “We left some guys out there.”
Coastal would tie it in the bottom of the 6th against Casey Hintz, who came on after Owen Kramkowski allowed three runs over five innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. A leadoff single, wild pitch and back-to-back groundouts allowed the Chanticleers to knot it at 4 where it stood until the 8th.
Garrett Hicks, who came on in the 7th with a runner on third base and struck out two batters on six pitches, had retired the first two in the 8th before Wells Sykes—who had a 2-run single that put Coastal up 2-0 in the 2nd—blooped an 0-2 pitch down the right field line. Following an intentional walk Hicks fell behind 2-0 to Sebastian Alexander before Alexander poked one in front of Walton in center for the winning run.
Pluta, honored Friday as the best relief pitcher in college baseball, then entered and gave up a back-breaking 2-run double to Blake Barthol.
“That doesn’t happen very often with Tony Pluta,” Hale said. “And Garrett was doing great. Don’t get me wrong, two bloop hits beat him. Maybe that was a mistake. Tony was ready. He was loose. But he got behind. (Barthol) did a great job hitting it in the gap.”
Arizona almost immediately got the tying run to the plate in the 9th after Andrew Cain doubled and Splaine singled, putting runners at the corners. But pinch hitter Dom Rodriguez struck out and Brendan Summerhill bounced into a double play to end it.
The Wildcats’ first two runs came in the 4th on a solo home run by White and then back-to-back doubles by Guzman and Mihalakis. White’s homer was his 20th of the season and 49th of his career and gave him 111 career extra base hits, breaking Dave Stegman’s school record from the 1970s.
Freshman right-hander Smith Bailey is expected to start for Arizona on Sunday. His last three starts came in the Big 12 title game, Eugene Regional final and Super Regional finale.
“They’ve done it all year; we’ve lost Fridays and won the series,” Hale said. “It’s going to be tougher. This is that 4-team deal, so it’s not just like winning two more games. We’re going to have to win a bunch of games. To do that we’ll have to fight and battle and scratch.”