Ryan BlackLouisville Courier Journal
LEXINGTON —Kentucky baseball, preparing for the firstCollege World Seriesappearance in program history, will face a team in Saturday's opener it's tangled with in postseasons past: N.C. State.
Hosting the NCAA Tournament's Lexington Regional in 2017, the Wildcats lost to the Wolfpack, 5-4, in the second game for both teams. UK then had to beat N.C. State in back-to-back outings —8-6 in the first contest, 10-5 in the winner-take-all matchup —to clinch its maiden appearance in a super regional.
This time, the squads will meet at a neutral site: Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Wildcats and Wolfpack own nearly identical batting averages (.289 for N.C. State, .287 for Kentucky) and slugging percentages (.496 for UK, .495 for N.C. State) this season, while Kentucky owns a narrow edge in runs per game (8.0 to N.C. State's 7.7).
The Wolfpack has drawn nearly 40 more walks this season, but the biggest difference between the two offensively is the Wildcats' aggressiveness on the base paths. Kentucky leads the SEC in stolen bases (118) and swipes per game (2.00); N.C. State is outside the top 200 (of 295 Division I teams whose stats are counted) in both categories.
Defensively, UK's ERA (4.95) ranks 52nd nationally, more than 100 spots ahead of N.C. State at 154th (6.09 ERA). Kentucky also permits fewer hits and walks per nine innings.
Individually, the Wildcats lean on Nick Lopez, Ryan Nicholson and Ryan Waldschmidt at the plate, while Trey Pooser and Mason Moore give them a dynamic 1-2 starting pitcher combo. Cameron O'Brien has been a shutdown reliever out of the bullpen.
For the Wolfpack, catcher Jacob Cozart is considered one of the top prospects in this year's MLB draft. They don't have any pitcher who's been unhittable this season, however, as the best ERA on the team is Ryan Marohn at 3.97.
Here's what you need to know about the rest of the teams competing in this year's College World Series, listed in alphabetical order:
2024 College World Series field
Florida
What to know about Gators' offense: Florida is a boom-or-bust team offensively, ranking fifth nationally —fourth among SEC teams —in home runs (131) this season. And the Gators are fourth in the league in slugging percentage at .512. But Florida ranks seventh or lower in the 14-team conference in every other significant offensive category. Junior Jac Caglianone makes everything go. He's among the top 10 in Division I in batting average (.411), hits (97), home runs (33), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.860) and total bases (203).
What to know about Gators' defense: Florida boasts the best fielding percentage (.981) in the SEC, ranking fifth nationally. But the pitching staff has had its struggles. The Gators have the conference's worst ERA (6.16), the SEC's second-worst rate of walks permitted per nine innings (4.69) and give up more than nine hits per game.
Notable factoid: This is Florida's 15th College World Series and second in as many years. (It lost to LSU, in three games, in the championship series, in 2023.) When the Gators make it to Omaha, they usually do so in bunches. Seven of their prior CWS appearances came during multi-season runs: They made it three years in a row from 2010 through 2012 and four consecutive times from 2015 through 2018. Florida's lone national title came in 2017, sweeping LSU in the championship series.
Florida State
What to know about Seminoles' offense: Florida State hits for both average (.316; ninth in Division I) and power (123 home runs; tops in ACC and seventh nationally). The Seminoles are sixth in the country in two more categories: hits (688) and runs (599). Cam Smith's 102 hits this season are the most in Division I. James Tibbs III is the ACC's leader in home runs (28) and RBIs (94).
What to know about Seminoles' defense: Florida State's pitching staff averages 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, the seventh-best figure nationally, while its fielding percentage (.979) is 18th. Seminoles ace Jamie Arnold leads the way, with a 2.77 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 7.05, tops in the ACC. His 155 strikeouts are the most by an FSU pitcher since Paul Wilson had 163 in 1994. Wilson went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in that year's MLB draft.
Notable factoid: This is Florida State's 24th time advancing to Omaha, the third most all time, trailing Texas (38) and in-state rival Miami (25). The Seminoles have three national runners-up finishes (1970, 1986 and 1999) but have never won it all.
North Carolina
What to know about Tar Heels' offense: North Carolina is a top-16 club nationally in total hits, home runs, runs and walks. Vance Honeycutt sets the table for the offense, with 85 runs scored (first in the ACC, fourth nationally) and 26 home runs, the 12th most in Division I.
What to know about Tar Heels' defense: The pitching staff's 4.22 ERA is the best in the ACC. The same goes for walks allowed per nine innings (3.89). And they're rarely out of control: Their 50 hit batters is second fewest in the league. On the mound, Jason DeCaro has allowed opposing batters to hit .219 this season. And while he hasn't started a game in 2024, reliever Matthew Matthijs has been a star out of the bullpen, notching 12 victories, the third-best total in Division I.
Notable factoid: The Tar Heels are Omaha bound for the 12th time in program history. But they are still seeking their first national title. Their best finish is a championship-series setback. In back-to-back years. To the same team: Oregon State in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
Tennessee
What to know about Volunteers' offense: Tennessee is the nation's top-ranked team for a reason. These Vols can really (hit the) ball. Tennessee is No. 1 nationally in home runs (173, 22 clear of second-place Georgia) and runs (617), No. 2 in slugging percentage (.613) and No. 4 in hits (697). They lead the SEC in batting average (.310) and rank 10th in the country in walks (358). Christian Moore and Blake Burke claim two of the top four spots in the country in terms of total hits; 32 of Moore's hits are home runs, five off the national lead of Georgia's Charlie Condon. Moore's 214 total bases in 2024 trail only Condon's 233.
What to know about Volunteers' defense: Tennessee is the nation's top-ranked team for a reason. These Vols can really (throw the) ball. Their team ERA of 3.83 paces the SEC and ranks third nationally. Tennessee also leads the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.41) — second in Division I and nipping at the heels of first-place Arizona (3.46). The Volunteers' pitching staff is No. 4 in the country — and yes, No. 1 in the conference — in walks allowed per nine innings at 2.96. Tennessee has three pitchers (Drew Beam, AJ Causey and Nate Snead) with eight or more wins this season. Causey's 13 victories are tied for most in Division I in 2024 alongside Samford's Michael Ross.
Notable factoid: The Volunteers, who have 55 wins, need three more to surpass the 2022 team for the most in a season in program history. Tennessee has seven College World Series appearances, but this marks the first time it has reached the final eight in consecutive seasons. It's also the third time in four years the Vols have reached the most prestigious stage in the sport. But they're looking to turn around their luck in Omaha: They're 9-11 in CWS games all time. Tennessee doesn't have a national title but finished second (to future SEC mate Oklahoma) in 1951 and tied for third in 1995 and 2001.
Texas A&M
What to know about Aggies' offense: No team in the country has drawn more walks than Texas A&M, which has trotted to first base 396 times (and counting) this season. The Aggies also are a top-10 club nationally in home runs (132), runs (546) and slugging percentage (.557). Jace LaViolette has swatted 28 home runs and scored 83 runs, second most in the conference. Braden Montgomery's 85 RBIs leads all SEC players in 2024.
What to know about Aggies' defense: No pitcher has been stingier to score upon this season than Evan Aschenbeck, Texas A&M's star reliever who sports the nation's best ERA (1.66). How dominant has he been? No other player in Division I has an ERA under 2.00. Aschenbeck also is No. 1 nationally in walks plus hits per innings pitched — better known by its acronym, WHIP — at 0.80. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.00) and walks allowed per nine innings (1.11) are tops in the conference. As a staff, the Aggies have an ERA of 3.94 (sixth best in the country) and also are among the top 10 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.25) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.7). Texas A&M has a commanding lead in shutouts posted; it has blanked opponents 11 times this season. No other D-I school has more than seven.
Notable factoid: This year is College World Series appearance No. 8 for the Aggies. They've booked their spot in Omaha two times in the past three seasons. Texas A&M has no national titles in its history — and still is trying to reach the championship series for the first time.
Virginia
What to know about Cavaliers' offense: Only one team in Division I has a better average than Virginia's .336 in 2024: Austin Peay is well ahead of the pack at .359. But the Cavaliers lead the country in total hits (737) and are among the top 10 in runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and doubles and just outside the top 10 in home runs (their 116 HRs rank 11th nationally). Four UVA players own batting averages of .340 or better: Jacob Ference, Henry Godbout, Casey Saucke and Bobby Whalen.
What to know about Cavaliers' defense: Virginia has turned an ACC-best 52 double plays this season and also leads the league in shutouts (five). Evan Blanco leads the team in every relevant pitching category: wins (eight), ERA (3.69), strikeouts (95), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.80) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.43).
Notable factoid: This is Virginia's second straight trip to the College World Series and its third in the last five years. The Cavaliers have seven CWS appearances all time, all coming since 2009 under coach Brian O'Connor. Virginia won the national title in 2015, one year after taking runner-up honors.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
