The stands at Charles Schwab Field were emptying, and Murray State players wanted to savor their program’s first College World Series as long as they could.

Murray State took a chance on a 33-year-old junior college assistant. Seven years later, Skirka has the Racers on the sport's biggest stage.

AJ Salgado hits a two-run double and Michael Barnett holds Murray State to three hits and a run in UCLA's 6-4 win at the Men's College World Series.

No. 15 national seed UCLA (48-16) advances to face the winner between No. 3 Arkansas and No. 6 LSU on Monday at 6 p.m. Four seed Murray State (44-16) — ostensibly the biggest CWS long shot since Stony Brook 13 years earlier — faces elimination at 1 p.m. Monday against the other heavyweight SEC club.

The Murray State Racers are about to be embraced as the College World Series’ lovable underdogs by local fans looking to adopt a team for the week.

A legitimate Cinderella story, a conference-less powerhouse and the nation's hottest team threaten to end the SEC's reign atop the sport

Coastal Carolina is more aptly defined as dominant than underdogs. Considering the 2016 national champions last lost nearly five weeks -- and 23 games -- ago, the Chanticleers are no surprise at the 2025 College World Series.

Who is in the 2025 College World Series bracket? Look at the teams that have qualified for CWS, with a field that includes some unseeded surprises.