Oregon State outfielder Canon Reeder (23) reacts during an NCAA baseball game against Arizona State on Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

The Oregon State Beavers (47-14-1) baseball team touched down in Omaha for the 2025 College World Series on Wednesday, June 11.

Led by sixth-year head coach Mitch Canham, the Beavers are back in Omaha for the first time since beating Arkansas in 2018 for the national championship. The three-time national champions (2006, 2007, 2018) are making their eighth appearance at the College World Series, with 2025 marking Canham’s first trip to Charles Schwab Field as the program’s head coach.

Oregon State enters the eight-team field as the third-highest seeded team, checking in as the No. 8 national seed behind only No. 3 Arkansas (48-13) and No. 6 LSU (48-15). No. 13 Coastal Carolina (53-11) and No. 15 UCLA (47-16) make up the remainder of the five nationally-seeded programs. Unseeded squads Arizona (44-19, two-seed in the Eugene Regional), Louisville (44-20; two-seed, Nashville Regional) and Murray State (44-15; four-seed, Oxford Regional) fill out the eight-team field.

Oregon State vs. Louisville will be the second matchup of the 2025 College World Series and the first game for both teams. Here’s all the details you need to know about the Cardinals.

What Channel is Oregon State vs. Louisville baseball on?

TV: ESPN

Streaming: Sling, FUBO, Hulu + Live TV, Youtube TV

Radio: Beaver Sports Network

Oregon State and Louisville’s matchup will be broadcast on ESPN and available to stream through various streaming services that offer live TV options. Links to streaming services with free trial options are linked above. Mike Parker of the Beaver Sports Network will call the game for radio.

Oregon State vs. Louisville baseball start time

Date: Friday, June 13

Time: 4 p.m. PT

Starting matchups: Dax Whitney (6-3. 3.66 ERA) vs. Patrick Forbes (4-2, 4.36 ERA)

The Beavers and Cardinals will play the second of two games on Friday. The 4 p.m. start time is subject to change if Coastal Carolina and Arizona’s game one matchup (11 a.m.) runs long.

The winners of games one and two will face each other, while the two losers will play an elimination game against one another. Both games will take place Sunday, June 15.

Scouting Louisville

How the Cardinals got to Omaha

Louisville rounded out the regular season with a 35-20 record and a 15-15 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals headed into the ACC tournament as the 10th-seeded squad before a first-round loss to Pittsburgh sent head coach Dan McDonnell’s squad back to Kentucky to await their Selection Monday fate.

Louisville checked into No. 1-overall seed Vanderbilt’s Nashville Regional as a two-seed and got hot at the right time. Taking advantage of the hosting Commodores’ struggles, the Cardinals rattled off three-straight wins, beating East Tennessee State 8-3 on Friday, Vanderbilt 3-2 on Saturday and Wright State 6-0 on Sunday.

With neither Vanderbilt or No. 16 Southern Mississippi winning their regionals, Louisville hosted Miami (also a two-seed) at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Cardinals won the series in three games, punching their ticket to Omaha with a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Sunday, June 8.

Their advancement to the College World Series is the eighth trip to Omaha under McDonnell and in program history, previously having done so in 2007, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019. Louisville has never won a national championship.

Usual Suspects

Postseason starting pitchers

Patrick Forbes, Jr., RHP (vs. ETSU; vs. Miami, game one)

Tucker Biven, Jr., RHP (vs. Vanderbilt; vs. Miami, game two)

Ethan Eberle, Fr., LHP (vs. Wright State; vs. Miami, game three)

Projected lineup

Lucas Moore, So. — CF

Matt Klien, Jr., — C

Zion Rose, So., — LF/DH

Eddie King Jr., Sr., — LF/RF/DH

Garret Pike, Sr., — RF/DH

Jake Munroe, Jr., — 3B

Tague Davis, Fr., — 1B

Kamau Neighbors, Sr., -OR- Bayram Holt, Jr., — 2B

Alex Alicea, So., — SS

Strengths

Of the eight teams left standing, no one runs the bases like the Louisville Cardinals. Led by centerfielder Lucas Moore’s 51 stolen bags and 30 apiece for left fielder Zion Rose and shortstop Alex Alicea, the Cardinals have converted 155 of their 175 steal attempts this season. They rank seventh nationally in the category.

Senior outfielder Eddie King Jr. is the most fearsome bat in the Louisville lineup, entering the College World Series with a .362/.437/.770 slash line. His 36 extra-base hits lead the club, with his 17 home runs second only to freshman first baseman Tague Davis. King Jr. isn’t a base-stealing threat (4-for-5) the way his teammates are, but has the power to put balls into the stands of Charles Schwab Field. 

As the ace of the staff, junior right-hander Patrick Forbes (4-2, 4.36 ERA) has given Louisville some big innings in his two starts this postseason.

Forbes got the ball against ETSU to open the Nashville Regional, allowing just two hits and two runs while striking out 13 in 6.2 innings of work. He followed it up with a game one start against Miami in the Louisville Super Regional, working 5.2 innings of one-run ball while fanning nine Hurricanes. The junior got touched up in the back-half of conference play, allowing 10 runs and not working past the fourth inning in four-straight weekends, but has been sharp since.

Weaknesses

Louisville’s bullpen has been stout in the postseason, but lacks depth. The Cardinals’ bullpen has only allowed five runs in six games thus far, but only six relievers have toed the slab.

Left-hander Wyatt Danilowicz (three appearances: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks) has been the best of the bunch; with righties Jake Schweitzer (two appearances: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks) and Brennyn Cutts (thee appearances: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 Ks) also turning in valuable innings out of the bullpen.

Starting pitching outside of Forbes has also been hit or miss. Junior right-hander Tucker Biven has handled all of the game-two starts, with lefty freshman Ethan Eberle pitching in the series finales.

Biven didn’t last long against Vanderbilt (4.2 IP), but held the Commodores to just two hits and two runs, only one of which was earned. It was a similar story for him against Miami in game two of the super regional, working just 3.2 innings and surrendering seven hits and five runs. Only one of Biven’s runs was earned, with an error putting a runner on and snowballing into a grand slam that ended his outing.

Eberle worked 6.1-scoreless innings against Wright State, punching out 11 and allowing just two hits in a dominant, super regional-clinching outing. The freshman didn’t match his strikeout total against Miami, but pitched a gritty five innings. Against the Hurricanes, Eberle allowed six hits and just two runs, striking out three.

Outlook for Oregon State

The Beavers will be looking to buck their trend of working through a losers bracket with an opening-round win over Louisville.

Louisville is sending Forbes to the mound against Oregon State, keeping the Cardinals’ right-hander, as well as Biven and Eberle, on seven-days rest.

Beavers’ freshman all-American right-hander Dax Whitney (6-3, 3.66) spent the regular season as Oregon State’s Saturday starter, but got the ball on Friday night against Florida State and is also coming off a full weeks rest.

Oregon State’s plan of attack will be the same as it has been all season: Try to deliver a knockout blow at the plate early to chase the opposing starter off and watch its own starter and bullpen go to work.

After Florida State’s left-handed starters Joey Volini and Jamie Arnold silenced Beavers’ bats in the first two games of the Super Regional, the Beavers broke through in a big way with their 14-10 win on Sunday. Oregon State will be looking to keep its one-through-nine production rolling.

The Beavers’ pitching battery of senior catcher Wilson Weber and whoever takes the mound in orange and black will have their work cut out for them with how aggressive Louisville runs the bases. Controlling the running game has been an issue for the Beavers throughout the 2025 season, with 47 allowed on 64 attempts this year. Weber looked up to the challenge against Florida State, allowing two steals but holding runners on the bases with a number of back-pick attempts.

Oregon State vs. Louisville begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 13.

Full Bracket and first-pitch times

Friday, June 13

Game 1: Arizona (44-19) vs. No. 13 Coastal Carolina (53-11) — 11 a.m.

Game 2: Louisville (40-22) vs. No. 8 Oregon State (47-14-1) — 4 p.m.

Saturday, June 14

Game 3: Murray State (44-15) vs. No. 15 UCLA (47-16) — 11 a.m.

Game 4: No. 6 LSU (48-15) vs. No. 3 Arkansas (48-13) — 4 p.m.

Sunday, June 15

Game 5: TBD vs. TBD — 11 a.m.

Game 6: TBD vs. TBD — 4 p.m.

Monday, June 16

Game 7: TBD vs. TBD — 11 a.m.

Game 8: TBD vs. TBD — 4 p.m.

Tuesday, June 17

Game 9: TBD vs. TBD — 11 a.m.

Game 10: TBD vs. TBD — 4 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18

Game 11: TBD vs. TBD — 11 a.m.

Game 12: TBD vs. TBD — 4 p.m.

Thursday, June 19

IF NECESSARY Game 12: TBD vs. TBD — TBD

IF NECESSARY Game 13: TBD vs. TBD — TBD

FINALS

Game 1: 6 p.m., Saturday, June 21

Game 2: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, June 22

IF NECESSARY: Game 3: 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 23