Super Regionals Upsets, Surprises & Stars: Day Two Reactions
Image credit: Caden Bodine (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
One team punched its ticket to Omaha while another perennial power moved to the doorstep. In Corvallis, the arms stole the show. In Fayetteville, Arkansas and Tennessee staged a tense, one-run duel. And amid it all, stars emerged.
Here’s what stood out across another action-packed day of NCAA Tournament super regional play on Saturday.
Coastal First To Claim Spot Tn CWS
Coastal Carolina is headed back to Omaha for the first time since its stunning 2016 national championship, riding a 23-game winning streak into college baseball’s final eight.
For first-year head coach Kevin Schnall, this run has been one of the most remarkable in program history. The Chanticleers have racked up 53 wins—just two shy of a school record—and are headed to their second College World Series. The formula starts on the mound, where Coastal features one of the nation’s deepest rotations and a bullpen packed with reliable late-game options.
But the most important shift this postseason hasn’t come from the pitching staff. It’s been at the plate. The Chanticleers entered the NCAA Tournament with modest offensive numbers—a .288 batting average, .442 slugging percentage and 109 wRC+. They ranked outside the top 80 nationally in runs per game, home runs and slugging, and were a team more built on timely hits than overwhelming offensive pressure.
That’s changed. Through five tournament games, Coastal has averaged eight runs a game and found new power, clearing the fence with much greater consistency.
Everything is breaking right for the Chanticleers. They’ve reached Omaha playing the minimum number of games and without overextending their pitching staff, almost like typical regular season weekends. In 2016, Coastal’s title was a shock to the sport. This time, it wouldn’t feel like a surprise at all.
Miami’s Late-Season Hero
Let’s start here: Miami’s push to the brink of Omaha is the product of a lot of great work by a lot of people. Head coach JD Arteaga righted the ship. Ace Griffin Hugus has stepped up. Closer Brian Walters has locked down the back end. Offensively, players like Jake Ogden, Max Galvin and Dorian Gonzalez have all delivered.
But few players anywhere have had a bigger impact on their team than Daniel Cuvet.
Since the start of May, Cuvet is hitting .509 with eight home runs, eight doubles, 28 RBIs and more walks (13) than strikeouts (11). On the season, the sophomore third baseman is batting .369 with 18 homers, 19 doubles and 84 RBIs.
Though he’s only in his second year, Cuvet has become a cornerstone of Arteaga’s surging program, especially after the power-hitting corner infielder opted to stick with the Canes over the offseason when several of his standout underclassmen teammates hit the portal instead.
According to Arteaga, Cuvet coveted a potential leadership position and was committed to doing his part to return Miami to prominence.
“I had to stick with what I decided and the reasons why I decided to come to Miami,” Cuvet told Baseball America in an early-March interview. “I came to Miami to win a lot of baseball games, and because I trust in JD and his staff.”
That desire and trust have the Canes a win from Omaha.
Starting Pitching Stuns In Corvallis
No super regional in the country has looked sharper on the mound than the one unfolding in Corvallis.
The arms have owned the stage. On Friday, Oregon State freshman Dax Whitney turned in a star-making performance, striking out 10 over 4.2 innings to bring his career postseason tally to 22 punch outs in just 10.2 innings. On the other side, Florida State lefthander Joey Volini was equally composed, spinning 6.2 innings of one-run ball.
Then came Saturday, and the pitching somehow rose another level. Oregon State starter Ethan Kleinschmit piled up 11 strikeouts over six dominant innings. Seminole ace Jamie Arnold answered with 6.2 innings of one-run ball of his own, striking out nine.
What happens in Sunday’s decisive Game 3—with advancement on the line—is anyone’s guess. But one truth is clear: Both of these teams are built for the College World Series and Sunday’s survivor will arrive in Omaha with a real shot to win it all.
Player Of The Day
Derek Curiel reached base in all five plate appearances Saturday, going 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBIs, a walk and a hit-by-pitch to drive in nearly a third of LSU’s 16 runs in a rout of West Virginia.
There’s an effortless quality to the way Curiel plays.
The freshman outfielder operates with a poise and polish well beyond his years, flashing premium athleticism on defense with diving plays and advanced route running in left field—a position he’ll soon outgrow as a natural future center fielder.
At the plate, Curiel is a model of discipline, having walked just one fewer times than he’s struck out while showing exceptional swing decisions and a smooth lefthanded stroke that can drive the ball to all fields.
Already a standout on the national stage, Curiel profiles as one of the premier names to watch in the 2026 draft class and quickly earned BA’s Player of the Day nod.
Day One POD: Jacob Krieg, Oregon State
UCLA on the Brink of Return to Omaha
UCLA is one win away from Omaha for the first time since 2013, after opening the Los Angeles Super Regional with a 5-2 victory over UTSA on Saturday night. And what a return it would be.
Across the national landscape, few turnaround stories rival what’s happening in Westwood. Some are close—Miami, for instance, is also fighting to reclaim past glory—but the Bruins’ climb back under longtime head coach John Savage stands out.
From 2010 to 2015, UCLA was one of the sport’s elite brands: five hosting years, three trips to Omaha, and a national title in 2013. The next stretch, from 2016 to 2019, remained strong—three NCAA appearances and another super regional run—but UCLA has not been back to Omaha since that championship season. It hadn’t hosted since 2019, and entered this year coming off consecutive missed tournaments, the first such back-to-back absence under Savage.
But Savage never believed the game had passed UCLA by. He insisted this year would be different—a return to the level where the Bruins once commanded respect and inspired fear.
So far, he’s delivered on that vision. This year’s club features high-end talent like dynamic shortstop Roch Cholowsky and a versatile, dependable pitching staff. It’s a long-awaited resurgence for one of college baseball’s true sleeping giants.
Just as intriguing as how far this team can go will be how UCLA handles what comes next. The Bruins boast a deep core of non-draft eligible talent and will return the majority of their top run producers—only AJ Salgado is set to move on from the college ranks. There will be more turnover on the pitching side, where UCLA could be active in the transfer market to bolster its staff.
If the Bruins can maintain continuity—and all signs point to them being well-positioned to do so—this level of success looks sustainable beyond this season.
Game Of The Day
Arkansas-Tennessee delivered the game of the day—a tense, low-scoring 4-3 battle defined by high-octane pitching and timely bursts of offense.
The Razorbacks won it on the mound, with Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combining to allow just two hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out eight. Offensively, a two-run homer from Ryder Helfrick in the fifth and an RBI single by Charles Davalan an inning later provided just enough cushion.
Tennessee kept it close behind solid work from starter Marcus Phillips and a bullpen that held Arkansas scoreless the rest of the way. But the Vols’ offense couldn’t break through, managing all three runs on solo homers from Andrew Fischer and Dean Curley. Now, Arkansas sits one win away from Omaha, while Tennessee will turn to ace Liam Doyle on Sunday to try and force a decisive Game 3.
