For just the fourth time in the history of the College World Series, a four-seed has reached Omaha after running through the Oxford Regional and the Super Regional against Duke. Taking the seed line out of the conversation, Murray State comes into the College World Series looking like one of the best teams in college baseball.

For many programs in the College World Series, the magical ride to Omaha resembles that of the Racers. Still, for the rest of the field, they didn’t have to contend with the pressure of winning a conference tournament to even reach a Regional. Murray State did, and then some; in the Missouri Valley Tournament, the Racers rattled off multiple wins, including a thrilling 11-inning contest against Belmont. Not to mention, Murray State is a forty-win program with a Missouri Valley regular season championship, in addition to the Missouri Valley Tournament Championship crown.

Despite what some may say about this Racers program, from a seed line, yes, the Racers are a Cinderella this season. From a baseball perspective, this Murray State team can play with anyone in the country and has a legitimate shot at, at the very least, earning their way into the Championship series. We saw it in 2008 with Fresno State. Murray State came into the NCAA Tournament looking to prove a point, and the Racers have done just that. They don’t have the budget of an LSU or Arkansas, or even UCLA and Louisville, but what the Racers have is a love for the game of baseball. You could throw the New York Yankees at them, and the Racers, led by their fearless leader, Coach Dan Skirka, are not only ready to embrace the moment of reaching the College World Series, but Murray State is in Omaha on a mission to bring a National Championship to Murray, Kentucky.

In an era of change, Murray State’s appearance in the College World Series represents all that makes college baseball so special. You have a team with holes in the outfield wall playing on the sport’s biggest stage with programs like LSU and Arkansas that spend millions on baseball; the Racers enter the 2025 College World Series as America’s team as they bridge a modern age of the game, with the old school feeling we all get when we make our way into baseball stadiums across the country to enjoy America’s pastime.

Murray State will open the 2025 College World Series on Saturday afternoon against UCLA.

Photo Credits- Murray State Baseball on X