Arizona set for College World Series opener
Arizona will take on Coastal Carolina in the first game of the 2025 College World Series.
OMAHA, Nebr. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona Wildcats are back in Omaha.
Arizona will open its 19th College World Series appearance on Saturday against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, a familiar foe. The Wildcats' last trip to the CWS came in 2016, when they fell to Coastal Carolina in the national championship series.
This year marks a new chapter for the program under head coach Chip Hale. A former Wildcat himself, Hale helped lead Arizona to a national title as a player in 1986. Now, he's looking to join an exclusive club, becoming just the third person to win the College World Series as both a player and a head coach.
The Wildcats enter the tournament on a hot streak, led by their powerful offense and a deep, battle-tested roster. At the center of it all is Tucson native Mason White.
The junior slugger has been a force at the plate this season, hitting .332 with 19 home runs. He believes the team is peaking at the right time and ready for the challenge ahead.
"I think we got comfortable as a team midway towards the end of the year," White said. "We had a real come together [moment]. We got to work and we knew we need to play game by game, winning each pitch and that's what this team adopted."
With history on the line and momentum on their side, the Wildcats are hoping to bring another championship back to Tucson.
