May 30, 2025 will go down as a special day for numerous college baseball programs. 24 hours filled with teams rewriting history and gaining a confidence booster for the ages.
On the opening day of the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament, four No. 4 seeds defied the odds and upset the No. 1 seeds on their home turf.
Here’s how it happened.
No. 4 Saint Mary’s (CA) stuns No. 1 Oregon State 6-4
Entering the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament, Saint Mary’s (CA) hadn’t forgotten about its two-loss appearance during the 2016 regionals.
The Gaels didn’t put into words their deep-seated motivation that had built up over nine years. Instead, their win over No. 1 seed Oregon State, 6-4, to kick off regionals spoke for itself.
Saint Mary’s scored three runs in the first and seventh innings to down the Beavers and capture the program’s first-ever tournament win.
They thrived off singles and hit by pitches in the first. First baseman Eddie Madrigal singled to center on the first pitch of the game, and, although Oregon State right-hander Eric Segura retired the next hitter, the following five batters reached base. A single, walk and hit by pitch each resulted in a run. Segura’s day ended before the inning was over.
The Beavers cut the Gaels’ 3-0 lead down to one in third behind left fielder Gavin Turley’s two-run homer to right center.
Righty AJ Hutcheson, who replaced Segura, was able to calm the storm, surrendering just three hits over five innings. Yet, the Gaels and designated hitter Bria Duroff, woke back up after Oregon State turned the keys over to right-hander Laif Palmer.
Duroff smashed a three-run home run to left field in the seventh to make it 6-2.
GAELS ARE ON A ROLL IN CORVALLIS 🤩#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN+ / @SMC_Baseball pic.twitter.com/8gu94o6PM6
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 31, 2025
Oregon State responded with a solo homer and RBI triple in the bottom half of the frame, but the Gaels’ pitching staff reeled it in afterwards, giving up zero hits in the last two innings.
Starting left-hander Dylan Delvecchio struck out 10 across 6.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Right-hander Daniel Guevara Castro slammed the door, going 2.1 innings and surrendering zero hits and runs with six strikeouts.
The Beavers will play No. 2 TCU on Saturday, and Saint Mary’s will face No. 3 Southern California.
No. 4 Columbia blows out No. 1 Southern Miss 11-4
Columbia entered the NCAA tournament with two worlds colliding. The Lions rode a nine-game win streak but hadn’t beaten their regional’s No. 1 seed in program history — only one route could win.
By the end of Friday, Columbia had made history and its win streak had reached double digits.
The Lions downed No. 1 Southern Miss in high fashion, winning 11-4 behind top-notch performances at the plate and on the mound. Eight players collected at least one hit, and they allowed just one run in the final five innings.
The Lions showed flashes of what was to come in the first and third with two runs, but kicked down in the fourth. They scored four runs with the help of shortstop Sam Miller and third baseman Griffin Palfrey’s back-to-back doubles. The Golden Eagles tacked on a run in the third and two in the fourth, but it was all blue and white from there.
Columbia would score five runs in the last two innings of the contest, while Southern Miss went silent at the plate. They collected just one run after the fourth inning, never able to find a rhythm and combat the Lions’ high-powered offense.
Left-handed starter Jagger Edwards kept the Lions afloat in his 3.1 innings of work, but it was the bullpen that kept the Golden Eagles off balance. Right-handers Alex Sotiropoulos and Tomas Lopez gave up just three hits and struck out five across 24 batters faced.
Southern Miss will take on No. 2 Alabama in the loser’s bracket on Saturday. Columbia will face No. 3 Miami (FL).
No. 4 Murray State holds off No. 1 Ole Miss in thriller
Time to party like it’s 1979, at least in Murray, KY.
No. 4 Murray State secured its first NCAA tournament win since 1979 on Friday, beating No. 1 Ole Miss, 9-6, behind right fielder Dustin Mercer’s ninth-inning double and monstrous day at the plate.
It was a fist fight, a spectacle whose winner would be determined by the user who landed more shots. The Racers did just that, rarely letting their foot off the gas pedal and plating at least one run in six innings to hold off the Rebels.
Whenever one team scored, the other was seconds away from doing the same thing. Murray State scored four runs in its first two trips to the plate, while Ole Miss plated five in the third and fourth. The Racers added two more in the fifth and sixth, and the Rebels put one across the plate in the seventh.
It was tied 6-6 entering the final two innings.
That’s when Murray State, specifically second baseman Dom Decker and Mercer, handed down two final blows that Ole Miss couldn’t overcome.
Decker hit a two-out RBI single to right field in the eighth, and Mercer ripped a two-out, two-RBI double down the third base line in the ninth.
Mercer’s got four doubles! Racers lead 9-6 in the 9th.#GoRacers 🏇 pic.twitter.com/Ke9QNHzwfP
— Murray State Baseball (@RacersBaseball) May 31, 2025
Mercer, the MVC tournament MVP, finished 4-5 with four doubles and three RBIs.
The Rebels’ response was commendable, loading the bases with two outs in the final frame, but they couldn’t capitalize, as designated hitter Campbell Smithwick popped out to end the game.
Murray State will take on No. 2 Georgia Tech on Saturday. Ole Miss will face No. 3 Western Kentucky.
No. 4 Utah Valley shocks No. 1 Oregon in chaotic battle
Utah Valley was the third No. 4 seed of the day to win its first-ever NCAA tournament contest on Friday, defeating No. 1 Oregon, 6-5, in a matchup that’s outcome wasn’t foreseeable until the final out.
The two teams went down to the wire as the Ducks’ late-game rally fell short.
Although seven runs were featured in the third inning between both teams that resulted in Utah Valley leading 4-3, fans didn’t need their popcorn and 3-D glasses until the seventh.
Still 4-3, left fielder Jimmy De Anda increased the Wolverines’ cushion to three with a two-RBI single up the middle. The Ducks answered with right fielder Drew Smith’s homer in the eighth, but lost their momentum with a play at the plate to end the inning.
Left fielder Anson Aroz attempted to score on a sacrifice fly, but was called out and ejected for malicious contact due to his collision at the plate with Utah Valley catcher Mason Strong. Aroz won’t be able to play in Oregon’s Saturday game due to the ejection.
We have CHAOS in Eugene 👀👀👀
Anson Aroz has been called out and ejected for malicious contact for a collision at the plate. Utah Valley leads host Oregon in the 9th pic.twitter.com/r25VZGPJSE
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 31, 2025
Down by two runs entering the ninth, the Ducks were able to add a run through a sacrifice fly, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Oregon will take on No. 3 Cal Poly on Saturday, whereas Utah Valley will match up against No. 2 Arizona.
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