OMAHA, Neb. – What a way to avoid elimination.
Junior right-hander Gage Wood threw a no-hitter with a career-high 19 strikeouts for No. 3 Arkansas in a 3-0 victory over Murray State on Monday afternoon in Game 7 of the 2025 College World Series in front of 24,074 fans at Charles Schwab Field.
The Razorbacks (49-14) will face the loser of the LSU vs. UCLA game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. The Racers conclude their season with a 44-17 record.
“Gage just executing pitch after pitch,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said, “getting ahead in the count, breaking ball low in the dirt. Not a problem because Ryder’s back there and he blocks everything. And elevating his fastball in and out. Just a great job.”
Wood (4-1) was nearly perfect. He hit Dominic Decker to lead off the bottom of the eighth after retiring the first 21 batters. Wood followed that with a foul out to the catcher and a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Nico Bermeo was hit on the elbow on a 1-2 pitch. Arkansas challenged the call and Bermeo was called out after video review, the 17th strikeout. Wood got the final two hitters on swinging strikeouts to secure the win, setting a College World Series record for strikeouts in a nine-inning contest.
When asked about his thoughts after the final strikeout, Wood said, “We’re not going home. We get to play tomorrow night. It was pretty cool.”
And what happened to the ball following the game?
“I gave it to my Dad,” Wood said. “Said, Happy Late Father’s Day.”
Sophomore catcher Ryder Helfrick recorded 20 putouts.
“I thought Ryder did a great job calling the game,” Van Horn said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize that we let our catchers call the game. We’ll give them some educated suggestions and the pitcher can shake. We feel they grow in development by letting them do that. And obviously our catchers have to earn that. And Ryder’s been great at it. He has a good feel back there.”
“From a pitch-calling perspective, it’s just go with his best pitches,” Helfrick said. “And today the fastball was working, the curve was working. The cutter was there when we needed it, the change-up. It was all there. It’s really good to call it. But I think if they’re a good fastball-hitting team, make them prove it. But just hunt what his best pitch is and call it a lot.”
Arkansas got on the board in the top of the third. Reese Robinett had a leadoff double, went to third on an infield hit by Justin Thomas Jr. and scored on a base hit by Charles Davalan. After Davalan stole second, Silva got a lineout, a flyout and a strikeout to keep it a 1-0 contest.
The Hogs stranded seven over the first six innings before adding to their lead in the seventh. Thomas had a leadoff single and went to third on a base hit by Davalan. A double by Wehiwa Aloy brought home Thomas to make it 2-0. Davalan scored on an error to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Thomas went 4 for 4 with a run, while Davalan was 2 for 4 with a walk, a run and one RBI.
Isaac Silva (9-3) pitched six innings for the Racers, allowing six hits and one run with two walks and seven strikeouts.
“What these guys mean to me and my family, I can’t put it into words,” Murray State head coach Dan Skirka said. “It’s unbelievable the support we’ve gotten. It’s just been unbelievable. It’s this journey and what these guys have done to inspire people, to inspire kids to play baseball, to inspire families to watch together, to inspire families to come here and visit and be a part of it. That’s what’s so special about this. It’s so truly amazing.”
Notes
Arkansas is 9-0 all-time against Murray State.
Gage Wood became the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter at the College World Series and first since 1960. He joined Jim Ehrler of Texas vs. Tufts (6/19/1950) and Jim Wixson of Oklahoma State vs. North Carolina (6/15/1960).
Wood threw the 14th no-hitter in Arkansas history and first individual nine-inning no-hitter since Richie Nye in 1996 against Iowa State.
Wood pitched the ninth no-hitter in the history of the NCAA Tournament and 11th no-hitter in Division I this season.
Dominic Decker extended his on-base streak to 43 games when he was plunked in the eighth inning.