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Arkansas RHP Gage Wood MLB Draft Stock Rising After No-Hit Performance Against Murray State In College World Series

Matt TallariniJun 17, 20255 MIN READ
Arkansas RHP Gage Wood

Arkansas Razorbacks junior right-handed pitcher Gage Wood threw the third no-hitter in NCAA Division I College World Series history Monday afternoon in a 3-0 elimination game win over the Murray State Racers at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

“We’re not going home. We get to play tomorrow night,” Wood said during the postgame press conference after his dazzling performance.

Wood carved his name into history during the 75th anniversary of the College World Series in Omaha, tossing the first no-hitter since Jim Wixson of Oklahoma State blanked North Carolina 7-0 on June 15, 1960. The only other CWS no-hitter came from Jim Ehrler of Texas, who shut out Tufts University 7-0 on June 19, 1950, during the first year the tournament was held at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.

Ranked No. 50 on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 200 Draft list, Wood struck out 19 batters on 119 pitches, 83 of them for strikes. He recorded five groundouts and three flyouts.

“Gage just executed pitch after pitch, getting ahead in the count, breaking ball low in the dirt—not a problem because catcher Ryder Helfrick’s back there and he blocks everything. And elevating his fastball in and out. Just what a great job,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said in the postgame press conference.

Wood’s 19 strikeouts set a new Arkansas single-game record and marked the most ever in a nine-inning game at the Division I College World Series.

The 21-year-old from Newport, Ark. tallied 26 called strikes, 29 swinging strikes, and induced 20 foul balls—with Major League scouts in attendance who will certainly reevaluate his stock ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft in Atlanta.

His 19th strikeout also broke the previous CWS nine-inning record of 17 set by Ed Bane of Arizona State in 1972 against Oklahoma. It was also the 11th no-hitter recorded in Division I this season.

Wood struck out seven consecutive batters between the third and fifth innings, a streak that ended when Murray State’s Luke Mistone grounded back to the mound for the second out of the fifth.

The only baserunner Wood allowed came in the eighth when he hit Dom Decker with a breaking pitch to lead off the inning. He responded by retiring the next three batters—Mistone fouled out to Helfrick, then Will Vierling and Dan Tauken both struck out to end the threat.

Wood would retire the side—Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night—in the bottom of the ninth inning, striking out Nico Bermeo looking, then Conner Cunningham and Jonathan Hogart swinging to close the no-hitter and keep Arkansas alive in Omaha.

“From a pitch-calling perspective, it’s just going with his best pitches. 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,” Helfrick said after the game.

Wood’s 11th strikeout by the fifth inning made him the sixth pitcher since 1999 to record seven straight strikeouts in a CWS game. He became the first Arkansas pitcher to record more than 10 strikeouts in a College World Series game and the second Razorback to carry a perfect game into the sixth inning.

According to Harrison Cordell Fant of SEC Unfiltered, Wood’s 11th strikeout was an 85 mph slurve with a 2664 RPM spin rate, a -16.87” induced vertical break, and a -10.95” horizontal break.

Will Thompson of Prospects Live also noted that Wood’s fastball was still reaching 97-98 mph in the ninth inning.

Wood is now 4-1 for the 2025 season with his ERA at 3.82 in 10 starts, throwing 37.2 innings, allowing 27 hits, 16 earned runs, five home runs, seven walks, and striking out 69 batters. 

In his three seasons with the Razorbacks since 2023, Wood has a 9-3 record with a 4.33 ERA in 55 appearances and 13 starts, chucking one complete game, recording seven saves, throwing 108 innings, allowing 90 hits, 52 earned runs, 12 home runs, 38 walks, and 167 strikeouts. 

Wood’s scouting grades consist of his fastball at 70, curveball at 55, slider at 45, changeup at 45, control at 55 and overall at 50, prior to Atlanta. 

Arkansas with their overall record at 49-14 and No. 3 in the country will play the loser of No. 15 UCLA and No. 6 LSU on June 17 at 7 p.m. EDT in the second elimination game. 

No. 8 Oregon State will play Louisville on June 17 at 2 p.m. EDT in the first elimination game. 

LSU and UCLA will resume their double elimination game on June 17 at 11 a.m. EDT and are currently in the top of the fourth inning with the Bayou Bengals up 5-3 with no outs and Bruins center fielder Peyton Brennan up at bat to begin the frame.

All College World Series games are televised on the ESPN family of networks.

2025 MLB Draft Information

The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft will take place July 13-14 in Atlanta, Ga., as part of All-Star Game festivities. The 20-round draft will feature 615 picks from eligible high school and college players across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The draft begins Sunday, July 13, at 6 p.m. EDT from the Coca-Cola Roxy at the Battery Atlanta and will be televised on ESPN and MLB Network.

The Washington Nationals currently hold the No. 1 pick, awarded at the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas on December 10, 2024. Find the full draft order on MLB.com.

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