Be prepared for more surprises when the College World Series starts Friday.
For the first time since 1957, the field won’t include a team making a repeat trip to Omaha from the previous year. There are past national champions in LSU (2023), Oregon State (2018), Coastal Carolina (2016), UCLA 2013), and Arizona (2012). Arkansas and Louisville last reached the College World Series in 2022 and 2019, respectively. However, this is the first-ever trip for Murray State.
To help us learn more about college baseball’s annual showcase event, we recently caught up with ESPN’s Chris Burke. Burke played in the 2001 College World Series for Tennessee. He was the 10th overall selection of the 2001 MLB draft by the Houston Astros and played in the majors for a decade. On Friday, Burke will be on the call for the Oregon State vs. Louisville matchup at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: What storyline stands out to you in the College World Series?
Chris Burke: “I think this is the most diverse field we’ve maybe ever had. Nobody who was in the College World Series last year is in the College World Series this year. We have eight teams representing (six) conferences (with Oregon State as an independent). The Missouri Valley Conference has a Cinderella story in Murray State, whose head coach Dan Skirka mows the grass on the field. You’ve got the huge budget and incredible history of LSU with seven championships and 20 trips to the College World Series. So, it’s a diverse field and the most equity and parity that we’ve had certainly since I’ve been covering the sport.”
Why should the casual sports fan tune in?
“No.1, they’re playing for a national championship. You get to see college baseball at its highest level. The college game has proven over the last few years that the jump from being one of the best college players to being a significant major league player is not that big. If you look at Wyatt Langford, who’s in the middle of the Texas Rangers lineup. If you look at Paul Skenes, who started the All-Star Game last year. Cam Smith was playing in the College World Series last year and was on the Astros’ opening-day roster. Dylan Crews is already in the big leagues. There are so many guys who have made a quick jump from the stage of the College World Series.”
Who is the best team in the field?
“Arkansas is the betting favorite, and they have the most complete team. When you look at starting pitching, relief pitching, power, the ability to get on base, and then you look at defense. Arkansas is No.2 in the country in fielding percentage as well. It’s a team that checks every single box. That’s what you would look for in picking a national champion. That being said, they’ve never climbed the mountain. They famously fell a missed pop-up away from winning it in 2018 when Oregon State won it. So they have some history, some scars that they’re going to have to overcome.”
Who’s the best player?
“It’s probably Aiva Arquette from Oregon State. Their shortstop is probably going to be the first college position player drafted. A lot of mock drafts have him as a top-five overall pick. He’s a neat story, a kid who transferred from Washington. He’s a 6-foot-5 shortstop who has power and speed, and can really play the position.
“Kade Anderson, a left-handed pitcher from LSU, might be the first or second pick of the draft. Him and Aiva Arquette are probably the two highest draft picks in the field. That being said, Wehiwa Aloy, the shortstop from Arkansas, is the SEC Player of the Year, and he’s one of the three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award. He’s the only one of the three finalists who’s still playing.”
Which team has a chance to pull off an early upset?
“There is so much parity. The two betting favorites are playing each other in the first round, LSU and Arkansas. I don’t know. I guess if Murray State beats UCLA, you would consider that an upset. But Murray State beat Georgia Tech and Ole Miss to win the Oxford Regional and just beat Duke at Duke to win their Super Regional. At this point, it feels like it’s hard to handicap.”
What stands out about the game you’re calling: Louisville vs. Oregon State?
“Louisville has been interesting because all year long, they’ve had the position player group that you could see making it this far, but their pitching staff has just not consistently performed at a College World Series level. And then all of a sudden, they got to Nashville and they looked like a top-five pitching staff. They are highlighted by Patrick Forbes, who’s gonna be a first-round pick. It’s an Oregon State offense that is going to give Patrick Forbes all he asks for as far as a challenge is concerned.”
How do you think you’ve improved as a broadcaster?
“When I first retired from playing professional baseball and jumped into college baseball broadcasting, you have a decade of kind of a hole in your understanding and view of the sport because you just were out of it. Your nose is down trying to make a living and to establish your career. In my first few years as a broadcaster, I was limited to the teams I prepared for. Now, I’ve been doing this for 13 years and covering the sport through Omaha for the last decade. I feel much more at ease with the sport, the history, and the storylines.”
What was it like playing in the College World Series?
“As a player, your focus is so narrow. There’s the urgency of trying to beat the team across from you, but you’ve also got this fairytale stage. How do I get ready to play this game? Then there’s all the pomp and circumstance of the College World Series and the way Omaha treats you.
“When I was playing, that was the only time you were on national TV. It was such a shock to the senses that you were on such a big stage. I think the players today, yes, Omaha is still the grandest of stages, but they are much more in the limelight, especially the players that come from the SEC and the ACC.”
What do you remember about the 2001 College World Series?
“We were able to win two games there before we lost to the eventual national champion Miami Hurricanes. We had a bunch of fun memories there, but we lost the first game to Miami in what looked like a football score, 21-13. But we bounced back and beat Georgia in Game 2, 19-12. I hit an inside-the-park (home run) in the eighth inning to put us up 13-12. It was a whole bunch of fun.”
Do you have a favorite memory?
“I got to meet President Bush in the locker room before he threw out the first pitch of the College World Series. Right before he walked out, he told everybody, ‘If I bounce it, that means I threw my split-finger, and he ran out onto the field. That’s a memory I’ll never forget.”