CWS Bracket Update: UCLA's Path to a National Championship

The UCLA Bruins are in Omaha for the first time since 2013, when they won their first and only national championship, and are prepping to take on the 6th-ranked LSU Tigers in their winner's semifinals on Monday.

As we await the Bruins' matchup, let's take a look at how the rest of the bracket is shaping up around them.

Who's Out?

Arizona was the first of the eight teams to bow out of bracket play. After losing to No. 13 Coastal Carolina on Friday, they took on Louisville in the first elimination game of the tournament and lost, 8-3. The Wildcats stunned No. 5 North Carolina in three games in the Chapel Hill Super Regional after losing the first game 18-2.

Who's One Loss Away?

After defeating Arizona, Louisville is taking on No. 8 Oregon State on Tuesday in the loser's semifinals. The Cardinals lost to the Beavers in the first round, 4-3, advancing the Beavers to play against Coastal, which beat them 6-2, sending Oregon State down to losers. Their matchup to see who advances to the bracket final is on Tuesday at 11 a.m. PT.

Murray State and No. 3 Arkansas match up Monday morning. The loser of that game goes home. The Racers lost to the Bruins, 6-4, and the Hogs lost to No. 6 LSU, 4-1.

The loser of UCLA and the Tigers, whose game will be played on Monday at 4 p.m. PT, will play whoever wins the aforementioned elimination game. The winner advances to the bracket finals and will be one win away from the national championship series. Coastal Carolina is in such position in the other bracket. The Chanticleers need to win once before losing twice for the first spot in the national championship.

The Bruins are 6-0 in the postseason thus far, sweeping Fresno State, Arizona State and UC Irvine in the regional round and dominating UTSA in super regionals. Their win over the Murray State was the closest contest of the six games.

LSU will be UCLA's first top-16-seeded opponent of the postseason -- UTSA upset No. 2 Texas in the Austin Regionals. Despite being the hottest team in Omaha, the Bruins are going to have their work cut out for them against the 2023 national champions.