For the first time since 1998, the series is racing outside the U.S. with a stop at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. The circuit is one of the most prestigious in Mexico, and the country’s home of racing for Formula 1 as well as Formula E.

It is the second road course race of the year. It’ll be a tough challenge for the drivers due to the high elevation of Mexico City. At 7,349 feet above sea level, the air is thin enough to strain both the cars and drivers as they power through the 15-corner track layout.

This is the first time NASCAR is racing internationally in a points-paying event since 1958. But it’s not an entirely unfamiliar track to some of the drivers on the 2025 grid. The Xfinity Series raced at the circuit for four years in the 2000s, and reigning race winner Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag in one of those events.

Hamlin secured himself a top seed in NASCAR’s first in-season challenge with his win at Michigan International Speedway on June 8. The 32-driver field will have another chance to move up or down the bracket in Mexico City, which marks the second of three seeding races. They’ll have one more chance at Pocono Raceway on June 22.

NASCAR IN-SEASON CHALLENGE: What you need to know about the new tournament

But the immediate focus is navigating the circuit in Mexico. Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the historic race in Mexico City on June 15.

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City start?

The Viva Mexico 250 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City on?

The Viva Mexico 250 is the latest race on the calendar to be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video, meaning there is no national TV coverage for the race. This is the fourth week in a row on the streaming service and there will be one more NASCAR race exclusively shown on Prime Video. Pre-race coverage will start at 2 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City?

Yes, the Viva Mexico 250 will be streamed on Prime Video.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City?

The Viva Mexico 250 is 100 laps around the 2.429-mile track for a total of 242.9 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 20 laps; Stage 2: 25 laps; Stage 3: 55 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Mexico City last year?

As this is the first Cup Series race in Mexico City, there was no winner last season. NASCAR’s second tier Xfinity Series ran four races at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez from 2005 to 2008. Kyle Busch won the most recent race there in 2008 following wins by Juan Pablo Montoya (2007), Hamlin (2006) and Martin Truex Jr. (2005).

What is the lineup for the Viva Mexico 250 at Mexico City?

(Car number in parentheses)

(88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(51) Cody Ware, Ford
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(11) Ryan Truex, Toyota
(78) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet

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OMAHA, NE ― Dave Van Horn has built Arkansas into one of college baseball’s best powerhouses. Under Van Horn, the Razorbacks have made the NCAA tournament 21 times with eight College World Series appearances. Van Horn himself has been named SEC Coach of the Year three times.

But there’s one accolade still missing: a national championship. And the route to that feat got a lot harder with Arkansas’ 4-1 loss to LSU on June 14 in its Men’s College World Series opener at Charles Schwab Field to drop to the losers’ bracket. The Razorbacks will face Murray State in an elimination game June 16.

Arkansas is one of the best programs nationally to never win a national title. Entering 2025, its 11 trips to Omaha without a title were fourth in the country after Florida State (24), North Carolina (12) and Clemson (12).

But Clemson hasn’t made it to Omaha since 2010, and Florida State and North Carolina have been in and out of relevance. Arkansas has made five of the last 10 College World Series; meanwhile, in that span, Florida State has gone three times, North Carolina twice and Clemson not at all.

The Razorbacks’ road to the title will be a long and difficult one. They’ll need to win four games in four days to even advance to the championship series, then two of their final three should they stave off elimination. In the last 25 tournaments, 22 champions won their first game.

Van Horn should be familiar with one of the teams that didn’t, though — 2018 Oregon State, the team that beat Arkansas in the championship series after three Razorbacks failed to catch what would’ve been a championship-clinching pop-up.

Since then, the postseason has been full of heartbreak. The 2019 team went to Omaha but lost two one-run games to get eliminated. The 2021 team was the No. 1 national seed and heavy title favorite but dropped a home super regional to NC State. The 2023 and 2024 teams both lost home regionals as national seeds. Only the 2022 team — the only Arkansas team since 2016 to not host a regional — did well in Omaha, making it to the semifinals.

‘We need to move on from this one and get over it and not think too far down the road,’ Van Horn said. ‘We’ve just got to take care of business on Monday. We need to play good Monday because if we don’t there’s no Tuesday. … These guys, they’ve come back and won games. They’ve done some great things this year. So that’s what I told them. We’ve got a bullpen full of pitchers. We’ve got a bunch of hitters that can hit. They didn’t have a good night. We need to move on and get ready for Monday.’

Van Horn will face some tricky decisions with his pitching. He said the likely starter for the elimination game was Gage Wood. After that, he could turn to Landon Beidelschies, Aiden Jimenez or Colin Fisher. Starter Zach Root, who lasted just 1⅔ innings and threw 38 pitches, could return as soon as Tuesday. But relief ace Gabe Gaeckle, who pitched a career-high six innings out of the bullpen, likely won’t be available until at least the semifinals, if Arkansas makes it that far.

In theory, if anyone has the pitching and offensive depth to make a run through the losers’ bracket, it’s the Razorbacks. Arkansas ranks top-15 nationally in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), home runs and ERA. While Root has been a solid arm, the Razorbacks have thrived all season without a true ace to the level of LSU’s Kade Anderson, who threw seven innings of one-run ball in the opener. Instead, Arkansas has the sort of reliable relief options that every team longs for. And its starting lineup for the opener featured seven players with double-digit home runs.

‘No one here is worried,’ outfielder Charles Davalan said. ‘We’ll try to be ready by Monday and play hard.’

The Razorbacks have won four games in four or fewer days once this season, when they swept Washington State on opening weekend. But the College World Series is an entirely different challenge, and it’s one Van Horn will need to solve for the first time to finally get the monkey off his back.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

ST. LOUIS — The UFL named Michigan Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins its MVP for the 2025 season on its social media channels at 1:49 p.m. local time on Friday.

It didn’t take long for DC Defenders tight end Briley Moore to reach out to his quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, who Moore believed ‘was a lock’ to win the distinguished honor.

At 2:51 p.m. local time, Moore sent a text to his quarterback. The 27-year-old shared the message verbatim in a news conference following the Defenders’ 58-34 win over the Panthers in the 2025 UFL championship game.

‘I can’t wait either at all,’ Moore read. ‘But when you’re holding up that trophy on stage tomorrow night, I’m gonna be chanting MVP.’

That’s exactly what happened. The entire Defenders team serenaded its quarterback after Ta’amu put together a record-breaking performance in the championship game.

Ta’amu completed 21 of 28 passes for a league-record 390 yards while logging five total touchdowns in DC’s rout. Despite being a part of the action, Moore could hardly believe what his quarterback had achieved.

‘I mean, this stat line is insane,’ Moore said, while glancing over a stat sheet from Saturday’s game. ‘But that’s just him. After getting that news (he didn’t win MVP) 24 hours ago, he didn’t flinch. He didn’t try to do too much. He didn’t let him affect him, and he just balled out.’

Moore believes one of the reasons Ta’amu progressed so much in 2025 — a season during which he led the league in passing touchdowns with 17 — was that the quarterback was playing ‘with a different confidence.’

Ta’amu explained his confidence stemmed from the trust he has in his teammates, who he said motivated him after he finished behind Perkins in the regular-season MVP voting.

‘Just having that brotherhood behind me meant a lot,’ Ta’amu said when he explained how he felt about Moore’s pregame message to him.

While Ta’amu praised Perkins as a ‘great quarterback’ who deserved to be the MVP, he acknowledged that his missing out on the award fueled him and the entire Defenders team.

‘It just gave us a big chip on our shoulder to go out there and play hard,’ Ta’amu said about the championship game.

The Defenders were able to do that, thanks in no small part to their offense. DC scored on its opening 10 possessions and set a UFL record for points scored in a game with 58.

Moore was among those happy DC exacted revenge on Michigan, both for the team’s sake and for Ta’amu’s.

‘I feel like I didn’t do enough throughout the season to get him that MVP,’ Moore said. ‘So, this game was a little personal.’

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Kamaru Usman was aware of the noise surrounding him about whether he would still be able to compete in the octagon at a high level at the age of 38.

Usman went the distance against Joaquin Buckley in a five-round welterweight bout in the UFC Fight Night main event at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The former Welterweight Champion earned the unanimous decision, breaking his three-fight losing streak and getting back in the win column. It was his first fight back since battling Khamzat Chimaev in October 2023, which expanded Usman’s losing streak.

Buckley has won nine of his last 12 fights and had his six-fight winning streak snapped on Saturday evening.

Kamaru Usman def. Joaquin Buckley

Kamaru Usman delivered an elbow that caused a cut over Joaquin Buckley’s right eye in the first round of the welterweight fight. Usman continued to take control of the fight through the first three rounds, getting Buckley on the ground.

While Usman held his ground throughout the fight, Buckley had an aggressive approach in the fifth and final round by attempting several uppercut attempts to knock out Usman.

His attempts were unsuccessful and Usman won the fight by unanimous decision. The Nigerian-American became emotional after hearing his name called as the winner.

Usman had not competed in the octagon since losing to Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 294 on Oct 21, 2023.

‘I needed to get that monkey off my back,’ Usman said after the fight.

Rose Namajunas def. Miranda Maverick

Rose Namajunas applied the pressure on Miranda Maverick in the third round to earn her third victory in her last four flyweight fights. The unanimous decision win enables Namajunas to press forward on her journey to chase for another championship.

Edmen Shahbazyan def. Andre Petroski

Edmen Shahbazyan pulled out the middleweight victory over Andre Petroski by unanimous decision after the fight went the distance. Shahbazyan displayed a strong level of striking while picking up his second consecutive victory.

Raoni Barcelos def. Cody Garbrandt

Raoni Barcelos had been asking for a fight with Cody Garbrandt since 2020 and lived up to that challenge. Barcelos earned his third straight victory after picking up a unanimous decision victory over Garbrandt. The Bantamweight improves to 20-5.

Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Cody Brundage

The middleweight fight between Mansur Abdul-Malik and Cody Brundage became the second fight of the night to see an unusual ending. Abdul-Malik and Brundage butted heads as they picked up the pace in the opening 36 seconds of the third round.

Abdul-Malik overwhelmed Brundage quickly after the headbutt and the fight was stopped. After the replay, the headbutt was ruled accidental and the fight was left in the hands of the decisions, where Abdul-Malik was named the winner by unanimous decision.

Oumar Sy def. Alonzo Menifield

Light heavyweight Oumar Sy continued to prove that being an underdog on this card isn’t a bad thing. He earned a unanimous decision victory while handing Alonzo Menifield his first professional loss.

Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato result

An unusual ending to the fight after the light heavyweight bout between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato. Craig threw a hard upkick while on his back that caught Bellato on the chin and knocked him out cold briefly. He wakes up shaken and confused about what happened. The kick was ruled as accidental, resulting in a no contest.

Michael Chiesa def. Court McGee

Blood was drawn earlier from the face of Court McGee after he bumped heads with Michael Chiesa in the first round of the Welterweight fight. McGee also delivered an accidental low blow with a kick to Chiesa’s groin area. Chiesa was tabbed as the winner by unanimous decision after the fight went the distance.

Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho

Bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker proved why he was one of the heaviest favorites on the card, making quick work of Kris Moutinho in the first round. Wellmaker’s victory in his home state helps improve his record to 10-0.

Jose Ochoa def. Cody Durden

Jose Ochoa came out fast in the second round to put away Cody Durden. Ochoa earned his first UFC victory after the flyweight landed an uppercut that rattled Durden and sent him stumbling back before Ochoa used a quick combo to drop his opponent.

Ricky Simon def. Cameron Smotherman

Ricky Simon earned a unanimous decision victory against Cameron Smotherman in the Bantamweight fight.

Smotherman attempted to rally near the end of the fight by landing some big strikes, but it wasn’t enough to put away Simon in the third.

Phil Rowe def. Ange Loosa

While fans weren’t thrilled with the slow start to the fight in the first round, the pace picked up in the second round with both Phil Rowe and Ange Loosa exchanging strikes.

Loosa produced a series of successful strikes that rattled Rowe in the final seconds before time expired in the round.

Rowe rallied in the third round to bloody the face of Loosa, who lost his mouthpiece in the process. Loosa was on pace to win the fight, having won the first two rounds, but the fight was stopped after Loosa was unable to continue in the third.

Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Vanessa Demopoulos

Jamey-Lyn Horth was dominant throughout the Women’s Flyweight fight against Vanessa Demopoulos. With Horth mounded on top in the third round, she delivered strike combinations to Demopoulos’ body and face. The fight went to a decision, but there was never a doubt that Horth won the fight.

How to watch UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley time, TV

Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Location: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, Georgia)
Streaming: 

Main Card: ESPN, ESPN+; 10 p.m. ET
Prelims: ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET

Watch UFC Fight Night with ESPN+

Predictions for Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

Sports Illustrated: Usman

Drew Beaupre writes: ‘It may turn out that the 38-year-old Usman just physically can’t compete with top welterweights anymore, but even with Buckley’s current momentum, I’m still going to side with the former champion to snap his three-fight losing skid.’

Action Network: Usman

Sean Zerillo writes: ‘I don’t project an edge on Buckley to win by KO/TKO (projected +166, listed +163), so you are lessening your edge by including both outcomes compared to Usman by decision. Still, that prop does encompass the majority of outcomes for this contest. Lastly, make sure to target Usman in the live betting market anytime after Round 1, particularly if he has not wrestled to that point in the fight.’

MMA Fighting: Buckley

Alexander K. Lee writes: ‘Usman and Buckley will have plenty of physical, gnarly clashes in a fight that is a battle of wills as much as skill. You have to imagine Usman’s focus will be on taking Buckley down, though he’ll have plenty of well-earned confidence in his standup as well. I’d just be concerned for Usman there with Buckley likely beating him to the punch more often than not. I’m leaning Buckley, mainly because Usman’s time off has me concerned and I’m not convinced he can neutralize enough of Buckley’s offense to throw him off his game. Buckley wins a competitive five-rounder.’

Full card, odds for Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

*All odds via BetMGM

Main Card:

Kamaru Usman (+120) vs. Joaquin Buckley (-260); Welterweight
Rose Namajunas (-235) vs. Miranda Maverick (+190); Women’s flyweight
Edmen Shahbazyan (-160) vs. Andre Petroski (+135); Middleweight
Cody Garbrandt (+205) vs. Raoni Barcelos (-255); Bantamweight
Mansur Abdul-Malik (-1100) vs. Cody Brundage (+650); Middleweight
Alonzo Menifield (+450) vs. Oumar Sy (-700); Light heavyweight

Prelims:

Paul Craig (+280) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (-370): Light Heavyweight
Michael Chiesa (-370) vs. Court McGee (+280): Welterweight
Malcolm Wellmaker (-2500) vs. Kris Moutinho (+900): Bantamweight
Cody Durden (+175) vs. Jose Ochoa (-210): Flyweight
Ricky Simon (-450) vs. Cameron Smotherman (+325): Bantamweight
Phil Rowe (+130) vs. Ange Loosa (-155): Welterweight
Jamey-Lyn Horth (-700) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos: Women’s Flyweight

In Caitlin Clark’s first game back from injury for the Indiana Fever, she delivered an impressive performance that helped hand the New York Liberty their first loss of the season.

Clark, who was sidelined for five games due to a quad strain, shone with 32 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, tying her career high in the 102-88 victory. This marks Clark’s fifth career game with 30 or more points. Kelsey Mitchell, a key player in the Fever’s offense, also delivered an impressive performance in the crucial win against the Liberty, scoring 22 points. Lexie Hull, a rising star in the team, added 14 points to the team’s success.

Despite the loss, Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty in scoring with 34 points, while Breanna Stewart contributed 24 points. However, their efforts fell short. The Liberty, which was previously on a nine-game winning streak, unfortunately saw it come to an end at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Caitlin Clark highlights

Final score: Fever 102, Liberty 88

The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty, giving them their first loss of the season with a score of 102-88.

End of third quarter score: Fever 80, Liberty 71

The Indiana Fever maintain an 80-71 lead over the New York Liberty as they enter the fourth quarter. Caitlin Clark is having an outstanding game, contributing 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. For the Liberty, Sabrina Ionescu is the leading scorer with 28 points.

Indiana goes on a 19-0 run to extend the lead

The Indiana Fever has taken a commanding 72-59 lead after a 17-0 run against the New York Liberty. Caitlin Clark has dazzled for the Fever with 32 points with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

End of second quarter score: Fever 53, Liberty 50

The Indiana Fever have taken a 53-50 lead into halftime after an impressive performance by Caitlin Clark. Clark had her best first-half performance of her WNBA career, scoring 25 points in the first half, including six three-pointers.

Clark with 20 points halfway through the 2Q

Caitlin Clark has contributed 20 of the team’s 41 points in her first game back after a quad strain that had sidelined her for 18 days and caused her to miss five games.

Caitlin Clark connects on back-to-back threes from deep

Caitlin Clark appeared to be back in form after hitting consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter, giving Indiana the much-needed boost to reduce the Liberty’s lead to two points.

End of first quarter score: Liberty 26, Fever 24

The New York Liberty have taken a slim early lead of 26-24 against the Indiana Fever. Sabrina Ionescu is leading the Liberty in scoring with seven points, while Nyara Sabally has contributed six points. The Fever’s Caitlin Clark is back on the court after spending 19 days recovering from an injury and has recorded 14 points in the first quarter.

What time is Fever vs. Liberty?

The WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty — which will count in both the regular season standings and in the Commissioner’s Cup — is set for a 3 p.m. ET tip-off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

How to watch Fever vs. Liberty  WNBA game: TV, stream

Time: 3 p.m. ET/ Noon PT
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+

Caitlin Clark injury update: Will Fever star play today?

Yes. The Fever announced Clark will play in Indiana’s matchup against the New York Liberty following a five-game absence due to a left quad injury.

Clark is sure she suffered the left quad strain during the Fever’s loss to the Liberty on May 24 — where she recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists — but she can’t pinpoint a specific play that caused her injury. She only knows that it happened early on in the contest.

“Obviously, adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle,” Clark said on Thursday. “And after the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see. But, you know, those types of things don’t lie.”

USA TODAY Sports’ Cydney Henderson has more on Caitlin Clark’s recent injury and return.

Indiana Fevers starting lineup

The starting lineup for the Indiana Fever against the New York Liberty consists of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, and Aliyah Boston.

New York Liberty starting lineup

The starting lineup for the New York Liberty against the Indiana Fever consists of Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Kennedy Burke, Breanna Steward and Nyara Sabally.

Minnesota’s world was turned upside down early Saturday morning with the news that state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their home, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times in what Gov. Tim Walz called a ‘politically motivated assassination.’

A manhunt for the suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, has ensued in the aftermath. Residents of the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota area were sheltering in place while the search continued. That order has since been lifted after police said there was reason to believe the suspect was no longer in the area.

Many have come out to denounce the act, including the Minnesota-area sports teams. The Minnesota Vikings released a statement, condemning the actions that took place:

‘As Minnesotans and a team that cares deeply about our state, we are shocked and saddened by the targeted overnight attacks that took the lives of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously injured State Senator Jon Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

‘Our organization has worked closely with both legislators and appreciated their duties as civil servants. Speaker Emerita Hortman was a friend of the Vikings for more than 15 years and a tremendous state leader who worked tirelessly to make Minnesota a better place for all residents. She was a mother, a wife and a friend who genuinely cared about people and relationships. Our prayers are with the Hortman family as they grieve this tragedy and with all government officials who are mourning the loss of a colleague and friend. We hope for fast and full recoveries for Senator Hoffman and Yvette and safety for all members of law enforcement who continue to search for those responsible.

‘These senseless acts should have no place in our communities, our state or our society. We must all unequivocally condemn political violence, reject hateful division, and deliberately work toward mutual respect, compassion and unity.’

Police are still looking for the suspected shooter.

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Players cannot pick and choose which games they will be available for, United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said after forward Christian Pulisic skipped the Concacaf Gold Cup but offered to play in a pair of friendlies.

Pulisic, who played 50 games for AC Milan in the recently concluded season, said he would miss the Gold Cup to rest and recover, with former U.S. stalwarts Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas among those who criticized the decision.

In an interview with the CBS Sports podcast on June 12, Pulisic said he had asked to play in friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, but was not involved in those matches because Pochettino wanted a consistent squad heading into the Gold Cup.

Asked about Pulisic’s comments, Pochettino told reporters on Saturday: ‘Players (do) not need to understand or not understand. Players need to listen and to stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan.

‘Because if not, OK, we invert — we swap the position (coach and player), no ? That is obvious. The most important thing is that we explain why we decided not to include (him) in the two friendly games.

‘And then if you have some problems, no, that is not my problem to understand… I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.’

The U.S. suffered defeats in both of their friendly matches, losing 2-1 to Turkey and 4-0 at home against Switzerland.

They will look to snap a four-game losing run when they begin their Gold Cup campaign with a match against Trinidad and Tobago in San Jose, California, later on Sunday, June 15.

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The final push for a national championship is on, as the final eight teams standing in the NCAA baseball tournament have traveled to Omaha to compete in the College World Series.

That means it’s also time for one of the College World Series’ most popular traditions: the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge.

What began as a ‘casual’ event for fans to partake in has blown up and turned into a must-do College World Series bucket list item for fans who travel to the Mecca of college baseball to experience the feels and emotions of the sport’s most sacred grounds up front.

Located just outside the gates at Charles Schwab Field, fans line up — perhaps for hours — to go into Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina on the corner of 13th and Mike Fahey St. to participate in the challenge. And just as the eight teams clash against each other for a national title, the fanbases of each team go head-to-head against each other to see who will be crowned that year’s Rocco’s Jell-O Shot champion for that year.

Action at the CWS begins on June 13 with double-elimination bracket pool play and is set to run through either June 22 or June 23, depending on how long the CWS finals series goes.

Here are the latest updates on the Rocco’s Jello Shot Challenge Leaderboard as the CWS takes place in Omaha:

Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge leaderboard: Which CWS team leads today?

This section will be updated throughout the College World Series.

Here’s a look at which CWS team leads the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge leaderboard:

LSU: 10,197
Arkansas: 9,823
Murray State: 5,396
Coastal Carolina: 2,741
Arizona: 1,160
Louisville: 972
Oregon State: 819
UCLA: 782

Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge CWS updates

This section will be updated throughout the College World Series

June 14 at 11:24 p.m. ET: LSU baseball picked up a 4-1 win over SEC rival Arkansas on the field, off the field, the Tigers are dominating the Jello Shot Challenge leaderboard at Rocco’s. According to the latest update, LSU fans have bought 10,197 shots. Arkansas is second with 9,823. Murray State has fallen to third with 5,396 shots.

June 14 at 6:16 p.m. ET: LSU fans appear to be doing some heavy pregaming before their CWS opener vs. Arkansas, as the Tigers’ total shot count has increased by 3,725 shots since Rocco’s last update. The Tigers’ No. 1 spot now sits at 8,808. Arkansas is not too far back of Murray State for second place, as the Razorbacks only trail by 53 shots.

June 14 at 1:25 p.m. ET: LSU maintains the No. 1 spot with 5,083 shots a few hours before its opening-round game against Arkansas. Murray State is still in second place with 3,125 shots, and Arkansas has taken over third place over Coastal Carolina with 1,930 shots.

June 13 at 11:48 p.m. ET: It’s well and truly LSU’s race to lose in Omaha, as the Tigers have a near 2,300-shot lead over Murray State at 4,410 shots at the end of Night 1. The Racers continued to build their lead over Coastal Carolina in second place by 427 shots since Rocco’s last update. UCLA remains in dead last at a surprising 380 shots.

June 13 at 6:56 p.m. ET: LSU continues to build its lead on the leaderboard at 1,993 shots. According to Rocco’s the pace of Jell-O Shots being sold this year is currently outperforming last year’s pace. Coastal Carolina still sits in second place at 1,137 shots.

June 13 at 2:21 p.m. ET: LSU is on wild pace to open up the 2025 Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge. The Tigers remain in first place with 943 shots and is apparently on pace to break their 2023 record of 68,888, according to Rocco’s. Coastal Carolina moves into second place ahead of its opening game against Arizona with 836 shots.

June 13 at 9:30 a.m. ET: Murray State held an early lead, but LSU expectedly took over, with 525 shots. Murray State is still in second place but is behind by a decent margin at 385 shots.

What is the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge at CWS?

Started in 2019 by Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina, a local restaurant near Charles Schwab Field, the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge is one of the more popular CWS traditions.

The challenge is just as its name suggests: For every Jell-O Shot purchased by a fan from one of the eight schools at the CWS, it adds a tally mark to the leaderboard.

For every Jello-O Shot bought, $1 of the $5 shot is given back to a local food bank in each of the eight CWS teams’ hometowns and several Omaha-based food banks. Last year’s Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge raised $145,477 for food bank donations.

What is the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge record?

The current record for the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge at the CWS belongs to LSU at 68,888 Jell-O Shots, which was set at the 2023 CWS. Tennessee won the 2024 Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge with 38,340 shots bought.

Noted by Rocco’s official X account (formerly Twitter), the 2024 CWS created some history, as the fanbases of the eight CWS teams bought the most Jell-O Shots in the history of the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge at 96,412 shots.

Here’s a look at the top five finishes in the Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge at the CWS:

LSU, 2023: 68,888
Tennessee, 2024: 38,340
Texas A&M, 2024: 32,762
Ole Miss, 2022: 18,777
Wake Forest, 2023: 7,622

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers needed Game 4.

They had Game 4. At least it looked that way for three quarters. Felt like Indiana was headed for a 3-1 series lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Felt like Indiana was in control.

And they were. Until they were not.

The Thunder, who trailed for much of the game and whose largest lead was the margin of the final score, defeated the Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 Friday, June 13.

If the Pacers lose this series – it’s 2-2 headed back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 – they will look at Game 4 as the one that made the difference, the one that altered the direction of the series.

“Hey, you’re up seven at home,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of an 87-80 lead to start the fourth quarter, “you have to dig in and find a way, and we were unable to do it tonight.”

Was it a blown opportunity? That’s unfair to the Thunder who had a lot to do with how Indiana played in the final six minutes. Was it one the Pacers squandered? Was it one the Thunder took? Either way, victory slipped away from Indiana. But that’s NBA Finals basketball between two really good teams that play extremely hard and are well-coached. It’s a series where every possession has meaning, and possessions are grueling.

Just listen to the coaches.

“It’s the ultimate effort, endeavor, whatever you want to call it,” Carlisle said. “I mean, it’s long. It’s arduous. But it’s the greatest opportunity going. It’s really hard, and it’s supposed to be hard.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault: “We had some deflating plays. It was an easy game to give up on. …  They’re a hard team to beat here. They’re a hard team to beat, period. I thought we gutted it out on a night when we didn’t have a lot going, especially offensively.”

Arduous. Gutted it out. This is an exhausting series, mentally and physically for players and coaches.

“It’s frustrating, of course,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. “You want to win that game, especially a game at home where you have the lead late. But that’s just not how the cookie crumbled today.’

It has turned into a fantastic series, one that is going at least six games, and a Game 7 won’t be surprising. The Game 5 winner will have a chance to win the title in Game 6 in Indianapolis and that atmosphere the fans create at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be electric.

Coaches and players talk about how this series is won in the margins. Who dove for a loose ball and saved a possession? Who took a charge or set a solid screen?

“We had a lot of guys make winning plays that can kind of be invisible to the untrained eye,” Thunder center-forward Chet Holmgren said. “It’s not showing up necessarily in the stat sheet. It’s not like a highlight that’s going to be played over and over. It’s not one single instance.”

Oklahoma City took five more free throws and made nine more. “They missed four. We missed eight,” Carlisle said. “The difference of four is significant. There’s a lot of little things going on.’

The Thunder outrebounded the Pacers 43-33 and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points.

“This series is going to come down to the basics, and our inability to effectively rebound when we needed to is the biggest thing – a bunch of second-chance points made it difficult, and in the end, impossible,” Carlisle said.

It’s a best-of-three series now with Oklahoma City regaining home-court advantage, and the Pacers must win another on the road to win the title against a team that has lost at home eight times all season.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Haliburton said, “but this group has been resilient all year.’

In a Finals as close as this one, there’s no time to sulk and let disappointment spill into the next game.

“This is where we’re going to have to dig in and circle the wagons and come back stronger on Monday,” Carlisle said. “This is a big disappointment, but there’s three games left. … This kind of a challenge is going to have extreme highs and extreme lows. This is a low right now, and we’re going to have to bounce back from it.”