OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas sophomore infielder Cam Kozeal was among the top 150 prospects for Major League Baseball’s amateur draft two years ago coming out of high school, but pro ball was always going to have to wait.
Having grown up in Omaha, where he became a two-time Nebraska high school baseball player of the year, and with his father a member of the grounds crew at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, his goal was to play in the College World Series.
Kozeal will accomplish that Saturday night, when the nationally seeded No. 3 Razorbacks (48-13) play No. 6 LSU (48-15) in a first-round matchup between Southeastern Conference teams at the CWS, which began Friday with the final eight contenders remaining from what started two weeks ago as a 64-team bracket for the NCAA Division I tournament.
“It is surreal. It’s a dream come true. It’s a cool journey. It’s very fun. It’s a lot of blessings,” Kozeal said. “Took a lot of people to get here. It wasn’t just me. A lot of coaches throughout the years. My dad, obviously. All my siblings. All the time I spent with them. It’s good to be back in Omaha.”
Kozeal has played a major role in getting Arkansas to this point. His .450 batting average in this NCAA postseason is the best on his team and ranks 11th among players in the CWS. He’s batting .346 for the season, and three of his team-best 18 doubles and two of his 15 home runs have come in the postseason.