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  • Dreiling’s hit in 9th gives Vols 12-11 walk-off win over Seminoles in CWS

    Dreiling’s hit in 9th gives Vols 12-11 walk-off win over Seminoles in CWS

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    OMAHA, Neb. — Florida State will play to avoid elimination from the College World Series on Sunday night after dropping its opener to top-seeded Tennessee 12-11 on Friday night.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida State lost to Tennessee 12-11 in both teams’ first game at the College World Series

    • The Volunteers’ Dylan Dreiling punched in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning

    • A check-swing call for Tennessee’s Blake Burke in the ninth kept the Vols in the game 

    • The Seminoles play Virginia in an elimination game on Sunday

    • The Vols’ Christian Moore became the first player to hit for the cycle at the tournament since 1956.

    Dylan Dreiling’s single into the left-center field gap drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Tennessee rallied to beat Florida State, capping a night when Christian Moore became the first player in 68 years to hit for the cycle at the College World Series.

    Tennessee (56-12) will play North Carolina in a Bracket 1 winner’s game on Sunday night. Florida State (47-16) will meet Virginia in an elimination game in the afternoon.

    The Volunteers overcame sloppy defensive play and poor pitching, ratcheting up their high-powered offense another notch at the end to win their first CWS opener in five appearances since 2001.

    Moore went 5-for-6 for the Volunteers while becoming the first player to hit for the cycle at the CWS since Minnesota’s Jerry Kindall did it against Mississippi in 1956.

    Tennessee, which trailed 9-4 in the fifth inning, overcame its biggest deficit to win on the road or at a neutral site since coming from five runs down to win at UC Irvine in 2017.

    The Vols, in the CWS for a second straight year and third in the past four, trailed 11-8 entering the bottom of the ninth. Kavares Tears, who homered earlier, tripled leading off and scored on a sacrifice fly.

    Moore came to bat with two outs and a runner on base and was down to his last strike against Brennen Oxford (2-1) when he doubled into the left-field corner.

    “It was a fight, me against him, mano a mano,” Moore said. “I guess I won that.”

    That brought up Blake Burke, who delivered the tying single up the middle after he might have caught a break when third-base umpire Shawn Rakos signaled Burke checked his swing on a pitch with two strikes.

    “It was a check swing, and I didn’t go,” Burke said. “Just kept battling and that was the result.”

    FSU coach Link Jarrett’s body language in the dugout indicated he didn’t agree with the check-swing call. He did not directly address the play after the game. Had the call gone the other way, the game would have been over, and FSU would have won.

    “You guys saw the game,” he told reporters. “I need to watch every pitch of this game again. There’s factors in this that affect the outcome of the game, and I can’t tell from 90 feet away on the side what was going on with some of the things that occurred. Every pitch matters in these games, and you saw the result of this.”

    Burke moved to second on Billy Amick’s single off Oxford, and then Dreiling drove in the winning run on the second pitch from Connor Hults.

    Nate Snead (10-2), the sixth Tennessee pitcher, got the win after holding the Seminoles scoreless on one hit over the last 2-1/3 innings.

    The Seminoles took a 9-4 lead in the fourth inning when Jaime Ferrer hit a two-run home run, the first of the College World Series and his 20th of the season.

    After Tennessee scored off homers in fifth and sixth innings, Marco Dinges put FSU up 11-7 with a two-run double in the seventh inning. 

    Moore, the Vols’ leadoff man and a projected top-15 pick in the amateur draft next month, started his big night with a triple, his first since 2022, into the right-center gap in the first inning. He doubled in the second, singled in the fourth and drove the ball 440 feet to straight-away center for his 33rd homer of the season leading off the bottom of the sixth.

    “The whole game, I tried to get on base and set the tone,” Moore said. “I really, to be honest, didn’t know I did it (hit for the cycle).”

    The Vols’ first walk-off win of the season came after a grinding first half of the game. They committed three errors in a game for only the second time this season. The three errors also matched their most in 21 all-time CWS games. Tennessee pitchers combined to allow 13 hits, walk a season high-tying nine and hit a batter.

    The top-seeded Vols came to Omaha with a school-record 173 homers and averaging 9.2 runs per game for the season and 10.7 for the NCAA Tournament. Burke said it was only a matter of time before the offense cranked up.

    “We threw a bunch of jabs the whole game,” he said, “and landed the big punch in the ninth.”

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    Associated Press

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  • With only SEC and ACC teams, College World Series might offer glimpse of future

    With only SEC and ACC teams, College World Series might offer glimpse of future

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    OMAHA, Neb. — The College World Series begins Friday, and only two conferences will be represented on the game’s biggest stage for the first time since the event expanded to eight teams in 1950.

    The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference each are sending four teams, the SEC for the fourth time since 2015 and seventh overall and the ACC for the first time since 2006.

    What You Need To Know

    • The 2024 College World Series opens Friday with eight teams 

    • But only two conferences, the SEC and the ACC, are represented

    • Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina State, Texas A&M and Kentucky are the teams; see capsules below

    • Since 2014, 50 of the 80 CWS teams have been from the SEC (31) or ACC (19)

    • Some coaches at smaller schools say they are struggling to compete because of NIL deals and unlimited transfers

    Their exclusivity this year hints at an even greater concentration of power in the sport as college athletics moves into an era when players, already able to transfer around freely, can make more money than ever, scholarship limits are likely to be removed and the richest schools pour more resources into facilities.

    The CWS opens Friday with an all-ACC matchup between North Carolina (47-14) and Virginia (46-15) and Tennessee (55-12) of the SEC playing Florida State (47-15) of the ACC. Games the next day match Kentucky (45-14) of the SEC against the ACC’s North Carolina State (38-21) and Texas A&M (49-13) against Florida (34-28) in an all-SEC meeting.

    College baseball has never been better, coaches and administrators say. The shortening of the amateur draft since the COVID-10 pandemic has kept talented older players in school, regular-season television coverage has expanded and attendance has increased.

    “I honestly believe we’re probably in a golden age of college baseball right now,” American Baseball Coaches Association Executive Director Craig Keilitz said.

    Beneath the surface, there is concern the transformation of college athletics will further reduce the number of programs capable of competing at the highest level.

    Baseball already is top heavy. The SEC has claimed four consecutive national championships and nine of the past 14, and has had at least one team in 14 of the past 15 finals. Since 2014, 50 of the 80 CWS teams have been from the SEC (31) or ACC (19).

    Part of the sport’s charm has been the ability of smaller programs to occasionally rise up and challenge the big-name brands, scenes familiar to fans of the March Madness basketball tournaments.

    Evansville, which had one of the oldest rosters in the country this year, came within one win of going to Omaha by extending its super regional against overall top-seeded Tennessee to three games. Oral Roberts made it to the CWS last year and won a game. Stony Brook was here, along with Kent State, in 2012. Coastal Carolina, then in the Big South, won the national title in 2016.

    “Those are the teams you root for,” Cal State Fullerton coach Jason Dietrich said. “Not to say you don’t root for the other schools, but you love the underdog, the teams that don’t have the bells and whistles.”

    Transfers and tender

    As with other sports, the transfer portal and athletes’ ability to earn endorsement money through name, image and likeness deals have turned baseball on its head.

    Florida State, Kentucky and Texas A&M each went into their super regionals with five players in their everyday lineups who started at other Division I schools. The number was two for North Carolina, NC State and Tennessee and one for Virginia.

    Kentucky had the most Division I transfers on its roster with 12; NC State had the fewest with five.

    Baseball receives only 4.8% of overall NIL spending, according to Opendorse, and is far behind the top three sports — football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. The top 25 NIL earners in baseball are making an average of $45,000 per year.

    But with most players receiving a partial scholarship because of the current NCAA limit of 11.7 per team, any income helps offset the cost of attendance. Schools offering the most NIL money through their donors naturally get the best players.

    Since July 1, 2021, the average estimated annual NIL spending per SEC baseball team was $820,000 to $920,000, based on more than 150,000 NIL transactions disclosed through or processed by Opendorse, a company that works with dozens of schools and more than 40 collectives on NIL activities. A number of SEC teams are said to be spending well into the millions.

    The average NIL spending in the ACC is half that of the SEC but still ranks second among all conferences.

    If scholarship limits are removed, which is the expectation, deep-pocketed programs could choose to fully fund their programs.

    This year, each program can divvy up 11.7 scholarships among 32 players. If all 32 get full rides in the future, the chasm between the haves and have-nots in the sport surely will deepen. And there could be additional money for baseball players in the major conferences as part of the revenue-sharing plan proposed in the NCAA’s antitrust case settlement.

    Ripple effects

    Dietrich grew up in Southern California and remembers when the small-budget Titans were one of college baseball’s best programs. Fullerton has appeared in 18 CWS, most recently in 2017, and won four national titles, tied for fifth most.

    Dietrich can’t offer the amenities of the major-conference schools and must recruit players who often need a year or two of seasoning. Fullerton has smaller NIL money available compared with larger programs, so Dietrich is susceptible to losing the players he develops and can land larger endorsement deals elsewhere.

    Fullerton went to an NCAA regional last year but lost three starting position players and its best reliever to the draft and then had another everyday starter and a bullpen arm join five teammates in the transfer portal. The Titans were 16-38 this season.

    “We’re doing everything we can,” Dietrich said. “Our goal is to go to Omaha and compete for a national championship. We see there are some obstacles ahead, but that’s just the way it is.”

    Big Ten-bound UCLA is one of the biggest brands on the West Coast but has struggled since making a regional in 2022. Eleven players went into the portal the next two cycles, and most were difference-makers like pitchers Thatcher Hurd and Gage Jump (both to LSU).

    Personnel losses to the portal and the draft left Bruins coach John Savage relying on one of the most freshmen-heavy rosters in the country. He noted the physical mismatch between his 18-year-old freshmen against the opponent’s 24-year-old seniors. The result was a last-place finish in the Pac-12 this year.

    Retiring Coastal Carolina coach Gary Gilmore said he’s not against the idea of NIL money for athletes. He is against the lack of guardrails around it, especially with booster-funded collectives at the big schools spending freely and rules that allow players to transfer as often as they like without penalty.

    “If Major League Baseball, the NBA and NFL had a system where everyone was a free agent every year, do you realize what chaos it would be?” Gilmore said. “If you did it in baseball, it would be the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Texas. The rest of the teams couldn’t compete. That’s what is going on right now. There’s not a level playing field.”

    Teams playing for 2024 national championship

    A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Friday at Charles Schwab Field. (Capsules in order of CWS opening games. Coaches’ records through super regionals):

    Virginia (46-15)

    • Coach: Brian O’Connor (885-368-2 in 21 years at Virginia and overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Charlottesville Regional — Beat Penn 4-2, beat Mississippi State 5-4, beat Mississippi State 9-2. Won Charlottesville Super Regional — Beat Kansas State 7-4, beat Kansas State 10-4.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 3-4 (2-1 vs. North Carolina, 1-2 vs. N.C. State, 0-1 vs. Florida State).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2023.
    • All-time record in CWS: 13-12 in six appearances (won national title in 2015).
    • Meet the Cavaliers: C Jacob Ference (.354, 17 HRs, 43 RBIs), 1B Henry Ford (.339, 17, 68), 2B Henry Godbout (.370, 9, 46), SS Griff O’Ferrall (.332, 5, 51), 3B Eric Becker (.363, 8, 46), LF Harrison Didawick (.297, 23, 68), CF Bobby Whalen (.370, 2, 35), RF Casey Saucke (.343, 14, 64). Starting pitchers: Evan Blanco (8-3, 3.69 ERA), RHP Jay Woolfolk (4-1, 5.95), RHP Joe Savino (3-2, 3.18). Relievers: RHP Chase Hungate (7-1, 3.71), LHP Owen Coady (1-1, 5.94), LHP Angelo Tonas (3-0, 3.96), RHP Aidan Teel (2-2, 7.88), LHP Blake Barker (2-1, 7.31), RHP Ryan Osinski (4-1, 4.80), RHP Matt Augustin (2-0, 4.28).
    • MLB alumni: Ryan Zimmerman, Ricky Horton, Javier Lopez, Mark Reynolds, Phil Gosselin, Sean Doolittle, David Adams, Pavin Smith.
    • Short hops: Brian O’Connor grew up across the Missouri River from Omaha in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and he has participated in the CWS as a pitcher (1991, Creighton), assistant (2002, Notre Dame) and head coach. … Virginia is in CWS for second straight year and third time in four years. … The Cavaliers’ .336 season batting average is the best among teams in Omaha. … Their 116 homers are 33 more than the previous program record of 83, set last year.
    • Quotable: “We’ve got excellent young men who represent this uniform the right way and they’re tigers. They’re just completely relentless with everything they do. You won’t be able to get the smile off my face that they have the opportunity to go back to Omaha. I’m very, very confident we’ll be ready to play whenever they tell us to play and believe we’ll have a deeper run than we had last year.” — O’Connor.

    North Carolina (47-14)

    • Coach: Scott Forbes (153-87, four years at North Carolina and overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Chapel Hill regional — Beat LIU 11-8, beat LSU 6-2, beat LSU 8-4, beat LSU 4-3 in 10 innings. Won Chapel Hill super regional — Beat West Virginia 8-6, beat West Virginia 2-1.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 2-4 (1-2 vs. Virginia, 1-2 vs. N.C. State).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2018.
    • All-time record in CWS: 18-23 in 11 appearances.
    • Meet the Tar Heels: C Luke Stevenson (.283, 14 HRs, 58 RBIs), 1B Parks Harber (.341, 20, 63), 2B Alex Madera (.301, 2, 34), SS Colby Wilkerson (.282, 3, 33), 3B Gavin Gallaher (.337, 8, 38), LF Casey Cook (.339, 18, 76), CF Vance Honeycutt (.314, 26, 65), RF Anthony Donofrio (.338, 7, 52), DH Alberto Osuna (.285, 14, 56). Starting pitchers: RHP Jason DeCaro (6-1, 3.89 ERA), LHP Shea Sprague (3-1, 4.00), RHP Aidan Haugh (4-2, 4.53). Relievers: LHP Dalton Pence (4-1, 2.04, 8 saves), RHP Matthew Matthijs (12-4, 3.65), RHP Ben Peterson (3-2, 4.97), RHP Matt Poston (5-2, 5.25), LHP Kyle Percival (4-0, 2.42), RHP Connor Bovair (1-0, 3.71), RHP Cameron Padgett (1-0, 4.91).
    • MLB Alumni: Michael Busch, Cooper Criswell, Tim Federowicz, Zac Gallen, Matt Harvey, Chris Iannetta, Andrew Miller, Colin Moran, Mike Morin, Ryder Ryan, Kyle Seager, Jacob Stallings, Trent Thornton, Adam Warren.
    • Short hops: The Tar Heels’ 47 wins are their most since they had 48 in 2009. … They scored the winning run or runs on their last at-bat in three of their five NCAA Tournament wins. … Honeycutt broke his school single-season home run record when he belted his 26th in the super regional-clinching win. … Matthew Matthijs’ 12 wins lead the ACC and are ranked third nationally.
    • Quotable: “I’m really happy for this team, these players. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in Omaha, and these guys haven’t. My whole goal, I just want to get these guys there because they deserve to be there.” — Forbes.

    Florida State (47-15)

    • Coach: Link Jarrett (70-46 in two seasons at FSU; 371-244 overall in 12 seasons).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Tallahassee Regional — Beat Stetson 7-2, beat UCF 5-2, beat UCF 12-4. Won Tallahassee Super Regional — Beat UConn 24-4, beat UConn 10-8, 12 innings.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 5-1 (3-0 vs. Florida, 1-1 vs. N.C. State, 1-0 vs. Virginia).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2019.
    • All-time record in CWS: 30-46 in 23 appearances.
    • Meet the Seminoles: C Jaxon West (.263, 2 HRs, 26 RBIs) or McGwire Holbrook (.268, 2, 16), 1B Daniel Cantu (.311, 8, 40), 2B Drew Faurot (.294, 6, 28), SS Alex Lodise (.276, 7, 41), 3B Cam Smith (.402, 16, 56), LF Jaime Ferrer (.319, 19, 58), CF Max Williams (.301, 13, 43), RF James Tibbs III (.374, 28, 94), DH Marco Dinges (.321, 15, 66). Starting pitchers: LHP Jamie Arnold (11-3, 2.77 ERA), LHP Carson Dorsey (7-4, 4.67), RHP Connor Whittaker (5-0, 4.75). Relievers: LHP Brennen Oxford (2-0, 2.94, 6 saves), RHP John Abraham (5-1, 4.24), LHP Connor Hults (2-1, 4.45), LHP Andrew Armstrong (5-0, 6.98), RHP Joe Charles (1-0, 6.52), RHP Noah Short, 1-1, 7.71), RHP Ben Barrett (1-0, 5.27), LHP Brady Louck (1-1, 7.06), LHP Rowan Hudson (0-1, 9.20), RHP Yoel Tejeda Jr. (1-2, 5.95).
    • MLB Alumni: Buster Posey, J.D. Drew, Stephen Drew, Kevin Cash, Doug Mientkiewicz, Paul Sorrento, Deion Sanders, Richie Lewis, Luis Alicea, Terry Kennedy, Johnny Grubb, Dick Howser.
    • Short hops: Jarrett is taking his second school to the CWS. His Notre Dame team made it in 2022. He played in three CWS as an FSU shortstop in the 1990s. … Tibbs, the ACC player of the year, hit three homers in the 10-8, 12-inning super regional-clinching win over UConn. His 28 homers are FSU’s most since Marshall McDougall hit 28 in 1999. … The Seminoles’ 24-win improvement extends the largest year-over-year jump in program history. … The Seminoles have homered in 15 consecutive games and in 57 of 62.
    • Quotable: “There are a lot of things that come at you when you’re in Omaha. There are a lot of interviews, a lot of distractions, a lot of people. The first opening weekend in Omaha is right up there with an experience at an NFL Super Bowl playoff-type game, the Final Four, Augusta. It’s that. And they’re going to feel it, and I’m probably more prepared for it now because of what I had to go through in Omaha in 2022.” — Jarrett.

    Tennessee (55-12)

    • Coach: Tony Vitello (290-111 in seven years at Tennessee and overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Knoxville Regional — Beat Northern Kentucky 9-3, beat Indiana 12-6, beat Southern Mississippi 12-3. Won Knoxville Super Regional — Beat Evansville 11-6, lost to Evansville 10-8, beat Evansville 12-1.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 5-1 (2-0 vs. Kentucky, 2-1 vs. Florida, 1-0 vs. Texas A&M).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2023.
    • All-time record in CWS: 9-12 in six appearances.
    • Meet the Volunteers: C Cal Stark (.231, 10 HRs, 28 RBIs), 1B Blake Burke (.376, 19, 56), 2B Christian Moore (.375, 32, 71), SS Dean Curley (.273, 12, 46), 3B Billy Amick (.313, 23. 64), LF Dylan Dreiling (.320, 20, 64), CF Hunter Ensley (.292, 11, 45), RF Kavares Tears (.330, 18, 55), DH Dalton Bargo (.294, 8, 27). Starting pitchers: LHP Chris Stamos (3-0, 4.02 ERA), RHP Drew Beam (8-2, 4.44), LHP Zander Sechrist (4-1, 3.26). Relievers: RHP AJ Causey (13-3, 3.77), LHP Kirby Connell (4-1, 3.98), RHP Nate Snead (9-2, 3.34, 5 saves), LHP Andrew Behnke (3-1, 3.12), RHP JJ Garcia (3-0, 3.97), RHP Aaron Combs (2-1, 2.65).
    • MLB alumni: Todd Helton, Phil Garner, Rick Honeycutt, Luke Hochevar, R.A. Dickey, Joe Randa, Mike Difelice, Bubba Trammell, Chris Burke, Mike Lincoln, Steve Searcy, Nick Senzel.
    • Short hops: The Vols’ 173 home runs are a school record and second most in Division I history behind LSU’s 188 in 1997. … This is the Vols’ second straight CWS and third in four years. … Seven home runs in super regional-clinching win tied a school record. … The Vols have hit at least six home runs in six games. … The Vols are averaging 10.7 runs and 4.33 home runs per game in NCAA Tournament. … Billy Amick, Christian Moore and Cal Stark each have four homers in the tournament.
    • Quotable: “Omaha is real fun to go to. If you don’t play that well, it ain’t that fun.” — Vitello.

    North Carolina State (38-21)

    • Coach: Elliott Avent (1,036-613 in 28 years at NC State; 1,260-826 in 36 years overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Raleigh Regional — Beat Bryant 9-2, beat South Carolina 6-4, beat James Madison 5-3. Won Athens Super Regional —Beat Georgia 18-1, lost to Georgia 11-2, beat Georgia 8-5.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 5-3 (2-1 vs. North Carolina, 1-1 vs. Florida State).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2021.
    • All-time record in CWS: 5-5 in three appearances.
    • Meet the Wolfpack: C Jacob Cozart (.300, 19 HRs, 53 RBIs), 1B Garrett Pennington (.348, 18, 65), 2B Matt Heavner (.264, 10, 33), SS Brandon Butterworth (.250, 7, 31), 3B Alec Makarewicz (.380, 22, 80), LF Luke Nixon (.260, 14, 29), CF Eli Serrano III (.297, 9, 39), RF Noah Soles (.221, 5, 22), DH Alex Sosa (.226, 6, 24). Starting pitchers: RHP Sam Highfill (7-2, 5.06 ERA), Dominic Fritton (3-6, 7.35), RHP Logan Whitaker (3-1, 6.06). Relievers: RHP Jacob Dudan (4-2, 4.40), RHP Derrick Smith (3-1, 4.50), RHP Andrew Shaffner (0-0, 5.56), LHP Ryan Marohn (4-2, 3.97), RHP Hollis Fanning (2-1, 7.41), RHP Carson Kelly (1-0, 9.64), RHP Shane Van Dam (4-0, 4.58), LHP Cooper Consiglio (5-4, 4.97), RHP Jaxon Lucas (1-0, 9.43).
    • MLB Alumni: Carlos Rodon, Trea Turner, Andrew Knizner, Mike Caldwell, Dan Plesac, Tim Stoddard, Greg Briley.
    • Short hops: Third CWS appearance since 2013. The 2021 Wolfpack were one win away from making the finals when the NCAA removed them from the CWS because of COVID-19 protocols. … Their .332 team batting average in NCAA Tournament is best among CWS teams. … Alec Makarewicz has five of his team’s 17 doubles in the tournament. … Pennington hit two of his four NCAA Tournament home runs in super regionals.
    • Quotable: “Not that it ever gets old going to Omaha. Yes, I want to go again. Yes, I want to eat at the Drover restaurant. I’ve kept that menu up probably three weeks.” — Avent, referring to the iconic Omaha steakhouse.

    Kentucky (45-14)

    • Coach: Nick Mingione (261-164 in eight years at Kentucky and overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Lexington Regional — Beat Western Michigan 10-8, beat Illinois 6-1, beat Indiana State 5-0. Won Lexington Super Regional — Beat Oregon State 10-0, beat Oregon State 3-2.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 3-3 (1-2 vs. Tennessee, 2-1 vs. Florida).
    • Last CWS appearance: First appearance.
    • All-time record in CWS: 0-0.
    • Meet the Wildcats: C Devin Burkes (.250, 3 HRs, 35 RBIs), 1B Ryan Nicholson (.299, 21, 61), 2B Emilien Pitre (.298, 9, 56), SS Grant Smith (.248, 5, 34), 3B Mitchell Daly (.302, 6, 44), LF Ryan Waldschmidt (.346, 14, 46), CF Nolan McCarthy (.286, 7, 39), RF James McCoy (.228, 6, 25), DH Nick Lopez (.350, 6, 50). Starting pitchers: RHP Trey Pooser (7-1, 3.46 ERA), RHP Mason Moore (9-3, 4.93), LHP Dominic Niman (8-2, 6.24). Relievers: LHP Jackson Nove (1-0, 5.46), RHP Cameron O’Brien (3-0, 3.94), RHP Robert Hogan (1-0, 2.58), RHP Ryan Hagenow (2-0, 1.96), RHP Johnny Hummel (3-0, 3.49, 7 saves), LHP Evan Byers (3-1, 5.32).
    • MLB Alumni: Jeff Abbott, Joe Blanton, Kyle Cody, Sean Hjelle, Paul Kilgus, Jason Kipnis, Jim Leyritz, James Paxton, JT Riddle, Chris Rusin, Terry Shumpert, Mark Thompson, Brandon Webb.
    • Short hops: The Wildcats tied with Tennessee for the SEC regular-season title. … Their 45 wins ties for the most in school history (2012). The Wildcats have consecutive 40-win seasons for first time. … Their 2.00 team ERA and 4.6 hits allowed per nine innings in NCAA Tournament rank first. … Pitchers have allowed four runs over the past 39 innings.
    • Quotable: “You know you’re confident in getting (to Omaha) with your squad. But, man, when it actually happens, it’s like you look around and you’re like, ‘We’re going to Omaha!’ It’s crazy. It’s crazy.” — Burkes.

    Texas A&M (49-13)

    • Coach: Jim Schlossnagle (131-60 in three seasons at Texas A&M; 942-453 in 23 seasons overall).
    • Road to Omaha: Won College Station regional — Beat Grambling 8-0, beat Texas 4-2 in 11 innings, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 9-7. Won College Station Super Regional — Beat Oregon 10-6, beat Oregon 15-9.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 1-3 (1-2 vs. Florida, 0-1 vs. Tennessee).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2022.
    • All-time record in CWS: 4-14 in 7 appearances.
    • Meet the Aggies: C Jackson Appel (.330, 10 HRs, 40 RBIs), 1B Ted Burton (.295, 9, 43), 2B Kaeden Kent (.302, 3, 21), SS Ali Camarillo (.297, 7, 35), 3B Gavin Grahovac (.306, 22, 63), LF Caden Sorrell (.264, 10, 36), CF Travis Chestnut (.272, 12, 41), RF Jace LaViolette (.314, 28, 77), DH Hayden Schott (.331, 8, 59). Starting pitchers: LHP Ryan Prager (8-1, 3.10 ERA), LHP Shane Sdao (5-1, 2.96), RHP Justin Lamkin (2-2, 5.73) or RHP Brad Rudis (6-0, 2.29). Relievers: RHP Chris Cortez (9-3, 2.83), RHP Tanner Jones (3-1, 6.33), RHP Brock Peery (2-1, 3.60), LHP Kaiden Wilson (0-1, 8.31), RHP Zane Badmaey (3-0, 2.70), LHP Evan Aschenbeck (6-1, 1.66).
    • MLB Alumni: Davey Johnson, Chuck Knoblauch, Scott Livingstone, A.J. Minter, Doug Rau, Ross Stripling, Mark Thurmond, Michael Wacha.
    • Short hops: The Aggies will be without projected top-five draft pick Braden Montgomery, who broke his right ankle in the super regional opener. … The Aggies have drawn a nation-high 396 walks. … Their pitching staff leads the country with 11 shutouts. … Travis Chestnut leads NCAA Tournament with four of the Aggies’ 13 stolen bases. … Aschenbeck’s 1.66 ERA and 0.80 walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP) are the best in the country. … Schlossnagle is among 13 coaches to lead multiple schools to a CWS. He led TCU to five CWS.
    • Quotable: “I never take it for granted. Nolan Ryan went to the World Series his rookie year and never went back. I’ll remind our players of that. You never know when you’ll get a chance to go back. I’ve never been part of the championship series or won it, so I’d like to do that.” — Schlossnagle.

    Florida (34-28)

    • Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan (715-347 in 17 years).
    • Road to Omaha: Won Stillwater Regional — Beat Nebraska 5-2, lost to Oklahoma State 7-1, beat Nebraska 17-11, beat Oklahoma State 5-2, beat Oklahoma State 4-2. Won Clemson Super Regional — Beat Clemson 10-7, beat Clemson 11-10 in 13 innings.
    • 2024 record vs. CWS teams: 4-8 (0-3 vs. Florida State, 2-1 vs. Texas A&M, 1-2 vs. Tennessee, 1-2 vs. Kentucky).
    • Last CWS appearance: 2023.
    • All-time record in CWS: 25-26 in 13 appearances (won national title in 2017).
    • Meet the Gators: C Brody Donay (.250, 12 HRs, 27 RBIs), 1B Jac Caglianone (.411, 33, 68) or Luke Heyman (.247, 16, 49), 2B Cade Kurland (.251, 14, 41), SS Colby Shelton (.257, 20, 55), 3B Dale Thomas (.228, 3, 20), LF Tyler Shelnut (.264, 15, 50), CF Michael Robertson (.255, 2, 25), RF Ashton Wilson (.327, 2, 14), DH Heyman or Donay. Starting pitchers: LHP Pierce Coppola (0-4, 9.16 ERA), RHP Liam Peterson (3-4, 5.97), LHP Jac Caglianone (5-2, 4.71). Relievers: RHP Jameson Fisher (5-0, 4.35), LHP Cade Fisher (3-3, 7.24), RHP Brandon Neely (3-4, 5.45), RHP Jake Clemente (2-0, 5.68), LHP Frank Menendez (1-0, 4.96), RHP Luke McNeillie (4-6, 7.20), RHP Ryan Slater (5-2, 6.70), RHP Blake Purnell (0-0, 7.78).
    • MLB alumni: Pete Alonso, Harrison Bader, David Eckstein, Mark Ellis, Dalton Guthrie, Jonathan India, A.J. Puk, David Ross, Brady Singer, Mike Stanley, Brad Wilkerson, Mike Zunino.
    • Short hops: The Gators’ .548 winning percentage is tied for lowest by a team entering the CWS. Bradley was 17-14 (.548) entering the 1950 CWS. … Caglianone’s 73 career homers are two behind active leader Tommy White of LSU. … O’Sullivan has led Gators to Omaha in nine of past 14 postseasons. … The Gators are 36-0 in their past 36 NCAA Tournament games in which they have owned a multi-run lead in the seventh inning or later, according to ESPN.
    • Quotable: “Going through the struggles and having every game matter the last two or three weeks of the year probably toughed us up a little bit.” — O’Sullivan.

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  • Florida needs 13 innings but KOs Clemson, advances to College World Series

    Florida needs 13 innings but KOs Clemson, advances to College World Series

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    CLEMSON, S.C. — Michael Robertson’s two-run double in the bottom of the 13th inning on Sunday night sent Florida to an 11-10 victory over Clemson, and with it, the Gators earned a berth in the College World Series.

    After Clemson took a 10-9 lead in the top of the 13th, Florida’s Luke Heyman and Tyler Shelnut reached on singles in the bottom of the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Clemson intentionally walked Brody Donay to load the bases.

    Robertson ripped a double to left-center field, scoring Jaylen Guy, who was a pinch-runner for Heyman, and Shelnut followed with the winning run.

    Robertson’s clutch hit sent Florida (34-28) to Omaha, Neb., for the 14th time. The Gators won the championship in 2017 and finished second last year.

    The Gators claimed the dramatic victory after the Tigers (44-16) had delivered big play after big play to keep their season alive.

    In the top of the ninth inning, Florida led 9-6 and was two outs from advancing when the Tigers’ Cam Cannarella stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. He laced the first pitch to right field for a game-tying three-run home run.

    Clemson was in deep trouble again in the bottom of the 10th, when Florida had runners on first and second with two outs. Ashton Wilson drove a deep fly over Cannarella’s head, but the Clemson center fielder was able to track it down in the air and make the catch at the wall with his back to home plate.

    With two out and the bases empty in the 13th inning, Clemson’s Alden Mathes ripped an 0-2 pitch to right field for the go-ahead run.

    Luke McNeillie (4-6) pitched the last two innings for the win, although he served up Mathes’ home run in the 13th.

    In Game 1 of the super regionals at Clemson on Saturday, the Gators defeated the Tigers 10-7.

    Ethan Darden (5-5) took the loss. He pitched 1-1/3 innings, allowing four hits, plus the tying and winning runs.

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  • NC State vs. Georgia scores, updates, schedule from Athens Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

    NC State vs. Georgia scores, updates, schedule from Athens Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By WRAL Sports, Associated Press

    Georgia hit four home runs, including two in the first three innings, en route to an 11-2 Game 2 victory against NC State in its best-of-three super regional in Athens.

    The Georgia win sets up a decisive Game 3 on Monday with the winner earning a spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The game will start at noon or 7 p.m., ESPN announced.

    NC State clobbered Georgia 18-1 on Saturday in the series opener.

    But it was the Bulldogs who struck early in Game 2, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first inning and extending it to 5-0 in the third. Georgia extended its lead to 10-0.

    Georgia 11, NC State 2 (bottom of 8th inning): NC State catcher Jacob Cozart hit his third home run of the super regional.

    Georgia 11, NC State 1 (top of 8th inning): Corey Collins hit a solo home run to lead off the inning.

    Georgia 10, NC State 1 (bottom of 7th inning): Luke Nixon singled, advanced to third on a single by Matt Heavner and scored on a groundout by Noah Soles, getting the Wolfpack on the board.

    NC State has been shut out once this season and held to one run on three other occasions.

    Georgia starting pitcher Leighton Finley tossed 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and one run. He struck out five and walked two.

    Georgia 10, NC State 0 (top of 7th inning): Fernando Gonzalez singled to center, driving home Clayton Chadwick with Georgia’s 10th run of the game. Gonzalez was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

    NC State relief pitcher Ryan Marohn has pitched four innings, helping preserve the rest of the bullpen for a likely Game 3 on Monday.

    Georgia 9, NC State 0 (top of 6th inning): Paul Toetz hit a solo home run to extend the Bulldogs’ lead.

    Georgia 8, NC State 0 (top of 4th inning): Georgia added to its lead with a RBI double from Kolby Branch and a run-scoring groundout by Corey Collins.

    Tre Phelps drove in another run on a hit by pitch.

    NC State starting pitcher Dominic Fritton was taken out after three-plus innings pitched. He allowed seven hits and seven runs (all earned).

    Georgia 5, NC State 0 (top of 3rd inning): Tre Phelps smacked a three-run home run to center field, extending the Bulldogs’ lead. It was the 11th home run of the season for Phelps, a freshman.

    It was Georgia’s third hit of the inning and sixth of the game. NC State held the Bulldogs to four hits in Saturday’s Game 1.

    Georgia 2, NC State 0 (top of 1st inning): Georgia grabbed an early lead in its must-win Game 2 against NC State on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs are the visiting team even through the game is in Athens.

    Second baseman Slate Alford hit a two-run home run off NC State starter Dominic Fritton.

    NC State never trailed in Saturday’s 18-1 victory in Game 1, erupting for 11 runs in the second inning. The Wolfpack need just one more win to advance to the College World Series for the third time.

    NC State is the No. 10 national seed and Georgia is the No. 7 national seed.

    Wolfpack clobber Georgia in Game 1

    Noah Soles had two doubles and five RBIs in N.C. State’s 11-run second inning, and the Wolfpack routed Georgia 18-1 on Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-three Athens Super Regional.

    Luke Nixon and Matt Heavner had back-to-back bunt singles in the top of the second inning, the former to drive in Brandon Butterworth and open the scoring and the latter to load the bases with nobody out.

    Soles followed with a three-RBI double down the line in right and Eli Serrano III hit the next pitch over the wall in right center. Butterworth added an RBI single before Nixon and Soles each hit two-RBI doubles to give No. 10 seed N.C. State (37-20) an 11-0 lead.

    “Hitting is contagious,” catcher Jacob Cozart sad. “You start out the game having a quick inning, then the second inning came around and we got two really, really good bunts down. They found the hole, chaos unloaded and we just started to roll. We got to the top of our lineup, and then that’s what we do. Once they turn that lineup around, they start to roll.”

    Sam Highfill (7-2) gave up a run on four hits and three walks over six innings to earn the win for the Wolfpack. Andrew Shaffner pitched three scoreless innings of no-hit relief for his first save of the season.

    “He was unbelievable today,”Soles said of Highfill. “He’s very tough. I personally look up to him and I think he’s a great leader, on and off the field. He’s just someone everyone looks up to and I think he’s a really, really good leader for the clubhouse.”

    N.C. State can clinch a berth in the College World Series with a win Sunday in Game 2. The Wolfpack have made three appearances at the CWS, the most recent in 2021.

    “It’s good to get that first one, but obviously we have to get one more,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said. “They’re tough to get but obviously we played really well today. We obviously also had that one inning that got things out of kilter for them.”

    Corey Collins singled to right in the bottom of the fifth for seventh-seeded Georgia (42-16) to make it 13-1.

    “Here’s the great thing about our game: nothing carries over to tomorrow,” Georgia coach Wes Johnson said. “The scoreboard goes back to 0-0, and we’re going to come out, and we’re going to be ready to respond.”

    FINAL: NC State 18, Georgia 1: Shaffner gets another 1-2-3 inning and the Wolfpack complete a convincing win in Game 1 of the Athens Super Regional.

    Game 2 is set for Sunday at 12 p.m. A potential Game 3 would be played on Monday. Another win would send the Wolfpack to their fourth College World Series and first since 2021.

    NC State 18, Georgia 1 (top of 9th inning): Andrew Shaffner gets a 1-2-3 eighth inning and we head to the ninth with State holding a commanding lead.

    Jacob Cozart and Alec Makarewicz hit back-to-back home runs to make it an 18-1 lead in the top of the ninth. The Wolfpack now have five home runs on the day and Cozart has two.

    NC State 16, Georgia 1 (top of 7th inning): Garrett Pennington hit a solo home run to left field to extend the Wolfpack’s lead.

    Every NC State batter in the starting lineup has at least one hit and at least one run scored. Seven players, including Pennington, have at least two hits. Five players, including Pennington, have at least two runs scored.

    Alec Makarewicz doubled and scored on a wild pitch to make it 16-1.

    NC State 14, Georgia 1 (top of 6th inning): Luke Nixon scored on a throwing error by Georgia, adding to the Wolfpack’s lead. Nixon singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a fly out.

    NC State 13, Georgia 1 (bottom of 5th inning): Georgia finally scratched a run off NC State starting pitcher Sam Highfill on an RBI single by Corey Collins. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs after a walk to star Charlie Condon walked, but Highfill pitched out of the jam.

    Through five innings, Highfill allowed three hits and one run. He walked three and struck out two.

    NC State 13, Georgia 0 (top of 5th inning): Jacob Cozart’s two-out single to right field drove home Eli Serrano III, who doubled to start the inning.

    NC State 12, Georgia 0 (top of 3rd inning): Jacob Cozart homered to right field, extending the Wolfpack edge. It was his 17th home run of the season.

    NC State 11, Georgia 0 (top of 2nd inning): NC State jumped out to a big early lead against Georgia with a barrage of hits in the second inning.

    Brandon Butterworth and Alex Sosa started the inning with singles. Luke Nixon scored Butterworth with a bunt single. Another bunt single from Matt Heavner loaded the bases.

    Then Noah Soles delivered a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to 4-0.

    Eli Serrarno III homered to bring in Soles and extend the lead to 6-0 with no outs.

    With the bases loaded again, Butterworth delivered a long single to make it 7-0, chasing Georgia starter Kolten Smith, who failed to record an out in the second inning.

    Nixon followed with a one-out, two-run double to extend the lead to 9-0. Soles then blooped a two-run double to left field, giving him five RBIs in the inning and pushing the lead to 11-0 before Georgia finally got out of the inning.

    The record for runs in a single inning in a super regional is 13.

    Athens Super Regional Schedule

    Saturday, June 8
    Game 1 – No. 10 NC State 18, No. 7 Georgia 1 (NC State leads 1-0)

    Sunday, June 9
    Game 2 – No. 7 Georgia 11, No. 10 NC State 2 (Series tied 1-1)

    Monday, June 10 (If Necessary)
    Game 3 – No. 10 NC State vs. No. 7 Georgia| Time TBD | TV TBD

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  • FSU advances to College World Series; Florida tops Clemson in Game 1

    FSU advances to College World Series; Florida tops Clemson in Game 1

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — James Tibbs III hit his third home run of the game, a two-run shot in the top of the 12th inning, and Florida State defeated UConn 10-8 on Saturday, sweeping the Tallahassee Regional for a berth in the College World Series.

    After Max Williams led off the 12th with a single and Cam Smith flied out, Tibbs drove a 1-0 pitch deep over the fence in right field for the go-ahead runs. In the bottom of the inning, Conner Whittaker allowed a two-out single but struck out Paul Tammaro to end it and send the eighth-seeded Seminoles to Omaha, Neb., for the 24th time. They have never won the national championship.

    Tibbs’ dramatic home run was his third two-run shot of the game. It was his 31st home run of the season and his 100 RBI are tied for first in the nation. He went 5-for-6 with six RBI on Saturday. Williams had three hits and scored twice.

    In the top of the ninth, Florida State (47-15) loaded the bases on a walk, a single and an error. Then Drew Faurot lifted a fly to left field and Jordan Williams scored from third. The next two batters flied out to end the inning.

    UConn’s Matt Malcolm tied it with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth.

    Connecticut (35-26) loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning. Luke Broadhurst laced a double to center field, scoring three runs and giving the Huskies a 7-6 lead. Earlier, he had an RBI-single in the first inning and a two-run home run in the fifth. He finished 4-for-5 with six RBI.

    In the top of the eighth, Jaxson West tied it up with a leadoff home run to right field.

    There were eight home runs in the game, six by Florida State.

    In Game 1 of the matchup on Friday, FSU set NCAA super-regional records for the most runs scored in a game and largest margin of victory in a 24-4 victory. Jaime Ferrer hit two of Florida State’s five home runs, and Tibbs III and Marco Dinges each added four RBIs. The Seminoles drew 15 walks and struck out just once. Five of their 18 hits were homers, including two-out shots by Dinges and Williams. Smith and Tibbs each drew two-out, bases-loaded walks in the third inning for an 8-0 lead.

    Caglianone’s 32nd HR helps Florida beat host Clemson 10-7 in Game 1

    CLEMSON, S.C. — Jac Caglianone hit his 32nd home run of the season to spark Florida’s seven-run fifth inning, and the Gators beat Clemson 10-7 on Saturday to win Game 1 of the best-of-three Clemson Super Regional.

    Florida (33-28) can clinch a berth in the College World Series with a win in Game 2 on Sunday.

    Caglianone, a former standout at Tampa’s Plant High, hit an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field for a three-run home run to give the Gators the lead for good before Michael Robertson’s RBI single capped the explosion and made it 9-4 in the top of the fifth.

    Tristan Bissetta hit a solo shot for Clemson (44-15) in the home half of the inning, and Jarren Purify scored on a sacrifice fly before a groundout by Blake Wright drove in Alden Mathes in the bottom of the sixth to pull the Tigers within 9-7.

    Caglianone, a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming MLB draft, finished 2-for-4 with a walk. Dale Thomas went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Tyler Shelnut hit a solo homer for Florida.

    Jimmy Obertop drew a two-out walk to load the bases before and advanced to second, while Mathes scored on a wild pitch. Bissetta walked to again load the bases, and Jack Crighton took four consecutive balls to get Wright home and give Clemson a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

    Purify led off the second inning with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0, and after Ashton Wilson’s sacrifice fly drove in Cade Kurland to get Florida on the scoreboard in the top of the third, Obertop led off the home half of the inning with a homer to make it 4-1.

    Mathes finished 3-for 5-with two runs for the Tigers.

    Brandon Neely came on in the sixth and pitched four scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out seven for Florida to earn his fourth save of the season.

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  • North Carolina vs. West Virginia scores, schedules, game recaps from Chapel Hill Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

    North Carolina vs. West Virginia scores, schedules, game recaps from Chapel Hill Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Brian Murphy, WRAL

    Chapel Hill, N.C. — The North Carolina baseball team added another gem Friday night to its quickly expanding list of postseason classics.

    Bosh Magic, they have taken to calling it around here and the sold-out, standing room-only crowd at Boshamer Stadium can certainly attest to having witnessed some wonder.

    Freshman catcher Luke Stevenson blasted a lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt won it with a 2-run shot three batters later as the Tar Heels defeated West Virginia 8-6 in Game 1 of their best-of-three super regional.

    “You know, it happens like this every game now,” Honeycutt said he and left fielder Casey Cook told each other before the ninth inning heroics.

    it was the third time this postseason — in a week — that the Tar Heels have won a game that they trailed entering the ninth inning. Now UNC is one victory away from its first trip to the College World Series since 2018.

    “We don’t really skip a best,” Honeycutt said. “It’s weird. You think you might get tight or you should maybe get tight.”

    Not this bunch.

    Not Honeycutt, whose home run was his first walk-off, 25th of the season and 62nd of his career.

    Not Matt Poston, who gave up three runs in a single inning in the regional but pitched out of an inherited jam in the seventh and added two more scoreless innings.

    “I went in there thinking, like, i can’t do any worse,” Poston said. “Might as well just throw what I have and if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

    Not shortstop Colby Wilkerson, whose sixth-inning error began an inning that saw West Virginia plate four runs, but later hit his first home run at Boshamer Stadium in his 323rd career at-bat at home.

    Not Stevenson, whose missed tag at the plate in the fourth inning cost the Tar Heels a run but made up for it with a drive to deep center that just cleared the wall and the glove of West Virginia’s center fielder.

    “Smoke something up the middle,” Stevenson said he was thinking before the at-bat.

    His home run came in his fourth at-bat off West Virginia starting pitcher Derek Clark. Clark, the Mountaineers’ ace, threw 8.1 innings and 144 pitches (100 strikes).

    “That’s one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever coached in 35 years of coaching,” said West Virginia coach Randy Mazey, who is retiring after the season.

    Clark was finally lifted after giving up a hard single to Alex Madera in the ninth. Madera scored the winning run on Honeycutt’s homer off reliever Aidan Major.

    Mazey said he considered walking Honeycutt after the count went to 3-0, but said moving the winning runner to second base and facing Cook was not appealing. Honeycutt hit the home run on a 3-1 pitch.

    “They’ve found different ways to win,” UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. “And that’s the mark of a good team, top to bottom.”

    West Virginia led 1-0 on a solo home run from designated hitter Kyle West in the third inning. UNC scored four in the bottom of the inning to grab the lead, but West Virginia got one in the fourth and four in the eighth, the last two coming on another West home run.

    Wilkerson’s homer in the seventh cut the deficit to one to set up the Bosh Magic.

    Honeycutt’s shot, a no-doubter, sent most of the crowd of 4,139 — West Virginia did have a loud contingent — into a wild celebration.

    A scene that’s becoming routine this postseason.

    UNC defeated LSU 4-3 to advance to the super regional with a game-tying home run in the 9th and a game-winner in the 10th.

    The Tar Heels defeated Long Island in their postseason opener 11-8 on a walk-off grand slam by Gavin Gallaher in the ninth inning.

    “I don’t know how much tickets were going for on StubHub,” said Mazey, “but whatever you spent coming to this game, you dang sure got your money’s worth.”

    Pregame

    North Carolina, the national No. 4 seed, will host West Virginia this weekend in a best-of-three college baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium.

    The Tar Heels (45-14) ousted defending College World Series champion LSU in the regional round with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory on Monday.

    UNC has made 11 trips to the College World Series, but none since 2008.

    West Virginia (36-22) is making its first-ever appearance in the super regional round. The Mountaineers, out of the Big 12, were the No. 3 seed in the Tuscon Regional. West Virginia is one of five No. 3 seeds to advance.

    West Virginia coach Randy Mazey is retiring after the season.

    Chapel Hill Super Regional Schedule

    Friday, June 7 – 6 p.m. (ESPN)
    Game 1: No. 4 North Carolina vs. West Virginia

    Saturday, June 8 – 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
    Game 2: No. 4 North Carolina vs. West Virginia

    Sunday, June 9 – 3 p.m. (ESPN2) *if necessary
    Game 3: No. 4 North Carolina vs. West Virginia

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  • USF fires baseball coach after 7 seasons

    USF fires baseball coach after 7 seasons

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Billy Mohl is out as head baseball coach at the University of South Florida.

    Mohl, 39, has been the head coach at USF the past seven years and been part of the program the past 10.

    But the Bulls have struggled five of the past six years, making the super regionals just once during that time.

    Mohl’s teams posted a record of 174-187-1 during his tenure, advancing to its lone NCAA Super Regional in 2021.

    USF (26-29 this season) failed to reach the American Athletic Conference tourney this season, and in 2019.

    “I would like to thank Coach Mohl for his dedication and commitment to leading our baseball program,” said USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly. “I have great respect for Billy, and he and his family have been tremendous members of our Bulls family for 10 years. We wish them all the best as they continue their journey.”

    Kelly will commence a national search for a new leader of the baseball program immediately.

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  • Watch Paige Bueckers play: How to watch today’s Duke vs. UConn women’s NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 game

    Watch Paige Bueckers play: How to watch today’s Duke vs. UConn women’s NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 game

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    gettyimages-1923597189-1.jpg
    Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies handles the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas at Entertainment & Sports Arena on January 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. 

    G Fiume/Getty Images


    The Duke Blue Devils face the UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16 round of the women’s NCAA tournament. UConn’s senior star Paige Bueckers missed the entire 2023-24 college basketball season due to an ACL injury, but the Minnesota native is back to her signature difference-making on the court.

    Playing some of the best basketball of her college career, Paige Bueckers hopes to propel the Huskies to the Final Four. They’ll have to get past the Duke Blue Devils first. Keep reading for how and when to watch the Duke vs. UConn Sweet 16 game today.

    CBS Essentials, CBS and Paramount+ are all subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men’s March Madness tournament.

    When is March Madness 2024?

    • Selection Sunday was on March 17, 2024. 
    • The women’s tournament will be played March 20, 2024- April 7, 2024.
    • The men’s tournament will be played March 19, 2024 – April 8, 2024.

    How and when to watch the Duke vs. UConn game

    The NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 women’s college basketball game between Duke and the University of Connecticut will be played on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

    All women’s March Madness 2024 games, including the Final Four, will air on ABC or ESPN and stream on ESPN+.

    How to watch the Duke vs. UConn game without cable

    If you’ve given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn’t include the channels carrying March Madness this year, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.

    Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: The one way to stream every March Madness game

    You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men’s and women’s tournaments and all of Paige Bueckers’ games, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ESPN, ABC and CBS, and includes ESPN+, so you’ll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women’s Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.

    Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77.

    Watch the Duke vs. UConn game for free with Fubo

    If you’re new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every March Madness game airing on network and cable TV, plus your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. Another great reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live. 

    Start watching NCAA basketball on Fubo and get access to network-aired NFL, NBA and MLB games by starting a three-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. After your free trial, Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier, which includes 199 channels, but the streamer is currently offering the first month for $60.

    Note: Because Fubo doesn’t carry TruTV, TBS or TNT, you won’t be able to watch every game of the men’s tournament with a FuboTV subscription. And because the women’s Final Four broadcasts on ESPN+, you’ll still need an ESPN+ subscription in conjunction with your Fubo subscription. If you want one streaming platform to watch the entire tournament, you’ll need a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.

    What you’ll get with Fubo Pro Tier:

    • There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
    • The Pro tier includes 199 channels, so there’s something for everyone to watch. 
    • Fubo includes most of the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro sports this year, including CBS and ESPN.
    • In addition to March Madness, Fubo offers NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. 
    • All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
    • Stream on your TV, phone and mobile devices.

    Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream the Duke vs. UConn game

    If you don’t have cable TV that includes ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream the March Madness tournament this year is through a subscription to Sling TV‘s Orange or Orange + Blue tier. The Orange tier offers access to ESPN (plus TNT and TBS), so you can watch today’s game. The Orange + Blue tier includes access to your local ABC affiliate, allowing you to watch more college basketball games. All tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based recording.

    To watch today’s game, Sling TV is currently offering a prepaid deal where you can get four months of the Orange tier for $120, a discount of $40. The Orange tier is also available for $40 per month — you can cancel anytime. To watch both men’s and women’s games, except those airing on CBS, subscribe to the Orange + Blue tier for $60 per month. 

    Note: Because some men’s March Madness 2024 will be broadcast on CBS, you won’t be able to watch all the men’s March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you want to stream the entire NCAA tournament, we suggest a  Hulu + Live TV subscription.

    Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:

    • There are 46 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT, TBS and ABC. (where available).
    • You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
    • All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

    ESPN+: How to watch the women’s Final Four

    ESPN+ is ESPN’s subscription streaming platform. It offers exclusive live events, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren’t accessible on the ESPN networks. To watch the women’s Final Four, simply sign into the ESPN app. You’ll watch college basketball at no extra charge. You can stream ESPN+ through the ESPN app on your favorite mobile device and ESPN.com. It’s also available as an app through major smart TV streaming platforms and gaming consoles such as the PS5.

    Keep in mind there are some blackouts prohibiting you from watching certain in-market games with ESPN+, even if they’re nationally televised. If you’re looking to avoid those blackouts, we suggest subscribing to the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle featured above.

    It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming.

    An ESPN+ subscription costs $10.99 per month, or save 15% when you pay annually ($110).  ESPN+ is also currently offering a cost-saving bundle. Get ESPN+ (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $14.99 per month.

    When was Selection Sunday?

    Iowa v Minnesota
    A fan holds up a sign for Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes before the start of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena on February 28, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Hawkeyes defeated the Golden Gophers 108-60.

    David Berding / Getty Images


    The day when the tournament’s brackets and seeds are released is known as Selection Sunday. For the 2023-24 NCAA college basketball season, Selection Sunday was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024.  

    Paige Bueckers’ road to the Final Four

    The NCAA tournament is single elimination, which means Paige Bueckers isn’t guaranteed a spot in the Final Four, or the national championship. If the Huskies win today, below is a roadmap of what Bueckers’ March Madness schedule will look like. Bookmark this post so you can check back for updates on the UConn Huskies next game.

    • First Four: Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21, 2024
    • First round: Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23: UConn beats Jackson State 86-64
    • Second round: Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25: UConn beats Syracuse 72-64
    • Sweet 16: Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30: Duke vs. UConn
    • Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 and Monday, April 1
    • Final Four: Friday, April 5 (ESPN+)
    • National championship: Sunday, April 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio (ABC)

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  • How to watch today’s Clemson vs. Alabama men’s NCAA March Madness Elite 8 game: Livestream options, more

    How to watch today’s Clemson vs. Alabama men’s NCAA March Madness Elite 8 game: Livestream options, more

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    gettyimages-2121459685-1.jpg
    Grant Nelson #2, Aaron Estrada #55 and Mark Sears #1of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Crypto.com Arena on March 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. The Alabama Crimson Tide won, 89-87 

    Ronald Martinez/Getty Images


    The Clemson Tigers face the Alabama Crimson Tide tonight in the men’s March Madness Elite 8. Rivals on the football field, today’s game is a rare postseason showdown between these two Southern schools. Neither school’s basketball program has ever advanced to the Final Four. That changes today. 

    Keep reading below for how and when to watch or stream today’s Clemson vs. Alabama game, even if you don’t have cable. 

    CBS Essentials, CBS and Paramount+ are all subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men’s March Madness tournament.

    When is March Madness 2024?

    The 2024 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament is being played from March 19, 2024 through April 8, 2024. 

    How to watch the Clemson vs. Alabama Elite 8 game

    The Clemson vs. Alabama men’s college basketball NCAA Elite 8 game will be played on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 8:49 p.m. ET (5:49 p.m. PT).  The game will broadcast live on TBS and TruTV and stream on the platforms featured below. 

    How to watch the Clemson vs. Alabama game without cable

    If you’ve given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn’t include the channels carrying March Madness this year, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.

    Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: The one way to stream every March Madness game

    You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men’s and women’s tournaments, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including CBS, ESPN, TNT, TBS, ABC and TruTV, and includes the ESPN+ streaming service, so you’ll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women’s Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.

    Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77 per month.

    Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream March Madness 2024

    If you don’t have cable TV that includes TBS and TruTV one of the most cost-effective ways to stream the March Madness tournament this year is through a subscription to Sling TV Orange plan. The streamer offers access to your local network affiliate’s live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes the NFL Network and ESPN with its Orange + Blue tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL matchups.

    You can watch today’s game with Sling TV Orange. Sling TV is currently offering a prepaid deal where you can get four months of the Orange tier for $120, a discount of $40. The Orange tier is also available for $40 per month — you can cancel anytime. To watch both men’s and women’s games, except those airing on CBS, you’ll want to subscribe to the Orange + Blue tier for $60 per month.

    Note: Because some men’s March Madness 2024 will be broadcast on CBS, you won’t be able to watch all the men’s March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you’re looking to stream the entire men’s tournament, we suggest a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.

    Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:

    • There are 46 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT, TBS and ABC. (where available).
    • You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
    • All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

    Men’s NCAA tournament full schedule

    If you’re looking for more March Madness Elite 8 games, and looking ahead to the national championship game, below are the winners, losers and upcoming schedule for the men’s tournament. All times Eastern.

    March Madness 2024: Elite 8 games schedule

    The Elite 8 games will be played from Saturday, March 30, 2024 through Sunday, March 31, 2024. 

    Saturday March 30 (Elite 8)

    • (1) UConn vs. (3) Illinois | 6:09 p.m. | TBS/truTV
    • (4) Alabama vs. (6) Clemson | 8:49 p.m. | TBS/truTV

    Sunday, March 31 (Elite 8)

    • (2) Tennessee vs. (1) Purdue | 2:20 p.m. | CBS
    • (11) NC State vs. (4) Duke | 5:05 p.m. | CBS

    March Madness 2024: Final Four games schedule

    The Final Four will be played on Saturday, April 6, 2024. The games will be played at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ.

    March Madness 2024: NCAA Tournament Championship Game

    The NCAA Tournament Championship Game will be played on Monday, April 8, 2024. The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ at 9:20 p.m. ET. The game will air on TBS.

    Completed March Madness rounds:  Dates and scores

    gettyimages-2079936741-1.jpg

    Getty Images


    The First Four games were played from March 19 through March 20, 2024. All games were played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH.

    First Four winners: March 19, 2024

    Below are the men’s First Four matchups and scores for Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

    Tuesday, March 19 (First Four)

    First Four winners: March 20, 2024

    Below are the men’s First Four matchups and scores for Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

    Wednesday, March 20 (First Four)

    March Madness 2024: First round

    The NCAA March Madness Round of 64 began on Thursday, March 21, 2024 with the Mississippi State vs. Michigan State game and ended on Friday, March 22, 2024.

    March Madness first round: Thursday, March 21 game times and network

    Below are the March Madness first-round matchups, winners, scores and networks that aired each men’s March Madness game on Thursday, March 21, 2024. All times Eastern.

    March Madness first round: Friday, March 22 game times and network

    Below are the game times, matchups, scores and networks that aired each first-round men’s March Madness game on Friday, March 22, 2024. All times Eastern.

    March Madness 2024: Second round 

    The NCAA March Madness Round of 32 began on Saturday, March 23, 2024 and ended on Sunday, March 24, 2024.

    March Madness second round: Saturday, March 23

    Below are the March Madness second-round matchups, winners and scores for games played on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

    • (2) Arizona vs. (7) Dayton (Arizona, 78-68)
    • (5) Gonzaga vs. (4) Kansas (Gonzaga, 89-68)
    • (1) North Carolina vs. (9) Michigan State (North Carolina, 85-69)
    • (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Washington State (Iowa State, 67-56)
    • (11) NC State vs. (14) Oakland (NC State, 79-73)
    • (2) Tennessee vs. (7) Texas (Tennessee, 62-58)
    • (3) Illinois vs. (11) Duquesne (Illinois, 89-63)
    • (3) Creighton vs. (11) Oregon (2OT) (Creighton, 86-73 2OT)

    March Madness second round: Sunday, March 24

    Below are the March Madness second-round matchups, winners and scores for games played on Sunday, March 24, 2024.

    • (2) Marquette vs. (10) Colorado (Marquette, 81-77)
    • (1) Purdue vs. (8) Utah State (Purdue, 106-67)
    • (4) Duke vs. (12) James Madison (Duke, 93-55)
    • (6) Clemson vs. (3) Baylor (Clemson, 72-64)
    • (4) Alabama vs. (12) Grand Canyon (Alabama, 72-61)
    • (1) UConn vs. (9) Northwestern (UConn, 75-58)
    • (1) Houston vs. (9) Texas A&M (OT) (Houston, 100-95 OT)
    • (5) San Diego State vs. (13) Yale (San Diego State, 85-57)

    Men’s March Madness Sweet 16: Thursday, March 28

    Below are matchups, game times and networks that aired each game played on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

    Men’s March Madness Sweet 16: Friday, March 29

    Below are matchups, game times and networks airing each game being played on Friday, March 29, 2024.

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  • How to watch today’s Colorado vs. Boise State NCAA First Four college basketball game: Livestream options, more

    How to watch today’s Colorado vs. Boise State NCAA First Four college basketball game: Livestream options, more

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    gettyimages-2089696982-1.jpg
    KJ Simpson #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes calls a play as he bring the ball up court against the Washington State Cougars in the second half of a semifinal game during the the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 58-52. 

    David Becker/Getty Images


    The Colorado Buffaloes face Boise State tonight for the second of tonight’s two First Four games. Both the Buffaloes and the Broncos hope to punch a ticket to the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but only one team can move on to the Big Dance.

    The road to the Final Four starts with the First Four, which is paved with heart, heartbreak and Cinderella stories we’ll be talking about for years to come. If you don’t want to miss a big March Madness moment, game or play, you’ll want to start by watching the First Four. Keep reading to learn how and when to watch the Colorado vs. Boise State game tonight.

    CBS Essentials and CBS are subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men’s March Madness tournament.

    How and when to watch the Colorado vs. Boise State game with cable

    The Colorado vs. Boise State game will be played on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. ET (6:10 p.m. PT). The game will be broadcast live on TruTV and stream on Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.

    The Colorado vs. Boise State game will immediately follow the Grambling vs. Montana State First Four game, which is also being broadcast on TruTV starting at 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT).

    How to stream the Colorado vs. Boise State game without cable

    If you’ve given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn’t include TruTV, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below. Note that streaming options require an internet provider.

    Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: The one way to stream every March Madness game

    You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men’s and women’s tournaments, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including TruTV, ESPN, ABC and CBS, and includes ESPN+, so you’ll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women’s Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

    Unlike other live TV streaming platforms like Fubo (which doesn’t carry TruTV so you won’t be able to watch the First Four), or SlingTV (which doesn’t carry CBS so you won’t be able to watch many men’s March Madness games), Hulu + Live TV is the only live TV streaming platform that allows you to catch every men’s and women’s March Madness 2024 game. If you’re looking to stream just today’s First Four game, SlingTV is a more cost-effective option and you can cancel anytime. If you’re in for today’s game plus more NCAA tournament games over the next few weeks, Hulu + Live TV carries every channel you’ll need to access to watch the entire tournament, including the champion game. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. 

    Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77.

    Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream the Colorado vs. Boise State game

    gettyimages-1249309526-1.jpg
    Howard Bison forward Steve Settle (2) and Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) go after a loose ball during the first round of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship West Regional.

    Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Image


    If you don’t have cable TV that includes TruTV, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream March Madness this year is through a subscription to Sling TV’s Blue tier. The streamer offers access to your local network affiliate’s live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes the NFL Network and March Madness games on ESPN with its Orange tier plan.

    Right now, SlingTV is offering your first month of service on the Orange, Blue and Orange + Blue tiers for half price. The Sling TV Blue tier normally costs $45 per month, but you can start watching March Madness for just $22.50. The Sling Orange + Blue tier is regularly $60, but it’s discounted to $30 for the first month.

    Note: Because some men’s March Madness 2024 games will broadcast on CBS, you won’t be able to watch all men’s March Madness 2024 games with a just Sling TV subscription. If you’re looking to stream the entire men’s tournament on one platform, we suggest a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.

    Top features of Sling TV Blue tier:

    • There are 42 channels to watch in total, including local ABC, Fox, NBC affiliates (where available).
    • You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
    • All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

    What is the full schedule for the First Four games?

    gettyimages-1482226690-1.jpg

    Mitchell Layton/Getty Images


    Below, are the dates and times for the First Four games of the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament, held in Dayton, OH.

    Tuesday, March 19 (First Four)

    Wednesday, March 20 (First Four)

    Key dates for the 2024 NCAA men’s college tournament

    Below are key dates for March Madness 2024.

    • First Four: Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, 2024
    • First round: Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22
    • Second round: Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24
    • Sweet 16: Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29
    • Elite Eight: Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31
    • Final Four: Saturday, April 6 (TBS)
    • National championship: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (TBS)

    Key dates for the 2024 NCAA women’s college basketball tournament

    • First Four: Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21, 2024
    • First round: Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23
    • Second round: Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25
    • Sweet 16: Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30
    • Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 and Monday, April 1
    • Final Four: Friday, April 5 (ESPN+)
    • National championship: Sunday, April 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio (ABC)

    What is the First Four in March Madness?

    The First Four is a play-in round of March Madness for both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. The First Four consists of two games between the four lowest-ranked teams, usually comprised of the four lowest-ranked conference champions. It also consists of two games between the four lowest-seeded teams who have earned at-large bids to the tournament.  The winners of the First Four determine the last four teams to qualify for the 64-team bracket that goes on to the first round of the tournament.

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  • Billy Mohl has something to prove in 2024

    Billy Mohl has something to prove in 2024

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    TAMPA, Fla. A new Baseball season is underway at USF And Bulls head coach Billy Mohl is back in the place where his career began – the bullpen.

    “This is my office, this is what I’ve known for the last 30-years, so this is what I love”. says the Bulls Head Coach during a practice recently.

    Coach Mohl is in his seventh season as the Bulls head coach and 10th at the University, but this year the former Tulane Star pitcher took back the duties of pitching coach after the team’s worst season of his head coaching tenure.

    “Last year was embarrassing” snorts the Bulls head coach and this year his team is gettng ready to do something about it. 

    A big source of pride for Mohl is the number of Bay area kids who have stayed home to play in Tampa, this season fifty percent of his team is home grown.

    Coach Mohl’s track record of working with pitchers is one of the best in all of college baseball, 16 of his pitchers have been drafted during his time as head coach and five are currently in M-L-B starting rotations.

    Success for Billy Mohl has always been measured by more than just wins and losses, he believes relationships build the backbone of his teams and it’s part of what makes coming to work every day the best part of his job.

    “I’m definitely proud to be living in Tampa Bay and say I live here because I love this city, I love this town, I love this university”.

    As the Bulls take the field with a clean slate and a new season begins, Coach Mohl is exactly where he wants to be.

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    Mike Cairns

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  • ECU baseball player makes history after life-altering accident

    ECU baseball player makes history after life-altering accident

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    BUIES CREEK, N.C. — Two years ago, Parker Byrd was one of the best high school baseball players in the country, ranked 126th. He had a promising future with options to head straight to Major League Baseball with a projected late-round draft pick, or he could go to one of the top college baseball programs in the country and build his stock in the NCAA. 

    What You Need To Know

    •  Parker Byrd of East Carolina University made history as the first Division I baseball player to compete with a prosthetic leg

    •  Byrd was in a boating accident 19 months ago, leading to the amputation of his right leg

    •  Before his accident, Byrd was the 126th top-ranked high school baseball player in the country

    • ECU is ranked 11th in the country by D1 Baseball

    But 19 months ago, Parker Byrd’s life was changed when he was involved in a boating accident when tubing with his friends. The East Carolina baseball commit lost his right leg in an amputation procedure that created the possibility he would never walk again.

    “You know, his mom told him pretty early on, there’s no D-1 guy that’s ever played the game with a prosthetic leg. You could be the first,” Parker Byrd’s dad, Jeff Byrd, said. “I went to Dick’s and bought him a five-pound, actually a 10-pound weight, and he was so weak, he couldn’t even pick up 10 pounds, but I made him start working out in the hospital, because we didn’t want him to quit, we didn’t want him to lose his fight.”

    “And as soon as he got home from the hospital, he said, let’s go to the cage,” Jeff Byrd said. “He was in a wheelchair, and he went to the cage in a wheelchair, and all he wanted to do was track pitches, and from that moment, he has figured out what it has taken to get back to this moment right here.”

    The moment Jeff Byrd was referring to was the fourth game of the 2024 college baseball season, just a few days following a historic moment in sports.

    In game one, Parker Byrd became the first Division I baseball player to compete in a game with a prosthetic leg. He drew a walk Feb. 16 in his team’s win over Rider. 

    “My family, my mom, kind of implied early on in my accident, she told me keep going, there always has to be a first, why couldn’t it be me, so kind of ever since then, I believed in this dream and knew that one day, it would come true,” Parker Byrd said. 

    His dream of playing major league baseball may have changed, but now he’s on a path to inspire others.

    “Show people I can still play baseball, and just because I lost some limbs doesn’t mean my life is over,” Parker Byrd said. “People that have limb differentials and prosthetics are still athletes.”

    For Jeff Byrd, watching his son play baseball again has been awe-inspiring. 

    “Nineteen months ago, we never thought this day would happen. And just to be able to get in the car and drive to a game, the possibility he could get in the game, is always a big moment for me and his mom and his two sisters just to know he’s back in the game,” Jeff Byrd said. “Aside from the birth of my three children, it was probably the greatest moment of my life. I never thought I’d see him step in the box again.”

    Parker Byrd will continue to practice and play for the Pirates as they look to compete for a national championship. His family and friends will be there with him every step of the way, as he looks to become a baseball para-Olympic athlete in the future. 

     

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    Evan Abramson

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  • NC State’s Diana Shnaider tops Zhu Lin of China 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to win Thailand Open, 1st career title

    NC State’s Diana Shnaider tops Zhu Lin of China 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to win Thailand Open, 1st career title

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    HUA HIN, Thailand — Rising Russian star Diana Shnaider bounced back from a turbulent second set to upend defending champion Zhu Lin of China 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 for her maiden title at the WTA Thailand Open on Sunday.

    The No. 108-ranked North Carolina State University student displayed a fierce and solid baseline game to unsettle her No. 45-ranked opponent, prevailing in a competitive contest lasting one hour and 59 minutes amid challenging, humid conditions at the beach resort.

    Facing a brief setback as Zhu fought back from 1-4 to 3-4, Shnaider regained control by unleashing deep flat strokes, managing to break back to lead 5-3 before comfortably securing the first set.

    In the second, Zhu mounted a comeback, winning four consecutive games from 2-2, to force a decisive third set. The Chinese player capitalized on uncharacteristic errors from her opponent to set the stage for a thrilling conclusion.

    Following a toilet break, Shnaider returned to the court with renewed intensity. As Zhu struggled to maintain focus, Shnaider seized the opportunity to break her opponent three times to clinch the decisive set and claim her first WTA title.

    It was Shnaider’s second WTA final appearance, having previously lost to Ons Jabeur in Ningbo, China last September.

    “I feel like I won a Grand Slam. I’m not lying guys. This win will stay in my memory for a long time,” Shnaider said.

    “The last two points were crazy. I kept doing everything that I could. I’m so proud of myself. I was running as fast as I could for every ball,” said the lefthander.

    In the doubles final, Miyu Kato of Japan and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia secured their third title as a pair by defeating the Chinese duo of Hanyu Guo and Xinyu Jiang 6-4, 1-6, 10-7. Their previous victories came in Auckland and Cleveland in 2023. ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Former FSU baseball coach Mike Martin passes away at 79

    Former FSU baseball coach Mike Martin passes away at 79

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Mike Martin, a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame who won an NCAA Division I record 2,029 games in 40 seasons as Florida State’s baseball coach, died Thursday after a three-year battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 79.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former FSU baseball coach Mike Martin passed away after fighting Lewy body dementia

    • The Seminoles advanced to the College World Series a record-tying 17 times in his 40 seasons as coach

    • Martin’s teams won an NCAA Division record 2,029 games

    • Many of his players went on to long careers in Major League Baseball

    The school announced Martin’s death on social media.

    Martin, nicknamed “Eleven” for his jersey number, was the head coach at Florida State from 1980 through 2019, getting to the College World Series a record-tying 17 times in that span — including his first and last seasons in Tallahassee. The Seminoles finished second twice at the CWS and third on three other occasions under Martin, who never won a national title.

    He passed Texas’ Augie Garrido as the NCAA wins leader on May 5, 2018, when Florida State beat Clemson 3-2. That was win No. 1,976 for Martin; he would add 53 more to the total before retiring after the 2019 season.

    “I want to be remembered as a guy that did it right, that put education first, that made sure that guys understood what’s expected of them, that they’re coming to Florida State to get a degree first,” Martin said on June 19, 2019, when his career ended with a CWS loss to Texas Tech in Omaha, Nebraska. “We’re not a school that just wants baseball players. We’re a university that demands that you do what you’re supposed to do in the classroom, and that’s give it your best shot.

    “I want to be remembered as a guy that played the game hard but made others around him feel good when they whipped my fanny.”

    Martin won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s coach of the year award seven times and coached a slew of players who would become Major League Baseball standouts — among them Buster Posey, Deion Sanders, Stephen Drew, J.D. Drew and Doug Mientkiewicz.

    A native of North Carolina, Martin graduated from Florida State in 1966, spent three seasons as a minor-league player and got his first coaching job in 1970 — as the basketball coach at Tallahassee Community College.

    He returned to the Seminoles as an assistant for the baseball program in 1975 and never left. Martin became head coach for the 1980 season and was wildly successful, winning at least 40 games in all 40 of his FSU seasons, at least 50 games in 24 of those seasons and reached the 60-win mark twice in his tenure.

    Martin is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carol; children Mike Jr., Melanie and Mary Beth; and grandchildren Hannah Elizabeth, Tyler, Thomas Joseph and Lexi.

    FSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford posted a tribute on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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    Associated Press

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  • South Florida rallies from 20 down to stun No. 10 Memphis 74-73

    South Florida rallies from 20 down to stun No. 10 Memphis 74-73

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    MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — After escaping several games with last-second shots, No. 10 Memphis finally got burned.

    Kasean Pryor made a go-ahead free throw with 4 seconds left, and South Florida rallied from a 20-point deficit to stun the Tigers 74-73 on Thursday night.

    Pryor finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Selton Miguel led USF with 23 points, going 5 of 10 from 3-point range. The Bulls (10-4, 3-1 American Athletic Conference) have won eight of nine and ended a 10-game winning streak for the Tigers (15-3, 4-1), who hadn’t lost since a narrow defeat at Mississippi on Dec. 2. Memphis moved into the top 10 this week.

    “This one hurts because we worked so hard to get to this level,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said.

    South Florida’s comeback was the second-largest in its history. The Bulls beat a ranked team for the first time since topping Louisville on Feb. 29, 2012, and knocked off a top-10 opponent for the first time since a win over Georgetown on Feb. 3, 2010.

    Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was doused with a celebratory bucket full of water when he entered the postgame locker room.

    “It’s not about us,” Abdur-Rahim said. “It’s about the University of South Florida. … This is a great win for the University of South Florida, and this group of kids who allow us to push them.”

    With the game tied at 73-all, Pryor took an inbound pass alone in the paint and elevated for dunk but took a hard foul from Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Pryor made the first free throw but missed the second.

    Quinerly, who hit two game-winning 3-pointers during Memphis’ winning streak — against SMU and Tulsa — had a chance to do it again, but this time he missed a 3 at the buzzer.

    Asked if Memphis got complacent with the early big lead and the escapes in close games, Tomlin replied: “Probably.”

    “(South Florida) came out and played real hard, so credit to them,” he said.

    David Jones led Memphis with 25 points and Quinerly finished with 15. Chris Youngblood had 13 points for USF.

    Memphis led 52-32 early in the second half and USF responded by going on a 9-0 run with Pryor, Kobe Knox and Brandon Stroud each making a 3. The Bulls inched closer throughout the period and Jayden Reid tied it with a layup with 37 seconds left — his only basket of the game. A turnover by Quinerly helped set up USF for Pryor’s decisive free throw.

    Jones had 18 points in the first half — including a run of 11 straight — for Memphis, which led 47-32 at the break. The Tigers were effective in transition, finishing the half with a 17-0 advantage in fast-break points and scoring 14 points off eight Bulls turnovers.

    “Bad loss,” Hardaway said. “National TV. Scoring 26 points in the second half after scoring 46 in the first. But when you are not playing team basketball that can happen.”

    Abdur-Rahim believes the Bulls have the potential for more impressive wins this season.

    “We’re not going to get drunk off success,” he said.

    BIG PICTURE

    South Florida: The Bulls, who improved to 1-3 on the road this season, upped their intensity in the second half and didn’t panic when Memphis took its big lead.

    Memphis: The Tigers shot poorly after the break. As they’ve done many times this season, they let an opponent stay close, making the game more interesting than it appeared it would be. This time, it cost them at the finish.

    UP NEXT

    South Florida: Hosts Wichita State on Sunday.

    Memphis: At Tulane on Sunday.

    ___

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    ___

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    By CLAY BAILEY

    MEMPHIS, Tenn.

    AP Wire ID 9a66ffe2773420246d2b51ec71f24a4b

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  • USF’s Brown tosses 3 TD in 45-0 rout of Syracuse

    USF’s Brown tosses 3 TD in 45-0 rout of Syracuse

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    BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Byrum Brown threw three touchdown passes and became the second USF quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season, leading the Bulls to a 45-0 rout of undermanned Syracuse in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.

    Brown, a redshirt freshman, closed out his outstanding season with 4,037 passing yards. Only Quinton Flowers has thrown for more yards in a season for the Bulls.

    Syracuse (6-7) could only hope for such a QB performance. With starting quarterback Garrett Shrader missing the game following shoulder surgery, Syracuse interim coach Nunzio Campanile employed a hodgepodge approach at quarterback. The plan went about as well as it sounds.

    Tight end Dan Villari, a former QB at Michigan, drew the start, with backup quarterback Braden Davis and running back LeQuint Allen Jr. also sharing snaps for Syracuse. The Orange offense managed 159 yards against a Bulls defense that surrendered more than 450 yards per game during the regular season.

    But, help is on the way for Syracuse. After leading Ohio State to an 11-1 regular season, quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal and signed with Orange. Both McCord and incoming coach Fran Brown attended the Boca Bowl.

    Syracuse nearly tied the score at 7-7, but officials flagged defensive back Alijah Clark’s touchdown return of a Brown lateral because of a blindside block penalty. The Orange still took possession in Bulls territory, but a botched field goal attempt resulted in Aamaris Brown’s 64-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

    Tramel Evans provided USF (7-6) its second scoop-and-score by returning a fumble by Davis 61 yards in the closing seconds of the first half, giving the Bulls a 31-0 lead at the break.

    Sean Atkins caught two of Brown’s touchdown passes. A former walk-on in his fifth year at USF, Atkins caught six passes for 93 yards in the game and became the first Bulls player to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

    Brown finished 19 for 26 for 214 yards.

    USF’s defense forced four turnovers and limited Syracuse to 1 of 17 on third downs.

    The shutout is USF’s first since 2009 against Charleston Southern.

    THE TAKEAWAY

    Syracuse: Now the dust can settle a bit, after coach Fran Brown – who didn’t lead the Orange in the bowl game – landed the best recruiting class in Syracuse’s modern history. Expect the Orange to have quite a bit of buzz going into 2024.

    South Florida: The Bulls put together one of the best turnarounds in the nation this season, after winning four of their last 37 games coming into 2023. USF has Alabama and Miami on next year’s schedule as part of its non-conference slate.

    UP NEXT

    Syracuse: Scheduled to host Ohio in the season opener on Aug. 31.

    South Florida: Scheduled to host Bethune-Cookman in the season opener on Aug. 31.

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  • Josh Naylor’s 2 home runs and 6 RBIs lead Guardians to 10-1 rout of Pirates and Mitch Keller

    Josh Naylor’s 2 home runs and 6 RBIs lead Guardians to 10-1 rout of Pirates and Mitch Keller

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    PITTSBURGH — Josh Naylor homered twice, including a three-run shot that keyed a five-run first inning against All-Star Mitch Keller, and drove in six runs and the Cleveland Guardians rolled to a 10-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

    Naylor’s first homer gave the Guardians a 4-0 lead with none out in the first inning after Keller had thrown just seven pitches. Keller was making his first appearance since pitching one inning in last week’s All-Star Game in Seattle.

    In the ninth, Naylor connected again for a two-run blast, his 15th of the season, off Yohan Ramirez.

    Steven Kwan led off the game with a double and scored on Amed Rosario’s single. After Jose Ramirez singled, Naylor hit his blast to right-center.

    Myles Straw capped the first-inning outburst with an RBI single. The Guardians have won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 21-1 after being swept in three games at AL West-leading Texas over the weekend.

    Rookie left-hander Logan Allen (4-2) pitched five scoreless innings of one-hit ball after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus prior to the game. The lone hit was a one-out single in the fifth inning by Jared Triolo, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

    Allen struck out eight and walked one.

    Keller (9-5) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in six innings.

    Josh Bell hit a two-run homer in the third, his 10th of the year. Naylor drove in another run with a ground out in the fourth to push the lead to 8-0.

    Andres Gimenez had three of the Guardians’ 13 hits.

    Connor Joe’s solo homer in the sixth inning off Eli Morgan accounted for the Pirates’ lone run. Pittsburgh has lost five straight games since the All-Star break and are 2-12 in July.

    TOP PICK SKENES SIGNS

    Right-hander Paul Skenes, taken by Pittsburgh with the first pick in this month’s amateur draft, agreed Tuesday to a contract that includes a $9.2 million signing bonus.

    The amount is the highest for a drafted player, topping the $8,416,300 Detroit agreed to with first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2021.

    Skenes helped LSU to this year’s NCAA title after transferring from Air Force. He was selected Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series after going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 19 starts with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings.

    ROSTER MOVE

    The Guardians optioned right-hander Cody Morris to Columbus as the corresponding move for Allen’s call up. Morris has made four relief appearances for Cleveland this season and allowed four runs in four innings.

    UP NEXT

    The three-game series concludes Wednesday with Guardians RHP Aaron Civale (3-2 2.65 ERA) facing LHP Rich Hill (7-9, 4.76). Civale is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts in July. Hill is 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA in his last six starts.

    ___

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  • Van Gundy, Kolber, Rose and Young are among roughly 20 ESPN personalities laid off

    Van Gundy, Kolber, Rose and Young are among roughly 20 ESPN personalities laid off

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    Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose and Steve Young are among roughly 20 ESPN commentators and reporters who were laid off on Friday as part of job cuts by the network.

    ESPN had planned this additional round involving on-air talent to prevent further reductions to off-air staff after two rounds of mandated cuts by its corporate owner, the Walt Disney Company.

    Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in February that the company would reduce 7,000 jobs either through not filling positions or layoffs.

    Friday’s announcement resembled what happened in April of 2017, when reporters and hosts were informed at one time that they would no longer be on the air.

    “Given the current environment, ESPN has determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries, and that process has begun. This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead,” ESPN said in a statement. “This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had tremendous impact on our company. These difficult decisions, based more on overall efficiency than merit, will help us meet our financial targets and ensure future growth.”

    The New York Post first reported the layoffs of Van Gundy and Rose.

    Van Gundy had been the network’s top NBA analyst since 2007 and recently completed calling a record 17th NBA Finals. Kolber was a longtime ESPN veteran, including being the co-host of a nightly show when ESPN2 debuted in 1993.

    She was also the host of ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” show.

    “Today I join the many hard-working colleagues who have been laid off. Heartbreaking-but 27 years at ESPN was a good run. So grateful for a 38 yr career! Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of,” Kolber said on social media.

    Rose had also been with ESPN since 2007. He was mainly part of the NBA studio shows but also did a radio show for 11 years and was a co-host when Mike Greenberg’s “Get Up” morning show premiered in 2018.

    ESPN’s NFL coverage and the radio side, were the ones to take the biggest hits.

    Longtime draft analyst Todd McShay, who also contributed to college coverage, and analyst Matt Hasselbeck were also laid off.

    ESPN Radio’s morning show team of Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson as well as afternoon host Jason Fitz were also affected. Kellerman also did an afternoon show on ESPN, but that was unlikely to continue after Pat McAfee signed to bring his show to the network’s airwaves in the fall.

    Others include “SportsCenter” anchor Ashley Brewer, radio and ACC Network host Jordan Cornette, college basketball analyst LaPhonso Ellis, NBA reporter Nick Friedell, baseball writer Joon Lee and “College GameDay” analyst David Pollack.

    Most will be bought out of their contracts and receive their full pay. If they want to take another job, they would have to negotiate an exit arrangement with ESPN.

    Johnson and Rose might be the first two to come to mind after Shannon Sharpe left FS1’s “Undisputed” due to increased tensions with co-host Skip Bayless.

    ESPN is expected to continue assessing its talent pool over the next year as contracts are reviewed or negotiated for renewal. It had already started some reductions by not renewing the contracts of NHL studio analyst Chris Chelios, longtime “SportsCenter” anchor Neil Everett and NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich.

    While its NFL, NHL and baseball contracts are set well into the future, negotiations for the renewal of NBA rights is expected to begin next year.

    ___

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  • Oral Roberts claims surprise College World Series bid; Wake Forest, LSU, Virginia also win supers

    Oral Roberts claims surprise College World Series bid; Wake Forest, LSU, Virginia also win supers

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    No. 1 national seed Wake Forest was expected to make it to the College World Series.

    Oral Roberts? Not so much.

    Yet it’s on to Omaha for the Golden Eagles, who certainly look the part of a team deserving to be among the final eight in the NCAA Tournament after going on the road and sweeping through regionals and then winning a three-game super regional against Oregon.

    ORU is the lowest seed to reach the CWS since Stony Brook in 2012. The feat is reminiscent of ORU’s run to the Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

    Now the team from the small evangelical school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will head to Omaha, Nebraska, to play TCU on Saturday at Charles Schwab Field. Oral Roberts’ only other CWS appearance was in 1978, when the team was known as the Titans and played as an independent.

    “We’re going to let it fly here in a week,” coach Ryan Folmar said after his team’s 11-6 win Sunday night. “We knew we had a good club coming into the year. We continued to get better and better and better, and we’re playing well at the right time of year. We get an opportunity to keep playing, and that’s pretty fun.”

    ORU has never been an easy out in the NCAA Tournament, but this team, out of the low-major Summit League, has overachieved against big-money baseball schools.

    The Golden Eagles were a No. 4 regional seed and beat Oklahoma State, Washington and Dallas Baptist to advance to play the Pac-12 Tournament champion Ducks.

    After blowing an eight-run lead and losing the super regional opener — ending their 21-game win streak — they rallied in the ninth inning for a walk-off victory Saturday and came back Sunday to knock out the Ducks.

    ORU and TCU are joined in the CWS field by Wake Forest, No. 2 Florida, No. 5 LSU and No. 7 Virginia.

    The eight-team field will be complete after a pair of Game 3s on Monday. Tennessee will play at Southern Mississippi and Texas visits Stanford looking to secure a third straight CWS.

    Wake Forest is headed to the CWS for the first time since it won the national championship in 1955, and the Demon Deacons will bring the hottest offense in the country.

    The Demon Deacons tied the NCAA Tournament record with nine home runs in their super regional-clinching 22-5 win over Alabama, and they are the first team since LSU in 1997 to have won four tournament games by double digits.

    “We’ve had high expectations all year — No. 2 ranked, No. 1 ranked,” coach Tom Walter said. “The higher the expectations got, the more these guys showed up.”

    Nick Kurtz and Brock Wilken hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and Wilken connected again for the first of three third-inning homers that put Wake Forest up 10-3. Wilken’s homer in the ninth gave him 30 for the season and an ACC-record 70 in his career.

    Virginia beat Duke 12-2 to earn its sixth trip to the CWS, all since 2009 under coach Brian O’Connor. The Cavaliers outscored their ACC rival 26-6 in the second and third games. It was the fourth time Virginia has come back to win a super regional after losing the opening game.

    The Cavaliers took control of Game 3 with a five-run second inning. Griff O’Ferrall went 4 for 5, Kyle Teel drove in four runs and Brian Edgington struck out a season-high 11 in the second complete game of his career.

    Cade Beloso’s three-run homer in a four-run third inning broke open LSU’s 8-3 win over Kentucky. Riley Cooper and Gavin Guidry pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief for the Tigers, who will play in the CWS for the 19th time, and first since 2017.

    Chase Dollander pitched eight strong innings as Tennessee won 8-4 at Southern Miss to force a Game 3. Blake Burke’s 479-foot homer to right highlighted a six-run fourth inning that gave the Volunteers the lead.

    Stanford senior Quinn Mathews struck out a career-high 16 and threw 156 pitches in his first career complete game, and the Cardinal scored three runs in the ninth to break open an 8-3 win over Texas.

    TAKING A HEADER

    Oregon reliever Matt Dallas somehow managed to stay in the game after getting hit in the head by a line drive in the seventh inning.

    The ball came off Jake McMurray’s bat at just under 97 mph, according to ESPN, and glanced off the right side Dallas’ head and landed in the outfield for a hit. An athletic trainer rushed to check Dallas, who was knocked down. Dallas threw a couple warmup pitches and then got a flyout to end the inning.

    AROUND THE HORN

    Wake Forest’s 68-year wait to return to the CWS is the longest for any team with more than one appearance in Omaha. … Virginia has won 15 of 16 since losing an ACC series to Duke in late April. … Oral Roberts, 2012 Stony Brook and 2008 Fresno State are the only No. 4 regional seeds to play in the CWS since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. Fresno State won the national championship. … Stanford’s Mathews has thrown 336 pitches in 20 innings over 10 days.

    ___

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  • Canady’s 1-hitter leads Stanford past Washington, into Women’s College World Series semifinals

    Canady’s 1-hitter leads Stanford past Washington, into Women’s College World Series semifinals

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    NiJaree Canady threw a one-hitter, and No. 9 Stanford beat No. 7 Washington 1-0 on Sunday to advance to the Women’s College World Series semifinals

    ByCLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer

    Stanford’s NiJaree Canady pitches against Washington during the first inning of an NCAA softball Women’s College World Series game Sunday, June 4, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

    The Associated Press

    OKLAHOMA CITY — NiJaree Canady threw a one-hitter, and No. 9 Stanford beat No. 7 Washington 1-0 on Sunday to advance to the Women’s College World Series semifinals.

    Canady, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Freshman of the Year, won a battle of Pac-12 standouts against Washington’s Ruby Meylan. No earned runs were scored in the game. Canady struck out nine and didn’t allow a walk. Meylan — also a freshman — gave up four hits, struck out five and walked one.

    Kylie Chung’s RBI single in the sixth scored Taylor Gindlesperger for the game’s only run. It was unearned because it came after a throwing error with two outs.

    It will be Stanford’s program’s third trip to the semifinals and first since 2004. The Cardinal got there by scoring three runs in three games.

    Stanford (47-14) will play two-time defending champion Oklahoma (58-1) on Monday. It is a double-elimination bracket and Oklahoma is unbeaten while Stanford has a loss, so the Cardinal will need to win twice on Monday while Oklahoma will need to win just once to advance to the best-of-three championship series.

    Oklahoma is on a 50-game win streak and leads the nation in scoring, batting average, earned run average and fielding percentage. The Sooners defeated Stanford 2-0 on Thursday.

    Stanford had a chance to score in the third against Washington on Sunday. Gindlesperger singled up the middle with Ellee Eck on second, but Washington centerfielder Brooklyn Carter threw Eck out at home to end the inning.

    Washington (44-15) had an opportunity in the sixth after two errors by Stanford put runners on first and third with two outs, but a pop-up to center ended the threat.

    ___

    Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

    ___

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