With the Super Regionals complete, college baseball's national championship chase is down to eight teams.
Daniel Shirley, Mitch Light and The Athletic staff
(Photo: Saul Young / USA Today)
Daniel Shirley·Senior Editor, College Football
SEC, ACC dominate field in Omaha
The College World Series field in Omaha will be made up of all SEC and ACC teams.
The SEC's Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Kentucky will be joined by the ACC's NC State, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida State.
Vols proving ‘goofy’ goes a long way
(Photo: Saul Young / USA Today
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee senior pitcher Zander Sechrist had given up six hits and one run, unearned, striking out six and walking none, in six innings Sunday night in the most important situation he had faced in his career.
That made it his finest baseball moment to date. That made it a Tennessee postseason performance to be remembered. That made it impossible for Vols coach Tony Vitello to relieve him after six, even though Sechrist was at 100 pitches — two shy of his career high — and has spent all but the last chapter of his career as a short-stint, medium-leverage, joke-cracking, beloved middle reliever.
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Kentucky headed to Omaha
Kentucky finished off a two-game sweep of Oregon State with a 3-2 win on Sunday. Kentucky is the fourth SEC program to clinch a spot in Omaha.
Aggies rally to drop Ducks
Texas A&M trailed 8-4 entering the seventh inning in Game 2 of its Super Regional against Oregon, but the Aggies responded with a nine-run inning to take the lead and grab control for a 15-9 win on Sunday.
The Aggies finished off a two-game sweep and earned a trip to Omaha for the College World Series.
Tennessee cruises in Game 3
(Photo: Saul Young / USA Today)
Tennessee makes easy work of a pressure-packed deciding game of the Knoxville Super Regional, beating Evansville 12-1. Zander Sechrist with the performance of his career, a postseason record seven homers for the Vols, three College World Series appearances in the past four years and a date with Florida State to start things in Omaha.
Vols' home run barrage continues
Wes Carroll was prophetic entering the second game of this series when he talked about his team being able to overcome solo home runs. The Vols hit three in that game and the Purple Aces came back to win. But tonight may be stretching it. Tennessee has hit five solo home runs through four innings, two apiece from Christian Moore and Dalton Bargo.
Billy Amick just broke the streak with a two-run shot, and it's 9-1 Vols. The party is on at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Game 3 game time
Monday's Game 3 in Athens will head to primetime.
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Vols in control early
The Vols are up 5-1 early, which brings to mind the fact that they blew an early four-run lead Saturday. But Zander Sechrist just had a critical shutdown top of the third against the meat of the Evansville lineup -- with a couple of nice plays from Christian Moore at second base sandwiched around a strikeout of Purple Aces home run king Kip Fougerousse.
Sechrist's start bodes well for a pitching staff with just about everyone else available to Tony Vitello.
Ducks are flying high
What a start for Oregon, which is playing for its season at Texas A&M. After surrendering a run in the top of the first, Oregon responded in the bottom half with two singles and three home runs. It's 4-1 Ducks going to the second.
Gators walk off dramatic victory
We just witnessed one of the most compelling college baseball games in recent memory. It wasn’t always the most well-played game (or well-umpired), but there was incredible drama. And we saw one of the best catches — considering the stakes — in the history of college baseball.
Florida moves on to the College World Series while Clemson is suffering heartbreak for the second straight season. Last year, the Tigers lost in the Regional as a No. 1 seed. This year, they made it one step further, but they are still searching for their first trip to Omaha since 2010.
Curley answers to early error
Tennessee shortstop Dean Curley has made up for his first-inning error that led to an unearned run, blasting a home run to left to put the Vols up 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning. That follows up home run king Christian Moore's leadoff shot to left to tie it in the first.
And Curley was followed up by a Dalton Bargo solo home run to right to make it 3-1. The Vols also had a binge of early solo shots on Saturday and still lost, but early indications aren't promising for Evansville starter Kevin Reed (7.38 ERA, .316 batting average against).
Florida beats Clemson in 13 innings
Michael Robertson's two-run double in the 13th inning will send Florida to Omaha with an 11-10 win over Clemson and a two-game sweep in the Super Regional.
Clemson took the lead on Alden Mathes' solo home run in the top of the 13th.
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Evansville jumps on top
The Purple Aces have applied the pressure immediately, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off Zander Sechrist. It's an unearned run because Tennessee shortstop Dean Curley couldn't handle a routine ground ball from leadoff hitter Simon Scherry. Scherry came home from second on a Brent Widder single to right, despite a terrific Kavares Tears throw and a good job of blocking the plate by Cal Stark. Scherry got his hand in there anyway, as upheld by review.
Clemson’s Cam Cannarellas's highlight reel catch
(Photo: Ken Ruinard / USA Today)
Clemson sophom*ore Cam Cannarella delivered one of the best — and clutchest — plays in the history of college baseball Sunday. And no, it wasn’t his three run, game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning of the Tigers’ Game 2 of the Clemson Super Regional against Florida.
Nope, it was a leaping, over-the-shoulder grab by Cannarella, with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning and a Florida runner on second base. If that ball dropped, Clemson’s season was over, and the Gators would head to Omaha.
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Underway in Knoxville
The first pitch in Knoxville came at 7:06 p.m., a bit more than an hour later than scheduled thanks to rain and the threat of thunderstorms. The radar looks clear now, but more interruptions remain possible.
Zander Sechrist is pitching for Tennessee against Evansville freshman Kevin Reed, and in both cases, expect plenty of changes on the mound tonight. At the end of it, the Vols will either be in the College World Series for the third time in four years, or they'll come up short of Omaha as the No. 1 overall seed for the second time in three years. That's quite a difference.
Still tied, still going
Clemson and Florida are headed to the 12th inning. It's tied at 9. Clemson needs a win to keep its season alive. Florida needs a win for a trip to Omaha.
What a catch
Cam Cannarella may have just saved Clemson's season with two outs in the bottom of the 10th and a runner on second base with an unbelievable catch.
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Game time change
Tennessee and Evansville are now scheduled for a 7:06 p.m. ET start because of weather.
Extra innings in Clemson
Florida is looking for the sweep. Clemson is trying to keep its season alive. The Gators and Tigers are headed to the 10th inning tied at 9 in this back-and-forth game.
Clemson reliever Austin Gordon has nine strikeouts in four innings of work.
Huge moment in Clemson
Trailing by three in the top of the ninth, Clemson has tied it on a three-run home run by Cam Cannarella. We're going to the bottom of the ninth tied at 9.
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