Tag: 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament

Diamond Heels’ bats cool off against VCU on Saturday

The Diamond Heels winning streak ends with 4-3 nail biting loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament.

The UNC Baseball team’s win streak was ended on Saturday night as they picked up a loss in a tight one against VCU.

UNC bats would cool off this game after a stretch of double-digit hits, they would fail to muster up as they ended up with eight hits. UNC struggled throughout failing to gain any traction, going scoreless in the first seven innings.

UNC did do their job on the defensive end, giving up only one run in the first seven innings. However, VCU would explode for three more, while UNC only reached home plate once in the first eight innings with a Vance Honeycutt home run.

Manager Scott Forbes was ejected after the top of the third inning after a pair of controversial calls that went against UNC. In the second inning, UNC loaded the bases with one out before Johnny Castagnozzi grounded into a double play. Tomas Frick was called out for interference at second base after hitting his head on the infielder’s knee. That erased a run for UNC which would have tied the game.

Then in the third inning, Danny Serretti’s pop-up wasn’t caught by infielder Marcus O’Malley who slid on the infield. Both UNC runners froze and were thrown out at second and third base. Forbes was then ejected as he believed an infield fly should have been called. Instead, it was a double play that took a scoring chance off the board and ended the inning again.

The Diamond Heels did attempt a ninth inning rally after a Danny Serretti two RBI, however those would be the final points, as UNC loses 4-3, in a shocking defeat.

Thankfully UNC’s season is still alive as they will take on Georgia tomorrow in the elimination game. However, it’s an uphill battle to climb as UNC has to beat Georgia then VCU later in the day to force a deciding game on Monday afternoon. It’s going to take three-straight wins for the Tar Heels to advance.

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The wacky college baseball and softball postseason format, explained

Ever wondered what a “regional” and a “super regional” are? We’ve got you covered.

One of the best aspects of high-level sports is the general accessibility of the postseason, even to casuals. You don’t need to watch all 18 weeks of the NFL regular season to enjoy the Super Bowl, for instance.

When it comes to college sports, things are complicated a bit by the organizational structure, which features more teams, leagues and quirks than its professional counterparts. Still, the College Football Playoff and NCAA basketball tournament are easy enough for the average fan to consume — so long as you have the mental bandwidth to learn about a Jesuit school from Jersey City with just over 2,000 undergrads whose mascot is a peacock.

But for bat-and-ball sports, you can throw all that out the window. The NCAA baseball and softball tournaments have a jumbled, confusing, often counter-intuitive format that can be confusing for even ardent fans.

It’s also a hell of a lot of fun if you’re able to keep up with it.

With the regional round beginning on the men’s side this weekend and the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City underway on the softball side, this is as good a time as any to try to make sense of the whole set-up. So, here’s how it works:

Best photos from LSU’s shocking comeback win against Kennesaw State in NCAA Tournament opener

The Tigers’ 10-run rally in the eighth fueled the improbable come-from-behind win.

For most of Friday night’s NCAA Tournament debut for the No. 2-seeded LSU Tigers, it looked like coach Jay Johnson’s team was heading for the loser’s bracket and an elimination game on Saturday.

Facing the three-seeded Kennesaw State Owls in the Hattiesburg Regional, LSU trailed 11-4 entering the eighth inning after rough outings from starting pitcher [autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] and reliever [autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag] spotted KSU a big lead. But an unreal 10-run inning flipped the script as the Tigers executed one of the most impressive comebacks of the season, winning 14-11.

Now, they avoid potential elimination and instead advance to the winner’s bracket, where they will face regional host Southern Miss at 6 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles won their first-round matchup by a 2-0 margin against Army on Friday.

In the meantime, here were the best shots as the Tigers stunned the Owls and avoided a first-round upset.

Tigers stun Kennesaw State with 10-run rally in eighth inning to open NCAA Tournament

LSU pulled off one of the wildest comebacks you’ll see all season to begin the Hattiesburg Regional.

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.

For the first seven innings of Friday night’s NCAA Tournament opener, LSU was definitely the bug as it was manhandled by the Kennesaw State Owls 11-4 — that is until an incredible comeback happened.

The Tigers scored 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come back and win 14-11 in Game 1 of the Hattiesburg Regional.

[autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] got the start on the mound, and he had his shortest start of the year, going only 2.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. The Owls drew first blood as they scored on an RBI single in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] tied the game with an RBI double that scored [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag]. In the bottom of the second, [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] hit an RBI single to give the Tigers their only lead of the ball game as they led 2-1 heading into the third inning.

In the top of the third, the Owls would rally for four runs of their own and take a 5-2 lead over LSU. In the bottom of the third, [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] got two of those runs back with a two-run homer to right field to cut the lead to 5-4.

Kennesaw State added two runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to build a lead of 11-4 and that score held until the bottom of the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] hit an RBI single up the middle to score [autotag]Josh Stevenson[/autotag] and give the Tigers some hope as they had runners on the corners with zero outs.

Pearson followed that with an RBI single of his own to make it 11-6 Owls. There were still no outs and runners on first and second as Thompson stepped into the box and he proceeded to hit an RBI double to score Berry and put two runners in scoring position with no one out. The Owls opted to bring in a new pitcher before facing [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag].

It was a golden opportunity for the Tigers to possibly make a miraculous comeback: two runners in scoring position, no outs, Morgan at the plate, and an 11-7 ball game. What would the talented sophomore do?

Morgan hit a two-RBI single to center field and brought both Pearson and Thompson home, and just like that, it was a two-run game.

At this point, it was a battle at the bat rack as everyone wanted a turn. [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] stepped in and hit a single before [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] stepped up to the plate. McManus drew a walk and loaded the bases with no one out.

Jobert grounded into a fielder’s choice, but a run scored in the process to make it 11-10 Owls. Stevenson stepped into the box with runners on the corners and one out. The tying run was only 90 feet away at third base.

Stevenson walked, and the bases were loaded once again. This time, Crews was the man stepping into the batter’s box with a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Crews hit a two-RBI double to left-center field, and the Tigers have the lead.

Pearson stepped in and hit a two-RBI single of his own to extend LSU’s lead to 14-11. Thompson grounded into a double play to end the inning, but not before the Tigers plated 10 runs and took a three-run lead heading into the ninth.

[autotag]Paul Gervase[/autotag] came in to close the game out in the top of the ninth inning. He got the first batter to line out and the second one to strike out before the Owls got a runner on base with a single. Gervase got the next batter to fly out, and the Tigers secured the win. LSU moves on in the winner’s bracket to face regional host Southern Miss on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Diamond Heels take down Hofstra in opener

The Diamond Heels take care of business early by making quick work of Hofstra University – to advance in the NCAA Tournament .

After a remarkable Atlantic Coastal Conference tournament win, 10th ranked UNC (38-19) found themselves hosting a regional game in the NCAA tournament with their first match up against Hofstra University (30-21-0).

Both teams got on the board in the first inning with Hofstra hitting a home run and Mac Horvath blasting one to left field to even the score at 1-1. UNC held Hofstra in check for the second and third inning, while Horvath’s bat stayed hot, torching another ball for a homer this time bringing Angel Zarate home in the process and giving UNC a 3-1 lead.

UNC kept things going, scoring again in the 4th and 5th inning to give them a 5-1 lead. Hofstra would eventually get on the board again in the sixth inning to give them their second point of the game, but UNC domination just continued.

After a scoreless sixth inning, UNC exploded in the seventh with seven runs including a three-run homer by Vance Honeycutt. The extra insurance would be more than enough as UNC tacked on two more and held Hofstra to just one more run to win 15-4.

After a masterclass win, UNC will look to keep their National Championship hopes alive with a match-up against the winner of VCU( 40-18) vs Georgia (35-21) on Saturday night.

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How to watch, preview for LSU baseball’s NCAA Tournament opener against Kennesaw State

The Tigers begin their postseason against the No. 3-seeded Owls at the Hattiesburg Regional on Friday night.

The Tigers are hitting the road for the regional round of the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament, but they won’t have to go very far.

LSU will take the approximately three-hour trek east to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for a regional hosted by Southern Miss, the No. 11 national seed. First up for the No. 2-seeded Tigers is a matchup against the region’s No. 3 seed, the Kennesaw State Owls.

The Owls are just 35-26 on the season but made the tournament by virtue of a phenomenal run in the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the third-seeded team. After dropping the first two games, KSU won out and captured the league’s autobid with an upset against Liberty in the championship.

LSU, meanwhile, is coming off a disappointing performance in the SEC Tournament. As the No. 4 seed, it won its first game against Kentucky but dropped the next two matchups, ultimately being eliminated in a rematch against the Wildcats.

The Tigers will hopefully have two of its key players back in infielders [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag], who were held out of SEC Tournament competition last week as a precaution.

We could see LSU’s Day 1 starter on the mound in [autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag], but coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] may choose to save his arm for a potential matchup against the top-seeded Golden Eagles on Saturday. If that’s the case, we would likely see [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] or [autotag]Samuel Dutton[/autotag] take the bump.

The Tigers will look to emerge out of the regional as an underdog, and that run will begin with Friday night’s opener at 6 p.m. CT.

Here’s how you can catch the action in this one.

Full 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket announced

The full NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Monday.

On Monday, the NCAA selection committee announced the full 64-team field for this year’s NCAA Baseball Tournament.

LSU went into the day knowing it would have to hit the road for the regional round as the 16 host sites were announced Sunday night with Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge not being among them.

Now, the Tigers know they’ll be staying relatively close to home as they will head to the Hattiesburg Regional to take on No. 11 national seed Southern Miss in addition to No. 3-seeded Kennesaw State and No. 4-seeded Army. LSU is one of 11 SEC teams in the field, and it will open the national tournament against the Owls on Friday evening.

If LSU can escape that regional, it would face off against the winner of the Coral Gables Regional, which is hosted by No. 11 national seed Miami.

Here’s the full 64-team bracket as this year’s race to win the College World Series is now set to begin.

2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament regional sites announced

The Tigers learned whether they would host a regional in Baton Rouge on Sunday night.

LSU entered this week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover squarely in the hunt to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament, which begins this coming weekend. However, after an early exit and 1-2 performance as the No. 4 seed, the Tigers will have to hit the road next week for the regional round.

The tournament selection committee announced the 16 regional host sites on Sunday night, and Baton Rouge was not among them. LSU won’t find out where it will play until the full 64-team bracket is released on Monday at 11 a.m. CT.

Coach Jay Johnson’s team had some ups and downs in Year 1, but it enters the postseason in a good position with a 38-20 (17-13 SEC) record on the year.

In total, four SEC teams were able to earn the right to host a regional: Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee. LSU advanced out of the regional round as an underdog last season, and it will look to do the same this time around.

The Tigers will soon learn where they’re heading and who they could face in the regional field. You can watch the selection show on ESPN2.

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Iowa Hawkeyes earn No. 3 seed in Baseball America’s latest 2022 NCAA Tournament field

In Baseball America’s latest projection for the 2022 NCAA baseball tournament field, the Hawkeyes earned a No. 3 seed.

With selection Monday for the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament less than three weeks away, Iowa is squarely on the bubble. At least one projection paints an optimistic picture.

Baseball America’s Teddy Cahill has the Hawkeyes as his second-to-last team in his projected field of 64. Iowa checks in as the No. 63 team according to Cahill’s projection and would earn the No. 3 seed in the South Bend, Ind., regional.

Naturally, Notre Dame would host that regional as the No. 10 overall seed. Joining the Fighting Irish and Hawkeyes in Cahill’s projected South Bend Regional are No. 2 seed Texas State and No. 4 seed Ball State.

At this point, the Hawkeyes would gladly sign up in an NCAA Tournament regional anywhere. In D1Baseball’s latest field of 64 projection, Iowa was noticeably absent.

In fact, the Hawkeyes weren’t even among the D1Baseball staff’s first four out. Instead, D1Baseball’s last four in included San Diego, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana and North Caroline and its first four out were UTSA, Clemson, Pittsburgh and Old Dominion.

Wake Forest, UCLA and Louisiana Tech joined Iowa as the last four in according to Baseball America and Pittsburgh, Louisiana, North Carolina and Kentucky were the first four out. The next four out according to Baseball America included Kennesaw State, Texas-San Antonio, Alabama and Clemson.

Maryland and Rutgers were the only other Big Ten teams that made the cut in either of the two 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament projections. Maryland was the No. 12 overall seed according to D1Baseball and the No. 15 overall seed according to Baseball America. Meanwhile, Rutgers was a No. 3 seed in both projections.

With the Hawkeyes’ RPI at No. 64 entering this weekend’s slate against Michigan State, it’s likely that Iowa needs to win out over the remainder of the regular season in order to keep an at-large berth in play. Iowa’s remaining regular season opponents can really only hurt the Hawkeyes’ RPI standing.

Michigan State checks in as the No. 160 team in the RPI, Illinois Chicago is No. 177 and Indiana is No. 103.

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