Tag: Florida State Seminoles

Auburn beats Florida State to win 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, first in school history

A national champion has been crowned.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — More often than not, when John Marshall Butler isn’t on the golf course, he’s at Jordan Hare Stadium.

The senior on the Auburn golf team occasionally goes to the 90,000-seat football stadium as the lone occupant, sprinting up and down the steps, touching every one. Auburn golf coach Nick Clinard could do nothing but watch and laugh, but it became a trend. How often did Butler do it?

“Too much,” Clinard said. “Just full of guts. I can’t teach that. He’s just a hard worker.”

Those guts are why Butler, a senior, has been in the anchor spot all season for the Tigers in match play. It’s why Clinard trusted him to close out matches when Auburn needed him most. And boy, did Butler come through.

NCAA: Photos from Omni La Costa

Butler beat Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton, the top-ranked golfer in the NCAA golf rankings, 2 and 1 on Wednesday to clinch the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship title match. Auburn won 3-2 against the Seminoles, clinching their first title in school history at Omni La Costa’s North Course. And it was the Tigers’ match-play assassin who came through in the clutch.

“The anchor match was nothing new,” Butler said on the 17th green minutes after clinching the match. “We went undefeated in match play all year and were just sticking to what we knew.”

Auburn earned its 10th victory of the season Wednesday, and Clinard triumphantly said his team became one of college golf’s best ever with the feat. The Tigers won the SEC Championship and their NCAA Regional, but the national championship is the crowning achievement.

Freshman Jackson Koivun, the Haskins winner who Tuesday was the hero to propel Auburn into the championship match, earned the first point with a 5-and-4 domination. Shortly after, points started to be clinched quickly. 

Junior Brendan Valdes earned a 4-and-3 victory, but Florida State responded when Cole Anderson won his match 1 up and Tyler Weaver, who didn’t play during stroke play all week, won his third match for Florida State.

NCAA: Which men’s teams have the most titles?

Then it came down to Butler and Clanton in the anchor match, and Butler led 1 up standing on the 15th tee.

“He’s the guy you want in that spot,” Clinard said. 

Clanton’s tee shot found the rough, and his approach went too long and trundled off the back of the green into the water. Butler stuck his shot on the front of the green and went 2 up with three to play.

His tee shot on the difficult par-3 16th landed on the green and creeped into the back bunker while Clanton found the putting surface. However, Butler didn’t flinch, nearly making his shot from the sand while Clanton’s birdie chance didn’t come close.

Then on the 17th, Butler hit his approach to 10 feet while Clanton’s approach came up short out of a fairway bunker. Clanton nearly chipped in for birdie to force a Butler make, but the ball hit the cup at full speed and hopped through. 

Butler comfortable hit his putt within tap-in range, and his teammates rushed him on the green.

“I don’t know how you can beat this,” Butler said. “I don’t even know what else to say.”

Butler never trailed all week in match play. He said the most nervous he was Wednesday was when he was tackled in the celebration.

During Butler’s first week of school, he and Clinard had a conversation. The ambitious freshman shared his goal: win a national championship. 

Mission accomplished.

“I knew right from the get-go that this program was due for a national championship,” Butler said, “and fortunately, we have the squad this year. And we got it done.”

Championship results

  • Cole Anderson (FSU) def. Carson Bacha (Auburn), 1 up
  • Tyler Weaver (FSU) def. Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 2 and 1
  • Jackson Koivun (Auburn) def. Brett Roberts (FSU), 5 and 4
  • Brendan Valdes (Auburn) def. Frederik Kjettrup (FSU), 4 and 3
  • JM Butler (Auburn) def. Luke Clanton (FSU), 2 and 1

Upsets galore, all four lower seeds advance to NCAA Men’s Golf Championship semifinals

The semifinals are set.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — It was a quick turnaround for the eight teams who advanced into the 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship match play.

Early Tuesday morning, teams returned to Omni La Costa’s North Course and began quarterfinal matches. Four ACC teams made match play, including a rematch of the ACC Championship. Then the top two teams from the country in the SEC faced off with a chance to play each other in the semifinals if they won.

Here’s a recap of Tuesday morning’s NCAA match play quarterfinals and a look ahead at Tuesday afternoon’s semifinal pairings. Every team that makes match play semifinals qualifies for the East Lake Cup in the fall.

NCAA: Best photos from Omni La Costa

Quarterfinal results

Georgia Tech 3, Illinois 1

The curse of the top overall seed? Only one No. 1 seed (Oklahoma State in 2018) has won stroke play and then won match play. Illinois, which won stroke play by 16 shots, is out after Tuesday morning’s 3-1 defeat. Aidan Tran, Christo Lamprecht’s replacement, won 3 and 2, and individual champion Hiroshi Tai clinched the match with a stellar approach into the par-3 16th green that resulted in a tap-in birdie.

Florida State 3, North Carolina 1

Florida State had lost in match play its last three chances against North Carolina, but not Tuesday morning. The Seminoles took down the ACC Champs 3-1 behind victories from Brett Roberts, Luke Clanton and Tyler Weaver, who was subbed in and played for the first time this week Tuesday morning.

Ohio State 3, Vanderbilt 1

Adam Wallin was two shots down sitting on the 17th tee to Gordon Sargent, the second-ranked golfer in the world. The senior at Ohio State won the next three holes, knocking off the second seed and No. 2 team in the country to help Ohio State advance to the semis. Neal Shipley and Jackson Chandler also picked up wins.

Auburn 3, Virginia 1

It came down to Jackson Koivun, and the best player in college golf this year delivered. The 2024 Haskins Award winner buried a birdie on the 18th hole to help the top-ranked (but sixth-seeded) Tigers top Virginia 3-1 to advance into the semifinals. Carson Bacha and Josiah Gilbert were the other Auburn players to get a point.

Semifinal matchups

No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech

  • Cole Anderson vs. Bartley Forrester (4:15 p.m. ET, 1st tee)
  • Tyler Weaver vs. Kale Fontenot (4:25 p.m. ET)
  • Luke Clanton vs. Christo Lamprecht (4:35 p.m. ET)
  • Gray Albright vs. Carson Kim (4:45 p.m. ET)
  • Frederik Kjettrup vs. Hiroshi Tai (4:55 p.m. ET)

No. 6 Auburn vs. No. 7 Ohio State

  • Carson Bacha vs. Maxwell Moldovan (5:05 p.m. ET, 1st tee)
  • Brendan Valdes vs. Jackson Chandler (5:15 p.m. ET)
  • Josiah Gilbert vs. Tyler Sabo (5:25 p.m. ET)
  • Jackson Koivun vs. Adam Wallin (5:35 p.m. ET)
  • JM Butler vs. Neal Shipley (5:45 p.m. ET)

Oklahoma Sooners take on ACC Champion Duke Blue Devils to open WCWS

The Oklahoma Sooners will face Duke in game one of the Women’s College World Series as they begin their quest for a four-peat.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team has once again made it to the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag], which will take place from May 30 to June 7. The Sooners are the No. 2 seed in the eight-team field. It’s their eighth trip in a row and 16th appearance to WCWS in program history.

Oklahoma will face Duke in their first game of the WCWS, with first pitch set for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

The Sooners rolled through the first two rounds of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team won the Norman Regional two weeks ago before sweeping Florida State in last week’s Norman Super Regional.

Duke went on the road and beat Missouri in the Columbia Super Regional last week. The No. 10 Blue Devils are making their first-ever trip to the WCWS after a 2-1 series win over the Tigers.

Of course, the Sooners are no strangers to the WCWS. They’re searching for their unprecedented fourth-straight national championship. Another title would bring their overall total to eight, all coming since 2000 with Gasso at the helm.

The road will be a bit different for OU in 2024, as the Sooners won’t be the top overall seed this year. No. 1 Texas will face No. 8 Stanford after winning the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season championship. The Sooners exacted revenge over the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship, winning the final conference tournament before both teams move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Fresh off ACC Tournament title, Duke baseball heads to Oklahoma as No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional

Duke earns the second seed in the Norman Regional after winning the 2024 ACC Tournament Title.

The newly minted 2024 ACC Tournament champions are headed to Norman, Oklahoma.

Following their offensive explosion against Florida State in the ACC title game, many around the Duke program thought there was a chance that the Blue Devils could sneak a late hosting bid away. Sunday night, the NCAA disproved that by now awarding Duke with a top-16 seed. On Monday, the Blue Devils discovered which regional they would participate in.

The Blue Devils will head to Norman, hoping to advance to the Super Regionals for the second consecutive year. This will be no tall task, as the hosting Oklahoma Sooners are a well-rounded ball club with offense, defense, and a deep pitching unit that features quality starters and challenging bullpen options in relief. Oklahoma dominated the Big 12, posting a 23-7 record in the conference. They also came up just short of winning the tournament title.

The Big East regular season champion, the Connecticut Huskies, are also in the region and they are no slouches. Lastly, the Blue Devils will have the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, this year’s Summit League tournament champions, to contend with.

Regionals will run from May 31 through June 3 at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. Duke (39-18) is slated to open the regional against No. 3 seed UConn (32-23) on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

The winner of the double-elimination NCAA Regional will advance to a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional, which will run from June 6-8 or 7-9. The Norman Regional winner will face the winner of the Tallahassee Regional, which features Florida State, Alabama, UCF, and Stetson.

Duke baseball not selected as a regional host despite ACC Tournament title

Despite four straight wins in Charlotte at the ACC Tournament, the college baseball postseason won’t run through Durham.

The NCAA selected its 16 regional hosts for the college baseball postseason bracket on Sunday evening, and they passed by the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils spent most of the season within the top 15 on most national rankings, but they lost seven of their final 13 regular-season games to slip down to the sixth seed in the ACC and the No. 2 seed line in most national projections.

However, with their backs to the wall, Duke ripped off four straight wins in Charlotte to win the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils scored 43 runs over the four tournament games, winning their last three contests by a combined score of 32-7 en route to a resounding statement.

Many thought the NCAA would take notice of the performance, especially considering the depth of the ACC. After all, five ACC teams (North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia, and NC State) all earned the chance to host.

Duke defeated the Wolfpack during pool play in the ACC Tournament before beating the Seminoles by 12 runs in Sunday’s title game.

The Blue Devils await their assignment as a No. 2 seed, and they’ve been heavily linked to East Carolina in the Greenville Region in most projections.

Duke centerfielder Devin Obee named ACC Baseball Tournament MVP after three home runs

Obee hit a grand slam during Sunday’s dominant victory over Florida State, his third home run over the last three games en route to MVP honors.

Duke baseball took home its second ACC Tournament title in program history on Sunday with a 16-4 win over Florida State, and centerfielder Devin Obee earned Tournament MVP honors after he mashed three home runs over the Blue Devils’ final three games.

The junior outfielder finished Duke’s four-game tournament run with three home runs, seven hits, and eight RBIs after batting .500 for the week.

After one hit during an opening victory over Virginia Tech, he mashed a two-run home run in the sixth inning during Thursday’s winner-take-all game against NC State to advance out of pool play. The ball initially got ruled a double because it clanged off of some scaffolding right above the wall and back into the outfield, but in an amusing twist of fate, the UNC baseball team protested the call from the stands and prompted a video review that awarded Obee a home run.

He produced similar heroics against the Hurricanes during Saturday’s semifinal victory, another blowout in Duke’s favor. In the middle of a six-run eighth inning that busted the Blue Devils out of a tie game, Obee lofted his second two-run homer in two games.

His grand slam against the Seminoles on Sunday, his third home run in three games, busted the game apart to give Duke a 10-run lead.

Duke ended up winning its last three games of the tournament by 25 combined runs partially thanks to Obee’s offensive display, and the ACC recognized him as the best player of the week.

Duke baseball hits two grand slams during ACC title game victory over Florida State

Duke baseball outscored Florida State 16-4 in Sunday’s ACC title game thanks to two grand slams from Ben Miller and Devin Obee.

Duke baseball scored 16 runs during Sunday’s dominant victory over Florida State in the ACC title game, a 12-run victory to give the Blue Devils their second conference title in four years.

Half of those runs came in two fell swoops when Ben Miller and Devin Obee both hit grand slams during the middle innings of the game, growing Duke’s lead from three runs to 10 over the course of one hour.

In the top of the fourth inning, Duke led 5-2 but loaded the bases without any outs to give themselves a chance to create some distance. Miller, the All-ACC First Team third baseman, dug his feet into the box. On his second pitch of the at-bat, he pummeled a ball straight up into the air that kept going…and going…and going all the way over the right-field wall for a grand slam.

Miller’s teammates gifted him the team hard hat for the effort, too, a fun look into how loose Chris Pollard’s team seems to be ahead of the postseason.

Obee, who was later named the tournament’s MVP, also strode to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth. He promptly launched his third home run in three games, Duke’s second grand slam of the afternoon.

The Blue Devils tacked on two more runs after Obee’s slam, but with a 10-run lead entering the final three innings, it didn’t mean much. The two Duke sluggers ended the game themselves with two cracks of the bat.

Duke uses two grand slams to demolish Florida State 16-4 and capture second ACC Tournament Title

Duke uses two grand slams to propel them to second ACC Tournament Title.

A new champion has emerged in the ACC Baseball realm, and they hail from Durham, NC.

On a Sunday afternoon, Chris Pollard and his team showcased their resilience, demolishing a top 10-ranked Florida State squad 16-4 to claim Duke’s second-ever ACC Tournament title.

Duke entered the tournament as the sixth seed, and while there was no doubt about their inclusion in next week’s NCAA Tournament, the Duke players had a chip on their shoulder to perform better against the ACC’s best of the best than they had in the regular season. They lost a few close games, ultimately the difference between Duke finishing as a three-seed or higher in the conference tournament.

After losing two of three in the regular season to them, Duke knew the Seminoles would be challenging. 

And from the outset, things were dicey quickly as James Tallon served up a two-run home run to Cam Smith of FSU to start the game.

Down two runs, Duke didn’t panic, and in the top of the second, the Blue Devils hit the gas and would never look back.

After loading the bases, Oklahoma transfer Wallace Clark came up with a chance to do damage. He would get hit by the at-bat’s first pitch, which cut into Florida State’s lead to 2-1.

FSU brought in Noah Short for Carson Dorsey, and Duke star freshman Kyle Johnson roped a two-run double down the left field line, pushing Duke ahead for a 3-2 lead. Later that inning, AJ Gracia blooped a two-run single to give the Blue Devils a 5-2 lead.

In the fourth, Ben Miller left his handprint on the game when he hammered a grand slam to make it 9-2. The Seminoles got two runs back in the bottom of the inning with a Jaime Ferrer two-run homer, but the Duke offense was still going strong.

 

Outfielder Chase Krewson drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth to make it 10-4, and then senior Devin Obee smashed the second Blue Devil grand slam of the day moments later.

Duke would allow no more runs and would cruise to the title the rest of the way.

Duke’s offense was remarkable this tournament, and they showcased why on Sunday. They did it in many ways, piecing together rallies and using the long ball to score. Devin Obee was named ACC Tournament MVP after he hit three home runs in the final three games.

The win improved the Blue Devils to 39-18 on the season.  Duke is looking to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1961 and eventually pursue the first national championship in program history. After being dropped to a No. 2 seed in most postseason projections, the Blue Devils did their best to make a case to host at least a regional round.

Duke baseball’s ACC tournament victory and celebration in photos

The Blue Devils offense blazed through Charlotte, culminating in a runaway win over Florida State in Sunday’s title game. Check out the week’s best photos here.

For the second time in four years, Duke baseball took home the ACC tournament title.

The Blue Devils absolutely burned their way through Truist Field in Charlotte, scoring 43 runs in four games. The effort culminated in a 16-4 blowout over Florida State on Sunday, a team that defeated Duke in a weekend series just weeks earlier. Ben Miller and Devin Obee both hit grand slams, the latter serving as Obee’s third home run in three days.

The Duke pitching staff did its part, too. After giving up eight runs during a narrow win over Virginia Tech to open pool play, they held NC State, Miami, and the Seminoles to seven combined runs over the final 27 innings. Duke outscored its last three opponents by more than eight runs per game.

Duke now awaits the selection show to see if they earned one of the 16 regional host spots for this postseason, but a conference crown gives them favorable odds.

Here are the best photos from the team’s statement weekend.

Duke baseball will play Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game

The Blue Devils, fresh off back-to-back offensive explosions, will play the Seminoles with a conference tournament title on the line.

Duke baseball, with an offense in full form, will battle Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game.

After winning a pool with NC State and Virginia Tech thanks to a six-run fifth inning against the Wolfpack on Thursday, the Blue Devils hung six runs on Miami in the eighth inning en route to a semifinal victory on Saturday.

Across its last 25 innings at the plate (no bottom of the ninth against Virginia Tech or the Hurricanes), the Blue Devils have raked in 27 runs and mashed nine home runs. Centerfielder Devin Obee and catcher Alex Stone each have two, with Obee cranking one in each of the last two games, and second baseman Zac Morris has already hit three.

A Sunday victory could be enough for Duke to host a regional in Durham, too. After a rocky end to the regular season saw Duke lose seven of its last 13 games and each of its last three conference series (including one to the Seminoles), D1Baseball and other projections dropped the Blue Devils down to a No. 2 seed. A tournament win over what has been the deepest conference in college baseball this season could vault Duke back into the top 16 spots.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for noon Eastern time.