Tag: Florida State Seminoles

Jordy Bahl does it again in Oklahoma’s shutout win over Florida State

With 10 strikeouts, Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl put on another dominant display against Florida State in what’s been an incredible postseason run.

The last time the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles took the field together before game one of the Women’s College World Series championship, Sooners’ ace Jordy Bahl had an ERA hovering above 2.00.

Bahl had an ERA of 2.23  before throwing three shutout innings of relief in Oklahoma’s 5-4 win over the Seminoles.

Since the win over Florida State on March 14, Jordy Bahl’s allowed runs in just three appearances and just five total runs. She’s allowed just five runs in her last 26 appearances, which accounts for 100.1 innings pitched.

Over that span, she’s lowered her ERA to 0.92 on the season.

Wednesday night’s performance against Florida State was just another in a long run of outings that has cemented Bahl as the best pitcher in softball. This is her second complete game shutout in the last week after throwing seven innings of shutout ball against Stanford.

Through four appearances in the Women’s College World Series, Jordy Bahl hasn’t allowed a run and is 4-0.

The thing that’s been most impressive is Bahl’s ability to lock in when opposing runners get into scoring position.

When Florida State did get runners on base, they weren’t able to take advantage because of Bahl’s ability to work around a jam. In the third inning, Florida State had a runner on second and one out and wasn’t able to score, with Bahl ending the inning with a flyout and a strikeout to get out of trouble.

In the top of the fourth, the Seminoles put runners on second and third with two outs. Again, Bahl came up with the clutch strikeout to end the inning. Oklahoma’s sophomore ace stole the show when Florida State had opportunities to cash in.

And in the bottom of the fourth, when Oklahoma’s offense got going, it was too late for the Seminoles. Over their final three at bats, Florida State managed just a hit and a walk and couldn’t get a runner into scoring position.

Adding to her legend, Bahl provided the breakthrough run for the Oklahoma Sooners, scoring from first on Kinzie Hansen’s double. In a game where it looked like runs would be difficult to come by, Bahl’s speed and baserunning ability came through in the clutch to help put the Sooners on the scoreboard and ahead for good.

One game doesn’t win a championship for Oklahoma, but this performance from Jordy Bahl put them in a strong position to win their third straight national championship. All that stands in their way is one more win against a formidable Florida State Seminoles team.

Here’s a look at the best photos from Wednesday’s win over Florida State.

Jordy Bahl shuts out Florida State, leads Oklahoma Sooners to 5-0 win

The Sooners got a fantastic performance from Jordy Bahl, who recorded 10 strikeouts in Oklahoma’s 5-0 win over Florida State in game one of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their Women’s College World Series championship showdown with Florida State with a 5-0 win to take game one.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] got the start for the Sooners and she was absolutely dominant. Bahl kept the Florida State bats at bay, allowing just two hits and a walk in a complete game shutout. She struck out 10 Seminoles. It was the second time in the last week that Bahl recorded a complete game shutout after blanking the Cardinal 2-0 in an 11-strikeout performance.

It took a while for Oklahoma’s offense to get going in this one. But with Bahl dealing, they could afford to be patient at the plate.

But in the fourth inning, the Sooners broke through. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] reached on a hit-by-pitch after Patty Gasso successfully challenged the call at the plate. Then Gasso inserted Bahl to pinch run for Lee at first. And Bahl made the call look genius on [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]’s double, coming all the way around from first to put the first run of the game on the board.

After Hansen advanced on a passed ball, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] brought her in with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Brito advanced to second on a fielder’s choice before going to third on [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] single that died at the plate. Brito scored on a throwing error on the play, putting Oklahoma up 3-0.

Bahl provided the shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Seminoles in order.

In the bottom of the fifth, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Hansen came through again with her second RBI again, driving Coleman in from second base.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 5-0 and set a new record for RBIs in a career in the Women’s College World Series with 29 in her three trips to the Women’s College World Series.

Kinzie Hansen continued her hot run through the NCAA tournament, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. She’s batting .500 throughout the postseason and has three home runs and 13 RBIs for the Sooners.

But the story of the game was the pitching. Jordy Bahl has been the most outstanding player of the Women’s College World Series. She’s 4-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in 21.2 innings pitched in the WCWS, and has 30 strikeouts across four appearances.

Oklahoma forced Florida State to use four pitchers to keep from utilizing their ace Kathryn Sandercock, who will most assuredly start game two against the Oklahoma Sooners. [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] will have a decision to make between Alex Storako and Nicole May in game two of the series.

The Sooners and Seminoles square off Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Game three, if necessary, will be played on Friday on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

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Twitter reacts to Oklahoma’s 5-0 Women’s College World Series win over Florida State

Jordy Bahl and the Oklahoma Sooners had Twitter buzzing with their 5-0 win over the Florida State Seminoles to take a 1-0 WCWS championship series lead.

Not even the Oklahoma weather can slow the Sooners, who picked up their 52nd consecutive win to take Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series championship.

Their 5-0 win over Florida State was a dominant pitching performance from Jordy Bahl, who improved to 22-1. Bahl recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits and a walk in the epic performance.

In addition to her pitching, Bahl helped the Sooners get on the board in the fourth inning, scoring from first on Kinzie Hansen’s RBI double.

Bahl still hasn’t allowed a run in the Women’s College World Series and hasn’t allowed a run in her last 24.2 innings pitched. It was her second shutout in a week. She blanked Stanford, 2-0, and also had double-digit strikeouts (11).

After being limited in the 2022 postseason due to a shoulder injury, Bahl has roared through the NCAA tournament and taken her game to another level in the Women’s College World Series.

In addition to Bahl’s performance, the Sooners received clutch at-bats from Kinzie Hansen, who had a pair of RBIs to continue her incredible postseason run. She’s hitting .500 in the NCAA Tournament with three home runs and 13 RBIs.

The Sooners are 60-1 and one win away from their third straight national championship.

Here’s how social media reacted to the win.

National championship in the Women’s College World Series begins Wednesday

Oklahoma, Florida State will face off for the title.

The stage is set for the Women’s College World Series national championship series with the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] and [autotag]Florida State Seminoles[/autotag] being the last two teams. These two teams met in the championship in 2021 where Oklahoma walked away with the national title.

Oklahoma has a 51-game winning streak, the longest win streak in collegiate softball history. They are defending their 2022 title as well, so there is a lot on the line for the Sooners. It took Oklahoma nine innings to defeat Stanford to head to the championship series.

However, Florida State didn’t need any extra innings to beat Tennessee, continue their undefeated Women’s College World Series tour, and advance to the title series. They downed Tennessee 5-1 in the national semifinal. The Seminoles won the national title in 2018 and are fighting for their second national championship in five years.

Florida State’s pitcher, Kathryn Sandercock, made school history when she pitched a perfect game against South Carolina to advance her team to Super Regionals. It feels like the Seminoles are on a streak and they might be the team with the advantage heading into the series.

The Seminoles and Sooners will play a best-of-three series to decide the 2023 champion.

2023 Women’s College World Series Championship Series, schedule, TV networks (all times ET):

  • No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Florida State | June 7, 8 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Florida State | June 8, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Florida State  (if necessary) | June 9, 8 p.m. | ESPN

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Georgia Tech wins in extra holes, North Carolina knocks off hosts and Yuxin Lin’s back-nine push sends Florida into NCAA Men’s Golf Championship semifinals

Here’s a breakdown of Tuesday morning’s action.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a quick turnaround for the eight teams who advanced into the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship match play.

Come early Tuesday morning, they returned to Grayhawk Golf Club and began quarterfinal matches. And the headline was four Atlantic Coast Conference teams making match play, with North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Virginia trying to battle for conference supremacy. And all of them were in different matches.

However, there was no shortage of excitement Tuesday morning, with numerous matches coming down to the wire.

NCAA: Photos

Here’s a look at recaps of the quarterfinals as well as semifinal matchups.

Quarterfinal results

Florida 3, Virginia 2

NCAA individual champion Fred Biondi’s match was the first to end, with him falling to Bryan Lee, 6 and 5. However, it was Yuxin Lin winning the final two holes to clinch the match for Florida and propel the Gators into the semifinals. Lin was 3 down after 11 holes but won three of the next five to clinch the match.

Florida State 3, Illinois 2

Speaking of ACC teams, Florida State, the sixth seed, knocked off No. 3 Illinois, 3-2, with freshman Luke Clanton beating individual runner-up Jackson Buchanan 1 up for the clinching point. Fellow freshman Cole Anderson also won his match, 1 up, winning the final hole to clinch another point. Seniors Tommy Kuhl and Adrien Dumont de Chassart earned the two points for Illinois.

North Carolina 4, Arizona State 1

Michael Mjaaseth needed one more roll. His ball came to rest less than an inch short of the cup on the par-4 18th hole, him needed a birdie to try to extend the match against North Carolina. However, Arizona State fell short against the top-seeded Tar Heels, losing 4-1 as David Ford beat Mjaaseth to get the clinching point. He drove the par-4 17th green and made birdie to go 1 up, which proved enough to move on.

Georgia Tech 3, Pepperdine 2

Hiroshi Tai, a freshman from Singapore, buried a birdie putt on the 19th hole to win his match against Roberto Nieves and send Georgia Tech into the semifinals to face ACC foe North Carolina. Ross Steelman, who held the 18-, 36- and 54-hole leads in stroke play, dominated to a 5-and-4 victory, and Bartley Forrester got the other point, winning 2 and 1.

Semifinal matchups

No. 2 Florida vs. No. 6 Florida State

Matthew Kress vs. Frederik Kjettrup (3:45 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Fred Biondi vs. Cole Anderson (3:55 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

John DuBois vs. Luke Clanton (4:05 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Yuxin Lin vs. Jack Bigham (4:15 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Ricky Castillo vs. Brett Roberts (4:25 p.m ET, 1st tee)

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech

Dylan Menante vs. Christo Lamprecht (4:35 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Ryan Burnett vs. Bartley Forrester (4:45 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Austin Greaser vs. Connor Howe (4:55 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

David Ford vs. Hiroshi Tai (5:05 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Peter Fountain vs. Ross Steelman (5:15 p.m. ET, 1st tee)

Ranking the best ACC wide receivers ahead of the season

Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest duos headline our top wide receivers in the ACC.

There is no shortage of talent in the Atlantic Coastal Conference. The quarterbacks are led by North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Florida State’s Jordan Travis. They have a pair of studs at running back with Clemson’s Will Shipley and Florida State’s Trey Benson. Can the Seminoles go three-for-three with a top-tier wide receiver?

Before we dive into our preliminary rankings for the wide receivers, there are several teams that have formidable duos ready to take the field. Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest each have two wide receivers among the best in the ACC. Virginia Tech had to go out and address the wide receiver position after a poor showing in 2022.

With that said, we dive into the best pass catchers at wideout in the ACC.

Oklahoma offers 2026 defensive back Blaine Bradford

Oklahoma Sooners offer 2026 safety Blaine Bradford out of Louisiana.

The class of 2026 has a ways to go before it gets to college campuses, but recruiting those players starts long before then. Oklahoma has offered multiple athletes from that class and hosted many more to various recruiting events over the last few months.

Recruiting is built off relationships, and most, not all, take time to develop. Oklahoma’s decision to pay attention to the 2026 class early makes a lot of sense. Oklahoma offered 2026 defensive back Blaine Bradford out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last week.

Bradford’s offer came from Brandon Hall, signaling the Sooners likely view him as a safety at the collegiate level. Bradford checks in at 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds as a rising sophomore, indicating there’s still room for him to grow.

In addition to Oklahoma, Bradford has been offered by Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State and in-state powerhouse LSU.

LSU’s track record with defensive backs makes it a threat in recruiting players in the secondary. Considering Bradford is a Baton Rouge native and has the home school a stone’s throw away from him, it’ll be tough to overcome the Tigers.

On film, Bradford is a proper free safety. He roams the deep middle effortlessly, shows the versatility teams look for to line up in the slot, and he plays fearless running downhill to make tackles in the short passing game. He also shows an excellent knack for play recognition, as his ability to diagnose screens immediately gave him a multi-step advantage on opposing players, ultimately resulting in short gains or negative plays.

In the big picture, this could be a tough battle for Oklahoma to win, but the Sooners’ early offer should allow them to form a relationship and see how things go from there.

 

Sooners 2023 signee Keyon Brown heading to Garden City Community College

Oklahoma signee Keyon Brown will not be enrolling with Oklahoma and plans to go the junior college route instead.

Oklahoma’s plans at wide receiver for the 2023 season took a hit on Monday evening. Sooners wide receiver signee Keyon Brown will no longer join the Oklahoma Sooners when the team reconvenes in a few weeks.

According to Sooners Illustrated writer Collin Kennedy of 247Sports, Brown is going the junior college route, attending Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas.

Oklahoma offered Brown on June 2, 2022, after an incredible showing at an OU-hosted prospect camp. He also earned an offer from Alabama. He committed to the Sooners on June 5, 2022.

In 247Sports’ rankings, Brown checks in as a three-star recruit, a top-60 wideout in the cycle and a top-70 prospect in Florida. His size and speed combination made him feel like a player destined to outplay his recruiting positioning. Oklahoma won out over Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee.

Garden City Community College has ties to Oklahoma’s program. Head coach Brent Venables went to Garden City before transferring to play for Bill Snyder at Kansas State. Former Sooner offensive lineman Phil Loadholt played at Garden City before committing to Oklahoma.

Without Brown joining the class, four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway will be the only receiver signee the Sooners bring in this recruiting cycle. It also puts that much more of an onus on receivers not named Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops to step up, as Oklahoma’s depth will take a hit.

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How important is a Week 1 win over Florida State for LSU?

How crucial is it that LSU win the rematch vs. the Seminoles?

LSU will open the season against Florida State in what’s one of the biggest nonconference games of the year.

Both programs are ascending after exceeding expectations last fall. Both fanbases expect to compete for a conference title this year and maybe more.

According to BetMGM, LSU and Florida State both have a win total of 9.5 and each has a quarterback near the top in Heisman odds.

If that’s not enough, there’s the rematch narrative. You remember what happened last year. LSU stormed back in the fourth quarter only to lose when Florida State blocked an extra point.

This is what college football’s about. Prime time on Sunday night, all eyes will be on this game.

Which begs the question: How important is it?

The winner of this game jumps to the forefront of the national title discussion, but the loser remains alive for the playoff, too.

In LSU’s case, a win allows breathing room. It potentially creates a scenario where LSU can still lose to Alabama and make the playoff as an 11-1 team.

Were LSU to beat Florida State, win out, and beat Alabama, it gives the Tigers some cushion in a potential SEC title game.

For Florida State, the story is a little different. It’s not going to get the same resume-boosting chances in the ACC that LSU will get in the SEC. This could be the ‘Noles lone chance to make a grand statement on the national stage.

There’s a world where FSU loses to LSU and wins the ACC with a 12-1 record, but still misses the playoff.

LSU lost this opener last year and still found itself in the playoff discussion in November. If an SEC team runs the table in conference play, the committee doesn’t pay much attention to what it did outside of it.

Another thing to keep in mind is where the playoff is slated to take place. It’s a Rose and Sugar year. If LSU’s going to make it, it’d much rather play in New Orleans than in southern California.

A win over FSU provides some extra juice toward a No. 1 seed.

This is a huge game and it’ll be covered like one. If LSU goes on to lose, there will be overreactions because that’s what we do after Week 1.

However, nonconference games, no matter their size, could end up mattering little when the playoff committee gets together in September.

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Will Oregon and Washington join the Big Ten after all? What about the ACC?

Fresh rumors about Oregon and Washington to the #B1G plus the #ACC’s “splinter scenario” are in the news. Let’s discuss.

The recent report that Oregon and Washington have been “vetted” and “cleared” by the Big Ten Conference had, on the surface, the look and feel of an important story. Yet, when you look deeper, it’s a pretty vague and insubstantial note. Basically, the Big Ten has looked at the situation. Actual movement and change aren’t really taking place.

We recently discussed these points at The Voice of College Football with Mark Rogers, at the 29-minute mark of the video of our show.

We also looked at the ACC’s future and the teams exploring a departure from the conference and its grant of rights. What’s new in realignment, and what is worth keeping track of? Let’s discuss, with help from consultant Tony Altimore, who closely follows academia and follows the administrative politics behind the scenes: