Tag: NCAA baseball regionals

Texas goes to extra innings, throws away opportunity to beat Aggies

Texas falls in extras, must play in rematch with Louisiana for another shot at the Aggies.

After losing 9-2 in their first meeting this year, the Texas Longhorns took rival Texas A&M to the brink of defeat before faltering late. The Aggies were able to outlast the Horns to pick up the 4-2 win in 11 innings. The Burnt Orange had chances to win the game several times.

The tone of this game was set early by starting pitcher LeBarron Johnson Jr., who would go just five innings. LBJ threw 102 pitches over those five frames allowing just two hits and three walks. He also struck out eight batters in a high-stress environment. One of his two hits was a home run to freshman left fielder Caden Sorrell to tie the game in the fifth inning.

The Texas bats were relatively quiet in the game but it started off hot with leadoff hitter Jared Thomas. He took the first pitch of the game from Ryan Prager and put it in the seats.

The Longhorns would retake the lead in the sixth inning when former Aggie, Kimble Schuessler would take Prager yard again. Schuess gave the Horns the opportunity to steal this game and former rival Texas A&M into an elimination game after the solo shot.

The lead wouldn’t last long as Texas A&M would tie the game on one of two throwing errors from shortstop Jalin Flores. Ryan Montgomery would tie the game up on the hit by Ali Camarillo up the middle fielding by Texas, but the routine play was anything but routine.

It would go to the top of the 11th inning before Texas A&M would finally break through with a pair of runs. The first run came on a Ted Burton single to third base that plated Kaeden Kent. Jace LaViolette would come around on a wild pitch from Lummus.

Texas would go down in order in the bottom of the inning to force a rematch with Louisiana in an elimination game.

Shaun Crawford celebrates Notre Dame’s win, throws shade at NBA Finals

The former Irish safety definitely did the NBA dirty.

One man watching Notre Dame’s regional championship win, or at least acknowledging it, was former football safety [autotag]Shaun Crawford[/autotag]. While the Irish were moving onto the Super Regionals, Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics also was happening. Once the Irish won, Crawford took to Twitter and made clear which contest he preferred watching:

Crawford’s point is a fair one, at least for this year. The first two games of the finals have been decided by 12 and 19 points, respectively. There will be at least three more games in the coming days, so there is time for the series to become classic yet. But over half of the 12 conference finals games had double-digit margins of victory, so that’s not an encouraging sign.

Fortunately for Crawford, there is more Irish baseball to be watched. Even if the Irish don’t go all the way, he’s made it clear that he’ll watch more of the College World Series than the NBA Finals. Which camp are you in?

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Tale of the Tape: Individual Leaders – Notre Dame vs. Georgia Southern

Which team wins the leaders battle?

Notre Dame and Georgia Southern both will need to rely on their best players with very little time to rest. The Irish have relied on [autotag]Carter Putz[/autotag] and [autotag]David LaManna[/autotag] in particular to provide their offense this season. Of course, let’s not forget about [autotag]Brooks Coetzee[/autotag]’s power. On the pitching side, [autotag]John Michael Bertrand[/autotag] probably won’t be available for this next game, but that’s why you have options like [autotag]Jack Findlay[/autotag] on your hands.

Meanwhile, the Eagles definitely won’t have ace Ty Fisher available after he threw a complete-game shutout against UNC Greensboro earlier in the day. Perhaps that means Ga’Von Wray will have to pick up the slack? On the flip side, the offense relies heavily on Jesse Sherrill and Noah Ledford, and they surely will receive inspiration from the home crowd. That’s not to take away from the rest of the lineup, but the Irish will be in business if they can hold those two in check.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Georgia Southern

Can the Irish win again?

The weather forced Notre Dame to wait a while, but it eventually completed a 3-2 victory over Texas Tech in its NCAA Tournament opener. Now, the Irish get to face Georgia Southern, host of the Statesboro Regional. You’ll immediately notice that the Irish have the clear edge in pitching, at least as far as ERA and strikeout/walk ratio. The question is whether the Irish relievers pitched too much in the previous game to the point where that advantage will be tempered.

Meanwhile, the Eagles arguably have a slight advantage on offense. Sure, the Irish have slightly bigger numbers in batting average and home runs, but the on-base percentage and the ability to score runs put them somewhat over the top. At the same time, did the eight runs they scored on 12 hits in their shutout win over UNC Greensboro tire them out? Either way, the hitters have to be grateful they have a few hours’ rest before having to back out there.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech

Like the Irish here?

In a battle between two ranked teams in the Statesboro Regional, Notre Dame and Texas Tech both will try to avoid the brink. The Irish can help their cause with the superior pitching in this matchup. Their hitting is pretty good, too, even if their ability to accumulate extra-base hits is average at best. Put those two elements together, and there’s no reason to think they can’t win at least one game in this regional.

The Red Raiders enter the tournament with one of the best offenses in the country. The frequency with which they hit doubles and home runs especially has led to a lot of runs and high slugging and on-base percentages. However, don’t look for them to steal a lot of bases, which takes some of the pressure off opposing pitchers in the stretch. Their pitching better back up the offense in this regional, or they will have a short stay in this tournament.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

NCAA Tournament: TV channel, tipoff time announced for Tennessee-Oregon State

Tennessee (18-8) will play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region. 

Tennessee (18-8) will play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region.

The NCAA selection committee announced Sunday that the Vols will play in the first-round against No. 12-seed Oregon State.

The Vols and Beavers will play Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The contest will be televised by TNT.

Brackets. Are. BACK.

It’s that time again – when dunks, brackets and buzzer-beaters inspire widespread incidents of March Madness. Get the jump on your friends by filling out your selections now!

In between all the games, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

Tennessee’s men’s basketball NCAA Tournament history

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