He pitched five innings in the Vols’, 6-1, win against North Carolina (48-15) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
Beam recorded seven strikeouts and totaled 73 pitches (53 strikes) against 21 batters.
“Felt really good early on,” Beam said. “Cal (Stark) called a great game behind the plate. We had pretty much everything going. I was just trusting with what he had game planned and we had game planned with and we were going with it.
They put some good swings on balls, especially that ball to center field. (Hunter) Ensley made a really good catch. The defense played well behind me. That helped me out in some situations, and the, I guess, the time break was unfortunate, but it is just what happens. It’s baseball. There’s always something that’s going to happen. I went down to the pen. I got loose and just Vance (Honeycutt) made a really good swing on that pitch. Backed up a cutter and he made a good swing. Then coach made the call and Kirby (Connell) got me out of it. I was happy that the guys behind me had my back.”
Jun 16, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers starting pitcher Drew Beam (32) throws against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Seventh-year Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello met with media and discussed the Vols’ win.
“Two good lineups that are very dangerous, but runs were at a premium tonight for a few different reasons,” Vitello said. “One was the defense, was outstanding on both sides, and there were also some balls that were stung that defenders were in a position to make a play on. Glad we were to get it done for a lot of reasons. The last time we were in that dugout Drew (Beam) pitched really well for us but he pitched even better tonight. We just followed his lead, and he helped put us out front which is what you want your starter to do, and fortunate to win.
“Every team in that league is good, but North Carolina had as much success as anybody in it. They had kind of been a force of nature, and still are capable of being that with all that had gone on, so I think it says a lot for our guys to come out and have the focus they did after a pretty emotional win. There is a separator day in there, so kudos to our players for that.”
Photos of Tennessee’s win against the Tar Heels in Omaha.
No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (57-12) won its second game in the College World Series on Sunday. The Vols were victorious against No. 4 seed North Carolina (48-15), 6-1, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
Tennessee will next play on Wednesday against the winner between Florida State and North Carolina. First pitch between the Tar Heels and Seminoles is slated for 2 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.
The Vols defeated Florida State, 12-11, to open play in the College World Series. Tennessee scored four runs in the ninth inning against the Seminoles.
Below are photos of the Vols’ win over North Carolina on Sunday in Omaha.
TV information for Sunday’s game between Tennessee and North Carolina in the College World Series.
No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (56-12) will return to action in the College World Series on Sunday. The Vols will play North Carolina (48-14) at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
First pitch between the Vols and Tar Heels is slated for 7 p.m. EDT. The contest will be televised by ESPN2.
Tennessee advanced to the winner’s bracket game after defeating Florida State, 12-11, on Friday. North Carolina opened play in the College World Series with a, 3-2, win against Virginia.
The Cavaliers and Seminoles will play in an elimination-game on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT (ESPN).
If greens are the faces of a golf course, this one at Pinehurst has crooked, sandy ears and a wicked smirk.
What will be the most difficult hole at Pinehurst No. 2 for the 2024 U.S. Open? If recent history is any indication, forget about the long par 4s.
No. 6, a par 3 that is listed as 228 yards on the USGA’s official scorecard, could easily take the top spot … again.
In the 2014 U.S. Open – the only of three previous Opens at No. 2 since the Donald Ross design was renovated by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2011 – the sixth played to an average of 3.374. That made it the most difficult hole in relation to par.
No. 6 surpassed No. 16 and its 4.341 average, and No. 16 is a 536-yarder that plays as a par 4 in the U.S. Open but is normally a par 5 for resort guests and members.
The next three toughest holes were No. 2 (par 4, 4.339 average), No. 8 (par 4, 4.336 average, another converted par 5) and No. 11 (par 4, 4.323 average).
In all, No. 6 gave up 12 birdies in that 2014 U.S. Open, with 270 pars, 150 bogeys, 13 double bogeys and one “other.” Martin Kaymer, who won that Open by eight shots, played the sixth in 1 over for the week, making one bogey in the third round against three other pars.
What makes No. 6 so daunting? For starters, it’s will be a long iron for most of the Open field. The green features runoffs in all directions – a Pinehurst No. 2 specialty – and the putting surface is set at an awkward angle, offset back and to the left. That makes it especially hard to hold the surface, as balls hit to the center/front portion of the green can run through if struck too firmly. Any attempt to fly the ball deeper into the green brings the bunkers even more into play.
Eventual winner Martin Kaymer blasts from a bunker on No. 6 during the second round of the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. (Photo: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
Even shots that land near the center of No. 6 green but are hit with sidespin are likely to turn and find one of two deep bunkers waiting on both sides. A hump and a slope on the front of the green also wait to reject shots, frequently forcing balls to the left and into the deeper of the two bunkers.
Players who find themselves in the left bunker must blast a high shot with spin onto the putting surface. Expect to see multiple efforts fail to clear the lip after players try to shave it too close when blasting out to a short-sided pin on a green that runs away from the trap – it really is a devilish spot, even for the best players in the world. If the rains hold off and No. 2 is playing particularly firm and fast, it will be even more difficult.
Basically, it’s just a very hard hole with no real place to miss. It’s often said the greens are the faces of a golf course, and if that’s true, then No. 6 has two giant sandy, crooked ears and a wicked smirk.
The Saints finally found their quarterback of the future — in Bleacher Report’s ultimate five-year re-draft. Drake Maye would have looked good in black and gold:
The biggest problem for the New Orleans Saints is they don’t have the quarterback of the future. Derek Carr may show he can be better than he was a season ago, but he isn’t the 10-to-15 year answer moving forward. In Bleacher Report’s five-year re-draft, New Orleans solved their biggest problem.
This re-draft made every player drafted since 2020 eligible again. Teams had to take the player’s current contract as well. For example, Joe Burrow was selected second and the Tennessee Titans had to take his $300 million contract with him.
Draft order was determined in a lottery system that landed the Saints at No. 24 overall. That’s low, but they were still able to find a quarterback. The Saints selected North Carolina rookie Drake Maye at that spot. Here’s why B/R’s Bryan Toporek says they should take Maye in this scenario:
The New Orleans Saints still have quarterback Derek Carr under contract for three more seasons, but it’s a stretch to call him their long-term answer under center. The 33-year-old has a career record of 72-89 as a starter and hasn’t topped 30 touchdown passes in a season since his second NFL campaign in 2015.
While Carr has a manageable cap hit of $12.7 million this season, it balloons to $51.5 million in 2025 and $61.5 million in 2026. That’s unsustainable for a Saints team that’s already projected to be nearly $100 million over the 2025 salary cap.
The real-life Saints spent a fifth-round pick on Spencer Rattler, giving themselves a cheap swing at a developmental quarterback. Here, they decided to give themselves an even better shot at a potential Carr successor by selecting Drake Maye.
Maye was the top-ranked quarterback on the B/R Scouting Department’s final big board—yes, above even Caleb Williams. B/R scout Derrik Klassen called him the “prototypical quarterback prospect” and said he has “the athleticism, arm talent and baseline processing skills to become a weapon” in the NFL.
Selecting Maye wouldn’t help the Saints win right now, but they can’t keep kicking the can down the road forever. This would help them launch a long-overdue reset.
Maye has yet to play a snap in the NFL, but many believe he has Josh Allen level potential. Maye was the third quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL draft because of his high ceiling. There’s a belief that sitting for a year would suit him best. The Saints still have Derek Carr in this hypothetical, so they can afford to wait.
Prominent Saints players who would have been available in this pool included wide receiver Chris Olave and cornerback Paulson Adebo. Adebo goes undrafted and returns to the Saints. Olave was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the comp pick portion, pairing him with first-round pick Justin Jefferson.
When most college basketball fans hear Leigh, they might think of the program’s 2012 NCAA Tournament victory over Duke. Now, for at least one season, Notre Dame fans will think about one of the players. Forward [autotag]Burke Chebuhar[/autotag] made the announcement that he will use his remaining college eligibility by transferring to Notre Dame:
With this addition, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s 2024-25 roster is complete. Over the past month, the Irish added two other transfers: Princeton guard [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag] and [autotag]Monmouth center Nikita Konstantynovskyi[/autotag]. The one thing all three transfers have in common is that they’re coming off career-best seasons.
After playing 11 games apiece in his first seasons with the Mountain Hawks with minimal contributions both times, Chebuhar broke out last season. He started 22 of 32 games and set career highs of 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. He got a taste of ACC action with road games against North Carolina and Boston College. Now, we’ll see how his game really translates from the Patriot League.
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Mack Brown gave an honest review of Drake Maye before the Patriots drafted him
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is coming to the New England Patriots with a lot of expectations. However, those expectations are not without merit, particularly when it relates to North Carolina head coach Mack Brown, who gave a glowing review of Maye to the Patriots.
Brown has been around the game of football for decades and has seen it all. He most recently led the Tar Heels to an 8-5 record and their fifth straight bowl game appearance. He has seen solid quarterback play at the collegiate level, dating back to Vince Young during his Texas days.
Brown got the chance to see Maye up close, and the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft was one of the best quarterbacks in North Carolina program history, throwing for 400 yards in three separate games in the 2023 season alone.
Now, New England hopes to unlock that same potential in their effort to rebuild on the offensive side of the ball. Brown is confident about what Maye brings to the table.
“I’ve learned that I want the high school coach to tell me the truth in recruiting, so I’m very honest with the NFL coaches,” Brown said, via NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire. “This is important to them.
“So with Coach Mayo, I knew this is huge for him, just starting out in this first year. So I just told him, ‘If I was the coach of the Patriots, I would want Drake Maye. We all put our checks in the mouth of players, and that’s what you’re (Mayo) gonna do. And I would rather have Drake Maye than anybody in the country leading my football team.’”
The jury is still out on whether Maye will be able to live up to his draft stock at the NFL level. However, a positive review from someone of Brown’s stature certainly holds significant weight.
Wisconsin transfer portal target commits to North Carolina
Wisconsin basketball transfer portal target Cade Tyson committed to North Carolina on Sunday.
The Badgers were in contact with the Belmont transfer after he entered the portal in late March. That list of schools was extensive and included some of the sport’s powers. Now one month later, he reportedly chooses North Carolina over Tennessee and others.
Tyson averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks on 49% shooting and 46% from three as a sophomore in 2023-24. The sharpshooter will fit in seamlessly to a Tar Heel backcourt that includes R.J. Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble.
Shooting guard Cormac Ryan exhausted his eligibility in 2023-24. Tyson figures to slide in and replace his production.
NEWS: Belmont transfer guard Cade Tyson has committed to North Carolina, source tells @on3sports.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, received its first transfer commitment of the offseason on Sunday. The program is looking to replace the departed production of Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl, and still needs a few more big-ticket transfers to accomplish that task.
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[autotag]Cam Williams[/autotag] is one of the biggest receiver recruits Notre Dame has landed in recent years. But so far, he’s the Irish’s only pure receiver commit in the the 2024 recruiting class. That might change next week as receiver target Micah Gilbert has announced May 2 as the day he will make his college decision. The announcement will take place live on the 247Sports YouTube channel.
All signs point to Gilbert a Charlotte, North Carolina native, picking Notre Dame after he was recruited by [autotag]Gerad Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Chansi Stuckey[/autotag]. Duke and North Carolina figure to be the biggest threat to the Irish, though that also could be because he’s from Charlotte. The other schools in the mix for the four-star recruit are South Carolina, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.
Gilbert would be a perfect complimentary piece to Williams, and here’s hoping he feels the same way. We all will find out the answer to that question really soon.
