Tag: Super Regional

Highlights from Rob Vaughn’s introductory press conference

Here are the highlights from new Alabama Baseball manager Rob Vaughn’s introductory press conference.

Alabama Athletic Director, Greg Byrne, landed another massive head coach for the Crimson Tide program on Monday by hiring Maryland’s baseball coach, Rob Vaughn. Byrne deserves a lot of recognition for his ability to land and maintain the right coaches and he is a key reason Alabama athletics are all as great as they are.

For the Tide, it is a home-run-hire after having to let go of former head coach Brad Bohannon during SEC play. Fortunately, incoming head coach Rob Vaughn has been incredible with the Terps the last two seasons by winning the Big Ten regular season title in 2022 and 2023, the Big Ten tournament title in 2023 and Big Ten Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. Not too shabby for a coach who will only be 36 years old entering the SEC next season.

The Tide are coming off of an outstanding season where they advanced all the way to the NCAA Super Regionals before being defeated by No. 1 Wake Forest. Vaughn had his first meeting with the press on Tuesday.

Pregame buzz ahead of Texas vs. No. 8 Stanford in Game 3 of super regional

A trip to the College World Series is on the line. Texas fans are fired up for Game 3 tonight!

A trip to the College World Series is on the line. Continue reading “Pregame buzz ahead of Texas vs. No. 8 Stanford in Game 3 of super regional”

Florida’s extended playoff run could hurt recruiting efforts in transfer portal

The transfer portal has already been open for a week, but Florida’s NCAA Tournament run could end up hurting the Gators’ ability to recruit.

The transfer portal has changed college baseball the same way it has every other sport, establishing a free agency period each year that allows the nation’s top programs to reload season after season.

The University of Florida is one of the premier landing spots for any transfer portal hopeful, but the timing of it all isn’t exactly ideal. The portal opened up on May 30, and hundreds of student-athletes have already announced their decisions to enter the portal. Some have even found new homes already (see: UCF to FSU exodus).

But the Gators can’t host players as long as the program is still competing in the NCAA Tournament, which could last until June 26.

“The timing of it is unfortunate, to be honest with you,” O’Sullivan said, according to the Gainesville Sun. “The teams that move on to Super Regionals or the World Series, you can’t have guys on campus because you’re still playing. So you’re recruiting everybody over the phone.”

Kevin O’Sullivan has brought in two major pieces through the transfer portal over the past two seasons in BT Riopelle and Hurston Waldrep, and both of those guys were committed by the first week of July. Riopelle committed on June 16, which is the same date the College World Series begins this year.

If Florida can exact revenge on South Carolina in the Super Regional, landing an impact transfer could prove difficult. Everyone in the clubhouse is focused on winning a title, but Sully and his coaching staff have to plan for the future.

Pitching depth should still be strong next year, the right side of the infield will return and there are clear lines of succession behind both veterans on the left side. But the outfield looks like a massive question mark for Florida heading into the offseason.

Wyatt Langford will be a top-three draft pick, Michael Robertson was recently benched because of a slump at the plate and right field has been a revolving door since Ty Evans hit a similar slump.

The hope is that Robertson and Evans can improve their bats over the offseason, but the transfer portal is an easy answer to secure at least one of three outfield spots. Sully will probably take anyone he thinks will make the team better, and that’s hard to evaluate properly while planning for the program’s most important series of the last five years.

If there’s anyone that can pull off finishing on top and reeling in an impact transfer or two, it’s Sully, and he has the team to get the job done. Hopefully, those phone calls are productive ones and Florida’s top targets hold out for the season to finish.

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Alabama softball is head back to the Women’s College World Series

Crimson Tide knock off Northwestern to advance to WCWS

The Alabama softball program is back in the Women’s College World Series after knocking off Northwestern in their Super Regional finals on Sunday. The Tide lost the first game to the Wildcats and had to battle back to win games two and three to advance out of Tuscaloosa.

The Tide will first square off with the rival Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday at noon EST in the first round. The winner would then go on to face the winner of Stanford vs. Oklahoma. Stanford eliminated the Tide in 2022 in the Tuscaloosa Regional final so a chance at revenge is certainly on their mind. However, Oklahoma enters the match-up as an overwhelming favorite after sweeping Texas in the 2022 national title. The Sooners are also an astounding 56-1 on the season.

The rest of the bracket is made up of Oklahoma State, Florida State, Utah and Washington. The Pac-12 leads the way with three teams remaining, while the SEC and Big 12 each have two. The Tide enter as the fourth highest-ranked team, but can they get past the Vols and go on a magical run? Montana Fouts will have to have an outstanding postseason to give the Tide life.

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Kinzie Hansen, Sooners create magic in final game at Marita Hynes Field

Kinzie Hansen’s magical moment closed out the Oklahoma Sooners time at Marita Hynes Field and launched them into the Women’s College World Series.

This weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners said goodbye to Marita Hynes Field in the only way they knew how: with a bit of “Sooner Magic.”

They got things going with a pair of home runs to open the game. The back-to-back bombs from Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings seemed like it would set the stage for a Sooners rout, but Clemson had other plans.

Tigers’ starter Brooke McCubbin settled and kept Oklahoma from extending their lead until the fourth inning when Alyssa Brito’s home run and Sophia Nugent’s fielder’s choice RBI extended the lead to 4-0. At that point, it felt like the Sooners were going to run away with the game and into the Women’s College World Series.

But then the Tigers responded in kind with a three-run home run from Maddie Moore in the fourth and a two-run shot from McKenzie Clark to kickstart a five-run fifth that put Clemson up 7-4.

Those seven runs were the first time Oklahoma’s pitching staff had allowed five or more runs in 2023. That’s how good Jordy Bahl, Nicole May, Alex Storako and Kierston Deal had been this season.

After a scoreless sixth inning, it was looking like Oklahoma would be playing again on Sunday. But the Sooners had other plans.

Rylie Boone singled to start the top of the seventh and with two outs in the inning Haley Lee came through in the clutch to keep the inning alive. That’s when Kinzie Hansen provided the heroics to extend the game for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Her three-run home run was the magical moment the Sooners needed to pull off the victory and close their storied history at Marita Hynes Field with a win. But it wasn’t just any other win.

It was a record-setting 48th consecutive win. It was the win that propelled them to their seventh-straight Women’s College World Series. It was a win on Patty Gasso’s birthday. It was an emotional win over an up-and-coming program that’s seen a rapid ascent.

During a weekend in which Oklahoma Softball and its illustrious alumni remembered their time at Marita Hynes Field, Hansen, Tiare Jennings, and the Oklahoma Sooners created another incredible moment. A memory that will be imprinted on the hearts and minds of those on the field in crimson and those in Sooner Nation for years to come, even after Oklahoma’s selling out their new home at Love’s Field.

Social media reacts to Kinzie Hansen’s 3-run homer to help Sooners rally to beat Clemson

In what was an epic game, the Oklahoma Sooners pulled off an incredible comeback to advance to the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners are undeniable. No lead is too big. All it takes is one swing of the bat, and they can turn a game around.

That’s what Kinzie Hansen did in the seventh. With the Sooners down three runs but with two on base and two outs, Hansen was down to her final strike when she launched a three-run bomb over the left field wall to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

In the top of the ninth, Tiare Jennings hit a solo home run to give Oklahoma an 8-7 lead, and Jordy Bahl closed it with a shutdown performance to give the Sooners the win.

Oklahoma advances to the Women’s College World Series and, in the process, set a record for most consecutive wins in Division I softball at 48.

It was another incredible performance in a season filled with them. The win had Sooner Nation and the softball world buzzing. Here are some of the best reactions from Twitter.

Social media reacts to Sooners 9-2 record-tying win over Clemson

The Oklahoma Sooners erupted for five runs in the fifth with a grand slam from Haley Lee and a home run from Alyssa Brito and social media was loving it.

Through the first three innings, Clemson starter and USA Softball National Player of the Year Finalist [autotag]Valerie Cagle[/autotag] held the Oklahoma Sooners to one hit.

Oklahoma manufactured a couple of runs, but nothing was coming easy at the plate. Then Cydney Sanders launched a two-run home run to give Oklahoma breathing room as Clemson threatened in each of the Tigers’ at-bats.

With the 4-0 lead after four, Clemson responded with a pair of runs, taking advantage of a throwing error and using some timely hitting to make it 4-2. That’s when the Sooners bats woke up.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] reached first on a beautiful bunt single followed by base hits from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. Then [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] came to the plate and mashed a grand slam for her 13th home run of the season. And if that wasn’t enough, Alyssa Brito followed Lee with a solo shot of her own for home run No. 15 of the season to make it 9-2.

And in a few swings of the bat, the Sooners went from a team that was facing a serious challenge to cruising to victory.

With the win, the Sooners have tied the all-time record with their 47th consecutive win.

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

Who do you like in the College World Series opener?

After Notre Dame’s upset of top-ranked Tennessee in the Super Regional, there’s no reason to think it can’t beat anyone. That includes Texas in its first game of the College World Series. Potentially helping the Irish in this particular matchup will be their advantages in pitching, strikeout-to-walk ratio and stolen bases. As we saw against the Volunteers, the hitting also can come alive at any point to make the difference in a game.

Much like the Volunteers, the Longhorns are entering a game against the Irish with substantial advantages on offense. In fact, that lineup is just as much, if not more balanced. Although the Irish are seen as the team with a better pitching staff, the Longhorns are almost as effective in that aspect, which means this game could be more even than anticipated. So pretty much anything could determine whether each team plays the winner or loser of the game between Texas A&M and Oklahoma next.

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Mark Packer: Tennessee win ‘biggest ACC accomplishment for Notre Dame’

Even the talking heads are praising the Irish.

By now, you’ve heard nearly universal acclaim for Notre Dame’s upset of top-ranked Tennessee to advance to the College World Series. The Volunteers had rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with their boastful and often vulgar antics such as flipping opponents the bird during home-run trots.

But where does this rank as far as everything Notre Dame has done since joining the ACC for most sports? Mark Packer of the ACC Network had no problem expressing what he feels is the magnitude of the moment:

It’s hard to argue against Packer. Almost everybody, myself included, thought the Irish had no chance against a Volunteers team that looked to be unstoppable. To beat that team the way they did on its home field is extraordinary.

What’s more, it’s hard for college sports fans in general to get behind Notre Dame in anything, and the Volunteers made it incredibly easy for them to do that. How silly do they have to feel about that right now? It’s gotta be karma for them to be watching the rest of the season on the couch while the Irish are off to Omaha. Maybe they’ll think about that next time.

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Photos: Aggies win Super Regional Opener

Photos: Aggies win Super Regional Opener

The Texas A&M baseball team mounted another magical comeback Friday night in the latest of what has become another Aggie tradition. After falling behind early, the Aggies got great relief pitching and clutch hitting to help them come away with a 5-4 win in walk-off fashion.

It wasn’t the usual suspects who provided the heroics, as Dylan Rock, Austin Bost, and Ryan Targac combined for just one hit and five strike outs, but that didn’t matter, as Jordan Thompson and Troy Claunch picked up the slack and drove in all five A&M runs, including Claunch’s two-out bases loaded single in the bottom of the 9th to give the Aggies a series opening win.

See the best images from the Aggies victory.