Texas A&M becomes first No. 1 seed to miss Super Regionals in NCAA softball tournament
Editor's note: As the NCAA softball tournament moves on to the super regionals, here are the winners and losers of the regional weekend of action.
In a day full of emotional whiplash, Sunday's regionals ended in desolation at College Station, Texas.
Advertisement
It started in Game 1 of Sunday's regional round, a must-win for No. 1 seed Texas A&M. After the Aggies fell behind 6-0 to unseedeed Liberty, they stormed back to ultimately pull out a 14-11 win in eight innings and force a winner-take-all game against the Lady Flames.
The Aggies then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the nightcap before Liberty right fielder Rachel Roupe homered to open the scoring for Liberty. Texas A&M gave up another five runs to go down 6-3, before ultimately losing 6-5 following a spirited comeback attempt.
"I'm just trying to process everything," Roupe said about the Flames' historic win on ESPN2 after the game. " ... Weight lifted off your shoulder. We were battling all day long. It took us, I don't know, many hours? Eight hours? Whatever we needed to do to get it done, we did it."
Advertisement
Kaylan Yoder was key for Liberty, coming in and tossing 1⅔ innings after ace Elena Escobar was run in the sixth. The five-run sixth was ultimately the difference for the Lady Flames, and the Aggies were unable to overcome the late onslaught.
It's an inauspicious loss for the Aggies, who became the first No. 1 overall seed to miss the Super Regional round. Texas A&M, of course, got that No. 1 seed when the SEC Championship game against Oklahoma was cancelled, giving the Aggies the top seed in the NCAA tournament and Oklahoma getting No. 2.
WHO'S IN SUPER REGIONALS? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament
Has a No. 1 seed ever missed NCAA softball Super Regionals?
Texas A&M's loss Sunday made the Aggies the first No. 1 seed to ever fail to advance out of the regional round of the tournament.
Advertisement
In fact, according to the ESPN broadcast, Texas A&M was the only the second No. 1 seed to even lose a game in the NCAA Division I softball tournament. As the No. 1 seed in 2012, California lost a game in regionals to Arkansas then came back to capture two must-win games against the Razorbacks to advance.
The Aggies have not made the Women's College World Series since 2017, while Liberty's win Sunday propelled the Lady Flames to the Super Regional round for the first time in program history.
Texas A&M went 47-10 in the regular season and 16-7 in the SEC. It has not won the Women's College World Series since the current format was introduced in 2005 after winning two national championships in 1983 and 1987.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas A&M out of NCAA softball tournament after losing to LIberty
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Social media reacts to Alabama track star winning national championship
Social media reacts to Alabama track star winning national championship A national championship is officially heading back to Tuscaloosa. On Friday night at the 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championships, Alabama Crimson Tide star Samuel Ogazi capped a phenomenal year by winning the national title in the men's 400-meter dash. Ogazi finished with a time of 44.84 seconds, which was nearly a full second ahead of the second place finisher. An impressive showing, Ogazi is also the Alabama program record holder in the outdoor 400-meter dash, and won a SEC title in the event earlier this season. Here is a look at some reactions on social media to Ogazi's national championship winning performance Friday night in Eugene. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia
LSU baseball is headed to Omaha. After sweeping West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional, LSU punched a ticket to the College World Series. The Tigers erupted for 16 runs in Game 1 before plating 12 more in Game 2. It was just what we wanted to see from the LSU offense after the Tigers' bats were inconsistent at points this spring. Advertisement Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson didn't pitch at the elite level they did in the regional, but both were good enough to get the wins. Anderson allowed six earned runs, but made it through seven innings in Game 1. Eyanson held WVU to three runs and struck out seven of the course of five innings in Game 2. Tigers' head coach Jay Johnson has now led LSU to Omaha in two of his four years in Baton Rouge. LSU's last CWS trip came in 2023, when the Tigers won it all with Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. Before LSU continues its quest for another national title, here are five takeaways from LSU's Super Regional win. 1. LSU responded in the seventh inning LSU controlled the game early, scoring six runs in the first two innings. WVU began to stage a comeback. The Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth and plated another in the fifth. Then, LSU had a response of its own. Advertisement LSU scored six runs in the seventh inning, putting the game out of reach. It started with a two-run single off the bat of Chris Stanfield. Not long after, Derek Curiel scored on a throwing error. Steven Milam kept the rally going with an RBI double. Jake Brown capped it off with a two-run shot to center field. West Virginia had the momentum entering the seventh, and the Mountaineers were a couple of swings away from tying it up. Good teams respond like LSU did in the seventh. 2. Anderson and Eyanson were good enough Good pitchers find a way to do enough even when they don't have their best stuff. Neither Kade Anderson nor Anthony Eyanson had their best, but they combined to pitch 12 innings and both got the win. Advertisement Anderson held WVU to one run through five innings, which allowed LSU to build a substantial lead. West Virginia put up some runs in the later innings, but Anderson hung in there and threw 109 pitches, keeping LSU's bullpen rested. On Sunday, Eyanson held WVU to three runs in five innings. Between the regional and the super regional, Eyanson allowed just three runs over 13.2 innings. LSU can't expect eight shutout innings from Anderson and Eyanson every night, but the Tigers proved they can win a different style of game vs. West Virginia. 3. Steven Milam was a star Steven Milam had ups and downs in the regular season, but he's been a star for LSU in the NCAA Tournament. He stayed hot vs. West Virginia. Advertisement On Saturday, Milam came to the plate with LSU up 3-1 and the bases loaded. Milam put one in the bleachers to give LSU a 7-1 lead. Milam walked twice and scored two runs. On Sunday, Milam had two more extra-base hits with four RBI. Again, he walked twice and scored twice. If Milam is going to hit like this, it changes the outlook for LSU's lineup. It gives the Tigers another all-around bat in the middle of the lineup. "He will play baseball for a very long time if he takes the caliber of at-bats that he has," Jay Johnson said of Milam last weekend. 4. Potential emergence of Cooper Williams Aside from Casan Evans, LSU's bullpen has struggled in recent weeks. Even Zac Cowan has faltered after being one of the nation's most effective relievers for most of the year. LSU needed another bullpen arm to emerge -- it might just be Cooper Williams. Advertisement Williams, a true freshman, was ranked as the No. 12 left-handed pitcher in the 2024 class by Perfect Game. He began his career without allowing an earned run in his first 12 appearances, but didn't see a ton of high leverage spots in the regular season. After LSU struggled to get outs last Sunday vs. Little Rock, Williams entered and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. Then, a week later vs. West Virginia, Johnson called on Williams with the tying run at the plate. Williams delivered and gave LSU 2.2 innings, allowing just one run. That'll play. In 19.2 innings, Williams owns a 1.83 ERA this year. LSU will need a strong effort from the freshman in Omaha. 5. LSU looks like a complete team The Super Regional was LSU at its best. The Tigers have not played two straight complete games like vs. a quality opponent all year. Sure, the Tigers have found ways to win, but LSU was dominant in every phase of the game vs. the Mountaineers. Advertisement This team is good enough to go all the way in Omaha. We had questions about the lineup entering the weekend. Those were answered. We know guys like Derek Curiel and Daniel Dickinson are going to produce, but when Milam, Brown, and Josh Pearson are showing off the power too, it's hard to find outs vs. this group. And Tiger fans should feel better about the bullpen now, too. LSU finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the polls for a reason. When this squad plays to its potential, it's the best in the country. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU baseball sweeps West Virginia | 5 takeaways from super regional
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M will face an ACC opponent in late November for a neutral-site game
Texas A&M will face an ACC opponent in late November for a neutral-site game New Texas A&M basketball coach Bucky McMillan is just two players away from completing his 15-man roster ahead of his inaugural 2025 season, as the former Samford head coach has already assembled an elite depth chart that rivals several SEC rosters, led by Creighton transfer guard Pop Issacs and Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako. After the drama regarding Mgbako's flirtation with the 2025 NBA Draft ended with him signing with the Aggies, Issacs, who was previously committed to Houston, opted to join A&M's roster, knowing that he will be a guaranteed starter in an offense that will shoot a lot of 3-pointers, something he excelled at during his injury-riddled 2024 season with the Blue Jays. Over the past two weeks, McMillan has pieced together a nonconference schedule that includes an early road test against Oklahoma State, an ACC/SEC showdown against Pittsburgh, and now, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, a "neutral site" game against Florida State set to take place on November 28 in Tampa, Florida. Florida State will also introduce its new head coach, Luke Loucks, who has assembled a respectable team this offseason. The game has yet to receive an official location in Tampa, which is expected to be announced soon. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
