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USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Alabama lands in Top 25 college baseball polls, rankings entering NCAA Tournament
Where Alabama lands in Top 25 college baseball polls, rankings entering NCAA Tournament Alabama baseball is coming off its best regular season in the recent history of the program. With a roster that includes a top MLB draft prospect heading into next year in shortstop Justin Lebron, Alabama (41-16) reached 40 wins in a regular season for the first time since 2002. Dropping two of three to the Florida Gators to close the regular season and then losing on Day 2 of the SEC Tournament to Tennessee cost Alabama a shot at a host site regional for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but the Crimson Tide got a pretty favorable postseason draw regardless. They're in the Hattiesburg Regional featuring No. 16 overall seed and host Southern Miss (44-14). To look at it another way, Alabama essentially finished one spot below the host seed line and drew the lowest-seeded team of the 16 regional hosts. The Crimson Tide join the Miami Hurricanes (31-24) and Columbia Lions (29-17) from the Ivy League in Hattiesburg, only about two and a half hours by car from Tuscaloosa. Here's where Alabama baseball ranks in this week's Top 25 polls entering the NCAA Tournament. NCBWA updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama baseball In the latest Top 25 poll from the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association), Alabama fell four spots to No. 19 following their 15-10 loss to Tennessee at the SEC Tournament in Hoover. The Crimson Tide enter the NCAA Tournament ranked one spot below No. 18 Northeastern (48-9) and one spot ahead of No. 20 UC Irvine (41-15). Southern Miss, which placed second in the Sun Belt regular season standings to Coastal Carolina and was runner-up in their conference tournament, is ranked No. 13. LSU (43-14) tops the NCBWA poll at No. 1, followed by North Carolina (42-12) at No. 2, Vanderbilt (42-15) at No. 3, and Texas (42-14) at No. 4. Arkansas (43-13) rounds out the top five. The SEC has 10 schools teams in the NCBWA poll as regionals begin, the most of any conference. The ACC is second with five teams in the NCBWA's poll. D1 Baseball updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama D1 Baseball has Alabama at No. 24 in their new rankings, down one spot from last week. UC Irvine ranks one spot ahead of the Tide, while Kansas rounds out the top 25. UNC topped D1 Baseball's rankings at No. 1. The Tar Heels were also No. 1 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and are the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama is ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, up one spot from last week. Baseball America, Perfect Game ranking for Alabama Baseball America and Perfect Game did not unveil new rankings after conference tournaments. In the most recent Baseball America poll on May 19, Alabama was ranked No. 18 following the regular season. The Crimson Tide were No. 20 in Perfect Game and No. 16 in The Athletic's rankings. Alabama's regional schedule The Crimson Tide, the No. 2 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, opens the 2025 NCAA Tournament against No. 3 seed Miami at Pete Taylor Park Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN2. As the higher seed, Alabama will be the designated home team against Miami. After Alabama-Miami, Southern Miss will face No. 4 seed Columbia at 6 p.m. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinion.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
New York Yankees Prospect Rafael Flores Looking Like An Undrafted Gem
Rafael Flores has been a good hitter everywhere he has played. Yet no MLB team bothered to draft him. The New York Yankees were prepared to do so and passed. They eventually signed him and are delighted they did. Flores currently leads the Double-A Eastern League with 10 home runs. In 44 games this year for the Somerset Patriots, the 24-year-old has also hit .306 with 12 doubles and 36 RBI in 44 games. He has 13 multi-hit games, including six with three hits. SARASOTA, FL: Rafael Flores of the New York Yankees bats during a Spring Breakout game against the ... More Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) That's no surprise to the 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-handed slugger who divides his time between catcher and first base and was named the Yankees' 2024 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. 'The hitting side of my game, there's no drastic changes anymore, I'm just trying to fine tune some things like my approach and my swing decisions,' Flores told Mike Ashmore of at the start of the 2025 season. 'This offseason, I'm just tried to feel the same things, feeling the same leg kick, feeling the same bat path. It's kind of just clicked, and it's been good so far, I love it.' Now in his fourth year in the minors, Flores has a ,278 career average with 59 doubles, 41 homers and 149 RBI in 277 games. He's working hard to remain at catcher, where he has thrown out only 17 percent (45 of 271) runners attempting to steal in 132 games behind the plate. That's why he has also played 103 games at first base. His hustle on defense does impress, however. Flores played baseball and basketball at Katella High School in Anaheim, then went off to nearby Cypress College for two years. In 49 games for the Chargers in 2018-20, he hit .342 (38-for-111) with 11 doubles, a triple and two homers. He had 24 walks to 14 strikeouts and drove in 28 runs. After sitting out 2021, it was off to Rio Hondo College in nearby Whittier. The Roadrunners have produced three MLB players: PITTSBURGH: John Urrea of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three ... More Rivers Stadium in 1977. (Photo by) ST. PETERSBURG, FL: Third baseman Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a home run in the second ... More inning against the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series at Tropicana Field on Oct. 2, 2008. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) Flores was sensational at the school. He hit safely in his first 13 games, starting with a 4-for-5 debut featuring two homers and four RBI. After going 0-for-6, he hit safely in another 12 straight games. In 39 games overall, he batted .380 (63-for-166) with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 41 runs and 36 RBI. He also had 19 walks to 19 strikeouts. After playing all his games close to home in southern California, Flores went to play in the Land of the Midnight Sun with the Alaska Goldpanners in the summer collegiate league. He hit .348 with 36 RBI in 28 games. The Yankees signed him for $75,000 one week after the draft on July 25, 2002. His coach at Rio Hondo, Mike Salazar, told reporters then that The Bronx Bombers had been watching Flores for some time and intended to draft him in the middle rounds. MLB Pipeline has him ranked 15th overall in the Yankees system and explains that Flores' career path is like that of current New York catcher-first baseman Ben Rice. Rice, 26, has 10 homers in 44 games for New York this year. He's built about the same as Flores but hits left-handed. Baseball America ranks Flores as the Yanks' 10th-best prospect. TAMPA, FL: Rafael Flores of the New York Yankees bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. ... More Steinbrenner Field on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images) 'That's about right from what I have seen,' said a scout for a rival AL team. 'He's got raw power to the pull side, for sure, and doesn't chase out of the zone. His strikeouts have come, from what I can tell, on pitch recognition, change of speeds. That gets the best of them. 'The best of them learn to adjust and become more selective. Flores has got to do that. 'Defensively, he's got an average arm for a catcher but pretty good footwork for such a big guy. He needs to play there and gain experience. 'I think he could be an average catcher with big power, probably off the bench as a backup or in a platoon and get some ABs at DH and first base.' The New York Yankees have the reputation of buying free agents. Shrewdly scouting players such as Rafael Flores at small schools sometimes pays off, too.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma baseball projected to travel east for NCAA Tournament
Oklahoma baseball projected to travel east for NCAA Tournament Two days before Selection Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners team won't have to worry about whether or not they'll be among the 64 teams picked to play in the NCAA Tournament. Their collective breath is baited, though, in wondering where they will play in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Baseball America released its latest projections Saturday morning after a spate of upsets in conference tournaments the night before. Oklahoma hasn't moved much. The Sooners are projected to head to North Carolina for the Chapel Hill Regional in Baseball America's latest look. OU would be the two-seed there, ahead of No. 3 Connecticut and No. 4 Holy Cross. The No. 2-seed is helpful in that it would provide OU home-field advantage - in this case, batting in the bottom of an inning - against any projected No. 3. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, North Carolina is projected as the No. 4 overall, national seed. A couple weeks ago, OU seemed on the verge contending for hosting duties or, at worst, slotting as a No. 2 against a far lower national seed. But the Sooners' struggles down the stretch hurt. OU won just one of its final four SEC series and finished 1-5 in its final six regular-season games. They exacted some measure of revenge for two of those series losses by beating Kentucky and Georgia in the first and second rounds of the SEC Tournament this week before falling to Vanderbilt in the quarterfinal round. The NCAA Tournament selection show is at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2 on Monday.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What channel is the ACC baseball championship on today? Time, TV schedule for Clemson-North Carolina
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. An ACC tournament that began five days ago with 16 teams is now down to its final two participants. The conference will crown a champion Sunday when Clemson takes on North Carolina in the title game of the 2025 ACC tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina, the home field of the eponymous Triple-A franchise. The winner of the game will earn an automatic berth to the 2025 NCAA tournament, though both teams are safely in the field. In fact, the Tigers and Tar Heels are both currently projected to host regionals in the latest mock bracket from Baseball America. REQUIRED READING: Clemson baseball dominates Georgia Tech, advances to ACC Tournament championship Clemson, the tournament's No. 5 seed, knocked off ACC regular-season champion Georgia Tech 9-4 in the semifinals Saturday behind a third-inning grand slam from Jacob Jarrell that turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead. The Tigers have won six in a row after losing six of their previous seven games. North Carolina knocked off Florida State, one of the top national title contenders, 7-5 in the semifinals of the bracket on Saturday. Here's what you need to know about how to watch the 2025 ACC baseball tournament championship game between Clemson and North Carolina, including the TV channel, start time and betting information: TV channel: ESPN2 Live stream: ESPN App | Fubo (free trial) The championship game of the 2025 ACC baseball tournament will air on ESPN2. Mike Monaco (play-by-play) and former MLB all-star Gaby Sánchez (analyst) will be on the call while Dani Wexelman will serve as the sideline reporter. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN App, which requires a cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers. Watch the 2025 ACC baseball championship live with Fubo (free trial) Date: Sunday, May 25 Time: Noon ET Location: Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Durham, North Carolina) The first pitch of the 2025 ACC baseball championship is set for noon ET on Sunday, May 25. This section will be updated when betting odds become available. Here's a look at Clemson's past five results. To see the Tigers' full 2025 schedule, click here. Friday, May 16: Clemson 11, Pitt 2 Saturday, May 17: Clemson 13, Pitt 6 Wednesday, May 21: Clemson 6, Virginia Tech 1 Thursday, May 22: Clemson 7, NC State 6 Saturday, May 24: Clemson 9, Georgia Tech 4 Here's a look at North Carolina's past five results. To see the Tar Heels' full 2025 schedule, click here. Saturday, May 24: North Carolina 7, Florida State 5 Friday, May 23: North Carolina 7, Boston College 2 Saturday, May 17: Florida State 5, North Carolina 4 Friday, May 16: North Carolina 11, Florida State 1 (7 innings) Thursday, May 15: North Carolina 8, Florida State 3 We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC baseball championship: TV channel, time for Clemson-North Carolina
New York Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Red Sox call up top prospect Marcelo Mayer after Alex Bregman injury
The Red Sox have their own Mr. May-er. With third baseman Alex Bregman injured, the Red Sox are calling up top prospect Marcelo Mayer to make his MLB debut, according to multiple reports. Mayer was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft, the No. 2 prospect in Boston's farm system and the No. 8 prospect in all of MLB, according to Baseball America. Advertisement Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer is getting called up to the big leagues for the first time. AFP via Getty Images It's the rival Yankees who have histories with a Mr. May (late owner George Steinbrenner's derogatory nickname for Dave Winfield) and a Mr. Maier (Jeffrey Maier, the teenage fan who helped pull Derek Jeter's home run over the fence during the 1996 ALCS). The first clue that Mayer might be on his way to the majors came when he wasn't in the lineup Saturday for Triple-A Worcester. Advertisement He came through the majors as a shortstop but could move to third base in place of Bregman if the Red Sox choose not to give the job back to unhappy designated hitter Rafael Devers. How often does Mayer think about getting the call-up? Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman bends over before leaving the game after injuring himself on a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader Friday, May 23, 2025, at Fenway Park in Boston. AP 'Every day,' Mayer told The Boston Globe earlier this week. 'As a player, that's something that I've thought about every single day since I was a little kid watching games on the television with my family, or going to Padres games. It's just something that you work so hard for every single day, and you just hope that one day it's going to come true.' Advertisement The top six picks in the 2021 draft have now all reached the majors: Henry Davis (Pirates), Jack Leiter (Rangers), Jackson Jobe (Tigers), Mayer, Colton Cowser (Orioles) and Jordan Lawlar (Diamondbacks). Mayer's ascent was slowed by injuries along the way. Mayer was hitting .271 with a .347 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging percentage at Triple-A. He could also steal some at-bats from struggling Trevor Story at shortstop.
