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USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What a weak, embarrassing end to No. 1 Vanderbilt's strong baseball season
What a weak, embarrassing end to No. 1 Vanderbilt's strong baseball season If you happen to see the Vanderbilt baseball team from the past few weeks, the one that won an epic series in Knoxville, swept through the SEC Tournament and earned the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed, please notify someone on campus. People are looking for those Commodores. Most of them weren't at the NCAA Regional at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee. Most of the Commodores hitters who did show up in their uniforms to lose two games in three days, ending a strong season in the weakest of fashions, were strangers. They didn't just play poorly. They played tight and timid and terrified of the moment. The opposite of this season's famously clutch performances, these Commodores wanted zero smoke. They wilted in the hazy pressure, and it only got worse as that pressure increased. A weekend that started alarming, with a close call in a 4-3 comeback victory over Wright State, turned disappointing with a 3-2 loss to Louisville, dropping Vanderbilt into the losers' bracket. Then it just got embarrassing the next afternoon, with Wright State plating four runs in the first inning and withstanding a late rally to hold on for a 5-4 victory in an elimination game, putting Vanderbilt out of its misery. NCAA BASEBALL BRACKET: National seeds, regional matchups in 2025 tournament And, truly, this was misery for any Vanderbilt fan unfortunate enough to be there to witness it. The top-seeded Commodores played 27 innings, and they trailed in all but one. Their pitching and defense, for the most part, was solid enough. But offensively? Haha. In the opener, the Commodores were no-hit for six innings by a Wright State pitcher, Cam Allen, with an ERA above 5. Against Louisville, they didn't have an extra-base hit or an RBI. Then, in the saddest of them all, Vanderbilt was silenced by another Raiders pitcher, Griffen Paige, who opened the game with an ERA of 8.90. Paige allowed one hit – ONE! – in eight innings. For the regional, Vanderbilt batted .132 and didn't get its first hit of the regional with a runner in scoring position until down to its final out in the final game. Prior to that, Vanderbilt started the regional 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Bad luck. Bad at-bats. Bad swings. Bad everything. Such a thorough humbling for the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, while stunning, would've been even more so if it didn't continue a rough narrative for the home team. SUPER REGIONALS: Which teams have advanced in NCAA baseball tournament This NCAA Tournament is no longer the Commodores' playground. It's now their house of horrors. Since losing in the College World Series' final game in 2021, Vanderbilt has failed to make it out of an opening regional for four consecutive years and counting. Its record in NCAA games the past three years is 2-6 (four losses were at Hawkins Field) and there are losses to Xavier, High Point and Wright State. Last season's 0-for-2 showing in an NCAA regional (including that High Point loss) seemed a turning point for a declining Vanderbilt program that appeared to get its act together in 2025. These Commodores were a good team that had some good moments. Most notably, they regained control of the in-state rivalry against Tennessee, punctuating it with a blowout win over the Vols in the SEC Tournament. The No. 1 seed was a nice, surprise bonus, too. But in college baseball, none of it means much without success at the end of the season. And that is when Vanderbilt's baseball program has picked up a habit of shrinking from the challenge. This was a priceless opportunity to change the narrative by proving otherwise. Instead, with Vanderbilt's regional embarrassment of 2025, that narrative is stronger than ever. And it's impossible to dispute. Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@ and hang out with him on Bluesky @
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch Texas vs. Kansas State in NCAA Regional: Time, TV, starting pitchers
How to watch Texas vs. Kansas State in NCAA Regional: Time, TV, starting pitchers If Texas wants its season to extend past this weekend, it has a lot of work to do. The Longhorns must now win three games in a row thanks to a 9-7 loss to UTSA late Saturday night. The Longhorns now face and elimination game against Kansas State just get another shot at UTSA in the Regional final. A win against the Wildcats and the Horns would comeback a couple of hours later for a rematch against the Roadrunners. A win tonight sets up a win-or-go-home game on Monday, June 2. The winner of the Austin Regional will face the Los Angeles Regional, hosted by No. 15 national seed UCLA. Texas vs. Kansas State Starting Pitchers The Texas Longhorns will likely start junior right-hander Ruger Riojas (8-3, 5.25 ERA) against Kansas State. Jim Schlossnagle, the Texas coach, said he plans to start Riojas, who is a former UTSA pitcher. What TV channel is Texas vs Kansas State baseball on today? Texas vs. Kansas State in the Austin Regional elimination game will be streamed on ESPN+, which serves as ESPN's streaming service. Texas vs Kansas State baseball start time Date: Sunday, June 1 Sunday, June 1 Time: 2 p.m. CT Where can you buy tickets to Texas vs. Kansas State? There are still some tickets available on StubHub. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas baseball vs UTSA live updates: Start time, TV channel for NCAA Regional game
Texas baseball vs UTSA live updates: Start time, TV channel for NCAA Regional game Show Caption Hide Caption 5 men's NCAA baseball tournament players to watch The Mongomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Tennesseean's Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men's NCAA baseball tournament. Jim Schlossnagle and Texas baseball are two wins away from advancing to the program's 25th appearance in the super regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament. To get there, the Longhorns must first beat one of the few teams that managed to beat them out of conference play during the regular season: the UTSA Roadrunners. The two teams matched up on March 18, with UTSA downing Schlossnagle's team, 8-7, in 12 innings. With a win on May 31, Texas will advance straight to the Austin Regional championship on June 1. A loss, however, would drop them to the losers' bracket, where the Longhorns would have to down former Big 12 cohort Kansas State to have another shot at the Roadrunners, whom they would have to beat twice to advance. Watch Texas baseball with ESPN+ Texas enters its May 31 game vs. UTSA having downed Houston Christian, 7-1, the day prior, whereas UTSA defeated Kansas State, 10-2. Which team will advance to 2-0 in the Austin Regional, and which will find their hopes of a College World Series title in peril? Follow along live as USA TODAY provides live updates, scores and highlights from the Texas-UTSA regional game: This section will be updated. TEAMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 F UTSA 0 1 0 — — — — — — — Texas 1 0 5 — — — — — — — This section will be updated. UTSA's Kelley gets Galvan — who started the inning with a walk — to strike out swinging on a breaking ball, stranding runners on the corners. But the damage is done, with the Longhorns scoring five runs in the bottom of the third to blow this one wide open. Borba smashes a slider that stays up in the zone, and keeps it fair down the left field foul line. His second double of the day scores Gasparino from third and extends Texas' lead to 5-1. A wild pitch on the ensuing at-bat from Kelley scores Williams from third and allows Borba to advance to third. The Longhorns have blown this one open. There's a two-RBI single to right field from Williams, scoring Schuessler and Belyeu. Will Gasparino, who was hit on the previous at-bat, advances to third to put runners on the corners. UTSA moves to junior right-hander Connor Kelley. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder has a 3-1 record and 2.41 ERA in 33 2/3 innings pitched this season. Myles ends his day with 2 1/3 innings pitched, allowing six hits and two runs. He's responsible for both runners currently on base, as well. Texas retakes the lead with a strong early showing in the bottom of the third inning. Galvan walks to start the inning, followed by a Belyeu single to right field. Next up, Schuessler singles up the middle to load the bases. Rodriguez grounds out to first base on the ensuing at-bat after Morresi fails to field it cleanly, allowing Galvan to score. Schuessler and Belyeu advance to second and third, respectively, on the play. It's a short inning in the top of the third, with Harrison retiring UTSA's Detlefsen, Hodge and Mason Lytle with a groundout, foul-out and strikeout, respectively. Onto the bottom of the third. The foul-out in particular was notable with how Galvan tracked it down: UTSA gets two quick outs to start the inning with Jalin Flores and Will Gasparino popping out and grounding out, respectively. Jonah Williams then singles to center field and advances to third on a double from Borba down the left field line. But Mendoza flies out to center field to end the scoring threat, leaving two Longhorns runners stranded in scoring position. Texas quickly gives back a run to UTSA after taking an early lead. After Lorenzo Morresi singles through the right side to start the inning for UTSA, Ty Hodge reaches first on a throwing error by Casey Borba, advancing both runners to scoring position. Norris McClure then hits a sac fly to left field to even the score at 1-1. Hodge is thrown out at third on the play, however, and comes up clutching his left shoulder. That could be an injury of note for the Roadrunners. With one out and two runners in scoring position, Kimble Schuessler grounds out to second base, but scores Rylan Galvan from third base to get the Longhorns on the board first. Adrian Rodriguez flies out to center field in the next at-bat, but Schlossnagle's team has an early lead. Ethan Mendoza and Rylan Galvan both get singles to start the inning for the Longhorns. Texas' third batter up, Max Belyeu, hits a foul ball down the left field line. UTSA left fielder Drew Detlefsen made a charge at it, but ended up sliding into the outfield wall. He remained down on the turf for several moments while getting tended to by trainers. After a brief moment stretching, he remains out on the field for the Roadrunners. Harrison makes quick work of the first two batters he faces, forcing two fly-outs, before he hits the third batter up, James Taussig. A pick-off of the UTSA right fielder at first ends the inning, however, and energizes the crowd in the process. Longhorns get their first at-bats next. Conor Myles will get the start for UTSA against the Longhorns. He has a 5-1 record in 67 innings pitched this season, boasting a 4.57 ERA. Here's a look at the batting order for the Roadrunners: CF Mason Lytle DH Garrett Gruell RF James Taussig 1B Lorenzo Morresi SS Ty Hodge 3B Norris McClure C Andrew Stucky LF Drew Detlefsen 2B Nathan Hodge P Conor Myles Here's a look at the batting order for the Longhorns vs. the Roadrunners: The Longhorns will turn to Luke Harrison to start on the mound vs. UTSA. The lefty is 5-1 in 66 1/3 innings pitched this season 2.98 ERA. What time does Texas vs UTSA baseball start? Date: Saturday, May 31 Saturday, May 31 Time: 9 p.m. ET 9 p.m. ET Location: UFCU Disch-Falk Field (Austin, Texas) First pitch for Texas and UTSA's Austin Regional winners' bracket game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. The winner will next play in the Austin Regional championship on Sunday, June 1 at 7 p.m. ET, while the loser will play in an elimination game earlier in the day vs. Kansas State, at 3 p.m. ET. What TV channel is Texas vs UTSA baseball on today? TV channel: SEC Network SEC Network Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ Texas and UTSA's meeting in the Austin Regional will air on the SEC Network. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and ESPN+, the latter of which serves as ESPN's streaming service. NCAA baseball tournament schedule Regionals: May 30-June 2 May 30-June 2 Super regionals: June 6-9 June 6-9 College World Series: June 13-22/23 June 13-22/23 CWS finals: June 21-22/23 The NCAA baseball tournament began on May 30 and will conclude on either June 22 or 23. The tournament is comprised of the regional round (May 30-June 2), the super regionals (June 6-9), College World Series (beginning June 13) and CWS championship final. The three-game championship series will begin June 21 and end on June 22 or 23, depending on whether the "if necessary" game is needed.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch Texas vs. UTSA in NCAA Regional: Time, TV, starting pitchers
How to watch Texas vs. UTSA in NCAA Regional: Time, TV, starting pitchers Texas takes on UTSA tonight in a winners bracket game in the Austin Regional in the NCAA Postseason baseball tournament at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The winner will get two shots at advancing to the Super Regional. The loser will have to win three games in a row in order reach next weekend. Texas used a five run fifth inning to dispatch Houston Christian on Friday. UTSA blew out Kansas State 10-2. UT used their bullpen to beat the Huskies Friday. Grayson Saunier and Hudson Hamilton held Houston Christian at bay after starter Ethan Walker's early exit. Texas vs. UTSA Starting Pitchers Texas Longhorns will start Luke Harrison. Harrison is a redshirt junior left-hander with a 5-1 record and a 2.98 ERA. UTSA's starting pitcher will be their No. 1 starter, Zach Royse. Royse is 9-4 with a 5.12 ERA. What time is Texas vs. UTSA today? First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. CT. What channel is Texas vs. UTSA on? TV/Streaming: SEC Network/ESPN+ Where can you buy tickets to Texas vs. UTSA? There are still some tickets available on StubHub.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn baseball tabs Cam Tilly the starting pitcher vs. Central Connecticut State
Auburn baseball tabs Cam Tilly the starting pitcher vs. Central Connecticut State Cam Tilly will be on the mound as the Tigers open the NCAA Regional against Central Connecticut on Friday. The Auburn Tigers begin their quest to the College World Series on Friday evening when they host Central Connecticut State in their regional at Plainsman Park. On Thursday, Auburn announced that Cam Tilly will take the mound as the starting pitcher. Tilly has started five games this season and has a record of 3-3. Throughout the season he has pitched a total of 45 innings and has struck out 58 batters. Tilly has lost his previous two starts in games versus Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The loss against the Aggies occurred in last week's SEC Tournament that saw the Tigers make an early exit. His last win as a starter occurred when the Tigers defeated South Carolina 24-2 on May 8. He pitched five innings in the game allowing one run from two hits. Tilly also struck out six batters in the win. He will be facing a Central Connecticut State team that led the Northeast Conference in batting with a team average of .331. They were not a great team with the long ball this season, only hitting 36 home runs. That ranks in the bottom half of the conference. Their best hitter is infielder Aidan Redahan. His batting average is .458 and he hit nine home runs. He led the Northeast Conference with runs batted in with 69. Behind Redahan is Antonio Ducatelli with a .348 batting average that ranks sixth in the conference. Tilly will look to shut down the bats on Friday evening to get the Tigers closer to the NCAA Super Regional. The game will start at 6 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Phillip on Twitter @PJordanSEC
