The No. 1 ranked team in the nation advances to the Men’s College World Series Finals.
Tennessee’s offense was strong early on, the pitching was outstanding, and the Volunteers beat Florida State 7-2, then defeated the Seminoles to advance to the college baseball finals for the first time since 1951.
Tennessee needed just three batters to take the lead on Wednesday and held on to it, scoring three runs in the first inning and leading 5-0 after the third. On the mound, Tennessee’s Xander Sechrist pitched well through 6 1/3 innings, but the Seminoles’ offense struggled to hit consistently.
The Volunteers have been arguably the best team in college baseball throughout the 2024 season, and now they’re two wins away from their first national championship, coming up on Saturday against either Texas A&M or Florida.
Check out highlights from the Tennessee vs. Florida State game:
Nate Snead ends Tennessee game
It took a few more pitches than Nate Snead would have liked, but after 27 pitches, Tennessee held Florida State in the ninth inning to advance to the final of the Men’s College World Series.
Tennessee’s Blake Burke hits an unquestioned home run
Blake Burke may have sealed the win for Tennessee.
The first baseman smashed a ball into the right-center field stands in the final inning for a sure-fire home run, making the score 7-2.
Unlucky double play kills Florida State’s chances in the bottom of the eighth
Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce back towards you.
Florida State took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with a single by Maxx Williams. The next batter, Cam Smith, hit the ball, which bounced off the glove of Tennessee State pitcher Kirby Connell and hit second baseman Christian Moore in front of the base. Moore touched second base and threw to first base, setting up a brutal double play for Florida State and leaving the inning with no runners on base.
Seminoles prevent Tennessee from scoring
Tennessee showed today they have the ability to do damage with just two outs, but Florida State was able to hold them off in the eighth inning.
Cal Stark struck out swinging with two outs, but reached first base after a wild pitch, allowing the Volunteers to send runners to the corners. Fortunately, Joe Charles was able to get Christian Moore to ground out to end the scoring threat.
Moore pitched well, considering he prevented Tennessee from making a big move in the game, pitching 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out five.
Florida State scores with consecutive home runs
The Seminoles finally beat Xander Sechrist and things are getting interesting in Omaha.
Daniel Cantu homered in the top of the seventh to give Florida State its first run of the game. In his next at-bat, Alex Rodies homered off Tennessee relief pitchers to make the score 6 to 2. Sechrist was replaced after his second home run.
Tennessee extends lead, closes in on MCWS final
The Volunteers continued their momentum by adding another run in the seventh inning.
With two outs, Billy Amick hit a double down the left field line and then Dylan Dreiling singled past the second baseman to extend the lead to 6-0. Tennessee was nine outs away from clinching a spot in the Men’s College World Series final.
Xander Sechrist shuts down Florida State
Tennessee and Florida State had their best offenses of the season, but the Seminoles’ hitters just couldn’t get past Xander Sechrist’s attack.
The senior left-hander pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, walking one and striking out two, while throwing just 54 pitches.
Volunteers pour
After Tennessee added another run in the fourth inning, Florida State was starting to catch up.
Christian Moore smashed a ball down the right field line and drove in a triple to send Cal Stark home from first base. The fifth run of the game prompted Florida State to replace pitcher Brennen Oxford with Joe Charles.
Tennessee State stops Florida State from scoring
The bottom of the third inning was a solid start for a team on the brink of elimination, but solid Tennessee defense and poor base running by Florida State prevented the Seminoles from scoring.
Jackson West singled to start the inning, then Maxx Williams doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Cam Smith hit a hard hit to shortstop Dean Curley, who made the smart play to throw home, getting West out at home plate.
In his next at-bat, James Tibbs III hit the ball to first baseman Blake Burke, who stepped on first and threw to Smith, who scored a touchdown before Williams crossed home plate, setting up a tough double play for Florida State.
Tennessee added another run in the second inning.
Tennessee tacked on another run with a two-out hit to make it a 4-0 game.
The first two batters in the top of the second were out before Christian Moore singled. A balk by pitcher Brennen Oxford advanced Moore to second base, and Billy Amick singled to give Moore his second RBI of the day.
Cavares Tears makes a highlight catch off the outfield wall
Things are looking good for Tennessee early on.
Florida State tried to fight back against a 3-0 start by the Volunteers and looked to have one run when Marco Dinges hit a deep fly to right-center field, but centerfielder Cavares Tears leapt toward the wall and caught the ball to end the inning in spectacular fashion.
Tennessee’s offense off to a strong start
Tennessee needed just three batters to score and the Volunteers led 3-0 after the top of the first inning.
Christian Moore walked to start the game and advanced to third on a single by Blake Burke. In his next at-bat, Billy Amick grounded out to third on a fielder’s choice, scoring Moore. Dylan Dreiling then walked and Hunter Ensley singled to bring in another run. That was enough for Link Jarrett, who got out starting pitcher John Abraham in the fifth batter.
Brennen Oxford came in as a relief pitcher for Florida State, but made a crucial error while attempting an interception at first base. The throw went wide, allowing Dreiling to score from third. The Seminoles now had to make a comeback to start a must-win game.
Tennessee vs. Florida State: TV, time, streaming, how to watch
- date: Wednesday, June 19
- time: 3:45 PM ET
- Cable TV: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+, fuboTV, YouTube TV
Florida State University Baseball Coach
Link Jarrett is in his second year as head coach of the Seminoles. Previously, he was a two-time National Coach of the Year at Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish for three years. Jarrett led Notre Dame to the 2022 College World Series, the third CWS appearance in the school’s history. Jarrett’s head coaching career began at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he led the Spartans for seven seasons before taking over at Notre Dame. Jarrett is a Tallahassee native and was a five-year starter for the Florida State University baseball team. Jarrett met his wife at Florida State, where she was a cheerleader for the Seminoles.
Tennessee Baseball Coaches
Tony Vitello is in his seventh year as head coach of the Vols. This is the second consecutive year and third time overall that Vitello has led Tennessee to the College World Series. Vitello played college basketball at the University of Missouri and immediately became a coach. He was named head coach at Tennessee on June 7, 2017 after serving as an assistant coach at Missouri (2003-10), TCU (2011-13) and Arkansas (2014-17). Under Vitello, the Vols are 292-111 overall.
Florida State University starting pitcher
The Seminoles will rely on rookie right-hander John Abraham to help them win games this season. Abraham has appeared in 24 games this season, but only started two. He went 5-1 with a 4.24 ERA, 42 strikeouts and 29 walks in 34 innings pitched.
Florida State starting lineup
- Max Williams, CF
- Cam Smith, 3B
- James Tibbs III, RF
- Marco Dinges, DH
- Jaime Ferrer, LF
- Daniel Cantu, first baseman
- Alex Rodis, SS
- Drew Faurot, 2B
- Jackson West, C
Tennessee vs Florida State game time
Due to the Florida-Kentucky game dragging on, first pitch for the Seminoles-Volunteers game was postponed to 3:45 pm ET. The Gators thumped the Wildcats 15-4 and will face Texas A&M in the final game on Wednesday night.
Tennessee’s starting lineup
- Christian Moore, 2B
- Blake Burke, first baseman
- Billy Amick, 3B
- Dylan Dreiling, LF
- Hunter Ensley, DH
- Cavalles Tears, CF
- Dean Curley, SS
- Reece Chapman, RF
- Cal Stark, C
Christian Moore of Tennessee
On Friday against Florida State, third-year second baseman Christian Moore garnered attention by becoming just the second player in College World Series history to hit for the cycle. The first and last player to do so was Jerry Kindall of the University of Minnesota in 1956. Moore’s .384 batting average and .814 slugging percentage were the best on the team among players with at least 35 at-bats, and he also led the team with 33 home runs and 72 RBIs.
Tennessee starting pitchers
Senior left-hander Xander Sechrist has been the starting pitcher for the Vols. Sechrist has made 17 starts, second-most on the team, and is 4-1 with a 3.26 ERA. He has 66 strikeouts and 14 walks in 66 ⅓ innings pitched.
Tennessee uniforms at the College World Series
The Volunteers will wear orange jerseys with “Vols” written in white on the front, which the team’s social media accounts are calling “the most beautiful orange we’ve ever seen.” The orange tops will be matched with orange caps and gray pants.
Tennessee vs. Florida State: College World Series odds, spread and lines
Tennessee is expected to win Wednesday’s game, according to BetMGM college baseball odds. Want to place a bet? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering 2024 sports betting promotions.
Odds current as of Wednesday afternoon.
- Spread the word: Tennessee (-1.5)
- Money Line: Tennessee (-200); Florida State (+150)
- O/U: 12.5
College World Series Bracket
Elimination matches are indicated with an asterisk
Away team will be listed first. All times are Eastern Time.
- Wednesday, June 19 Game 10:
- Florida 15, Kentucky 4 (Kentucky lost) Game 11:
- Florida State vs. Tennessee, 3:00 PM ET (Florida State elimination game) Game 12:
Florida vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (Florida elimination game)
Thursday, June 20
- The time is yet to be determined. Bracket 1 Final:
- That will only be needed if Florida State beats Tennessee on Wednesday. Bracket 2 Finals:
Only needed if the winner of Kentucky/Florida beats Texas A&M on Wednesday.
Men’s College World Series Finals
- A best-of-three series between the winner of bracket one and the winner of bracket two. Game 1:
- June 22 (Saturday) 7:30 p.m. Game 2:
- Sunday, June 23, 2pm Game 3 (if necessary):
Monday, June 24th, 7pm
We occasionally recommend products and services you might find interesting. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive an affiliate commission. USA TODAY Network newsrooms are independently operated and have no influence on the content of our coverage.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators by referring viewers to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over, and such revenue is in no way dependent on or linked to, our newsrooms or news coverage. Terms and conditions apply. Please see operator sites for terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). You must be 21 years of age or older to gamble. Sports Betting
Source link
