Latest news with #SuperRegional
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson head coach Erik Bakich on the Tigers not being done in the transfer portal
Clemson baseball's early postseason exit was a bitter pill to swallow, but head coach Erik Bakich is already shifting focus to what comes next — and he's not wasting any time. After another disappointing finish in regional play, Bakich is using the extra time to aggressively reshape his roster through the transfer portal. The Tigers won 45 games and reached the ACC Championship, but a crushing late-inning loss to West Virginia followed by a lopsided defeat to Kentucky ended their season short of expectations. 'We are fully aware that we took a step back in the month of June,' Bakich said Tuesday on SportsTalk with Phil Kornblut. 'That is all that really matters, and we had nothing to hang our hat on for success this season… So for us, we are heads down and instead of talking about it, we are going to be about it.' Since his arrival in 2022, Bakich has made it clear the standard at Clemson is a return to Omaha. After coming close in 2024 with a Super Regional run, the 2025 season marked a step back — and Bakich is determined to fix that quickly. So far, he's added seven players through the portal, including five hitters aimed at addressing offensive inconsistency and two arms to bolster the pitching staff. One of the first portal pickups was Ariston Veasey, a hard-throwing righty from Alabama, followed by Catawba transfer Hayden Simmerson. Still, Bakich says they're far from done. 'Our coaching staff has been on a mission to find some high-impact dudes, and we are still looking,' he said. 'Trying to find one or two more pitchers… Clemson is looking, and we want an absolute dude.' Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
FSU reliever to have Tommy John surgery
I've learned that @FSUBaseball reliever Peyton Prescott, who left the Seminoles' final Super Regional game with an apparent injury, will indeed have Tommy John surgery early next month. Was touching triple digits w/fastball and has nasty slider @mlbdraft #MLBDraft The FSU baseball season came to a disappointing end against the Oregon State Beavers in the Corvallis Super Regional. It was an even worse day for reliever Peyton Prescott, who left the game with an apparent arm injury. It was reported by Jonathan Mayo of on Wednesday that the righty will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. It was a terrible ending to Prescott's first season with the Seminoles, especially after his heroics in game two of the Super Regional. The injury will likely require Prescott to miss all of the coming season, whether he decides to return to Tallahassee or enter the 2025 MLB draft. Prescott pitched the final 2.0innings in FSU's 3-1 win over the Beavers to keep their season alive. He did not allow a hit and recorded four strikeouts to earn the win. He then returned to pitch in Game Three when the injury occurred. The Sebastian, Florida product made 24 appearances for FSU in 2025, finishing with a 5-0 record and a 5.15 ERA over 36.2 innings pitched. He struck out 46 batters against 17 walks as opponents hit .290 off of him. Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
ABCA names Auburn baseball's Butch Thompson Southeast Region Coach of the Year
Butch Thompson wins coach of the year award after leading the Tigers back to the postseason. The 2025 season was a great turnaround for the Auburn Tigers baseball after a disappointing 2024 season. Auburn posted a 41-20 record and ended the season in the Super Regional versus eventual national runners-up Coastal Carolina. That type of season has resulted in head coach Butch Thompson being honored. On Tuesday, Thompson was named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Thompson is the first Auburn coach to lead the Tigers to four region championships. He did so in 2018, 2019, and 2022 before this past season. It was the first time in Auburn baseball history that the school hosted a Super Regional. Unfortunately, the Tigers could not get past the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina lost in the 2025 College Baseball World Series Final to the LSU Tigers. The SEC was tough as always, and the Tigers held their own, going 17-13. That record earned the Tigers a sixth-place finish in the best conference in college baseball. Auburn earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA College Baseball Tournament and finished ranked No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. All of that also resulted in six Auburn players making the All-SEC Team. On the statistical side of things, the Tigers finished third in the SEC with a batting average of .304. It was a historic season for Thompson, winning his 300th game as the head coach of the Tigers. In his ten seasons, he has posted a record of 324-232-1 with six postseason appearances. With the success of the 2025 season, the 2026 season should bring a lot of excitement with Thompson leading the program for an 11th season. 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 Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn's Fralick, Rembert named Freshman All-Americans by Baseball America
Fralick and Rembert made early impacts for the Tigers, impressing the experts at Baseball America. The awards keep rolling in for Auburn baseball after their turnaround season. The latest players acknowledged for their 2025 season are freshmen Chase Fralick and Chris Rembert. On Monday, they were both named to the First Team Freshman All-America team by Baseball America. Both Fralick and Rembert were honored this season, along with Bub Terrell, on the Freshman All-SEC Team. Fralick played catcher for the Tigers in 2025. He was third on the team with a batting average of .335 and was fifth on the team with 41 RBIs. He played well in helping guide the Tigers to a Regional Championship. In the three games versus Central Connecticut State, Stetson, and NC State, he had four hits and one RBI. Fralick scored two runs in an 11-1 win over NC State to clinch the Regional Championship. Second baseman Chris Rembert was not only on the Freshman All-SEC Team but was also on the All-SEC Second Team. He was second on the Tigers with a batting average of .344 and third on the team with 72 hits. Rembert was also third on the team with ten home runs behind Ike Irish and Cooper McMurray. Rembert had perhaps one of his best games of the season against NC State with four hits and four RBIs. He had another four-hit game earlier in the season against Mississippi State in a 6-5 win on April 25th. Both Rembert and Fralick were huge parts of the Tigers' success, as they were one of the top seeds in the NCAA Baseball Tournament and hosted their first-ever Super Regional. The future is bright for both players and the Tigers. 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
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the 10 best moments from LSU baseball's national championship run and CWS win
LSU baseball added to the trophy case on Sunday, winning its eighth national championship in program history. LSU completed a College World Series final sweep of Coastal Carolina, winning 1-0 on Saturday and 5-3 in Game 2 on Sunday. For head coach Jay Johnson, it's his second national title in the last three years. Johnson, who arrived at LSU for the 2022 season, is the fastest coach to win multiple national championships at the same program. LSU is the standard in college baseball. LSU's title run wasn't without drama -- there was plenty of it. The Tigers' season looked to be in doubt as LSU trailed Little Rock 5-1 in Game 7 of the Baton Rouge Regional. LSU came storming back to punch a ticket to the Super Regional. LSU swept West Virginia and made the trip to Omaha. In the College World Series, LSU had to beat Arkansas twice and overcome a weather delay that forced LSU's meeting with UCLA to occupy two days. Here are the 10 best moments from LSU baseball's postseason run. 10. Luis Hernandez ties it up vs. Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional Down 5-1 to Little Rock, LSU was on the verge of being on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in college baseball history. Little Rock had a losing record in the regular season but won its conference tournament to earn a bid to the Big Dance. LSU being eliminated at the hands of the Trojans would have been cause for a meltdown in Baton Rouge. Luis Hernandez made sure Little Rock didn't etch its name in the history books. As LSU clawed back from the deficit, Luis Hernandez tied the game with a solo home run to left field. A fastball was left over the plate and Hernandez blasted a no-doubter. From there, the Tigers would roll to a 10-6 victory. Hernandez homered again later in the night and finished the game with three hits and three RBI. 9. Chase Shores gets the final out of the College World Series LSU pitcher Chase Shores returned to the rotation in 2025 after missing all of 2024, recovering from Tommy John Surgery. But after some bumps, Shores was moved to the bullpen in mid-April. Shores struggled to adjust to the new role, but as the postseason arrived, LSU needed someone in the pen to step up alongside Casan Evans. That man proved to Chase Shores. In Game 2 on Sunday, I thought Jay Johnson was expected to turn to Evans out of the pen, but Evans wasn't needed with Shores pitching 2.2 scoreless innings to close it down. Shores' final pitch hit 100 on the radar gun, forcing a double-play to end it. For Shores, it was the highlight of his career after a rocky three years in Baton Rouge. Shores' stuff is electric, and it was on display in the College World Series. 7. Jared Jones put LSU in front with home run vs. UCLA After LSU beat Arkansas to open their College World Series run, the Tigers faced UCLA with a chance to move to 2-0 in Omaha. A critical step towards reaching the final. Anthony Eyanson was shaky in the first inning vs. the Bruins, allowing three runs. LSU was in an early hole, but it didn't last long. In the bottom of the first, LSU slugger Jared Jones put LSU up with a three-run homer. Jones got just enough to drive it out the opposite way. The homer gave the momentum right back to LSU, and the Tigers led the rest of the way. The game was suspended a few innings later and had to be completed the next morning. We'll see Jones again later on this list. 6. Double-grand slams vs. West Virginia The LSU lineup was feeling it in Game 1 of the super regional vs. West Virginia. The Tigers exploded for 16 runs thanks to Steven Milam and Josh Pearson smashing grand slams. Milam's grand slam in the fifth inning made it 7-1 and put LSU in control of the game. West Virginia began to mount a comeback in the sixth inning, but Pearson's grand slam in the bottom of the sixth put the game out of reach again. When the lineup was revealed that day, some were surprised to see Pearson in the lead off spot. He did not play a big role for LSU down the stretch of the regular season, but Johnson trusted the veteran in a big spot and Pearson got it done. 5. Jared Jones home run ties the game vs Arkansas LSU's second College World Series meeting with Arkansas was an all-timer. It was a pitcher's duel for most of the night, but the lineups began trading blows late in the game. With LSU down 3-2 in the 8th inning, Jones made it back-to-back games with a home run. The ball got over the right-center wall and made it 3-3. Jones went 0-5 with five strikeouts in LSU's first contest vs. Arkansas, with Razorback pitcher Gabe Gaeckle getting the best of the LSU slugger. But Gaeckle made a mistake, leaving a fastball over the plate and it was Jones' turn to have some fun. This was the final home run for the man who ranks No. 3 on LSU's all-time home runs list. There was more drama to come in this one. 4. Luis Hernandez comes through in the ninth vs. Arkansas After Jones tied the game at three, Arkansas responded and went up 5-3 in the ninth inning. It looked like the Hogs were on the verge of forcing another game. Then Luis Hernandez got his say. Hernandez smoked a ball to left field and Razorback outfielder Charles Davalan got a bad read on it. Davalan couldn't recover and the ball got to the wall. Two runs came in to score and the game was tied. Hernandez, an Indiana State transfer, was a steady veteran presence for LSU throughout the season. When Hernandez came to the plate with runners on base in the NCAA Tournament, he wasn't phased by the pressure. 3. Casan Evans strikes out nine straight vs. Little Rock With LSU needing a win vs. Little Rock to advance to the super regional, Zac Cowan got the start for the Tigers. But the script didn't go to plan. Cowan allowed four earned runs and didn't get out of the second inning. With the season hanging in the balance, Johnson called on Casan Evans. Evans was nails out of the pen, stabilizing the game and giving the LSU offense a chance to come back. At one point, Evans struck out nine straight Trojans. The game was on easy mode for the true freshman pitcher. From the second out in the fourth to the first out of the seventh, Evans was unhittable. These proved to be some of the most important innings of LSU's 2025 season. Evans played a critical role in LSU's title run. 2. Kade Anderson throws a complete game shutout vs. Coastal Carolina LSU will take its chance vs. anyone with Kade Anderson on the mound. The sophomore lefty led the country in strikeouts and entered the conversation to be the MLB Draft's No. 1 overall pick. Anderson's best performance of the year came in his biggest start of the year. In Game 1 of the College World Series final vs. Coastal Carolina, Anderson threw nine shutout innings. Anderson issued a career-high five walks and had to pitch through traffic, but Anderson responded every time. Coastal Carolina only tagged Anderson for three hits -- all singles. Even with shaky command, the Chanticleers were struggling to put the bat on the baseball. Anderson's outing put LSU in control of the series and in position to win the title on Sunday. 1. Jared Jones hits walk-off single vs. Arkansas Jared Jones coming up with clutch hits was a theme for LSU in Omaha. It was a week full of memorable moments, but Jones' walk-off single vs. Arkansas was the biggest of all. After Luis Hernandez tied the game with a double, Jones' single to center scored Hernandez to walk it off and win the game. It was a 2-1 count and Jones got just enough air on a line drive to get the ball out of the infield. LSU capped off its 3-0 run through bracket play and punched its ticket to the College World Series final. This wasn't Jones' first walk-off vs. Arkansas in 2025. In the regular season, Jones hit a sac fly to score Ethan Frey and down the Razorbacks. If Jones doesn't come through there, LSU would have had to play Arkansas again the next day. LSU's pitching was wearing thin and even if LSU won the third round, the Tigers would have been at a disadvantage vs. Coastal Carolina in the final.
