NCAA Baseball Regional Chaos Recap

Who we really have to talk about is the gritty, blue-collar Duke Blue Devils. What a heck of a series run for this team. 

Duke punched its ticket to the Super Regionals in dramatic fashion, rallying late to beat Oklahoma State 3-2 and claim the Athens Regional title. 

Down 2-0 in the eighth, AJ Gracia launched a solo homer to spark the comeback before sophomore Sam Harris delivered the decisive blow, a 114 mph two-RBI single up the middle to give Duke the lead. 

Gabe Nard and Reid Easterly held the Cowboys scoreless over the final 4.1 innings, with Easterly slamming the door in the ninth to seal the win. Jake Hyde went 3-for-4 to lead the offense, while Harris and three other Blue Devils earned spots on the All-Tournament Team, with Wallace Clark taking home Most Outstanding Player honors. 

Duke now heads to its fourth Super Regional in program history and second straight 40-win season under head coach Chris Pollard. Just incredible stuff for this program, which everyone counted out early in the season when they struggled.

Austin Regional – UTSA shocks #1 Texas and wins the regional

Outside of Vanderbilt not making their regional final, this is the most shocking upset of the entire weekend. UTSA shocked everyone, sweeping their way through Austin and advancing to their first-ever Regional. 

Entering the tournament with a 0–6 record in previous NCAA appearances, UTSA turned the tide with a dominant 10–2 win over Kansas State, followed by back-to-back victories over No. 2 national seed Texas. 

A balanced lineup and clutch performances fueled UTSA’s success. Shortstop Ty Hodge delivered a bases-clearing double during a five-run third inning in the final game. At the same time, freshman Jordan Ballin, despite a late-season injury, contributed with a key RBI. 

The Roadrunners’ pitching staff recorded double-digit strikeouts in every game of the regional, showcasing their depth and resilience. 

Head coach Pat Hallmark, in his sixth season, praised the team’s belief and determination, stating, “We came to get three wins, and we got it.” With a 47–13 record, UTSA now prepares to face No. 15 UCLA in the Super Regionals, continuing their just incredible postseason run

Clemson Regional – #1 Clemson gets eliminated, West Virginia rolls to a Super 

If it feels like I’m repeating myself, I might be giving theme of chaos with these NCAA regionals, but the Clemson regional was also one hell of a series. The Tigers came in as the favorite, but the West Virginia Mountaineers and Kentucky Wildcats decided they wanted to have some fun.

On Saturday, West Virginia delivered a clutch 9-6 win over Clemson to advance to its second straight regional final, riding late-inning heroics and timely pitching. 

Junior Sam White broke a 6-6 tie in the ninth with a go-ahead RBI double, part of a four-run rally that gave the Mountaineers enough cushion to hold off a Clemson comeback attempt. Brodie Kresser had a massive night at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored, while Armani Guzman and White each drove in two. 

On the mound, Jack Kartsonas and Chase Meyer combined for 10 strikeouts before Ben McDougal came in with the bases loaded and struck out the final batter to seal the win.

That loss had Clemson looking defeated in their next game in the losers’ bracket against Kentucky. Kentucky’s offense exploded in the middle innings, scoring 11 runs across the third and fourth to cruise past Clemson, 16-4, and eliminate the Tigers from the postseason. 

West Virginia continued their winning ways with a back-and-forth battle with Kentucky in the championship game. It was an absolutely wild 13-12 win over Kentucky in the Clemson Regional final. 

Down by five in the eighth inning, the Mountaineers came alive with a six-run, two-out rally, capped by a clutch go-ahead single from Armani Guzman, who was unstoppable all weekend. 

Guzman finished the night with four hits and three RBIs and was named the Regional MVP after going 8-for-12 in the tournament. Ben Lumsden drove in four, Gavin Kelly added three more, and Logan Sauve homered in a regional for the third straight year. 

Griffin Kirn, pitching on short rest after his gutsy outing Friday, shut the door in the ninth to lock up WVU’s second straight trip to the Supers and a program-record 44th win.

Conway Regional – Florida struggles, #1 Coastal comes out on top

The Conway regional was a ton of fun. Most people (including us) were worried for Coastal, seeing Florida get placed in their regional, but Florida struggled right out of the gate against ECU. 

Liam Peterson, who has been good for most of the year for Florida, gave up four early runs (only two earned) and lasted just an inning and a third. Not what you want from your starter if you’re in Florida. 

The struggles continued for the Gators’ pitching staff as ECU put up six more runs against the next three pitchers out of the bullpen. Austin Irby, Jack Herring, and Alex Peltier put in most of the work, driving in seven of the 11 Pirates’ total runs. 

On the mound, Ethan Norby was incredible, going seven and a third innings, giving up just six hits and three earned runs while striking out 10. Exactly what you needed if you’re ECU.

That sent ECU to the winner’s bracket, where they’d get blown out by #1 seed Coastal Carolina. As for Florida, they went to the losers’ bracket, where they beat Fairfield and then had to face ECU again.

It was more of the same story. Florida’s arms struggled, giving up nine runs in the first six innings. Just not pretty. This sets up a championship game between #1 Coastal and ECU. 

And what a game it was. Coastal Carolina outlasted East Carolina in a tense 1-0 win to clinch the Conway Regional. In front of a record crowd of 6,450 at Springs Brooks Stadium, the Chanticleers broke a scoreless tie in the eighth when Wells Sykes led off with a single, stole second, advanced on a flyout, and scored on a deep sac fly by Sebastian Alexander. 

Pitching was the story of the night. Riley Eikhoff threw 7.1 shutout innings, while Dominick Carbone retired all five batters he faced to seal the combined shutout. 

It marked Coastal’s 21st win in a row and 13th straight at home. With the win, the Chants advance to their fourth Super Regional in program history, where they’ll meet Auburn.

Corvallis Regional – #2 TCU gets outscored 20-3, #1 Oregon State rolls to a Super

We were beating the drum that TCU should’ve been a host, and despite the outcome, I still think we all stand by it. It’s brutal putting up the season they did and then being shipped to Corvallis. Just a tough break for the Horned Frogs, who struggled in this regional. 

TCU got dominated in game one by a red-hot USC team, which outscored them 13-1 in this one.  Tommy LaPour didn’t have his best stuff and only lasted three innings, giving up three runs while striking out 5. 

The high-octane TCU offense was held in check by a dominating performance by Caden Aoki, who went eight innings, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out six. He absolutely put the team on his back. 

That sent TCU to the losers’ bracket, where they had to face Oregon State shockingly, as the Beavers lost their first game 6-4 to Saint Mary’s. It was more of the same struggles for TCU, unfortunately.  

The Beavers got to Mason Brasfield QUICK, as he only lasted an inning and gave up four runs thanks to a Wilson Weber three-run home run. On top of that, freshman Dax Whitney was an electric factory going six innings, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 12 Horned Frogs. This sent TCU home and the Beavers on a huge run. 

They continued to roll with a massive win over St. Mary’s on Sunday, 20-3. They followed that with a 14-1 victory over the undefeated USC Trojans in the regional, setting up a winner-takes-all game on Monday. 

Oregon State jumped to a quick 4-0 lead over USC thanks to both Gavin Turley and Aiva Arquette going yard in the bottom of the third. The Beavers would continue the scoring, including a Trent Caraway home run, to eventually make it 6-0. Jacob Krieg hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to really break it open and make it 9-0.

The Beavers’ pitching staff was dominant as well. James Decremer went five innings, giving up just two hits and no runs while striking out six. Eric Segura was just as good out of the bullpen, going three innings while giving up zero hits and no runs. 

Oregon State advances to the Super Regional as they will face off with Florida State. 

Eugene Regional – #1 Oregon goes two and out, the Arizona Wildcats head to a Super Regional 

This was brutal for the Ducks. Not necessarily their showing on the field, but the controversial call in game one.

Oregon dropped game one to Utah Valley, one you felt they should’ve won easily. Oregon’s late rally came up short in controversial fashion as the Ducks fell 6-5 to Utah Valley in the opening round of the Eugene Regional. 

Trailing by three in the eighth, Drew Smith crushed his second homer of the night before Oregon appeared to cut the deficit to one on a sac fly, only to have the run erased after a lengthy replay review ruled baserunner Anson Aroz committed “malicious contact,” leading to his ejection and ending the momentum.

This ultimately sent Oregon to the loser’s bracket to take Cal Poly. A second chance to get themselves back in it, but the Mustangs wanted it just as bad. 

Cal Poly stunned Oregon with a 10-8 comeback win in Saturday’s elimination game at the Eugene Regional, thanks to a huge night from Casey Murray Jr. and timely relief pitching from Jake Torres. 

Murray went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, including a solo homer and a game-tying two-run single in the seventh, while Torres struck out the side in the ninth to close it out. 

Despite hitting five home runs and outhitting Cal Poly 14-11, the Ducks couldn’t hang onto an 8-5 lead, surrendering four runs in the seventh and another insurance blast in the eighth. Just a brutal way to go out for the Ducks. 

As for the Arizona Wildcats, they stayed red hot. They made a powerful statement, sweeping their way to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2021. 

They opened the tournament with a tight 3–2 win over Cal Poly, where pitcher Owen Kramkowski delivered seven strong innings, allowing just one run and striking out seven. 

Easton Breyfogle provided the offensive spark with a two-run homer in the second inning, setting the tone for the Wildcats’ postseason run.

They continue to roll with two more dominating wins, 14-4 over Utah Valley and 14-0 over Cal Poly again to punch their ticket to a Super Regional.

Head coach Chip Hale expressed immense pride in his team’s performance, especially after past regional disappointments. 

He highlighted the team’s growth and resilience, noting that their early-season challenges against top-tier opponents prepared them for this moment. 

With a 42–18 record and a Big 12 Tournament championship under their belt, the Wildcats now await their Super Regional matchup against North Carolina. 

Hattiesburg Regional – #2 Alabama eliminated in two, Miami pulls off the upset

Man, I think most of us picked Alabama to get the upset in this regional, given how well they played in the SEC, but the Crimson Tide went two and out quick with a 5-3 loss to Miami and a 6-5 loss to Southern Miss. 

Miami wasted no time handing Alabama their first loss, scoring three runs in the first thanks to a huge Daniel Cuvet three-run home run. The big Hurricanes bopper continued to mash. 

Righty AJ Ciscar dominated on the mound for the Hurricanes, going seven innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out eight to help propel Miami to the winner’s bracket. They continued to roll with a massive 14-1 win over Columbia, sending them to the regional finals.

Meanwhile, Alabama headed to the losers’ bracket to face Southern Miss, where their struggles continued. The Golden Eagles were also facing some adversity as Columbia upset them in game one. 

But Southern Miss didn’t let that end their season. Southern Miss pulled off a thrilling comeback to knock off Alabama 6-5, thanks to some late-inning heroics from the bottom of the order. 

Down two in the eighth, Nick Monistere launched his second home run of the game to make it 5-4, and after loading the bases, Tucker Stockman, hitting out of the nine-spot, came through with a clutch two-run single to center that gave the Golden Eagles the lead.

This sent them back to the winners’ bracket to take on Columbia, where they’d win 8-1 and advance to the regional final against Miami. They took game one-handedly from Miami in a final score of 17-6 after scoring NINE runs in the first inning. 

This set up a final game on Monday between the two. Miami edged Southern Miss 5-4 in a tense winner-take-all finale in Hattiesburg.

Derek Williams set the tone with a 411-foot solo shot in the second, and the Hurricanes tacked on key insurance runs with clutch hits from Jake Ogden, Max Galvin, Dorian Gonzalez Jr., and Michael Torres.

Will Smith delivered three critical innings of one-run relief to earn the win, and closer Brian Walters held off a furious ninth-inning rally, capped by a Carson Paetow two-run homer, to secure the final out.

Daniel Cuvet was named Regional MVP, and Miami now turns its attention to a Super Regional showdown in Louisville with a trip to Omaha on the line.

Nashville Regional – Wright State shocks the world, eliminates #1 overall seed Vanderbilt 

Speechless. Not what we expected at all when we did our regional preview the other day. We thought Vanderbilt would be an easy lock to make it out of their regional. Instead, they become the first #1 overall seed to not make a regional final. 

On Saturday, it started with Louisville stunning top-ranked Vanderbilt with a gritty 3-2 win, punching their first ticket to the Nashville Regional Final. 

Matt Klein and Zion Rose each launched solo home runs to power the Cardinals’ offense, while a trio of relievers locked down the final 4.1 innings to preserve the one-run lead. Tucker Biven gave Louisville a strong start, allowing just two hits over 4.2 innings before handing it off to a bullpen that held firm under pressure. 

It didn’t get much better on Sunday for Vanderbilt as they faced Wright State a second time. The Commodores had walked them off in their first game of the regional. 

Wright State started the scoring early, as they put up a four-spot in the bottom of the first thanks in part to home runs from both Boston Smith and Luke Arnold, which drove in three. 

Griffen Page wouldn’t let Vanderbilt back into the game. He was stellar and pitched eight innings of one-run ball, giving up just one hit and striking out three. 

There was a chance that Vandy could’ve won this thing in the bottom of the ninth as the bullpen loaded the bases for the Commodores. Rustan Rigdon smashed a double which looked like it was going to tie the game, but the ball bounced over the wall, and the runner was held at third. A brutal blow to Vandy. 

The Wright State win set up a Louisville vs. Wright State regional final. No one could’ve predicted this. 

Louisville punched its ticket to the Super Regionals with a dominant 6-0 win over Wright State to close out the Nashville Regional. 

Freshman Ethan Eberle was lights out in his first postseason start, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts while allowing just two hits. Wyatt Danilowicz took over from there, slamming the door with 2.2 perfect innings to preserve the shutout. 

The offense got rolling early, with Eddie King Jr. driving in two in the first and Alex Alicea capping things off with a two-RBI single in the eighth as part of a 3-for-3 night. 

The Cardinals allowed just five runs all weekend and now advance to their 10th Super Regional under Dan McDonnell, where they’ll face Miami.

Oxford Regional – Murray State makes a run and shocks the world, takes down Ole Miss!

We thought this was going to be one of the more exciting regionals, and boy, did it pan out. You had one of the hottest teams in the SEC in Ole Miss, a Georgia Tech team who felt they got snubbed as a host, one of the best mid-majors in Western Kentucky, and a sneaky good Murray State team. 

Murray State decided to shock the world when they took down BOTH Ole Miss 9-6 and Georgia Tech 13-11 on Friday and Saturday. 

Against Ole Miss, Murray State made history, earning its first NCAA Tournament win since 1979 with the upset over Ole Miss. The Racers jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, sparked by a leadoff homer from Jonathan Hogart and a record-tying four doubles from Dustin Mercer. 

Dom Decker’s go-ahead RBI single in the eighth and two more RBIs from Mercer in the ninth sealed the win. 

That set up a matchup for them against Georgia Tech in what was a back-and-forth game. Murray State continued its Cinderella run in the Oxford Regional with a wild 13-11 win over Georgia Tech, earning a spot in the regional final and setting a new program record with its 41st win of the season. 

The Racers jumped ahead 10-3 before Georgia Tech tied it with a seven-run fifth, but Jonathan Hogart’s seventh-inning homer, his 18th of the season, put MSU back in front for good. Dan Tauken added two home runs and four RBIs, while Luke Mistone also went deep and chipped in a sac fly. 

Murray State was the only No. 4 seed to get to 2-0 in a regional in the 2025 NCAA tournament, and they’d square off with Ole Miss in the championship. 

Being sent to the loser’s bracket woke Ole Miss up, and they pulled off back-to-back wins against Western Kentucky and Georgia Tech, eliminating both teams. That brought them to game one against Murray State, and the Rebels dominated them for a 19-8 victory. 

The Rebels hit five home runs: two from Will Furniss and one each from Judd Utermark, Isaac Humphrey, and Austin Fawley—just an impressive showing on offense. 

That led to a winner-take-all matchup on Monday. And my goodness, what a game this was! Just insanity. 

Murray State capped a magical postseason run with a 12-11 win over Ole Miss on Monday night to claim the program’s first-ever NCAA Regional Championship and punch its ticket to the Super Regionals.

The Racers, now 42-14, continued their red-hot stretch by winning their seventh straight postseason game and topping the Rebels twice in Oxford, along with a victory over Georgia Tech.

MSU built a 10-3 lead behind strong outings from Isaac Silva and Nic Schutte, who combined for 6.1 innings, nine strikeouts, and just one walk.

Dustin Mercer, who hit .556 in the regional, added a key triple, while Graham Kelham locked down the final 2.2 innings to earn his third save of the weekend.

With a program-record 42 wins and a 27-6 mark over their last 33 games, the Racers now head to Durham to face Duke in a best-of-three Super Regional, their first in program history, with a trip to Omaha on the line.

Tallahassee Regional – #1 Florida State showcases dominance and sweeps their regional 

Not much to say here besides what a heck of a performance from the Seminoles. They delivered a thrilling performance in the 2025 Tallahassee Regional, securing their 19th Super Regional appearance, the most in NCAA history. 

The Seminoles capped off the weekend with a dramatic 5–2 comeback win over Mississippi State, rallying from a 2–0 deficit. Sophomore pitcher Wes Mendes was outstanding, pitching a career-high eight innings with nine strikeouts and allowing just two runs. 

In the seventh inning, Cal Fisher tied the game with a two-run homer, and Max Williams followed in the eighth with a clutch two-RBI single to give FSU the lead. Freshman Myles Bailey added an insurance run, and Joe Charles closed out the game with a dominant ninth inning.

Throughout the regional, FSU’s pitching staff was dominant, combining for 37 strikeouts and allowing just seven runs over 27 innings. Offensively, the team hit seven home runs and drew 27 walks, demonstrating both power and patience at the plate. 

With this impressive performance, the Seminoles advance to the Super Regionals, where they await Oregon State.