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Score: Tennessee 0, Florida State 0 | Pregame
***Scroll down to see a live feed of each at-bat***
The top-ranked University of Tennessee baseball team (57-12, 22-8 SEC) is scheduled to face the eighth-seeded Florida State Seminoles (49-16, 17-12 ACC) in the College World Series on Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska.
The first pitch at Charles Schwab Field is scheduled for 3:45 PM ET on ESPN.
The first pitch was originally scheduled for 2:00 PM ET, but was pushed back to 3:00 PM ET after inclement weather delayed the Florida-Kentucky game on Tuesday. The Florida-Kentucky game ran longer than expected, so the first pitch was postponed to 3:45 PM ET.
Tennessee will advance to the College World Series Finals if it beats the Seminoles on Wednesday. If Tennessee loses to Florida State, Tennessee and the Seminoles will play in a third consolation game in Omaha on Thursday for a spot in the College World Series Finals.
This will be the second time the two teams have met in Omaha, and it was an instant classic last Friday night when the Vols defeated the Seminoles in the CWS opener. The Vols scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, including a walk-off RBI double by Dylan Dreiling to seal the comeback win.
Tennessee followed up its win over Florida State with a 6-1 thumping of North Carolina on Sunday, after which Florida easily beat Virginia and North Carolina to reach the CWS semifinals.
Summary: Strong pitching helps Tennessee baseball team beat North Carolina in CWS
Victory: Tennessee baseball team beats North Carolina. Unusual but not surprising.
Tennessee was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. The team won the Knoxville Regional and then two of three games against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional.
Florida State is a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles haven’t lost since the ACC Tournament Championship against Duke. They beat Stetson once and UCF twice to win the regional championship before beating UConn 2-0 at the Tallahassee Super Bowl.
The catch: Tennessee’s Hunter Ensley makes face-first catch off the wall during the College World Series
STORY: ‘She’s just like us’: Meet Beth Schwartz, the woman inspiring Tennessee baseball
Tennessee followed up its SEC Tournament victory with its second tournament title in three years and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Although Florida State lost in the final game of the ACC Tournament, the Noles posted an impressive conference record of 17-12 in an incredibly tough league. Highlights for Florida State this season include series wins over Duke and fellow Omaha team North Carolina State, as well as a midweek win over fellow Omaha team Florida.
Gesture: Tony Vitello sends NCAA regional banner to Northern Kentucky manager ‘Mav’
Transcript: Everything Tennessee State head coach Tony Vitello said ahead of the rematch against Florida State
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, including RTI staff predictions for Tennessee vs. FSU in the second round, click here
For the latest baseball podcast from RTI Press Pass, click here , and for immediate reactions to Tennessee’s win in Omaha, click here and here .
More from RTI: Tennessee baseball vs. Florida State in the CWS semifinals: How to watch, full preview
Video: Tony Vitello, Cal Stark and Nate Snead preview the College World Series semifinal matchup
Injury Record
– Sophomore RHP AJ Russell will miss the remainder of this season and the College World Series. Russell underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair a UCL injury. However, he remains with the Omaha team.
-RS-Jr. Centerfielder Hunter Ensley is nursing a lower-body injury after colliding hard with a wall while attempting to make a catch that would have been a candidate for Catch of the Year in Sunday’s game against UNC. Ensley is in the lineup but is not a starter defensively, instead playing as a DH.
Optimism: Tennessee’s record against the remaining College World Series teams provides evidence of optimism.
Tennessee doesn’t have the wherewithal to win the College World Series, and rightfully so. They’ve been the best team all year and have had a great run in Omaha so far. A win against Florida State on Wednesday would send them to the CWS finals and give them a chance to completely reset their pitching staff heading into this weekend’s series.
Lineups, pitcher combinations and additional pregame notes can be found below, followed by a live at-bat-by-at-bat thread of the game.
Starting Lineup
Tennessee starting nine:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
DH Hunter Ensley (R)
CF Cavalles Tears (L)
SS Dean Curley (R)
RF Reece Chapman (L)
C Cal Stark (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Ensley continues to deal with a lower-body injury he suffered when he crashed into a wall in Sunday’s win over North Carolina and will be converted to DH.
- Tears will move to center field, Ensley will be the designated hitter, and Chapman will play right field.
- Just order as you always have.
Florida State’s starting nine:
CF Max Williams (L)
3B Cam Smith (right)
RF James Tibbs III (L)
DH Marco Dinges (R)
LF Jaime Ferrer (R)
1B Daniel Cantu (L)
SS Alex Rodice (R)
2B Drew Faurot (S)
C Jackson West (L)
Pitcher matchups:
Vols Sr. LHP Xander Sechrist (4-1, 3.26 ERA, 18 appearances, 17 starts, 66.1 innings, 65 hits, 28 runs, 24 runs allowed, 14 walks, 66 strikeouts, 14 extra bases hits, .255 batting average, 1.19 WHIP)
versus
Seminoles freshman RHP John Abraham (5-1, 4.24 ERA, 24 appearances, 2 starts, 1 save, 34.0 innings, 18 hits, 16 runs, 16 runs allowed, 29 walks, 21 strikeouts, 9 extra bases, .157 batting average, 1.38 WHIP)
Pitching Notes:
- Sechrist will still start in Game 3. It won’t be a surprise to see Tennessee bring their best punch on the mound today.
- Abraham hasn’t pitched in 2 1/2 weeks, with just two starts. His longest outing this season was 3.2 innings, with his most pitches pitched this season being 55. FSU is banking on starting ace Jamie Arnold to start Thursday against Tennessee, likely as a reliever.
uniform
Tennessee: Orange tops, gray bottoms
Florida: All white with maroon hats
*Note*
- There are no run rules in NCAA Tournament play.
- Tennessee is the away team in Omaha less times than Florida State has ever been the away team, and this will be the first time the Vols will be the away team in the 2024 CWS.
Once:
T1
B1
Score: Vols 0, Seminoles 0
Top of the 2nd Inning:
T2
B2
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 3rd Inning:
T3
B3
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 4th Inning:
T4
B4
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
5 times:
T5
B5
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 6th Inning:
T6
B6
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 7th Inning:
T7
B7
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 8th Inning:
T8
B8
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Top of the 9th Inning:
T9
B9
Scores: Vols, Seminoles
Finals: University of Tennessee __, Florida State University __
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