How Tennessee and Texas A&M advanced to the College World Series final

OMAHA, Neb. — Texas A&M employed an extreme defensive shift against Jac Caglianone on Saturday night at the College World Series, spacing four players evenly across the outfield while three infielders occupied the right side of the diamond.

As with almost every strategy used to neutralize Florida’s slugging first baseman, it failed. Caglianone drilled a single through the shift in the eighth inning and roped a double into the right field corner at 117 mph in the sixth.

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A complete performance by Tennessee on Sunday night against North Carolina at the College World Series pushed the top-seeded Volunteers within one victory of a spot in the championship series.

Kavares Tears homered and doubled and drove in four runs as Tennessee beat the Tar Heels 6-1. North Carolina will face ACC rival Florida State on Tuesday in an elimination contest, with the winner of that game to face the Vols on Wednesday in Omaha.

Starting pitcher Drew Beam lasted five innings against UNC. Kirby Connell and Nate Snead pitched two scoreless innings apiece as the Vols improved to 57-12. Tennessee has won 11 of 12 games since an opening-round loss against Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament.

Monday at the CWS, Florida and NC State will meet in an elimination game, followed by Texas A&M and Kentucky in the battle to match Tennessee’s 2-0 start.

To the eighth inning we go in Omaha as Tennessee holds a 5-1 lead against North Carolina. The Volunteers added to their lead in the sixth inning on a two-out single by Dean Curley to score Colby Backus against UNC reliever Ben Peterson.

Reliever Nate Snead is on the mound for the Vols.

Tennessee has never started 2-0 at the College World Series in six previous visits.

North Carolina is on the board against Tennessee, courtesy of a Vance Honeycutt home run into the left-field bleachers against Drew Beam to lead off the top of the sixth inning.

Honeycutt’s 27th home run of the season cut the Vols’ lead to 4-1. And the Tar Heels, who’ve had a knack for late-inning drama, put two more runners on base against Beam in the sixth.

That ended the night for Beam. Senior lefty Kirby Connell has entered from the Tennessee bullpen.

Drew Beam is dealing on the mound for Tennessee. And he’s not the pitch in this game who had not allowed a hit through 3 1/2 innings. Beam has struck out five and thrown just 34 pitches – 29 for strikes – in allowing one North Carolina hit through four innings.

His counterpart, Shea Sprague, held the Vols hitless through three innings before a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth. Sprague struck out three and walked one.

Still scoreless in Omaha. Obviously.

An incredible catch by Tennessee center fielder Hunter Ensley off the bat of North Carolina's Anthony Donofrio to open the second inning.

That left a mark on the wall.

Tennessee, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA postseason, and No. 4 North Carolina are underway at the College World Series. This winner of this game will take control of its side of the bracket and earn an inside track to the championship series, which opens Saturday.

Junior right-hander Drew Beam (8-2, 4.42 ERA) is on the mound for the Volunteers. The Tar Heels will counter with junior lefty Shea Sprague (3-1, 4.00).

Both squads won in walk-off fashion Friday.

Florida State finished off a 7-3 win over Virginia on Sunday and finished off the Cavaliers' season. Florida State stays alive and advances to Tuesday's action. The Seminoles got a strong start from Carson Dorsey, who went seven innings and allowed nine hits and three earned runs. Dorsey struck out seven.

Jaime Ferrer led the offense with two home runs and four RBIs.

Florida State has blown this one open, taking a 6-0 lead. Marco Dinges' two-out single in the fifth inning added to the lead, and then Jaime Ferrer hit a three-run home run, and the Seminoles are in complete control.

Ferrer has hit two home runs, and he has four RBIs. He has been outstanding in this postseason, and that continues today with the Seminoles' season on the line.

Virginia advanced to the championship series of the College World Series in both 2014 and 2015 — losing in three games to Vanderbilt in 2014 and winning in three games over the Commodores in 2015 — but is just 1-5 in the CWS in three trips since.

The Cavaliers went 1-2 in 2021 and 0-2 in 2023. And after losing on Friday to North Carolina, they need to beat Florida State today to avoid another winless trip to Omaha.

Virginia and Florida State face off in an elimination game.

Florida State and Virginia didn't face off during the regular season, but they did meet during the ACC tournament in Charlotte.

The Seminoles won that game 12-7, featuring a seven-run inning and five RBIs from James Tibbs III.

Sunday's games (Times ET)

Game 5: Virginia vs. Florida State, 2 p.m. (ESPN)

Game 6: North Carolina vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

So much for a fourth consecutive walk-off finish at the College World Series. Texas A&M beat Florida 3-2 in a game that began more than four hours later than scheduled because of a weather delay and extended past 1 a.m. in Omaha.

And still, the Gators and Aggies provided plenty of late drama.

A&M reliever Evan Aschenback escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning as Dale Thomas grounded to second base and Kaeden Kent’s shovel to first baseman Ted Burton narrowly beat the base runner.

Aschenback returned to the mound in the top of the ninth and surrendered a one-out single to Michael Robertson. Cade Kurland then flew out to the warning track in right field as Jace LaViolette extended his arm above the yellow home-run barrier to make the catch. Florida All-American Jac Caglianone walked before Ashton Wilson struck out.

The first round of games is complete. Virginia will face Florida State in an elimination game at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, followed by North Carolina against Tennessee at 6 p.m.

On Monday, NC State will face Florida in an elimination game. Kentucky will meet Texas A&M.