Tennessee Baseball Florida State scores, updates, College World Series semifinal
PUNCTUATION: Tennessee 2, Florida State 0 | T1
***SCROLL DOWN FOR AT-BAT LIVE BY AT-BAT FEED***
Top-ranked Tennessee baseball (57-12, 22-8 SEC) is set to battle the 8th-ranked Florida State Seminoles (49-16, 17-12 ACC) on Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska, in the College World Series.
First pitch at Charles Schwab Field is scheduled for 3:45 pm ET on ESPN.
First pitch was initially scheduled for 2pm ET and then postponed to 3pm ET due to bad weather on Tuesday that delayed Florida-Kentucky. Florida-Kentucky lasted longer than expected, pushing first pitch back to 3:45 p.m. ET.
Tennessee will advance to the College World Series finals with a win over the Seminoles on Wednesday. If the Vols lose to Florida State, the Vols and ‘Noles will play for the third time in Omaha on Thursday in an elimination game with a spot in the College World Series finals on the line.
This will be the second time the two teams have faced each other in Omaha. The Vols beat the Seminoles in an instant classic last Friday night in their CWS opener. The Vols scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth, with Dylan Dreiling hitting an RBI double to complete the comeback.
Tennessee followed up its win over Florida State with a dominant 6-1 victory over North Carolina on Sunday. Since then, Florida State has easily handled Virginia and North Carolina to reach the CWS semifinals.
RECAP: Strong pitching pushes Tennessee baseball past North Carolina in CWS
WINNING: Tennessee Baseball’s win over North Carolina is different, but not surprising
Tennessee is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. The Vols swept the Knoxville Regional and won two of three games against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional.
Florida State is the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Seminoles haven’t lost a game since the ACC Tournament Championship against Duke. The Noles won their Regional, defeating Stetson once and UCF twice, before beating UConn 2-0 in the Tallahassee Super.
THE CATCH: Tennessee’s Hunter Ensley makes a wall catch during the College World Series
STORY: ‘She’s Ours’: Meet Beth Schwartz, the Woman Powering Tennessee Baseball
Tennessee entered the NCAA Tournament coming off an SEC Tournament championship victory to achieve its second tournament title in three years.
While Florida State lost in the ACC Tournament championship game, the Noles posted an impressive 17-12 conference record in an incredibly tough league. Highlights of Florida State’s season include series wins over Duke and fellow Omaha team NC State, along with a midweek victory over another team from Omaha, Florida.
GESTURE: Tony Vitello sends NCAA regional banners to Northern Kentucky ‘Mav’ manager
TRANSCRIPT: Everything Tennessee HC Tony Vitello said before Florida State rematch
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, including the RTI staff’s second-round Tennessee vs. FSU prediction, click here.
For the latest RTI Press Pass baseball podcast, click here. For instant reactions to each of Tennessee’s wins in Omaha, click here and here.
More from RTI: Tennessee Baseball vs. Florida State in CWS Semifinals: How to Watch, Full Preview
VIDEO: Tony Vitello, Cal Stark and Nate Snead Preview College World Series Semifinal Game
Injury Note
-Sophomore RHP AJ Russell is shut down for the rest of the season and is therefore inactive for the College World Series. Russell underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair his UCL. However, Russell is with the team in Omaha.
-RS-Jr. Center fielder Hunter Ensley is nursing a lower-body injury after crashing hard into the wall to become a catch of the year candidate Sunday against UNC. Ensley is in the lineup, but does not start defensively, serving as DH.
OPTIMISM: Tennessee’s record against remaining World Series College teams proves optimistic
Tennessee is underfunded to win the College World Series, and rightfully so, as the Vols have been the better team all year and have looked impressive so far in Omaha. A win over Florida State on Wednesday would put them in the CWS Finals, and the Vols would likely be able to completely reset their pitching for the weekend series.
Lineups, pitching matchups and additional pregame notes are below, followed by the LIVE game thread, hit by hit.
Starting lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
DH Hunter Ensley (R)
Tears of CF Kavares (L)
SS Dean Curley (R)
RF Reese Chapman (L)
C Cal Stark (R)
Lineup notes:
- Ensley moves to DH as he continues to nurse a lower-body injury he suffered hitting the wall Sunday against North Carolina.
- Tears moves to center with Ensley at DH. Chapman gets the nod in right field.
- Order the same as it is.
FLORIDA STATE STARTING NINE:
CF Max Williams (L)
3B Cam Smith (R)
RF James Tibbs III (L)
Marco Dinges (R)
LF Jaime Ferrer (R)
1B Daniel Cantu (L)
SS Alex Lodise (R)
2B Drew Faurot (L)
C Jaxson West (L)
Launch comparison:
Vols Sr. 1.19 WHIP)
vs.
Seminoles Father RHP John Abraham (5-1, 4.24 ERA, 24 app., 2 starts, 1 SV, 34.0 IP, 18 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 29 BB, 21 K, 9 XBH, .157 opp. Batting Average, 1.38 WHIP)
Release Notes:
- Sechrist continues to start in the third game. It’s no surprise that Tennessee is throwing its best punch on the mound today.
- Abraham hasn’t played in two and a half weeks and has only started two games. His longest outing is 3.2 innings and his highest pitch count is 55 this season. Probably a bullpen game for FSU as they are rolling the dice in hopes of starting ace Jamie Arnold in a possible Thursday game against Tennessee.
- Abraham has clearly struggled a bit with command this year, but he hasn’t given up many shots.
Uniforms
Tennessee: orange top, gray bottom
State of Florida: all white with brown cap
*GRADES*
- There is NO running rule in NCAA tournament play.
- Tennessee is the AWAY team because it has been the LESS visiting team than Florida State so far in Omaha. This is the first time the Vols have been the visiting team so far in the 2024 CWS.
1st round:
T1
-Christian Moore draws a leadoff walk.
-Blake Burke passes a single through the right side. Moore advances to third.
-Billy Amick achieves one RBI Fielder’s Choice to 3B as Burke leaves second, 5-4. Moore scores.
-Dylan Dreiling goes for a walk. Amick advances to second place.
-Hunter Ensley rips one Single RBI to LF to score Amick. Dreiling advances to second place.
- First hit pitch thrown by Ensley.
B1
Score: Vols 2, Seminoles 0
2nd round:
T2
B2
Score: Vols, Seminoles
3rd round:
T3
B3
Score: Vols, Seminoles
4th round:
T4
B4
Score: Vols, Seminoles
5th round:
T5
B5
Score: Vols, Seminoles
6th round:
T6
B6
Score: Vols, Seminoles
7th inning:
T7
B7
Score: Vols, Seminoles
8th inning:
T8
B8
Score: Vols, Seminoles
9th round:
T9
B9
Score: Vols, Seminoles
FINAL: Tennessee Vols __, Florida State Seminoles __
