College World Series Day Three Recap, Day Four Preview

Day three had two good games played, as there were two good matchups on the day. Texas A&M is now off to the semifinals as they roll in a big win against Kentucky, as NC State was sent home by Florida. These games have added yet another exciting day to this already action-filled tournament, and this is shaping up to be one of the better College World Series in recent memory. Let’s look at the two games played on Monday and look towards Tuesday’s games.

Florida 5, NC State 4

Florida’s Jac Caglianone continued his hot start to the tournament with a huge three-run blast in the second inning, propelling the Gators to victory. By the way, he started on the mound, tossing one inning, gave up one, walked one, and picked up a strikeout. Cade Kurland and Tyler Shelnut knocked in a run each as well. Brandon Neely threw three scoreless, striking out six, to pick up the save. Florida snuck out of elimination as one of the most storied college baseball programs seeks to bring home their 15th championship. 

Texas A&M 5, Kentucky 1

The Aggies continue to dominate as they are starting to look like the favorites to win the whole thing. Hayden Schott and Kaeden Kent each knocked in two and Ali Camarillo knocked in one as the Aggies exploded in the sixth, leading them to victory. Ryan Prager threw six and two-thirds, giving up one and striking out four earning the victory and Josh Stewart threw two and a third innings recording the save. Texas A&M has been nothing but impressive down the stretch and their dominance continued in this top-five matchup. Now, let’s look at day four’s games.

Florida State vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m. Eastern, ESPN

Florida State beat up on Virginia, seven to three, on Sunday as they escaped elimination. North Carolina, on the other hand, got dominated by Tennessee six to one. This being an elimination game, both teams are going to leave it all out on the field during this game. North Carolina, the seventh-ranked team in the country, was surprisingly not the favorites in this game according to Vegas. Florida State moneyline is set at -125, and North Carolina moneyline is set at -105. However, after that embarrassing loss on Sunday, the Tar Heels could easily be the victors in this game.

Florida vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Eastern, ESPN

This game is going to be an interesting one. Both teams are on short rest since both teams played on day three as well. This is the point in the tournament where things tend to get muddy as there are more back-to-back games for the teams. We, also, have another elimination game, so we are going to see two teams have their hopes for a championship delayed until next season. Kentucky is currently the moneyline favorite at -125 and Florida is coming in at +105. This is understandable, as the Wildcats are not going to want to lose two days in a row after such a stellar season. Both day-four games are going to be exciting with two eliminations happening, and it can be the best day of the tournament so far.