2023 college baseball/softball thread

I was going to ask if the Huskers were trying to expedite things before a thunderstorm hit, but then I realized they're bound and determined to play these games out.
The best thing for a lot of teams in the Southeast this weekend is for the rain to wash conference tournament away. Exceptions would be any team not good enough to earn an at-large NCAA bid. If you're confident of making the NCAA tourney, pray for rain and a lot of it.

 

You must never have seen the SEC play until 1 or 2 a.m. to get those games in (I think there is a 1 a.m. curfew), or shift them to the next morning. Those games are getting played.

 

True. Upon further review, the ACC is moving Miami-Wake Forest to UNC so that one can be played simultaneously with UNC-Clemson in Durham.

 

It's also not just a question of in or out. Some teams might be playing to host a regional or be a top-eight seed. A conference championship or an extra win against a high-end opponent (like Miami beating Wake, Southern Miss beating Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt, or Alabama winning the SEC tournament) might help a lot in that regard.

 

A few Friday West Coast updates:

Mountain West: Air Force defeated San Jose State 7-3 to advance to championship round. Spartans and Fresno State, which knocked out San Diego State Friday afternoon, in knockout game Saturday afternoon. If game Sunday.

WCC: Santa Clara in championship round after beating St. Mary's on Friday. Broncos will meet winner of late game between Portland, which knocked out Loyola Marymount, and St. Mary's Saturday afternoon. If game to follow.

Pac-12: Single-elimination after pool play. Oregon defeated Washington 12-7 to advance to meet winner of late game between Arizona and Stanford.

Big West: All night games. I'll just post final standings Saturday night.

I'm guessing regionals will be announced Sunday?

 

I think they announce the sites on Sunday. The bracket is at noon EST Monday.

 

I once covered a UNC-NC State tournament game at DBAP that didn't end until 2:15. 18 innings, 2-1 IIRC.

 

I watched a couple of hours of USC-Washington on Thursday in the Pac-9 Tournament -- nine teams made it, up from eight previously, but fewer games. The announcer -- Roxy Bernstein, who is very good -- spent more time explaining how the tournament works than actually describing the game. Something like three pods with three teams each, playing round robin against your pod. But, only three games played per day, instead of four. He said that in the past when they played four games a day, they had some that didn't start until 10:30 p.m.

 

The tournament is completely unnecessary. The league plays a complete round-robin. That determines the true champion.

Besides whoever thought playing a tournament in Arizona in late May was a good idea had his head you-know-where. And when USC and UCLA bug out there will be even less need for it.

 

Northeastern 3B, 86, Dead Ball Player Muffed 2023 Fly

 

Oklahoma softball was pushed into extra innings by Clemson ... had to work to get No. 48 in a row. Sooners had to score three in the seventh to force extras.