The Florida Gators have been waiting since Saturday night to learn when they would play their first game in their sixth trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Monday night following Oklahoma’s 11-0 victory over host Virginia in the Charlottesville, two of the three seeded teams remaining from the 64-team field—No. 3 Florida (47-15) and No. 6 UCLA (48-14)—learned they will begin their quest for the national championship Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Florida State (47-18) and Texas Christian (51-12) will open the tournament at 2 p.m. Saturday, the NCAA announced Monday night.
If the Gators and Seminoles win, they would meet for the fifth time this season on Monday, June 21 at 9 p.m. in a Bracket I winners’ bracket game. The Seminoles won the regular-season series from Florida, 3-1, after victories in Tampa (10-5 on March 2), Jacksonville (7-2 on March 30) and Tallahassee (3-2 on April 13). The Gators’ 8-5 victory came on March 16 at McKethan Stadium.
On Sunday the Bracket 2 begins play with Oklahoma (49-16) battling South Carolina (48-15) in the 2 p.m. game and top-seeded Arizona State (52-8) playing Clemson (43-23) in the 7 p.m. nightcap.
All four games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised on ESPN and available on HD. The tournament games will alternate on ESPN and ESPN2 and all games are available in HD.
Oklahoma and Clemson grabbed the final two spots remaining in the 8-team College World Series field with victories Monday. The Tigers quelled a bottom-of-the-ninth rally by Alabama to win the Clemson Super Regional with an 8-6 victory in the afternoon.
Three conferences are represented with two teams each: the Southeastern Conference (Florida and South Carolina), the Atlantic Coast Conference (Clemson and Florida State) and Pacific-10 Conference (Arizona State and UCLA). The other conferences represented are the Mountain West (Texas Christian) and Big 12 (Oklahoma).
Arizona State (1), Florida (3) and UCLA (6) are the only three seeds which made it through the regional and Super Regional portions of the tournament. Texas (2) was ousted by TCU in the Austin Super Regional, Coastal Carolina (4) was swept by South Carolina in the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Super Regional) and Virginia (5) was beaten by Oklahoma in the Charlottesville Super Regional. Louisville (7) lost its regional to Vanderbilt, while Alabama stunned Georgia Tech (8) in the Atlanta Regional.
NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
SUPER REGIONALS / Best-of-3 series / Friday-Monday, June 11-14
GAINESVILLE / McKethan Stadium at Perry Field / Host: Florida
Friday score: (3) Florida 7, Miami 2.
Saturday score: (3) Florida 4, Miami 3 (10 innings). (3) Florida (47-15) advances to College World Series by winning the best-of-3 series, 2-0; Miami (43-20) eliminated.
LOS ANGELES / Jackie Robinson Stadium / Host: UCLA
Friday: Cal State Fullerton 4, (6) UCLA 3.
Saturday: (6) UCLA 11, Cal State Fullerton 7 (10 innings).
Sunday: (6) UCLA 8, Cal State Fullerton 1. (6) UCLA (48-14) advances to College World Series by winning the best-of-3 series, 2-1; Cal State Fullerton (46-17) eliminated.
TALLAHASSEE / Dick Howser Stadium / Host: Florida State
Friday: Florida State 9, Vanderbilt 8.
Saturday: Vanderbilt 6, Florida State 2.
Sunday: Florida State 7, Vanderbilt 6. Florida State (47-18) advances to College World Series by winning best-of-3 series, 2-1; Vanderbilt (46-20) eliminated.
AUSTIN / UFCU Disch-Falk Field / Host: Texas
Friday: Texas Christian 3, (2) Texas 1.
Saturday: (2) Texas 14, Texas Christian 1.
Sunday: Texas Christian 4, (2) Texas 1. Texas Christian (51-12) advances to College World Series by winning the best-of-3 series, 2-1; (2) Texas (50-13) eliminated.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. / BB&T Coastal Field / Host: Coastal Carolina
Saturday: South Carolina 4, (4) Coastal Carolina 3.
Sunday: South Carolina 10, (4) Coastal Carolina 9. South Carolina (48-15) advances to College World Series by winning best-of-3 series, 2-0; (4) Coastal Carolina (55-10) eliminated.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. / Davenport Field / Host: Virginia
Saturday: (5) Virginia 3, Oklahoma 2.
Sunday: Oklahoma 10, (5) Virginia 7.
Monday: Oklahoma 11, (5) Virginia 0. Oklahoma (49-16) advances to College World Series by winning the best-of-3 series, 2-1; (5) Virginia (51-14) eliminated.
CLEMSON, S.C. / Doug Kingsmore Stadium / Host: Clemson
Saturday: Alabama 5, Clemson 4.
Sunday: Clemson 19, Alabama 5.
Monday: Clemson 8, Alabama 6. Clemson (43-23) advances to College World Series by winning best-of-3 series, 2-1; Alabama (42-25) eliminated.
TEMPE SUPER REGIONAL / Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark / Host: Arizona State
Saturday: (1) Arizona State 7, Arkansas 6 (12 innings).
Sunday: (1) Arizona State 7, Arkansas 5 (12 innings). (1) Arizona State (51-8) advances to College World Series by winning best-of-3 series, 2-0; Arkansas (43-19) eliminated.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES / Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium / Omaha, Neb. / June 19-30
Teams (in order they qualified): (3) Florida (Gainesville Super Regional) 47-15; South Carolina (Myrtle Beach Super Regional) 48-15; Florida State (Tallahassee Super Regional) 47-18; Texas Christian (Austin Super Regional) 51-12; (6) UCLA (Los Angeles Super Regional) 48-14; (1) Arizona State (Tempe Super Regional) 51-8; Clemson (Clemson Super Regional) 43-23; Oklahoma (Charlottesville Super Regional) 49-16.
v Visitor; h Home team
BRACKET 1
Saturday, June 19
Game 1: Florida State (47-18)v vs. Texas Christian (51-12)h, 2 p.m. (ESPNHD)
Game 2: (6) UCLA (48-14)v vs. (3) Florida (47-15)h, 7 p.m. (ESPNHD)
Monday, June 21
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Elimination game
Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 9 p.m. (ESPN2HD)
Wednesday, June 23
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 7 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Elimination game
Friday, June 25
Game 11: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 9, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Possible elimination game. If Winner Game 6 wins Game 11, it moves into Championship Series and Loser Game 11 is eliminated; if Winner Game 6 loses, teams play Saturday, June 26 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, June 26
Game 13: Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 11, 2 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Winner to Championship Series, loser eliminated.
BRACKET 2
Sunday, June 20
Game 3: South Carolina (48-15)v vs. Oklahoma (49-16)h, 2 p.m. (ESPNHD)
Game 4: Clemson (43-23)v vs. (1) Arizona State (52-8)h, 7 p.m. (ESPNHD)
Tuesday, June 22
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Elimination game
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 9 p.m. (ESPN2HD)
Thursday, June 24
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 7 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Elimination game
Friday, June 25
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 9 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Possible elimination game. If Winner Game 8 wins Game 12, it moves into Championship Series and Loser Game 12 is eliminated; if Winner Game 8 loses, teams play Saturday, June 26 at 2 or 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 26
Game 13/14: Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 12, 2 or 7 p.m. (ESPN2HD). Winner to Championship Series, loser eliminated.
CHAMPIONSHIP / Best-of-3 series
Monday, June 28
Game 1: Bracket I winner vs. Bracket II winner, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, June 29
Game 2: Bracket I winner vs. Bracket II winner, 7:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, June 30
Game 3: Bracket I winner vs. Bracket II winner, if necessary, 7:30 p.m. ET
MONDAY’S SUPER REGIONALS
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. / Davenport Field / Host: Virginia
Oklahoma 11, (5) Virginia 0: Cody Reine, who homered twice in Sunday’s 10-7 victory that kept the Sooners alive, hit a pair of three-run home runs on Monday evening to support the four-hit pitching of Bobby Shore.
The victory sends Oklahoma (49-16) to the College World Series for the first time in 15 years. Virginia (51-14) lost two games in a row for the first time all season and was denied a second straight trip to Omaha.
Teammates Cameron Seitzer and Tyler Ogle also homered for Oklahoma while Shore (10-4) did not allow a runner past first base. He struck out five and walked two.
Oklahoma, which opens its quest for a third title Sunday against South Carolina in Rosenblatt Stadium at 2 p.m. ET, is making its 10th trip to the CWS, which the Sooners won in 1951 and 1994.
CLEMSON, S.C. / Doug Kingsmore Stadium / Host: Clemson
Clemson 8, Alabama 6: Freshman Richie Shaffer hit a pair of home runs and freshman Dominic Leone went 5.2 innings for Clemson, which had an 8-1 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth but allowed Alabama to rally for five runs, two coming home on a home run by Brett Booth.
But with the tying runs at second and third, Alabama’s Jake Smith, who homered in the previous two games, flied out to left to end the game, sending the Tigers (43-23) off to Omaha and the Crimson Tide (42-25) back to Tuscaloosa.
Leone (3-1) allowed three hits and one unearned run. Will Lamb, the third Clemson pitcher in the ninth, retired Smith for his second save.
Alabama’s Nathan Kilcrease (8-3) allowed six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He gave up a solo homer in the fourth to Shaffer, who hit a two-run shot in the seventh.