Virginia on Sunday became the first team to be eliminated from the 2024 Men’s College World Series. Florida and NC State had the opportunity to be next in Monday’s first game against Omaha, and the Gators picked up a win to send the Wolfpack home .
In the nightcap, Texas A&M topped Kentucky in a battle of 1-0 teams. The game went the Aggies’ way after a big five-run fifth inning, sending them into Wednesday’s semifinals.
Texas A&M 5, Kentucky 1
Kentucky’s Mason Moore was outstanding through five innings, but his second walk of the game, with Texas A&M’s Jace LaViolette batting, was the beginning of the end for the Wildcats’ pitcher and the game.
With LaViolette’s leadoff walk, Jackson Appel followed it with a double to right field. Hayden Schott then broke the game open with a 2-RBI single to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.
Moore delivered another walk before leaving the game. Cameron O’Brien struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the sixth, but Ali Camarillo’s double and Kaeden Kent’s 2-RBI single gave Texas A&M a 5-0 lead.
Key statistics
Aggies starter Ryan Prager took a no-hitter in the 7th inning, but Kentucky’s Ryan Nicholson ended the bid for history with a two-out single. Prager, a redshirt sophomore lefty, finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched, two hits allowed, one walk and four strikeouts.
Nicholson would end the Aggies’ shutout bid in his next at-bat with a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. The blast was his 23rd of the season, tying Kentucky’s single-season school record.
Highlights
With two outs in the second, Kentucky’s James McCoy thought he could surprise the A&M defense with a squeeze bunt. However, Appel made an excellent throw to first base on a close play.
McCoy’s rough night continued in the fifth inning with a misplay on Ali Camarillo’s liner. It was one of those plays that could have been an out, but only served to extend an inning that proved costly for the Wildcats.
Florida 5, NC State 4
The Gators and Wolfpack each lost their first College World Series games, putting them in danger of elimination Monday afternoon. Florida rallied to stay alive in the tournament and sent NC State home.
Junior Jac Caglianone pitched just one inning after allowing one run and showing slow velocity (average 88 km/h) on the hill. ESPN cameras then showed him rubbing his forearm in the dugout. But whatever he was feeling didn’t affect him at the plate, as his three-run home run in the second gave the Gators a 4-1 lead.
With the homer, Caglianone tied up Matt LaPorta for the most in Florida baseball history, with 74. The two-way star has struck 67 long balls the past two seasons. His 34 home runs this season are a single-season record for a Gators hitter.
After the match, Caglianone told reporters that there was no physical problem; he just didn’t have his ‘best stuff’.
Key statistics
After Caglianone’s home run, NC State coach Elliott Avent didn’t give the Gators star another chance to beat his club, intentionally walking two with runners on base.
Wolfpack pitcher Logan Whitaker did everything he could to keep his team close after taking over in the third. He pitched seven innings, recording a career-high 10 strikeouts while allowing one run and two hits.
Highlights
NC State slugger Alec Makarewicz got the Wolfpack back into the game with a two-run shot in the third, cutting Florida’s lead to 4-3. The third baseman entered Monday’s game hitting .380 with a 1.188 OPS, 23 home runs and 82 RBI.
In the sixth, right fielder Noah Soles made an excellent diving catch on a deep drive to the warning track of Florida’s Cade Kurland (who had an RBI earlier in the game), avoiding a likely extra-base hit.
What they say
“Last night I ordered chicken wings and Dominoes and watched his movie. It was like watching a horror movie on Halloween,” Avent said of the confrontation with Caglianone, via ESPN broadcaster Mike Monaco.
“I know it’s not traditional or anything. But at the same time, we’re not a Major League Baseball team. We’re college students, and the reality is that most of us won’t play baseball after college. So we do some we can to enjoy it.” – Kentucky reliever Ryan Hagenow on the team’s “Cowboy Up” approach to easing tension in games.
What’s next
Texas A&M now advances to Wednesday’s semifinals and could meet Kentucky again if the Wildcats beat Florida in Tuesday’s elimination game.
