College Baseball

All streaks in sports eventually come to an end. It's rare that two teams end their respective losing streaks on the same day, however.

Tuesday's baseball doubleheader between Yeshiva University—which came into the day on a 100-game losing streak—and Lehman College (which was suffering through a 42-game losing streak) was such an occasion.

The two teams split the doubleheader, each breaking a massive losing streak on the same day.

While a 100-game losing streak is wild, Yeshiva's dubious mark pales in comparison to the exploits of Caltech baseball, which once lost 228 straight games between the 2003-13 seasons and went 29 years between wins in the SCIAC (1988 to 2017).

The Jackson State and Prairie View A&M baseball teams learned the consequences of their benches-clearing brawl from Saturday's game.

Sam Sklar of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported Tuesday that the Southwestern Athletic Conference suspended nine players. Six of the players are from Jackson State, while the other three are from Prairie View A&M.

The SWAC did not publicly announce the names of the players suspended. It fined each school $25,000.

The fight happened after Trenton Bush's walk-off hit gave Prairie View A&M a 7-6 victory. As the Panthers started to celebrate on the field, Jackson State left fielder Davione Hull shoved a player.

That set off a benches-clearing scrum (3:28:30), and video also captured Jackson State outfielder/pitcher Arjun Huerta grabbing Bush's bat and throwing it into the crowd.

As Sklar noted, the stadium's public address announcer could be heard saying: "All fans on the field will be banned. If you are a fan or a parent on the field, you will be banned. All players to the dugout."

The two teams played again Sunday with Prairie View A&M winning 9-5 to take the series.

The conference rivals are not scheduled to face each other again this season.

Michigan baseball player Mitch Voit publicly apologized after video of his celebration during Sunday's win over USC generated national attention.

"I would like to apologize for my actions on third base yesterday," he wrote Monday. "I made an immature decision in the heat of the moment. The gesture I made does not reflect my character, the household I was raised in, or the block M that I represent in any kind of way. I take full responsibility for what I did, and I am truly sorry to all those who I have negatively impacted by doing this."

Voit slid head-first into third base after clearing the bases with a three-run triple in the second inning of Sunday's 11-0 win. It was a critical moment in the game, and he celebrated by putting his nose to the third-base line.

He then, as Craig Meyer of the Detroit Free Press put it, "pantomimed snorting a line of cocaine."

It was part of a headline week for Voit, who went 3-for-3 with four RBI in the win over the Trojans.

He was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week while slashing .667/.739/1.222 with six runs and 12 RBI over a five-game span. One of those games was a four-hit performance against rival Michigan State.

In all, he finished with seven extra-base hits and a home run during the week's performance.

But it was at least partially overshadowed by his celebration against USC that led to an apology.

Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle is leaving the College World Series runners up to coach their perennial rivals.

Texas announced that Schlossnagle would be taking over as head coach the day after the Aggies' Game 3 loss to Tennessee.

247Sports' Chip Brown reports that Schlossnagle will also bring his coaching staff to Texas.

Schlossnagle, who previously spent 18 seasons at TCU, led Texas A&M to a 135-62 record through three seasons.

He will now replace David Pierce, who parted ways with Texas Monday after eight seasons in Austin.

Schlossnagle's decision will be especially contentious this season now that Texas is joining A&M in the SEC.

Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said Schlossnagle informed the program of his decision after the team returned Tuesday from Omaha.

Schlossnagle said in a statement shared by A&M that his decision was driven by his desire to rejoin Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, with whom he had previously worked for eight seasons at TCU.

"Although I know many will be upset with my decision, I chose to make a change to join a longtime friend to continue my career as a college baseball coach," Schlossnagle said.

The news comes the day after Schlossnagle expressed frustration with a reporter for asking about his potential connection to the job opening in Texas.

"I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M," Schlossnagle said Monday. "I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again, and that hasn't changed in my mind... I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I've poured every ounce of my soul in this job. And I've given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it. So write that."

Schlossnagle coached the Aggies to two College World Series appearances in the last three seasons, including this year's runner-up bid.

He and Del Conte worked together at TCU for three CWS bids and four Big 12 championships. Texas will now hope to find similar success under the same pair in the SEC.

For the first time in program history, Tennessee baseball has won the College World Series.

The Vols downed Texas A&M 6-5 in a decisive Game 3 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, Monday night. The win made Tennessee the first 60-win team in SEC history.

Veteran pitcher Zander Sechrist set the tone early on the mound, putting the Aggies down in order in the top of the first. Tennessee then asserted itself on offense thanks to a leadoff home run from star second baseman Christian Moore.

After a couple of scoreless innings from both sides, Texas A&M managed to even things up with an RBI single from Gavin Grahovic.

But the Vols got the run back almost immediately thanks to a sacrifice fly from Dylan Dreiling to make it 2-1. Tennessee tacked on another run in the bottom of the third when Dean Curley hit an RBI single.

The Aggies were threatening in the sixth inning after getting a pair of runners on base, but the Vols looked to Nate Snead in relief for Sechrist and he got Tennessee out of the jam with no damage done.

After three scoreless innings from the Vols, Dreiling finally got things started on offense with a two-run home run to make it 5-1, continuing what has been a phenomenal showing at the College World Series for him.

A few at-bats later, Kavares Tears hit one to the outfield wall and Hunter Ensley made a miraculous play to avoid the tag at home and give the Vols a 6-1 lead.

The Aggies were able to get some of the runs back in the top of the eighth after an RBI single from Hayden Schott and an RBI double from Caden Sorrell to make it 6-3.

After Texas A&M brought a pair of runs across, Tennessee looked to veteran reliever Kirby Connell, who allowed a walk but then recorded back-to-back strikeouts to avoid any more damage.

The Vols were in a good position to add some insurance in the bottom of the eighth after Cal Stark hit a one-out double, but Moore struck out and Stark was caught between second and third to end the inning with nothing to show for.

Things got scary for Tennessee in the top of the ninth after an RBI single from Jackson Appel made it 6-4. The Aggies then came within a run after a wild pitch brought Appel across to score.

But Vols pitcher Aaron Combs got it done on the mound, striking out Ted Burton to end the game and give Tennessee its first title in program history.

After three trips to Omaha since 2021, the Vols have finally achieved baseball immortality and broke countless records along the way. A strong group of veterans plus some major transfer portal additions turned Tennessee into the best team in the country this year, and now head coach Tony Vitello has some hardware to show for it.

The college baseball season comes down to one game in Omaha on Monday night.

The Texas A&M Aggies and Tennessee Volunteers split the first two games of the College World Series championship series on Saturday and Sunday.

A&M jumped out to an early lead in Game 1 and never relinquished it. Tennessee answered back with its bats in Game 2.

Both teams will likely use an all-hands-on-deck pitching strategy for Monday. The best starting arms on each staff threw over the last two days.

A combination of strong pitching and one or two big innings at the plate could get either team over the finish line to earn the first national championship in program history.

College World Series Game 3 Info

Date: Monday, June 24

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN App

Preview

A&M and Tennessee traded jabs in the SEC baseball prize fight over the last two days in Omaha.

The Aggies struck first by scoring seven runs in the first three innings of Game 1. Since then, they have mustered three runs over 15 innings.

Texas A&M scored the first run of Game 2, but that was the only scoring play it produced on Sunday.

Tennessee took some time to get its bats going, but it got a pair of home runs late in Game 2 to reignite the offense and force Game 3.

Tennessee's offense was one of the best in the country all season long, but A&M's pitching staff has done a good job of neutralizing the Vols bats.

The Vols played from behind in Game 1, so the home run power did not make a massive impact on the final score because A&M was already up by multiple runs.

The pop at the plate made the difference in Game 2 for the Vols, but the home runs came from the bottom half of the order.

A&M excelled at slowing down Christian Moore, Blake Burke and Billy Amick at the top of the Tennessee order. They are a combined 7-for-25 in the series.

Tennessee needs one or more of those three sluggers to wake up at the plate in Game 3 to pull away from the Aggies.

Conversely, the key for whomever toes the rubber for A&M is to keep the Vols' top power bats at bay so that one third of their lineup is neutralized.

A&M's had a balanced approach on offense throughout the championship series, and although it is not known for the long ball as much as Tennessee, it has three home runs in the series.

The last A&M long ball came from Jace LaViolette, who is the best player in the lineup. Projected top-10 pick Braden Montgomery is out with a season-ending leg injury.

If LaViolette uses his Game 2 home run as a confidence booster, he could be the difference-maker in an A&M lineup that has been better across two games than Tennessee.

The Vols' power bats could always wake up and shift the series in their favor, but based on how the first two games went, A&M owns a slight advantage.

Prediction: Texas A&M 5, Tennessee 3.

A pair of two-run homers propelled Tennessee to a 4-1 win over Texas A&M in Game 2 of the College World Series on Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 on Monday.

Left fielder Dylan Dreiling put the Vols up for good with his two-out, two-run blast for a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh.

Dreiling now has two homers in the CWS final after hitting one in Game 1. He now has 22 on the year.

One inning later, catcher Cal Stark added a two-out, two-run, two-strike homer for a 4-1 edge in the top of the eighth.

Stark was 0-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the College World Series before the homer.

The Aggies got on the board when outfielder Jace LaViolette hit a first-inning solo homer:

LaViolette, a sophomore, now has 29 homers in 2024 and 50 on the year.

Texas A&M had multiple chances to break through for more runs.

In the fifth, the Aggies got runners on first and second with no out, but a pair of strikeouts and a Stark back-pick of Ali Camarillo stopped Texas A&M.

In the sixth, the Aggies got runners on first and second again, this time with one out. Two flyouts kept Texas A&M at bay.

In the eighth, the Aggies put runners on first and second with two out, but a long fly to left stopped a potential rally.

Finally, in the ninth, the Aggies led the frame with two singles for runners on first and second with no out. A groundout and flyout led to pinch-hitter Ryan Targac getting up with two out. Targac got a good hold of the ball and launched one to right, but the fly ball died at the warning track for the final out.

Aaron Combs got the win for Tennessee in relief, throwing four shutout innings and striking out five while allowing just three baserunners.

Nate Snead picked up the save, getting three straight outs after coming into the game in the ninth with runners on first and second with no out.

Drew Beam started for Tennessee, striking out seven over four frames while allowing three hits, two walks and one run.

Kaiden Wilson took the loss for the Aggies, allowing both home runs.

Tennessee and Texas A&M will now play Game 3 on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise the game from Charles Schwab Field Omaha. The Aggies initially took a 1-0 series lead on Friday after beating the Vols 9-5.

The winner will secure the school's first-ever CWS title.

After losing Game 1 of the College World Series final to Texas A&M on Saturday, Tennessee received well-wishes from a former member of the school's athletics department.

Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin, who coached the Tennessee football program in 2009, took to social media to wish the Vols "good luck" in Sunday's Game 2 against the Aggies:

While it's unclear if Kiffin was being facetious with his message to Tennessee, it should be noted that he doesn't have the best relationship with the school.

Kiffin was hired by Tennessee at the age of 33, which made him the youngest head coach in college football at the time. He guided the Vols to a 7-6 record in 2009, an improvement on their 5-7 record in the previous season under the fired Phillip Fulmer. However, Kiffin bolted after just one season and accepted a head coaching position at USC in 2010 following the departure of Pete Carroll.

Kiffin's unceremonious departure from Tennessee incited riots among students on campus that required attention from the Knoxville police and fire departments.

The animosity between Kiffin and Tennessee even appears to have extended into 2024. Last month, the 49-year-old shared an article that accused the Vols of attempting to steal a recruit from Ole Miss.

As for the Tennessee baseball team, there's no time to pay Kiffin any attention. The Vols dropped Game 1 against the Aggies 9-5 on Saturday and would be eliminated with a loss on Sunday. If Tennessee manages to stave off elimination, it would force a decisive Game 3 against Texas A&M on Monday.