Those pesky Evansville Purple Aces earned their first NCAA regional title on Monday, and their reward is a weekend trip to No. 1 national seed Tennessee for the next round.
They weren't worried about what's next. They were too busy celebrating the biggest victory in the program's 100-year history.
Evansville became the ninth No. 4 regional seed since 1999 to reach a super regional when it rebounded from a 13-run loss to East Carolina on Sunday to beat the No. 16 Pirates 6-5 on their home field in Greenville , North Carolina. .
Florida and Oregon State also locked down regionals on Monday. LSU played North Carolina and UConn played Oklahoma in the winner-take-all final on Monday night.
The eight best-of-three super regionals open on Fridays and Saturdays. The NCAA will announce the schedule and hosts on Tuesday, although the top-ranked team typically plays on its home field.
The matchups, with national seeds: Evansville (38-24) against No. 1 Tennessee (53-11); No. 9 Oklahoma (40-20) or UConn (34-24) vs. No. 8 Florida State (45-15); Kansas State (35-24) at No. 12 Virginia (44-15); West Virginia (36-22) at LSU (43-22) or No. 4 North Carolina (44-14); No. 15 Oregon State (45-14) vs. No. 2 Kentucky (43-14); No. 10 North Carolina State (36-20) vs. No. 7 Georgia (42-15); Florida (32-28) at No. 6 Clemson (44-14); Oregon (40-18) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (47-13).
Mark Shallenberger's three-run homer in the sixth inning gave Evansville the lead against East Carolina, and relievers Max Hansmann and Shane Harris combined to limit the Pirates to one hit and one walk the rest of the way.
Coach Wes Carroll said the program's important victory was achieved thanks to recent facility upgrades, recruiting and strong administrative support. It was especially emotional for Carroll, who grew up 15 minutes from campus and played for the Aces from 1998 to 2001 before becoming head coach in 2009.
“John Stanley hired me, taking a chance on a 28-year-old who was bleeding and believed in this place,” Carroll said, referring to the former athletic director. “Sixteen years later, it's been a journey, one that's been very joyful simply because of the people I've been able to be with and work with. Over the last five or six years I've really struck gold with people who cared about me and we cared. for our baseball program and we started to build something. We got people to believe in a vision.
Florida beat No. 11 Oklahoma State 4-2 for its second win over the Cowboys in two days. The Gators continued their improbable streak late in the season, while Oklahoma State failed for the third straight year to advance as regional host.
The Gators needed a winning record to be eligible for an NCAA at-large bid, and they met that requirement by winning at Georgia on the final day of the regular season. They were eliminated in the SEC tournament and headed to Stillwater, Oklahoma, as the regional third seed.
The Gators have won three straight after losing 7-1 to the Cowboys on Saturday, and now the 2023 national runners-up are in the super for the second year in a row.
“The vibes just changed,” said Florida star Jac Caglianone. “Everyone was excited and enjoying themselves and playing baseball. We got away from that for a while. We found that spark once again and it showed today.”
Oregon State beat UC Irvine 11-6 in a game that resumed Monday after it was suspended due to rain in the fourth inning Sunday night. Elijah Hainline homered and drove in three runs for the Beavers, who advanced for the second time in three years.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
