2023 Men’s College World Series Scores, Schedules, Results
Image credit: Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The College World Series has returned. We will be updating this page daily with results from every game.
Friday, June 16
Game 1: Oral Roberts 6, TCU 5
The 2023 men’s College World Series could not have gotten off to a more exciting start as Oral Roberts scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat TCU, 6-5. The game was scoreless through the first three-and-a-half innings before Cole Fontenelle crushed a solo home run, his 14th of the year, to give the Horned Frogs a 1-0 lead. Oral Roberts would eventually take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning after Mac McCroskey belted an opposite field two-run home run. The Horned Frogs quickly tied the game at two after a Cole Fontenelle RBI single, which is where the score would stand until the bottom of the eighth inning. After TCU put two runners on thanks to a single and a walk, Ryan Folmar turned to the newly-anointed stopper of the year, Cade Denton (2-1, 1.85 ERA). However, Denton was uncharacteristically wild, and TCU vaulted in front 5-2 after a bases-loaded walk, a hit-by-pitch and a Kurtis Byrne sac-fly.
The Frogs appeared to be in an excellent spot to open the College World Series with a win, but senior Blaze Brothers had other ideas, as with one out in the top of the ninth inning he crushed a go-ahead, three-run home run to put Oral Roberts up for good. TCU put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom half of the inning, but Denton struck out Karson Bowen before getting potential first-round pick Brayden Taylor to line out to slam the door.
Game 2: Florida 6, Virginia 5
In what was the most exciting game of the day, Florida scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off Virginia, 6-5. Virginia took a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning following an Anthony Stephan RBI groundout, a Griff O’Ferrall two-run double and an Ethan O’Donnell RBI single. The Gators trimmed the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning after a BT Riopelle opposite field home run (405 feet, 108 mph exit velocity), but the Cavaliers added what projected to be a key insurance run in the top of the ninth inning on a Harrison Didawick RBI triple. Florida got its half of the ninth inning started with a bang, as Ty Evans pummeled a solo home run way out to left field. Jake Berry bounced back with a strikeout of Cade Kurland, but likely top-five overall draft pick Wyatt Langford hit a 456-foot (112 mph exit velocity) home run onto the concourse beyond the left field bleachers to tie the game at five.
The Gators proceeded to load the bases with one out after a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, bringing Luke Heyman to the plate. The freshman backstop came through, lifting a fly ball into center field that was deep enough to score Jac Caglianone from third base to send the Florida dugout into a frenzy. Florida starter Brandon Sproat spun six strong innings in which he allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts, while touching triple digits on the stadium radar gun. Virginia starter Nick Parker went punch-for-punch with Sproat, allowing one earned run in his six innings of work. Florida on Sunday takes on Oral Roberts, while Virginia on Sunday will look to keep its season alive against TCU.
Saturday, June 17
Game 1: Wake Forest 3, Stanford 2
Wake Forest scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Stanford, 3-2. The Cardinal got the scoring started in the top half of the first inning after Malcolm Moore was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, but the Demon Deacons quickly tied the score in the bottom of the second after a Brock Wilken solo home run, his 31st of the year.
The tie was short-lived, as in the next half inning Carter Graham nestled an RBI single past the outstretched glove of right fielder Pierce Bennett to give Stanford a 2-1 lead. The Cardinal clung to their lead until the bottom of the eighth inning. After a leadoff walk to Nick Kurtz, David Esquer opted to bring in flamethrower Ryan Bruno. Bruno walked the first hitter he faced, Brock Wilken, on six pitches and Justin Johnson laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Wilken and Kurtz to second and third. Danny Corona followed Johnson with the biggest hit of his collegiate career to this point, as he grounded a go-ahead, two-run single up the middle to put the Demon Deacons up 3-2.
Stanford put the tying run on in the top of the ninth inning after an error, but Camden Minacci got Tommy Troy to ground into a 4-3 double play to end the game and seal Wake Forest’s first College World Series win since 1955.
Game 2: LSU 6, Tennessee 3
LSU doubled up Tennessee 6-3 thanks to a stellar start from potential No. 1 overall pick, Paul Skenes. The Tigers built up a 4-0 lead through six innings after a Gavin Dugas solo home run, a Brayden Jobert RBI triple and RBIs from both Tre Morgan and Jordan Thompson. The Tennessee lineup had no answers for Skenes, who allowed two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out 12 and walking just one in his 7.2 innings of work. Skenes pitched in the 97-101 mph range with his fastball for the entirety of his 123-pitch outing. He supplemented his 80-grade heater with two other 70-grade offerings in his changeup and slider. Skenes also notched his 200th strikeout on the season, becoming the first pitcher to strike out 200 or more hitters in a season since Trevor Bauer in 2011. Tennessee made it interesting in the bottom of the eighth as Hunter Ensley pummeled a Gavin Guidry slider, the only pitch he would throw, out to left-center field for a two-run home run to cut LSU’s lead to 5-3. Riley Cooper proceeded to enter the game, and after a Jared Dickey infield single he got Christian Moore to strike out to halt any Tennessee momentum.
Brayden Jobert in the top of the ninth blasted a solo home run, his 12th of the year, to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead. Cooper in the bottom half of the inning worked around an error to close out the win. Tennessee on Monday squares off with Stanford, while LSU takes on Wake Forest in what should be two excellent games.
Sunday, June 18
Game 1: TCU 4, Virginia 3 (Virginia eliminated)
TCU toppled Virginia 4-3 to eliminate the Cavaliers. Cole Fontenelle, who drove in three runs in the Horned Frogs’ first game, gave TCU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a sac fly. Virginia tied the game at one on a Jake Gelof RBI fielder’s choice, but Fontenelle in the third inning again came through with an RBI groundout to put TCU back in front. It remained a 2-1 game until the sixth inning, when Elijah Nuñez lined a run-scoring single into right-center field to provide the Horned Frogs with a key insurance run. Virginia punched back in the bottom of the seventh inning with an Ethan Anderson opposite field home run, but as it did all game TCU responded with a blow of its own. With one out and a runner on second base, nine-hole hitter Austin Davis drove an elevated slider over the head of center fielder Ethan O’Donnell for an RBI double to put the Horned Frogs up 4-2.
Virginia got one more run across in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI groundout by O’Donnell, but Ben Abeldt slammed the door with 1.2 shutout innings pitched. Sam Stoutenborough turned in a strong start, allowing only one run and two hits in his 4.2 innings of work. While it was a difficult end of the season for Virginia, it made the College World Series for the second time in three seasons and won 50 or more games for the first time since 2014.
Game 2: Florida 5, Oral Roberts 4
In what was perhaps the most exciting game of the College World Series to this point, Florida held on to beat Oral Roberts, 5-4. The Gators jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning after home runs by Ty Evans, Josh Rivera and Luke Heyman, and appeared to be on their way to a comfortable win. Hurston Waldrep was marvelous in his start, allowing just one earned run on seven hits, while striking out 12 and walking one. His splitter-slider combination was hellacious as usual, while his fastball had plenty of run and ride through the strike zone.
However, just as it has done all season, Oral Roberts showed unbelievable fight in the later innings. It scored two runs in the seventh inning on a Matt Hogan two-run, inside-the-park home run, the first inside-the-park home run at the College World Series since Chris Burke‘s in 2001. Hogan drove an outside fastball off the wall in left field that trickled away from Tyler Shelnut and then proceeded to be mishandled a bit by center fielder Wyatt Langford. Hogan never stopped running and slid into home, breathing new life into the Oral Roberts dugout.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Florida was forced to take out star reliever Brandon Neely after exceeding its mound visit limit. It turned to true freshman Cade Fisher, who was tasked with recording the final out of the half inning with the bases loaded. Fisher proceeded to get Justin Quinn to lineout to Wyatt Langford on a full count pitch to keep Florida’s 5-3 lead intact.
After a deflating end to its eighth inning, Oral Roberts cut Florida’s lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth after a Drew Stahl fielder’s choice scored Hogan, who had doubled to lead off the inning. With runners on first and third and two outs, Fisher got Jacob Godman to fly out to Michael Robertson to end the game. Florida improves to 2-0 and on Tuesday will take on the winner of Wake Forest and LSU, while Oral Roberts on Tuesday has a rematch with TCU.
