More upsets on the diamond in NCAA softball and baseball
The GIST: This late in the season, every game feels more intense than an episode of Succession, and losing to a lower-ranked or *gasp* unranked team signals you’re not serious about making the College World Series. Over the weekend, several teams choked on diamond dust with little or no time to bounce their seasons back.
🥎 Softball: In a move inspired by Kendall Roy himself, No. 22 Virginia Tech saved all their drama for their last regular-season series. The Hokies trailed No. 6 Clemson 4–0 in their Friday matchup, then put up five runs in the final inning (!!!) to steal the 5–4 win, then followed up that massive coup with Saturday’s 3–1 dub to seal the series.
- Clemson crumbled, but things look even more dire for No. 22 Kentucky, who suffered a brutal sweep by unranked Mississippi State this weekend. After losing four of their last five series, they’ll have a harder time trying to stay in the Top 25 than Tom will have trying to become CEO.
⚾ Baseball: Fans everywhere (including us!) were hype AF about No. 3 South Carolina heading into this weekend — the Gamecocks were looking sharper than a Shiv Roy power suit until unranked Auburn stopped their momentum cold, upsetting them 8–3 on Friday and 9–5 on Saturday. In the cutthroat SEC, that kind of misstep can do serious damage.
- Meanwhile, whatever the opposite of choking is, No. 20 Duke is doing that. The Blue Devils followed last weekend’s sweep of then–No. 12 Louisville with this weekend’s series win over No. 13 Virginia — with a Top-10 dub in between for good measure.
