One more win separates the Volunteers from a spot in the 2024 College World Series Finals. One more loss sends the Seminoles home from Omaha.
The semifinals of the College World Series are here, as the first of a potential two-game series between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 8 Florida State is set for Wednesday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field.
Tennessee showed exactly why it’s the top seed at the tournament in its matchup against No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday night. The Vols quieted the offense of the Tar Heels while flexing their bats in a 6-1 win. Kavares Tears drove in four runs on the night, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning to open the scoring.
MORE: Watch the College World Series live with Fubo (free trial)
Florida State won back-to-back elimination games after losing to Tennessee in the CWS opener to keep its hopes of a national championship alive. The Seminoles slugged their way to a 9-5 win over North Carolina on Tuesday night, with catcher Jaxson West securing four hits, two RBI and a run scored in the win.
These two squads delivered a thrilling matchup last Friday to begin the tournament. A walk-off single by outfielder Dylan Dreiling punctuated a four-run bottom of the ninth inning for the No. 1 seed, giving the Volunteers the 12-11 comeback win.
Tennessee holds a 2-0 record so far at the College World Series, so Wednesday’s contest is not a must-win for the Vols.
If Tennessee loses in the first semifinal, that forces a second game Thursday, with the victor of that contest advancing to the championship series. But a loss for Florida State would be its second of the tournament, marking the end of the road for the Seminoles, and the Volunteers move on to the finals.
The Sporting News is tracking live scores and highlights from Wednesday’s College World Series semifinal game between Tennessee and FSU. Follow for updates from the game.
FSU vs. Tennessee baseball score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F | |
| Tennessee | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
| Florida State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – |
FSU vs. Tennessee live updates, highlights from College World Series semifinal Game 1
(All times Eastern)
6:30 p.m: Conner Whittaker takes the mound in the ninth for FSU.
6:26 p.m. End bottom eighth: Smith grounds out into a double play, then Tibbs strike out to end the inning. Tennessee is one inning away from a spot in the CWS Finals.
6:23 p.m.: FSU starts the eighth with a Williams single up in the middle.
6:19 p.m.: End top eighth: FSU and Charles escape the jam by getting Moore to ground out to short. The top of the FSU lineup is due up to face Connell in the bottom of the eighth.
6:15 p.m.: FSU nearly gets out of the eighth, but a dropped third strike to Stark allows Tennessee to stay at the bat. Curley hit a double with one out, so he’s at third, and it’s Moore coming up with runners on the corners.
6:06 p.m. End bottom seventh: Connell retires his two batters to end the inning, but the Seminoles are alive. The back-to-back home runs by Cantu and Lodise make it a four-run game.
6:01 p.m. FSU scoring play: FSU is not done yet. Right after Cantu’s solo shot, Alex Lodise follows up with a homer of his own to right field. That will do it for Sechrist, who dazzled for six innings before the Seminoles finally got to him in the seventh. Kirby Connell takes the bump with one out in the seventh. Tennessee 6, FSU 2.
How about back-to-back for Alex Lodise, his 2nd in Omaha and 9th of the year!
B7 | UT 6, FSU 2 pic.twitter.com/o0vHjqh1oI
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) June 19, 2024
5:58 p.m. FSU scoring play: The Seminoles are on the board. Daniel Cantu takes a 2-1 breaking ball and launches it into the Tennessee bullpen in right field. Sechrist hung that pitch right over the plate, and Cantu made him pay. Tennessee 6, FSU 1.
On the board with Daniel Cantu’s 9th HR of the year
B7 | UT 6, FSU 1 pic.twitter.com/7imdsrsdYX
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) June 19, 2024
5:54 p.m.: End top seventh: Ensley grounds out to Charles for the third out, but the Vols pick up an insurance run off the bat of Dreiling in the inning.
5:53 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Amick breaks the hitless streak against Charles with a two-out double, then Dreiling brings him around to score with an RBI single to right field. Tennessee 6, FSU.
5:45 p.m. End bottom sixth: A Tibbs’ two-out single spoils another 1-2-3 inning for Sechrist, but the Tennessee lefty gets Dinges to ground out to end the sixth. He’s tossed six scoreless innings so far for the Vols, who maintain a 5-0 lead.
5:39 p.m. End top sixth: The Volunteers have not had an answer for Charles since the FSU righty entered the game in the fourth. He retires Tennessee in order yet again, striking out Reese Chapman and Cal Stark.
5:32 p.m. End bottom fifth: Sechrist needs just six pitches to get retire three Seminoles for his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning. The Tennessee southpaw has allowed just two hits and one walk through five innings.
5:27 p.m. End top fifth: Charles responds with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, sitting down the middle part of the Tennessee order.
5:21 p.m. End bottom fourth: Three up, three down for the Seminoles in the fourth inning. Sechrist is dialed in for the Volunteers.
5:15 p.m. End top fourth: Amick gets just under a breaking ball and flies out to Williams at the warning track in center, ending the inning.
5:08 p.m: Oxford strike out Burke, and that ends his day. The lefty departs and is responsible for the runner on third. Right-hander Joe Charles enters the game for FSU with two outs in the top of the fourth, and Moore 90 feet away from scoring.
5:08 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Cal Starks walks with one out, and then Moore brings him around on an RBI triple to right field to extend the Vols’ lead. Moore is 2-for-2 with a walk so far today, and it’s only the fourth inning. Tennessee 5, FSU 0.
C-Mo triples since start of 2022 season entering CWS: 0⃣
C-Mo triples in Omaha this year vs. FSU: 2⃣
📺 https://t.co/ATUUBSttxp (ESPN)#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatFSU pic.twitter.com/7b0FlYTSf4
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 19, 2024
4:56 p.m. End bottom third: James Tibbs grounds out into a double play, and that ends the threat for the Seminoles. Max Williams did not cross hoke plate in time before the runner tagged out, so no run scored. Massive mistakes on the base path by both West and Williams keeps it a 4-0 Tennessee lead.
4:55 p.m.: What a high IQ play by Curley at shortstop to kept FSU off the board. Williams chops a ground ball up the middle and Curley elects to go home, throwing out West trying to score form third. West hesitated ever so slightly, and that was enough for Tennessee to throw him out.
4:53 p.m.: It’s back-to-back hits for the Seminoles to start the bottom of the third. First, Jaxson West singles to lead off, then Max Williams doubles down the left field line to set up two runners in scoring position with no outs.
4:47 p.m. End top third: FSU finally quiets the Tennessee bats for an inning, as Oxford sets the Vols down in order.
4:42 p.m. End bottom second: Moore bobbles a ground ball and then overthrows first base, but Drew Faurot gets thrown out at second base trying to snag an extra bag. That ends the inning for FSU.
4:38 p.m.: Sechrist issues a two-out walk to Alex Lodise.
4:33 p.m. End top second: Oxford gets Dreiling to strike out looking on a breaking ball to end the inning, but it’s now a four-run lead early for the Vols.
4:28 p.m.: Now Amick hits a single into the left-center gap. Burke sprints from first to third, giving Tennessee runners on the corners with two outs, and Dreiling coming up.
4:26 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Burke hits a two-out single to right field, and Moore comes around second base to score. The balk from Oxford proves costly for FSU. Tennessee 4, FSU 0.
4:23 p.m.: Moore rips a two-out single to reach base for his second time in as many at-bats. He then moves up to second after a balk from Oxford.
4:14 p.m. End bottom first: Kavares Tears races down a deep fly ball off the bat of Marco Dinges, and makes an incredible catch at the warning track to end the first inning.
Wall about to be in concussion protocol…
📺 https://t.co/ATUUBSttxp (ESPN)#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatFSU pic.twitter.com/6jC99TCpFF
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 19, 2024
4:11 p.m.: SS Dean Curley charges in from shortstop to field a high chopper from Cam Smith, but he boots the ground ball, and FSU has its first base runner.
4:05 p.m. End top first: Dean Curley grounds out to end the inning, but the damage is done. Tennessee chases John Abraham and gets out to a 3-0 lead before starter Zander Sechrist even takes the bump.
4:04 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Things are going from bad to worse for FSU. A Kavares Tears fielder’s choice moves Dreiling to third base and gives the Vols runners on the corners, before an errant pickoff attempt from Oxford goes by Cantu at first base, allowing Dreiling to score. Tennessee 3, FSU 0.
3:57 p.m.: That’s it for John Abraham. After just five batters and 18 pitches, his day is done for FSU. Lefty Brennen Oxford enters the game for the Seminoles, with runners on first and second, and one out.
3:56 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Hunter Ensley rips a single to left field to bring in Amick from second base. Tennessee already has two hits and two runs just five batters into the contest. Tennessee 2, FSU 0.
Hard to not be at 100% when you start at 110% 🤷♂️
📺 https://t.co/ATUUBSttxp (ESPN)#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatFSU pic.twitter.com/2AwRNEGEQX
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 19, 2024
3:54 p.m.: Abraham issues another walk, this time to Dylan Dreiling, to give Tennessee runners on first and second. The FSU bullpen already is active, with the freshman struggling on the mound to start.
3:52 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Amick hits a ground ball to Cam Smith, who bobbles it and FSU is forced to settle for throwing the runner out at second. Moore comes in to score, as Amick reaches first. Tennessee 1, FSU 0.
3:49 p.m.: Tennessee is in business early. Blake Burke smacks a single by 1B Daniel Cantu, and Moore races around to third. It’s runners on the corners with no outs, and the dangerous Billy Amick is at the dish.
3:48 p.m.: Christian Moore walks to start the game for the Volunteers.
Pregame
3:30 p.m.: The last time these two teams met, it was a thrilling 12-11 walk-off win for the Volunteers. Dylan Dreiling smacked a slider in the bottom of the ninth for a single, bringing in the winning run. The Seminoles need revenge to stay alive, while the Vols want to punch their ticket to the CWS Finals as soon as possible.
2:55 p.m.: The new time for first pitch is now set for 3:45 p.m. The Florida-Kentucky game ran later than expected, so now FSU-Tennessee will start about 45 minutes later than scheduled.
2 p.m.: Here’s a look at the starting pitchers and projected lineups for the two teams on Wednesday. FSU has yet to announce its starting pitcher, while Zander Sechrist is on the bump for Tennessee.
Florida State
- Max Williams (CF)
- Cam Smith (3B)
- James Tibbs III (RF)
- Marco Dinges (DH)
- Jaime Ferrer (LF)
- Daniel Cantu (1B)
- Alex Lodise (SS)
- Drew Faurot (2B)
- Jaxson West (C)
P: John Abraham
Tennessee
- Christian Moore (2B)
- Blake Burke (1B)
- Billy Amick (3B)
- Dylan Dreiling (LF)
- Hunter Ensley (DH)
- Kavares Tears (CF)
- Dean Curley (SS)
- Reese Chapman (RF)
- Cal Stark (C)
P: Zander Sechrist
How to watch FSU vs. Tennessee
- Start time: 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
- TV channel: ESPN2
- Live stream: ESPN+, Fubo
FSU vs. Tennessee will be carried on ESPN. Those hoping to stream the game can find it on ESPN+ or on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
College World Series schedule
Friday, June 14
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | North Carolina 3, Virginia 2 | — | — |
| Game 2 | Tennessee 12, Florida State 11 | — | — |
Saturday, June 15
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 3 | Kentucky 5, NC State 4 | — | — |
| Game 4 | Texas A&M 3, Florida 2 | — | — |
Sunday, June 16
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 5 | Florida State 7, Virginia 3 | — | — |
| Game 6 | Tennessee 6, North Carolina 1 | — | — |
Monday, June 17
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 7 | Florida 5, NC State 4 | — | — |
| Game 8 | Texas A&M 5, Kentucky 1 | — | — |
Tuesday, June 18
| Game | Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 9 | Florida State 9, North Carolina 5 | — | — |
Wednesday, June 19
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 10 | Kentucky vs. Florida | 11 a.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| Game 11 | Tennessee vs. Florida State | 3 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| Game 12 | Texas A&M vs. TBD | 7 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
Thursday, June 20
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Game 13 | TBD | 2 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| *Game 14 | TBD | 7 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
*If necessary
Saturday, June 22
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWS Finals Game 1 | TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
Sunday, June 23
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWS Finals Game 2 | TBD | 2 p.m. | ABC, Fubo |
Monday, June 24
| Game | Matchup/Result | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| *CWS Finals Game 3 | TBD | 7 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
*If necessary
