Missouri lost its first 24 SEC games by an average score of 10-4, with nine of the defeats coming via the run rule.Texas A&M had won four of its previous five series, including wins over LSU at home and Arkansas and Tennessee on the road. The Aggies had recovered from a dreadful start and were seemingly on the path to an NCAA Tournament berth.So naturally, Missouri swept Texas A&M in College Station in one of the most shocking results in years.On Friday night, the Tigers rallied for six runs in the top of the ninth to post a 9-6 win. On Saturday, they held on for a 4-1 victory as junior right-hander Brock Lucas struck out Ben Royo with the bases loaded to end the game. On Sunday, it wasn’t close: Mizzou limited the powerful A&M offense to two hits and rolled to a 10-1 win with alarming ease.MIZZOU TIGERS ARE NO LONGER WINLESS IN THE SEC!!!!!A&M’s postseason chances took a huge hit. The Aggies are now 10-17 in the SEC, and their RPI dropped from No. 35 to No. 59. They close the regular season with a trip to Georgia (No. 1 RPI) next weekend. Winning at least twice is an absolute must if they hope to have a chance to remain in the at-large discussion.
Around the horn
It was a damaging weekend for two of the top teams in the Big 12.Arizona lost a series at home to Utah to drop to 34-17 overall and 16-11 in the league. The Wildcats are in no danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but their hopes of hosting a Regional all but ended with the two losses to the Big 12’s last-place team. Their RPI sits at No. 41 with a weekend series at Houston remaining.West Virginia, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to clinch the outright league title by losing two of three at Kansas State. The bullpen was the issue. The Mountaineers gave up six runs in the bottom of the ninth in Friday’s 8-7 loss and seven runs in the bottom of the eighth in a 14-9 loss on Sunday.The Mountaineers, 40-10 overall and 19-6 in the league, have already tied a program record for wins in a season. With an RPI of No. 24, they figure to be on the bubble to host a Regional.Mississippi State kept its postseason hopes alive with a huge series win over rival Ole Miss in Starkville.Evan Siary, a junior right-hander from nearby Columbus, Miss., was brilliant in the Bulldogs’ Game 2 victory, throwing eight scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts and no walks. He had pitched more than 4 1/3 innings only once in his previous eight SEC starts and allowed five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings the previous Saturday against Kentucky.Mississippi State is 31-20 overall and 12-15 in the SEC with an RPI of 32. The Bulldogs close the regular season with a trip to suddenly competent Missouri.• Florida is a virtual tournament lock after taking two of three at Texas. The Gators, who started 1-11 in the SEC, are 35-18 overall and 13-14 in league play with an RPI of 13.• Alabama remained in the hosting discussion by winning a series at home vs. Georgia. The Crimson Tide are 39-13 overall and 15-12 in the SEC with an RPI of No. 8.• LSU took two of three from Arkansas in Baton Rouge. Both teams should be top-eight seeds. The Hogs are two games back of first-place Texas with three games remaining. They host Tennessee, while Texas travels to Oklahoma.• Kentucky bounced back from getting swept at Mississippi State by sweeping Oklahoma in Lexington. The Wildcats, now 13-14 in the SEC with a No. 33 RPI, are in solid shape to receive an at-large bid but would feel a lot better with at least one win at Vanderbilt next weekend. Oklahoma, meanwhile, needs to sweep Texas in Norman to have any chance of hosting a Regional.• Vanderbilt knocked off Tennessee 7-5 on Sunday to take the series in Knoxville.The Commodores, with a 16-11 record in the SEC and an RPI of No. 3, could lock up a top-eight seed with two wins — maybe even one — against Kentucky this weekend. Tennessee is in danger of falling out of the hosting picture if it loses its series at Arkansas.Virginia will be one of the most interesting bubble teams to monitor down the stretch. The Cavs, fresh off a sweep over Miami, are 30-16 overall and 14-10 in the ACC. Normally, that’s the resume of an NCAA Tournament team, but Virginia’s RPI (60) is troubling.As things stand now, five of the Cavs’ nine ACC series will come against teams that will not make the NCAA Tournament — Boston College (1-2), Cal (2-1), Stanford (3-0), Pitt (2-1) and Virginia Tech (next weekend). Their series at Florida State in mid-April was canceled after the shooting on FSU’s campus.Virginia, ranked No. 2 in
The Athletic’s preseason top 25, has advanced to the College World Series three times in the last four seasons.With one weekend remaining, there are eight teams within three games of the lead in the ACC and six teams within two games.Florida State, at 16-8, is one half-game up on NC State (16-9) and Georgia Tech (17-10) and one game up on North Carolina (16-10). Surging Duke, which won a series at Clemson over the weekend, is 1.5 games back at 16-11, while Virginia is two back at 14-10.Georgia Tech beat Louisville 2-1 on Sunday to send coach Danny Hall out a winner in his final game at Russ Chandler Stadium. Hall announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of the season, his 32nd at Georgia Tech.Michigan State took two of three at USC, becoming the first “traditional” Big Ten team to win a series on the road against one of the league’s former Pac-12 schools. UCLA, Oregon, USC and Washington are now a combined 29-10 at home against the league’s other 13 schools.Those four teams occupy second through fifth place in the league standings — in that order — with one weekend remaining. Iowa is in first place with a 21-6 record, one game up on Oregon and two up on UCLA. Oregon visits Iowa this weekend, while UCLA hosts Northwestern.Despite that gaudy league record, Iowa isn’t a lock for the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes, who went 0-2-1 against Oregon State in Des Moines over the weekend, lost five of their last six games before the Sunday tie against the Beavers. Their RPI is No. 67.UTSA clinched the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship, the program’s first league title since winning the Southland Conference in 2008. With an overall record of 39-11 and a 20-4 mark in the AAC, to go along with a No. 21 RPI, the Roadrunners are in solid shape to make the NCAA Tournament if they don’t win the league tournament.Creighton had its 11-game Big East winning streak snapped on Sunday with a 4-2 loss at home to Xavier. The Bluejays are 14-4 in the league and close the season with a trip to Georgetown.UConn is in the clubhouse with a 17-4 record. The Huskies host Maine in a nonconference series next week.Creighton won the head-to-head with UConn, taking a series in April, and would win the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed if both teams finish 17-4.Barring a surprise in the conference tournament, the Sun Belt appears locked into three bids, with Coastal Carolina (RPI No. 12), Southern Miss (RPI No. 28) and Troy (RPI No. 38) all in solid shape to receive an at-large bid.Coastal Carolina, 41-11 overall and 23-4 in the league under first-year coach Kevin Schnall, is in position to host a Regional for the second time in three seasons.Southern Miss, which is two games behind first-place Coastal, visits Troy next weekend.
And finally
• How hot was Drew Faurot? Florida State’s junior second baseman went 12-for-12 with nine RBIs over a three-game stretch last week. His streak included five home runs, three doubles and three singles. Faurot, a Tallahassee native who began his career at UCF, is hitting .326.• South Carolina’s difficult 2025 season hit a new low on Thursday night with a 24-2 loss at Auburn in seven innings. The Gamecocks lost the final two games of the series by scores of 11-10 and 11-3 to drop to 26-26 overall and 5-22 in the SEC.• Northeastern ran its winning streak to 20 games with a weekend sweep over William & Mary. The Huskies have allowed one run or fewer 10 times during the stretch.• With one week remaining in the regular season, Central Connecticut State senior first baseman Aidan Redahan leads the nation in hitting at .449, just ahead of Southern junior outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux at .446. Oregon’s Mason Neville is the home run leader with 25.• Only four players in Division I have 20-plus home runs in 2025. Last year, 70 players hit at least 20.• UC Irvine bounced back from its series loss at home to UC San Diego by sweeping Cal State Bakersfield on the road. The Anteaters have a three-game lead over Cal Poly in the Big West with three games remaining. Irvine hosts Cal State Fullerton, while Cal Poly hosts UC Riverside.• Dallas Baptist is closing in on its second Conference USA title in its three seasons in the league. The Patriots are two up on Western Kentucky with three to play. At 36-13 overall and an RPI of No. 20, they are still in the mix to host a Regional.
