OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The game’s the same. It’s what happens away from the field and how players deal with it that can affect how long a team sticks around at the College World Series. The CWS opens Friday with North Carolina playing Virginia and Florida State facing Tennessee in Bracket 1. North Carolina State meets Kentucky and Florida plays Texas A&M in Bracket 2 on Saturday. Winners in double-elimination bracket play square off in the best-of-three finals beginning June 22. Virginia, Tennessee and Florida are here for the second straight year, and each brought back the majority of their lineups.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four players are back from the 2021 North Carolina State team that was sent home from the College World Series because of a COVID-19 outbreak. The Wolfpack play Kentucky in their opener Saturday. NC State had only 13 players available for a game against Vanderbilt. The 14 other players were sick, tested positive for the virus or ruled out through contact tracing. The Wolfpack lost 3-1 but looked forward to another game the next day. But hours after the loss to Vanderbilt, the NCAA said further contact tracing showed NC State would not have enough players to field a team.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The College World Series opens Friday at Charles Schwab Field and, for the first time since the event expanded to eight teams in 1950, only two conferences will be represented on the college game’s biggest stage. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference have combined to send the most teams to the CWS over the last decade, including this year. Their exclusivity in the 2024 field hints at an even greater concentration of power in the sport as college athletics move into an era where players, already able to move around freely, can make more money than ever.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Retired Duke sports radio play-by-play announcer Bob Harris died Wednesday. He was 81. Former radio analyst Wes Chesson announced Harris’ death in an update on a GoFundMe page that had been created to raise money for Harris’ care. He had been previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and been in hospice care. Harris spent 41 years as the Blue Devils’ radio voice for men’s basketball and football before retiring in 2017. That tenure included calling all five of the Blue Devils’ NCAA championships under retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski.
UNDATED (AP) — The College World Series begins its annual run in Omaha, Nebraska, this week. It opens Friday with an all-ACC matchup between North Carolina and Virginia in the afternoon and Tennessee of the SEC playing Florida State of the ACC at night. Saturday’s games match Kentucky of the SEC against Georgia or North Carolina State in the afternoon and Texas A&M against Florida in an all-SEC meeting at night. Bracket winners will play in the best-of-three championship series starting June 22.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The NCAA’s recent agreement with the major conferences that sets a path towards schools directly paying athletes could have major consequences for softball. At a time of significant growth and visibility in the sport, some coaches are concerned money could be steered away, threatening softball's stability once the rules fully take shape. Among the concerns are programs getting shut down because money is going to other sports and money being distributed so a limited number of athletes at the top. Much lies in the hands of decision makers to ensure the future of the sport.
UNDATED (AP) — Ten players from North Carolina State’s 1983 national champion basketball team have sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company seeking compensation for unauthorized use of their name, image and likeness. The players filed suit in Wake County Superior Court, requesting a jury trial and “reasonable compensation.” The late Jim Valvano’s 1983 team became known as the “Cardiac Pack” for a series of close victories culminating in a 54-52 win over Houston on Lorenzo Charles’ dunk in the final seconds. Valvano’s race around the court became an iconic moment frequently replayed as part of the NCAA Tournament promotions.