Florida State defeated Oklahoma State 8-0 in the Women’s College World Series opener, with Kathryn Sandercock throwing five scoreless innings and Kaley Mudge hitting a three-run homer. Florida won its fifth men’s national golf title with a 3-1 victory over Georgia Tech, with Fred Biondi becoming the first player to win individual and team championships in the same season since 2016. Wake Forest coach Tom Walter, who donated a kidney to one of his players, leads the No. 1 To close seed in the NCAA baseball tournament. Florida beat Florida State 3-2 in the NCAA semifinals, with Ricky Castillo birdying the third extra hole to secure victory.
As seen in the coverage by the latest ACC sports news from the Associated Press, Florida State started their Women’s College World Series campaign with a bang, defeating Oklahoma State 8-0 in six innings. Kathryn Sandercock threw five scoreless innings, while Kaley Mudge hit a three-run homer to help secure the victory. Despite a delayed start due to lightning, the game was halted for another two hours in the third inning for more lightning and rain. This was reminiscent of the previous World Series game between the two teams in 2021, which ended at 2:20 a.m. local time.
In other news, Florida won its fifth men’s national golf title with a 3-1 victory over Georgia Tech. Individual NCAA champion Fred Biondi beat Hiroshi Tai 1 up with a par on the 18th hole to clinch the win. Florida’s Yuxin Lin won the opener 4 and 3 over Christo Lamprecht, but the remaining matches went down to the wire in the strongest wind of the week at Grayhawk Golf Club. John DuBois closed out Connor Howe 1 up to put Florida up 2-0. Georgia Tech’s Bartley Forrester then beat Matthew Kress on the second extra hole after blowing a 2-up lead with two holes left. Biondi became the first player to win individual and team championships in the same season since Oregon’s Aaron Wise in 2016.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest coach Tom Walter is leading the No. 1 To close seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Walter has won more than 800 games and taken three different schools to the national tournament during his 27-year career. However, baseball has often played a secondary role for him. Walter donated a kidney to one of his Wake Forest players, Kevin Jordan, and the two co-founded a nonprofit focused on social justice. Walter also met the challenge of moving his players at New Orleans to New Mexico State for school and fall practices following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In NCAA golf, Ricky Castillo birdied the third extra hole to beat Brett Roberts and give Florida a 3-2 victory over Florida State in the NCAA semifinals at Grayhawk. National co-runner-up Ross Steelman two-putted for par to beat Peter Fountain 1 up, giving Georgia Tech a 3-2 victory over top-seeded North Carolina in the other semifinal. Castillo rallied from 2 down with three holes to go with birdies on 16 and 17. Neither player could get up and down for par on No. 18, sending the match to extra holes. After trading blows, Castillo emerged victorious.
To complete the picture, the latest ACC sports news from the Associated Press highlights some exciting developments in NCAA baseball, golf, and softball. From Florida’s fifth men’s national golf title to Wake Forest’s No. 1 seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament and Florida State’s dominating win over Oklahoma State in the Women’s College World Series opener, these teams are sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
