by Juliette Eckler
(OMAHA)- The start of the 2024 Men’s College World Series began in an unforgettable experience, where the first three games of action battled to the ninth inning and each ending in walk-off victories.
Photo: Sam Eckler
The series opened with an Atlantic Coast Conference match-up between 12-seeded Virginia and four-seeded North Carolina. Tarheels star center fielder Vance Honeycutt singled to left in the ninth inning, sending PH Jackson Van De Brake home with the winning run defeating Virginia 3-2.
The evening opener was a high-scoring masterpiece between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 8 Florida State. Left fielder Dylan Dreiling went 4-6 on the day, including hitting a walk-off single to left center, pushing the Volunteers to victory over FSU, 12-11.
The Seminoles defeat was even more heartbreaking, considering at one point they held a solid 9-4 lead over Tennessee in the top of the 4th inning. Head Coach Link Jarett said the game was “not as clean as we needed to be.” DH Marco Dingles said the hitters should “keep the same approach” and that “every at bat matters.”
The third and final walk-off victory came at the beginning of day two, as first time MCWS participants Kentucky got their first ever win in program history with third baseman Mitchell Daly homer to left center field, sending NC State to the loser’s bracket in a 5-4 victory in extra innings (10).
If the series of three walk-off victories that kicked-off this year’s championship is any indication of what’s to come, NCAA baseball fans are in for eight more days of record-breaking action.
