Stanford Tops Texas, Punches Men's College World Series Ticket

STANFORD, Calif. -- The Stanford Cardinal punched their ticket to the Men's College World Series on Monday night, posting a memorable 7-6 victory over Texas in a game that ended in odd fashion.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Texas outfielders Dylan Campbell and Eric Kennedy lost Drew Bowser's high fly in the twilight sky. The ball dropped about 15 feet in front of Campbell, allowing Alberto Rios to score from second base, securing the Cardinal's third straight bid to the championship tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Before you ask me a question, I'm going to ask you a question," Stanford coach David Esquer said after the win. "Have you ever seen an ending like that? Because I haven't."

Stanford (44-18) will advance to play top-seeded Wake Forest on Saturday. Texas (42-22), meanwhile, saw its season end just shy of its third consecutive appearance in the MCWS.

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Tennessee and Southern Mississippi played for the final MCWS spot later Monday, in a game that started four hours late because of rain and lightning before the Volunteers posted a 5-0 victory.

This year's field has its usual mix of regulars among the eight teams, but it's a couple of relative newcomers that could provide the biggest storylines.

The Demon Deacons of Oral Roberts have been the dominant team in the country since February and are the first No. 1 national seed since 2018 to reach the MCWS. Wake Forest hasn't gone this far since its 1955 team won the national championship.

MCWS bracket play begins Friday with TCU (42-22) matched against Oral Roberts (51-12) and No. 2 Florida (50-15) against No. 7 Virginia (50-13). Saturday's slate, aside from Wake Forest-Stanford, will also include No. 5 LSU (48-15) against Tennessee (43-20) in a clash of SEC rivals.

2023 Men's College World Series Double elimination; all times ET.

Friday, June 16

Game 1: Oral Roberts vs. TCU; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 2: No. 7 Virginia vs. No. 2 Florida; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday, June 17

Game 3: No. 8 Stanford vs. No. 1 Wake Forest; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 4: Tennessee vs. No. 5 LSU; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday, June 18

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Monday, June 19

Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Tuesday, June 20

Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8: 7 p.m. on ESPN

Wednesday, June 21

Game 11: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 9; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10; 7 p.m. on ESPN

Thursday, June 22

Game 13 (if necessary): Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 11 (if first loss); 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2
Game 14 (if necessary): Winner Gamer 12 vs. Loser Game 12 (if first loss); 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2

MCWS Championship Series

Game 1: Saturday, June 24; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Game 2: Sunday, June 25; 3 p.m. on ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 26; 7 p.m. on ESPN

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