NCAA: Big Ten and SEC Tournaments Day 2 Recap

The Kentucky Wildcats huddle up before their 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Big Ten Conference  

 

No. 8 Penn State 8, No. 1 Illinois 4 – Penn State stunned top-seeded Illinois on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions offense was led by catcher J.T. Marr, who collected three hits on the day.  

Illinois scored four runs from the fifth inning to the eighth to cut an 8-0 lead in half, but the eight-run deficit was too large to come back from.  

Penn State will play No. 4 Michigan on Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT, and Illinois will play Iowa at 11 a.m. EDT in an elimination game.  

No. 4 Michigan 3, No. 5 Iowa 2 – Michigan won Wednesday’s game 3-2 on a walk-off bases-loaded walk drawn by Mitch Voit. Ironically, most of the game was carried by excellent pitching on both sides.  

Iowa’s Brody Brecht allowed only four hits in 7.1 innings, and Michigan’s Kurt Barr allowed two runs in 6.1.  

Michigan will play Penn State on Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT, and Iowa will play Illinois at 11 a.m. EDT in an elimination game.  

No. 2 Nebraska 6, No. 6 Purdue 2 – Nebraska scored four runs in the second inning to put Purdue in a significant hole, one they could not escape the remainder of the game.  

Brett Sears, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, allowed two hits in six innings and struck out 10 for Nebraska. With the loss, Purdue is eliminated from the tournament.  

Nebraska’s next game is on Friday at 3 p.m. EDT against the loser in Thursday’s contest between Ohio State and Indiana.  

 

Southeastern Conference (SEC)  

 

No. 11 LSU 11, No. 3 Kentucky 0 – The Tigers from LSU defeated the Wildcats from Kentucky 11-0 in eight innings on Wednesday.  

LSU’s first baseman, Jared Jones, and third baseman, Tommy White, each hit grand slams. According to ESPN, LSU is the first SEC tournament team to hit multiple grand slams in a game.  

LSU will play No. 10 South Carolina at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, and Kentucky will play No. 2 Arkansas at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday.  

No. 10 South Carolina 6, No. 2 Arkansas 5 – South Carolina catcher Cole Messina hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth, the deciding run in the game. The two-run shot was his second of the game.  

Of South Carolina’s six runs, four scored via a walk or hit by pitch, which should be a focus for the Arkansas pitching staff in their next game.  

On Thursday, Arkansas will play Kentucky in an elimination game at 10:30 a.m. EDT, and South Carolina will play LSU at 5:30 p.m. EDT.  

No. 8 Vanderbilt 13, No. 1 Tennessee 4 – Vanderbilt tallied 15 hits in a slaughtering of top-seed Tennessee.  

Catcher Alan Espinal launched two home runs for the Commodores from Vanderbilt, including a three-run blast. With the win, Vanderbilt’s chances of securing a bid in the NCAA tournament skyrocket.  

Vanderbilt will play No. 5 Mississippi State on Thursday, approximately 30 minutes after the end of LSU vs. South Carolina. Tennessee will play Texas A&M approximately 30 minutes after the end of Kentucky vs. Arkansas.  

 No. 5 Mississippi State 5, No. 4 Texas A&M 3 – Connor Hujsak, the hero for Mississippi State in their first game of the tournament against Ole Miss on Tuesday, hit a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth against Texas A&M on Wednesday.  

Hujsak’s walk-off home run against Ole Miss and a go-ahead single against Texas A&M has 2-0 Mississippi State ready for more.  

On Thursday, Mississippi State will play Vanderbilt approximately 30 minutes after the end of LSU and South Carolina. Texas A&M will play Tennessee approximately 30 minutes after the end of Kentucky and Arkansas.  

 

You can watch these tournaments on the Big Ten Network and WatchESPN.