Former Tom Sox Shine In Regionals, Ten Move On
Former Tom Sox Shine In Regionals, Ten Move On
By: Luke Stefanisko & Ben Rekosh
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Seven of the 16 NCAA Super Regional teams will feature former Tom Sox stars who will look to advance to Omaha for the College World Series.
Several former ‘Sox lit it up in the NCAA regionals, both on the mound and at the plate.
Ryan Wynn (Georgia) was crucial in the Bulldogs'regional in Athens. In game one against Long Island, Wynn collected four hits, two of which were home runs. In the regional semi and final, Wynn added another homer and a base hit, spurring Georgia to a sweep of their bracket.
Hayden Smith (Troy) pitched seven innings across the weekend for Troy, including the start in the winner-take-all regional final game against Florida. His first appearance came against Rider. Smith worked three full innings, allowing five hits and three runs. In the win-or-go-home game, Smith was excellent, trudging through four innings against the Gators, allowing one run and striking out two batters.
Cade Belyeu (Auburn) helped the Tigers survive a scare in the Auburn regional. After dropping game one in which he collected a base hit, Belyeu clubbed two long balls against NC State to keep Auburn alive. He hit another homer in an elimination game against UCF and added a double in game one of the regional final.
Cooper Blauser (Jacksonville State) powered the Gamecocks to a regional final appearance against Little Rock. Blauser slugged a homer in game one against Virginia to help his squad upset the Cavaliers. After a double in a loss to Little Rock, Blauser went 4-4 with two doubles and two RBI in the elimination game against Virginia. He capped off his tournament with one more hit as Little Rock eliminated Jacksonville State in the final.
Derek Williams (Miami) continued his slugging ways in the Gainesville regional. Putting together a 3-5 performance in game one against Troy, including a homer. Williams collected two more hits across his two final games as Miami would fall to Florida and Troy to be eliminated.
Tristan Bisetta (Ole Miss) connected on two homers across the weekend to help the Rebels advance to a super regional. Both homers came against Arizona State, in the Rebels' first and last game of the Lincoln Regional.
Henry Ford (Tennessee) provided a spark for the Vols despite their early elimination in the Chapel Hill regional. Ford hit a game-tying homer against East Carolina to send the game into extras, to which Tennessee would go on to lose.
Two East Carolina Pirates made their impact known in the Chapel Hill Regional. Colby Wallace (ECU) hit the go-ahead RBI in a tense 13th inning against Tennessee and later doubled down the left field line to score two baserunners and seal the win. Nick Parham (ECU) impressively drew three walks against VCU on Sunday.
A pair of Hokies contributed in the Los Angeles Regional. Hudson Lutterman (Virginia Tech) notched a double and two RBIs in the opener against Cal Poly. Ethan Gibson (Virginia Tech) slugged a home run to tie the contest late in game two against UCLA.
Wynn, Smith, Belyeu and Bisetta join a litany of other former ‘Sox in the super regionals. Best of luck to the following players:
2025 ‘Sox: Trevor Booton (Auburn), Perry Hargett (North Carolina), Tim Lawson (North Carolina), James Nunnallee (Mississippi State), Saxon Roberts (Auburn), and Lee Sowers (North Carolina).
2024 ‘Sox: Cade Belyeu (Auburn), Brett Gastman (Little Rock), and Ryan Wynn (Georgia).
2023 ‘Sox: Hayden Smith (Troy).
2022 ‘Sox: Tristan Bisetta (Ole Miss).
