News digest, Feb. 1, part 2

SEC changes tournament format

The Southeastern Conference expands to 16 teams with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas this fall, and the league's baseball tournament will expand next spring to accommodate them.

The league announced Thursday that the new tournament format will include all 16 teams and a shift to a single-elimination format for all rounds.  The top eight teams in the standings will get a first-round bye, and the top four also getting a second-round bye.

Previous tournaments had include double-elimination early rounds until a single-elimination opening round was added a few seasons back.

The tournament is held yearly in Hoover, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.
SEC Baseball Tournament format
Effective 2025
Tuesday

Game 1: Seed No. 9 vs. Seed No. 16

Game 2: Seed No. 12 vs. Seed No. 13

Game 3: Seed No. 10 vs. Seed No. 15

Game 4: Seed No. 11 vs. Seed No. 14

Wednesday

Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Seed No. 8

Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Seed No. 5

Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Seed No. 7

Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Seed No. 6

Thursday

Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Seed No. 1

Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Seed No. 4

Friday

Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Seed No. 2

Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Seed No. 3

Saturday

Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10

Game 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12

Sunday

Championship
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14

SEC 2025

Clemson releasing signees for 2025

Clemson has been releasing its recruiting class for the 2025 season piecemeal through a series of posts on X ( formerly Twitter).  I'll add others as I find them.
Clemson signees for 2025 season

Owen Anchors, OF/1B, Dunwoody (Ga.) HS

Talan Bell, OF/LHP, Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla.

Brendon Bennett, LHP, Novi. (Mich.) HS

Dion Brown, INF/RHP, Lewisville HS

Steele Burd, C, Hilton Head Christian Aca.

Josh Castellani, INF, Hollins HS, St. Petersburg

Cannon Feazell, RHP, Windemere (Fla.) HS

Chase Harlan, INF, Central Bucks East HS, Doylestown, Pa.
Chayce Kieck, RHP, The Bolles School, Jacksonville
Dane  Moeller, RHP, Walton HS, Marietta, Ga.
Jack Morris, RHP, Shakopee (Minn.) HS
Briggs Sullivan, INF/OF, PDG Academy (Va.), Mount Pleasant

T.P Wentworth, LHP/OF, Central Catholic HS, Ripon, Calif. 
Anthony Wilkie, RHP, Buckhholz HS, Gainesville, Fla.

(Florida State University graphic)

Legendary FSU coach Martin dies

Mike Martin, the winningest baseball coach (and in any sport) in NCAA history, died Thursday after a three-year battle with Lewy body dementia. The Charlotte native was 79 years old. Lewy body dementia causes a gradual decline in mental ability.

Martin had a 2,029-736-4 record from 1980-2019. All 40 of his Seminoles teams made the NCAA Tournament and 17 of them - including his final one - went to the College World Series. FSU never won it all under Martin's guidance.

Martin started college at Wingate when it was a two-year school, then transferred to FSU. After college, his career in pro baseball included a 1966 stint as Nolan Ryan's teammate on the Western Carolinas League's Greenville Mets.

From Rudy: I didn't get to cover FSU baseball very often. I was at the College World Series in 2012 and was impressed with Martin's firm grasp of life's big picture just moments after being eliminated from another CWS. Here's an example of his candor - and sense of humor:

Martin on fifth straight loss to Florida

Martin obituary

NCAA drops (yellow?) hammer on ex-Bama coach

Former Alabama baseball coach Brian Bohannon was hit was severe penalties from the NCAA for violating the organization's wagering and ethical conduct rules. The investigation found that Bohannon contacted an individual he knew to be betting on an Alabama baseball game and provided insider information about a pitcher's injury before letting opponent LSU know.

The NCAA release says "Specifically, Bohannon texted, '(Student-athlete) is out for sure … Lemme know when I can tell (the opposing team) … Hurry.' 

"Shortly after the bettor received that information, he attempted to place a $100,000 wager on the Alabama game, but sportsbook staff limited him to a $15,000 wager and declined his attempts to place additional bets (because of) suspicious activity."

According to the NCAA release, penalties include

"* Three years of probation (for the baseball program with no scholarship reductions or postseason bans).

* A $5,000 fine (for the school).

* A 15-year show-cause order for Bohannon. During the show-cause order, any employing member institution shall restrict Bohannon from any athletically related position. If Bohannon becomes employed during the show-cause period, he shall be suspended for 100 percent of the baseball regular season for the first five seasons of his employment.

* Alabama will retain (a firm) to provide a comprehensive gambling harm and student-athlete protection education program for student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators." 

Bohannon

CWS schedule set

The NCAA has set the schedule for this year's College World Series in Omaha. Games begin June 14, with the Game 3 of the championship series, if needed, scheduled for June 24.

CWS