****

In a thrilling turn of events on the third day of the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament regionals, fans witnessed major upsets as the top national seeds were eliminated. The No. 1 seed Oregon's early exit on the second day served as a grim prelude for what was to come.

Day three saw No. 1 Vanderbilt and No. 2 Texas both fail to advance, marking only the second time ever that the top two national seeds did not make the Super Regionals. Vanderbilt's season ended in a dramatic fashion as they were edged out 5-4 by No. 4 Wright State. The Commodores, who had high hopes as the top seed, saw their comeback hopes dashed in the final inning.

Griffen Paige, a standout left-hander for Wright State, was instrumental in securing the Raiders' victory. Paige gave up just one hit and two runs over eight innings, building on the momentum from his teammate Cam Allen's six innings of no-hit pitching on Friday. Despite a late rally by Vanderbilt, which saw them score three runs in the final frame, their efforts were cut short when center fielder RJ Austin's flyout ended the game.

Meanwhile, No. 2 Texas was eliminated by UTSA, who emerged victorious with a 7-4 win. The Roadrunners had Texas' number, defeating them on both Saturday and Sunday. Texas struggled against UTSA's pitchers, mustering only nine hits across the first seven innings. Right-hander Gunnar Brown was formidable on the mound, conceding just one run and striking out four over five innings. Though Texas homered twice in the closing innings, it was not enough to turn the tide.

In another nail-biting finish, No. 3 Oklahoma State ousted No. 1 Georgia with a walk-off home run by third baseman Brock Thompson. The "Bashin Bulldogs," known for their power hitting, led 9-7 going into the ninth inning. However, Oklahoma State's Kollin Ritchie tied the game with his fourth home run of the regionals, and Thompson sealed the deal with a blast into the left field trees, winning the game 11-9.

Adding to the day of top-seed turmoil, No. 3 Kentucky handed No. 1 Clemson a crushing 16-4 defeat. The Wildcats dominated the middle innings, scoring 11 runs in the third and fourth innings combined. Clemson's chances dwindled rapidly as they collected just three hits within the first four innings compared to Kentucky's 11, missing out on the Super Regionals for the second time in three years despite hosting regionals consecutively.

As the tournament progresses, six No. 1 seeds will face elimination games, hoping to join national seeds Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Coastal Carolina, and UCLA in the Super Regionals. It remains to be seen which teams will survive and advance to the next round of this exhilarating competition.