Anything can happen on the road to Omaha. No matter a team\u2019s talent level, caliber, or reputation, all they need is a golden ticket into the field of 64, and they can produce a magical run.<\/p>\n
St. John\u2019s was the last team seeded in the Tallahassee Regional and the last team standing by Monday afternoon, taking all three of their games and stunning hosts Florida State twice on the way to capturing its first Super Regional berth since 2012.<\/p>\n
The Red Storm became the fifth all-time regional four-seed to sweep their way into the Super Regionals. They also join Little Rock as the second regional four-seed to secure a place in the last sixteen this year, marking the first time in tournament history that multiple regional four-seeds have advanced this far.<\/p>\n
Mike Hampton\u2019s team showed great resilience this weekend, trailing by multiple runs in all three of their regional games and coming back in each contest.<\/p>\n
In their tournament opener versus Florida State on Friday, St. John\u2019s was down 5-2 before leveling the game with a three-run eighth inning. Dylan Fitzsimmons, who replaced Lewis Rodriguez in the second inning after the left fielder injured his ankle, sparked the rally with a solo shot<\/a>.<\/p>\n Later in the inning, two baserunners scored on a pair of wild pitches by Seminoles closer John Abraham. The Red Storm took the lead in the ninth inning when Jayder Raifstanger drove in Fitzsimmons with an RBI single up the middle<\/a>, and Evan Hoeckele induced a game-ending double play in the bottom half to ice a 6-5 upset victory.<\/p>\n Saturday rain pushed the Red Storm\u2019s matchup against Northern Illinois back one day, and it took the Johnnies some time to gather themselves after falling into a 5-0 hole through three innings. When they did, they left nothing to chance with a jaw-dropping offensive explosion.<\/p>\n Over the next four innings, St. John\u2019s scored 18 unanswered runs to blitz the Huskies,<\/a> helping cement a 21-8 rout and make their first Regional Final in eleven years. The Red Storm combined for 20 hits and 15 walks in the nonstop parade around the bases, and their nine-run fourth inning became the program\u2019s highest scoring frame in a single NCAA Tournament game. Every starting batter that came to the plate recorded at least one hit, an RBI, and a run.<\/p>\n With rotation arms Liam O\u2019Leary and Evan Chaffee already taxed after throwing more than 100 pitches in the first two games, Evan Hoeckele stepped up in a spot start against a desperate Florida State team that was hoping to keep their season alive, only surrendering two earned runs on a season-high five innings and 84 pitches tossed.<\/p>\n Down by a pair of runs in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two out, the Johnnies flipped the game on its head against John Abraham once again. Star catcher Adam Agresti mashing a go-ahead grand slam over the center field wall, his team-best 19th blast of the season, putting St. John\u2019s in front with a 4-2 lead.<\/p>\n Cristian Bernardini then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning when he came home off a wild pitch by Kevin Mebil<\/a>, which would prove to be a massive one in the final frame.<\/p>\n