9 East Texas athletes participating in NCAA baseball tournament

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - Nine East Texas athletes are listed on rosters spread across six teams participating in the NCAA baseball tournament.

Players for Sam Houston State, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M have advanced to the NCAA regionals.

The winning teams from each double-elimination regional will then move on to the super regionals. The winners from each super regional will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

Below are the players representing East Texas and when their next game is, along with a short bio.

• Austin Green of New Diana, junior infielder/outfielder for Texas Tech: Eliminated. Green went 1-for-4 with a single and walk in Tech’s 3-2 win over UConn on Friday. He went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Tech’s 5-4 win over Florida on Saturday. He was 0-for-4 in a 7-1 loss to Florida Sunday. He went 1-for-4 in a 6-0 loss to Florida on Monday.
• Hunter Hollan of Spring Hill, junior pitcher for Arkansas: Eliminated. Hollan started game one Friday and gave up three hits, two runs and two walks while striking out two in Arkansas’ 13-6 win over Santa Clara. Hollan got a two-out save on Sunday in a 6-4 win over Santa Clara.
• Heath Hood of White Oak, senior outfielder for Louisiana: Eliminated. Hood went 2-for-2 with a double, sacrifice, hit by pitch and outfield assist in Lousiana’s 4-2 loss to Texas. He was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a sacrifice in a 19-10 win over Maine in an elimination game Saturday. He was 4-for-5 with an RBI in an elimination loss to Miami.
• Easton Loyd of Hallsville, sophomore second baseman for Sam Houston State: Eliminated. Loyd was 0-for-4 in Sam Houston’s 18-2 loss to Oregon State Friday. He was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored in Sam Houston’s 10-2 Sunday win over Tulane. He was 0-for-4 with a stolen base in a 3-1 elimination loss to Oregon State on Sunday.
• Ben Penn of Hudson, junior catcher for Sam Houston State: Eliminated. Penn has played in three games for the Bearkats. He is 0-for-2 on the season.
• Cooper Rawls of Hallsville, senior pitcher for Louisiana: Eliminated. Rawls pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up one hit, two runs and one walk while striking out one. He pitched 2 2/3 of an inning on Sunday, giving up two hits and a run while striking out two in an elimination loss to Miami.
• Hagen Smith of Bullard, sophomore pitcher for Arkansas: Eliminated. Smith gave up eight runs off six hits and two walks while striking out one in one inning pitched. He took the loss against TCU. He gave up one run off two hits and two walks while striking out six in 3 2/3 innings in a 12-4 elimination loss on Monday.
• JD Thompson of Rusk, freshman pitcher for Vanderbilt: Eliminated. Thompson was 2-0 with a 5.73 ERA.
• Wyatt Tucker of Douglass, junior pitcher for Texas A&M: Eliminated. Tucker posted a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched for the Aggies in 2023.

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