Deja Vu in Omaha? Karaves Tears’s catch on Wednesday will certainly have you thinking so.
During the bottom of the first inning of Wednesday’s College World Series semifinal game, Tennessee outfielder Kavares Tears had his teammates fired up after a spectacular web gem catch at the wall.
With two outs and a man on first, Florida State DH Marco Dinges launched a massive shot deep toward the right-center fence. Tears turned and ran from the center field position, barreling into the immovable wall as he secured the catch with his sunglasses and hat flying off his head.
Tears got up bursting with adrenaline as the Vol fans in Omaha roared in applause.
Wall about to be in concussion protocol…
📺 https://t.co/ATUUBSttxp (ESPN)#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatFSU pic.twitter.com/6jC99TCpFF
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 19, 2024
More from RTI: LIVE Updates, Score, Notes: No. 1 Tennessee Baseball vs. No. 8 Florida State College World Series Semifinal
Tears’s catch was eerily similar to the one that Hunter Ensley made from the same position in Tennessee’s last game on Sunday evening. A North Carolina batter sent a ball straight back to the 408 sign on the wall as Ensley made the catch with a car-crash collision into the green padding.
Postgame soreness from the crash took Ensley off of the field and to the DH position for Wednesday’s game, sending Tears to the centerfield position in replacement.
UNREAL CATCH BY HUNTER ENSLEY 😱 pic.twitter.com/8oE3eNNO3V
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 16, 2024
Both Tears and Ensley made their catches on the run from the centerfield position with major crashes into the wall early in the ballgame to set the tone for Tennessee.
Both catches also embody the fearless play that Tennessee has produced during their 2-0 run in the College World Series so far.
Tennessee currently leads Florida State by a score of 5-0 after three full innings played on Wednesday afternoon in Omaha. A Tennessee win would send the Vols to the College World Series finals against either Texas A&M or Florida this weekend.
Stay connected to Tennessee-Florida with Rocky Top Insider’s live on-site updates from Charles Schwab Stadium in Omaha.
