The redemptive qualities of baseball are well documented. They are among the most attractive elements of the sport. The potential for these qualities to be on display prominently at this year’s College World Series? Strong. Perhaps even far greater than usual.
Think of Arkansas. The Hogs are back in Omaha nearly a year to the day after a heartbreaking national runner-up finish. Razorback Nation had their hands all but wrapped around the trophy in the most recent edition of the grueling pursuit of glory that is the NCAA Baseball Tournament. But for the apparent final out landing foul in Game Two of the National Championship Series, the “OmaHogs” would be returning to college baseball’s pinnacle as defenders of the title.
Ponder the career of Mike Martin. For all its highs, and there have been four decades worth of historic highs, the one missing piece is the National Championship. The long-time Florida State head coach doesn’t need it for his role in the history and growth of the sport to be set in stone, but that doesn’t make him want it any less.
Success in Omaha is so often elusive, even for the game’s all-time winningest skipper. Imagine the celebration at TD Ameritrade Park and all across the landscape of baseball if the seventeenth trip is in fact the charm for “Eleven” and a College World Series title becomes the final chapter in his one-of-a-kind journey.
Mississippi State is a team on the unfinished business tour. Remember the rally banana fever this team brought to the Midwest a season ago? The club was firmly in the driver’s seat on their side of the bracket before eventual champion Oregon State knocked them from that perch en route to the title.
The adversity that comes with navigating constant change brought about by playing for four different coaches in their college careers has not stalled the progress of this talented and resilient bunch. The Starkville crew believes they still have much to prove. Their eyes are squarely on the prize in an effort to close the deal this time around.
Louisville and Texas Tech are suddenly making standing hotel reservations here each June, reaching Omaha as often as not in recent years. Yet, both have found it difficult to get over the hump in CWS play. Each time these new baseball powers have arrived here in pursuit of the title someone else has pitched just a little better or secured the timely hit that has eluded both programs to this point.
It’s a game of failure. The best of the best fail seven times out of ten and are successful at the plate somewhere around three. It prepares one for the challenges of life itself.
Auburn traveled the path of redemption just to get here. War Eagle nation looked on in pain as a walk-off home run, in and out of right-fielder Steven Willams’ glove before clearing the fence, prevented a trip to Omaha in ‘18. Their Tigers ended up being the final team eliminated in the Super Regional round a year ago when the ball simply bounced the wrong way late on a fateful Monday night in Gainesville.
Now consider that none other than that very same outfielder, Steven Williams secured his own walk-off home run to complete the miracle comeback which eventually propelled Auburn to the championship of the Atlanta Regional. Taking it one step further, the pitcher who gave up that unusual home run last season, Cody Greenhill, was the “on the hill” for the Super Regional clinching moment in Chapel Hill.
The spiritual connotations are clear. Moments like these often leave baseball fans speechless, with much to contemplate. It becomes nearly impossible not to ponder the deeper questions which transcend sport.
The Tigers have handled an entirely different brand of off-the-field adversity. Just prior to the start of their post-season run, long-time radio broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife were taken from the Auburn family as result of a tragic car accident. He had provided the Auburn fan base a consistent voice for such triumphant moments since 1993.
The heavy-hearted student-athletes on the Auburn roster have been instructed admirably by their coaching staff to honor the memory of an Auburn hero and never exploit it. Incredibly wise counsel for everyone involved, this solid advice should be heeded in all such circumstances.
War Eagle nation had to look no further than a familiar rival from their own conference for inspiration and insight. The Vanderbilt family knows such pain all too well. Nashville’s own have stepped off the bus in college baseball’s promised land for the first time since similar tragedy also struck the VandyBoys.
Three short years ago, just as the Road To Omaha was about to be embarked upon with the highest of hopes as a defending champion, news began to trickle in of freshman pitcher Donny Everett’s untimely passing. Again, it is worth a reminder that the focus must be to celebrate the life, to honor the memory, and most importantly to never exploit the circumstances.
It is hard though, not to believe something extra special has been a part of guiding such teams successfully, often even somewhat miraculously down the Road To Omaha. Consider the nature of their journey.
With elimination on the horizon, Vandy saw a young pitcher provide the spark, delivering the school’s first individual no-hitter since the early 1970’s to battle back and punch its ticket here. With the flip of the home run script, Auburn ultimately found its way back home to the College World Series for the first time in twenty-two years.
Ah, the “Road To Omaha,” the path to a championship, it is a long and winding one. Inherent in that path are pitfalls and pain. However, for those willing to step up to the plate, the rewards are priceless.
In a year marked by the running theme of redemption, should fans be surprised if this final NCAA championship of the 2018-2019 athletic season follows one more redemptive tune?
After all, Tony Bennett’s Virginia Cavaliers hoisted the trophy at the 2019 Final Four just one year removed from being on the undesirable side of history. The two schools Virginia faced in Minneapolis (Texas Tech, Auburn), have made the trip to Omaha as well. Perhaps a bit of Foreshadowing?
This tournament, with its magical moments and Cinderella stories, with its heart-stopping turns and improbable finishes, can be likened to March Madness in so many ways. It might be worth expecting, or at least considering, a fitting follow up.
The message from this season’s unique group of College World Series coaches has been clear and consistent. Do not be defined by the past. This is your new day, your fresh chance. The challenge has been laid out there plainly. Write your own story. Across the next two weeks someone will.
Photo courtesy Leah Carmen / Eye On CWS