Arkansas Razorbacks (SEC) vs Oregon State Beavers (Pac 12)2018 National Championship Series
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Game 1 – ARKANSAS 4 OREGON STATE 1
(Razorbacks lead 1-0)
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Game 2 – OREGON STATE 5 ARKANSAS 3
(Series tied 1-1)
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Game 3 – OREGON STATE 5 ARKANSAS 0
A kid named Clemens occupies the third spot the lineup for the first game of this Fathers Day twin-bill. He serves as a reminder of what this game is all about. He serves as a reminder of things that transcend baseball, even amidst the glamour of a stage like Omaha.
Every other day Kody Clemens is a solid college baseball player, a golden spikes candidate with a smooth fielding style and powerful stroke at the plate. On this day, he is a son following in the footsteps of his father.
His dad, whom you may have heard of somewhere along the way, is left to roam the concourse in faithful support of his youngest son. This is just the latest story which brings the impact of the game of baseball on father’s and their sons into focus.
Accomplished in all aspects valued highly by the culture to which he became an icon, Roger Clemens today simply looks on with the nervous anticipation of a father. A Hall of Fame caliber talent turned parental spectator, the Rocket’s approach today is no different than that of everyone else across the heartland of America.
Eyes may be watching baseball, but all hearts are zeroed squarely in on the family relationships that stand as the essence of who we are.
Family ties run strong in the Texas dugout on this particular Sunday. Just a glance that direction reveals the trademark #16 of Augie Garrido on the top step. The legendary Longhorn and Titan skipper who passed away earlier this season was for decades a steady and consistent father figure to everyone wearing burnt orange.
In many ways, the veteran coach was that and much more to his peers gathered here in Omaha, even to countless others across the college game. The uniform he helped make famous is being proudly worn by David Pierce during the ‘Horns current CWS run, a tribute from the man responsible for his legacy. It remains Augie’s team, through them his legacy truly lives on.
The Father’s Day connections extend well beyond the ball club from deep in the heart of the Lone Star State.
Tim Tadlock’s crew hails from a little further west in the dusty panhandle town of Lubbock, yet his opening statement in the pre-series press conference echoed these very same sentiments.
He started with a heartfelt thank you to the players families, detailing their commitment and pointing specifically in that direction when attempting to answer the question of how his team has been transformed into a consistent force on the college landscape.
Tadlock also remembered the former Head Coach of his rival from Austin with these words, “no matter the situation it seemed as if he was always there in the background, in many ways I believe he still is.”
Such is the case all across this country and around the world for those whose father’s cannot be physically present with them on this day. Their presence is always there, always will be.
This is mindful of a much sadder note. UNC head coach Mike Fox informed the baseball world last night following his team’s win to open the College World Series that a former Tarheel and his father passed away just this week in a tragic automobile accident back home.
Everyone in Omaha will play on with somewhat heavy hearts as thoughts remain with the Carolina family. Tragedies like these place things completely in perspective. Baseball is baseball, Life is life.
It is important, on this day of all days, to pause long enough and be reminded that life is precious. It is often more fleeting than realized. This knowledge puts a premium on opportunities to seize each new day.
Embracing this unique moment is exactly what one father-son combo has been looking forward to since childhood. Across years of development and preparation the potential for a baseball dream now realized was surely in mind.
Ponder for a bit the yet unwritten chapter of their time together in Omaha.
Few images provide a vintage baseball feel like “Casey at the bat.” If Joe Casey work his way there at some point during this trip to the midwest he will do so for his father. The elder Casey will share his son’s pride and his uniform, looking on from the prime perch of the Oregon State dugout.
Whatever the outcome of a plate appearance destined to be far bigger than the game itself, the joy in Mudville, at least Mudville northwest, will be unspeakable.
Though not in the everyday lineup, Joe Casey sees regular playing time for Pat Casey’s club. What a thrill it must be to stand shoulder to shoulder with the man who raised you on college baseball’s biggest stage, if only for a moment in time.
On this Father’s Day weekend, such storylines, varied as they may be, come together as a solid reminder to make the most of each moment. Much like the distinct nature of each game to be played across the next couple of weeks, these moments which build a life will never return quite like this again.
What a tool this game, our national pastime, has been across multiple generations for cultivating those things which really matter in life. For many, it remains a valuable resource to build relationships, communicate values, to strengthen the foundational bonds of family that connect us with one another for all of time. What a catalyst this game can be for memories yet made, future memories, which will last a lifetime.
In America, where a game of catch in the backyard or a glance up in the stands for approval provide lasting connections with the man many proudly call daddy, a day like today in Omaha is priceless.
Baseball has always been about the connection between father’s and their children. So here’s to our dads, a day like today in Omaha is for you. Embrace and Enjoy!
Notes
(Roger and Kody Clemens became the thirteenth father/son combination to appear in the College World Series. Roger’s name appears on the list twice, his son Kacey also played in Omaha for Texas in 2014. The Rocket made his CWS debut in 1982, pitching for Texas in back to back seasons at historic Rosenblatt Stadium)
(Augie Garrido brought fifteen teams to Omaha during his legendary career marked by extended coaching tenures at Cal Sate Fullerton and Texas. Garrido won five National Championships. He was College Baseball’s all-time winningest coach at the time of his passing in March of this year. Augie ended his career with 1,975 coaching victories and countless lives impacted through the game of baseball)
>The field is set
This year’s grouping features half of the top eight seeds selected prior to the NCAA Tournament. Six of the eight schools were #1 seeds, hosting regionals as one of sixteen squads seeded nationally. Just one #2 seed and one #3 seed made it through the regional and super regional rounds on the road to reach the College World Series.
Remaining national seeds: (1) Florida (3) Oregon State (5) Arkansas (6) UNC (9) Texas Tech (13) Texas
>The teams are high-profile
All eight schools come from Power 5 conferences. The fact that Washington and Mississippi State are considered this season’s Cinderella clubs speaks to the major programs on hand in Omaha.
The conference breakdown: SEC (3) Big 12 (2) Pac 12 (2) ACC (1)
>The champs are back
Florida earned the right to defend its title. The Gators are hoping to become the first team since South Carolina in 2010-2011 to repeat. (Ironically, it was the Gators who the Gamecocks defeated in ’11 for the second title in the first season the series was played at TD Ameritrade Park). Accomplishing the feat would make Florida just the eighth team all-time to go back to back.
>The ‘Horns have returned
What a season it has been in Austin. Texas’ return to glory saw to it that every recruiting class signed by their legendary late head coach, Augie Garrido, made the journey to baseball’s promised land. This marks the thirty-sixth trip for the Longhorns, by far the most for any school in the country. A familiar name in the Lone Star State, Clemens, in this case Kody, has been the major catalyst. The irony, it is the offense of this particular Clemens which has led the way.
>The field is short on prior winners
Only Texas (six time champs), Oregon State (two time champs) and Florida (last year’s champs) have won a CWS. While teams like Arkansas, Missisiippi State and North Carolina are perennial contenders, they all fall into the “close but no cigar” category to this point. Texas Tech may be an upstart, but Tim Tadlock’s team has been a consistent arrival across the last several seasons. This leaves Washington as the lone team experiencing Omaha for the very first time.
>The weather could be a major factor
As if the new downtown ballpark doesn’t already place a premium on power, historically hot temperatures and high winds from the south are expected for the start of the championship tournament. How this affects the uptick in homers across the last couple of seasons since the NCAA’s movement to a tighter seemed baseball is a storyline everyone is watching. This will be especially impactful when considering the offensive prowess of the teams on hand for 2018.
>The first round matchups are full of engaging storylines
Whether you prefer championship series rematches, historic old conference rivals, or teams that have squared off in Omaha in recent editions of the tournament; the opening weekend is right up your alley. It’s always hard to know what further storylines will develop, yet just a glance at the first four games on the bracket reveals more than enough to whet the appetite of any college baseball fan.
>The trip itself is the prize
Yes, everyone is focused on winning a championship, as they should be, yet every year baseball fans are reminded how difficult it has become just to survive the early rounds of the tournament and advance to Omaha. It is “lifetime special.” So if your team made the trip, enjoy what his already been accomplished and brace yourself for the ride that follows. As one coach put it in the pre-series press conferences, “Once you get here, anything can happen.”
Photo courtesy: Leah Carmen / Patterson Communications
The National Championship Series is an All-Southeastern Conference affair pitting #3 National Seed Florida against #4 National Seed LSU for the title.
This much is known for sure…
Here’s the key info…
The Teams:
TD Amertirade Park braces for the start of the 2017 National Championship Series. (Photo Courtesy: Leah Carmen)
It’s down to College Baseball’s Final Four…
All four remaining teams were selected to the tournament as national seeds– Oregon State #1 / Florida #3 / LSU #4 / TCU #6
In fact, heading into Friday’s semi-finals the higher seed (favorite) has won EVERY game in this year’s College World Series. Four further observations…
A handful of notes about the symmetry of the semi-final matchups…
-One side of the bracket boasts former champions, LSU (6) vs Oregon State (2); the other side has a pair of title hungry programs (Florida, TCU). Fans are guaranteed an engaging “have” versus “have not” finals battle.
-The Beavers remain the favorite. Oregon State last won the title ten years ago. They are looking to celebrate the tenth anniversary of back to back championship with a return to the title series.
-Though six-time champions, LSU, like Oregon State, is in search of its initial title in this ballpark. The Tigers last won the championship in 2009, two seasons before the move downtown.
-TCU has reached Omaha four straight years (longest active streak) and the semi-finals for a second straight season. It’s a bit of role reversal for the Frogs. They were beaten twice by Coastal Carolina on the way to the Chanticleers crown last year. They now need to accomplish the same feat this time around versus the Gators.
-Florida and TCU have experienced more success than anyone in the country since Omaha’s new ballpark opened in 2011 in terms of getting here and staying here, but both are still in search of their respective program’s first national titles.
-TCU has never played in the National Championship Series. Florida last did so in 2011, losing to SEC rival South Carolina.
-Speaking of the SEC, there exists the potential for another All-SEC Championship Series showdown. The Southeastern Conference is the only conference with two clubs still alive (Florida and LSU).
-If two games are played on Saturday they will begin at 3PM & 8PM ET. If only one game is required it will start at 8PM. Oregon State and Florida will be the designated home teams for Friday with those roles reversing on Saturday if necessary.
17 Nuggets and storylines from the first four contest of 2017
The opening weekend of the CWS is in the books. (Photo courtesy: Leah Carmen)
Fathers and Sons enjoying college baseball’s biggest stage. The images alone tell the story.
Thanks are in order to all the Dads who’ve placed us on their shoulders and led the way!
Success is simply making it here. It serves college baseball fans well to first remember that each club in the College World Series has already won a great deal. In many cases, multiple championships have been secured en route to Omaha. With the passion and pride inherent in college athletics, it is easy to let the disappointment of an unfavorable outcome in Omaha reign if anything less than the National Championship Trophy is attained. Whatever happens across the next two weeks, only one team will walk away with that trophy. Seven clubs will load the buses just short of this particular goal. Time will ease the pain, however, with the realization that each of these clubs will go down in history among the very few who were able to live the college game’s biggest dream, simply by surviving to play on this, its biggest stage.
Power Matchups. If Cinderellas are your thing, hopefully you enjoyed the Regionals and the 2016 edition of the tournament. None remain this time around. Five of the eight national seeds and seven clubs from power conferences (SEC-3, ACC-2, Big12-1, Pac12-1) punched tickets to the 2017 College World Series. A total of 12 national titles belong to the combo of LSU (6), Cal State Fullerton (4), and Oregon State (2), while the full field owns a combined 90 College World Series appearances. Matchups like LSU vs FSU, Florida vs TCU, Louisville vs Texas A&M and a battle of former champs Cal State Fullerton and Oregon St are the type marquee battles generally reserved for later in the bracket, yet all of these will occur across the opening weekend. Baseball fans are assured of a power packed Championship Series no matter who remains when the dust settles.
Power Surge. More home runs have been hit in this season’s NCAA Tournament than at any time during the “new bat era.” Credit may very well go to the “flat seamed” baseball, which has provided an uptick in home runs, as well as, strikeouts across the last couple of seasons. For this reason, power surge could easily refer to both pitching and hitting. The major question, will it translate to TD Ameritrade Park ? In its seven years of existence, Omaha’s new downtown yard has trended as a pitcher’s paradise. The park has produced 16 shutouts and 31 one-run contests in that small sample size. With the 2017 tournament field boasting the lowest combined team E.R.A. (2.42) in CWS history, the emerging offensive numbers will be put to the test. Just think back to the 2016 edition’s record setting seventeen total games and how low scoring each of them were. Power hitting meets power arms once teams make it this deep into the tournament. What gives?
The Elusive Title. Mike Martin is an Omaha legend, though he—like the Seminoles he has once again led here—is still in search of a first College World Series title. Florida state now owns the longest active streak of tournament appearances, making the NCAA field 40 consecutive seasons. The Seminoles twenty-two trips to the midwest are also more than anyone else in Division 1 baseball without a title. The skipper first brought a team here in 1980 and is making trip number sixteen of his own. The ‘Noles bitter rival is on the other side of the bracket and in the midst of a run which includes 6 appearances in the last ten seasons, yet Florida has experienced as much disappointment as anyone in recent CWS memory. While the Gators have more than once been considered the favorite to win the crown, heartbreak has reigned to the tune of five consecutive one-run losses in Omaha. TCU may be a newer arrival on the national scene, but the Horned Frogs are the only club in the field with four straight championship tournament appearances. Jim Scholossnagle’s senior class is facing one final shot at that elusive title.
A Season for the Ages. That is what Oregon State is chasing. If the Beavers turn this year’s trip into a third College World Series title, they will go down in history with the top single season winning percentage in College Baseball’s modern era (eclipsing the .934 mark set by the Texas Longhorns in 1982). Pat Casey’s club has lost just four times all season and is perfect in NCAA tourney action (entering play Saturday with a winning pct of .931). Easily the favorite to win in this year’s tournament, Oregon State has been a consensus number one the majority of the season and is riding a twenty-one game winning streak coming into the 2017 College World Series.
Those Pesky Distractions. Blocking them out is the key to success in Omaha according to the eight coaches which led teams to baseball’s promised land this year. Distractions were a major topic of conversation in both pre-series press conferences. By now fans are familiar with the plight of both Oregon State’s program and Louisville’s athletic department heading into this weekend’s games. Unfortunately, off the field issues such as these can end up hanging like a bit of a dark cloud over the on-field accomplishments of these championship caliber teams. The challenge comes with blocking out the noise and focusing on the fundamentals of winning baseball. It’s not just items with the potential for scandal, however, that scream for attention. Signing autographs, buying souvenirs, securing tickets for family and friends, even making sure to hit the proper Omaha restaurants and midwestern sight seeing spots while in town can become focal points which take attention away from the main task to be handled at TD Ameritrade Park. There may not be many things on which each coach who has ever brought a team to this city would unanimously agree, but at least one is the absolute necessity of blocking out all these distractions. The team most capable of doing so consistently across the next two weeks will likely hoist the trophy.
Enjoy The Moment. Yes, there will be other tournaments. Of course, there will be other champions, yet the 2017 edition of the College World Series happens just this once. It is a once in a lifetime experience for these players and coaches. It can be a once in a lifetime experience for many of the fans. Most importantly, as baseball often does, it will likely provide a moment or two like no other…perhaps one which will stand for all of time.
Play Ball. At the end of the day, despite all its pageantry, in all its simplicity, it’s still just baseball. The stage may be bigger, the lights may be brighter, the stakes may be higher; but it remains the game of our childhood. It remains the game we love. Reduced to the basics, it’s still about seeing the ball, hitting the ball and catching the ball. It’s still just baseball. That’s what makes it great. In fact, here in Omaha, it’s known as the “Greatest Show On Dirt.”
Key info on the Omaha Eight…
Game 1 * Saturday 3PM ET
Game 2 * Saturday 8PM ET
Game 3 * Sunday 1PM ET
Game 4 * Sunday 7PM ET
