Rematch

In a sport that has seen much more parity in recent years, the surprising has happened. This year’s College World Series championship series will be a rematch of the year before: the North Carolina Tar Heels and the defending champions, the Oregon State Beavers.

It’s the first time the same two teams will play each other two years in a row in the championship series since Southern California beat Arizona State in 1972-73. The Beavers will look to become the first repeat champions since LSU in 1996-97.

Interestingly enough, the final four teams in the brackets this year were almost exactly the same—North Carolina, Oregon State and Rice all made it that far last season, and both times the fourth team was a Big West team.

Far from its remarkable run last year, OSU had the easy road to the finals in the winner’s bracket. They clawed their way to the national championship last year from the loser’s bracket, where they fought to stay alive just one more day every game. The Beavers won the hearts of the Omaha faithful then, but this year is a far cry from last. Now, instead of being the underdog, they are considered the favorite. How quickly things change.

After easily dispatching Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State, Oregon State was sitting pretty at 2-0. A depleted and exhausted UC Irvine team, after two long and draining extra-innings wins to stave off elimination, was no match for the rested and rejuvenated Beavers, as OSU won in convincing fashion 7-1 Wednesday night behind a stellar performance from their ace, Daniel Turpen. The righthander twirled eight innings of five-hit, one-run ball, and closer Joe Paterson easily shut the door on the Anteaters.

It was the second-largest crowd in College World Series history, with 29,921 in attendance. Ironically, the only larger crowd was a year before in the very same game. Oregon State was playing then too, and the starter was none other than Turpen, who pitched another gem that night.

After their offense struggled against Michigan in the Corvallis Regional, the bats finally got hot upon arrival in Omaha. The biggest key to their offensive success so far has been the awakening of catcher Mitch Canham, who snapped out of a 6-for-36 slump by going 3-for-5 with three RBI in Wednesday’s game. Two of those ribbies came on a home run in the third inning and gave OSU a lead it would not relinquish. It was Canham’s first homer since May 18. As he rounded second, he said, “It’s about time.”

Shortstop Darwin Barney also contributed to the cause with a 3-for-5 night and two RBI. He’s been one of the hottest Beavers in postseason play.

Of course, nothing has been more important in Oregon State’s bid for the repeat than their pitching staff. The arms have been superb, and with a few days off to rest before Saturday’s championship series opener, the Beavers look to be the favorite.

However, there is no better motivation than revenge, and that will certainly be a factor for the Tar Heels. They will face a familiar foe in Oregon State, the team they succumbed to and watched celebrate a championship title with the final dog-pile of the season one year ago.

Many questions arose about the Heels’ pitching after the Regional performance against South Carolina, but those uncertainties seem to have been put to rest with some impressive outings in the CWS.

After winning their first game in Omaha against Mississippi State, they were pummeled by Rice on their way to the loser’s bracket. But UNC came back to knock out one of the darlings of this year’s tournament, Louisville, and keep their championship hopes alive.

They faced an uphill battle after that. They would need to beat national No. 2 seed Rice, who were undefeated in the tournament and also well-rested, twice in a row to advance. The Owls were the clear favorite here, but in the end, the Heels stunned them and sent them on their way.

Robert Woodard allowed one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings on the way to a 6-1 victory on Wednesday, and freshman first baseman Dustin Ackley broke out of his recent slump in a big way, going 2-for-5 and plating three RBI on his first round-tripper since May 11.

On Thursday, the Heels followed up their first convincing win over Rice with another. The offense put on some fireworks, blasting four home runs on the way to a 7-4 win. Starter Adam Warren pitched well, going 7-plus innings and giving up three runs on three hits, and closer Andrew Carignan finished off the game to earn his 18th save of the season.

So it comes down to this: the defending national champion against the team looking for revenge. The action starts Saturday, and you won’t want to miss a second of it.

End of the Road

Every year, the fans in Omaha seem to rally around the underdog, the team with a great story, and this year was no different. The scrappy, plucky, goofy kids of UC Irvine captured hearts across the nation during their improbable, thrilling postseason run.

The Anteaters did it with heart, with gripping walk-off wins in extra innings, complete with late-innings comebacks. They did it with personality, entertaining all with their batting-practice ESPN skits and quirky dugout rally traditions and Mortal Kombat handshakes and their lucky bat, the Red Eagle.

And they did it just years after their dormant baseball program was given new life. Coach Dave Serrano crafted the perfect program with the right recruits and the right coaches and the right mix of talent. The Eaters may not have been the best team in the tournament, but they were the best at their brand of baseball—efficiently scratching out runs small-ball style, exhibiting crisp defense to back up strong pitching.

Most teams in the College World Series usually have at least one easily-identifiable star; UCI had none. There was no one guy that stood out, no real power threat. And yet time and again they pulled off breathtaking comebacks.

This year, the Anteaters symbolized what the College World Series is all about. It’s about having fun, staying loose, enjoying what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s about the underdog snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and winning over an impartial crowd. But most of all, it’s about living and dying with each pitch, and thrilling walk-off victories that remind us all of exactly why we love this game.

After all, who doubted they could rally against Oregon State after their unlikely comeback the night before? Who didn’t feel that this was a team of destiny, sure to follow the footsteps of Oregon State last year and stun the nation? No one who followed UC Irvine’s magical run through the tournament will soon forget the team that made us all believe, if only for a while.

Have a question or comment for Shannon? Email her at shannonmccarthy@sportsgrumblings.com.