For those who don’t really follow college baseball, the College World Series is an event that has it’s own character. Eight teams compete for the national championship each year in Omaha in a double elimination tournament. The two teams that survive the double elimination then play a best of three series. This year two of the eight teams weren’t supposed to even come close to sniffing the infield grass in Omaha.
photo credit: sbnation.com
Stony Brook shocked the college baseball world on Sunday, knocking of powerhouse LSU. Then on Monday Kent State took down Oregon to earn their trip. Stony Brook is the first team from New York to make it to the CWS since St. Johns did it in 1980. Kent State is the first MAC school to get this far since Eastern Michigan did it in 1976. So let’s just say these aren’t your momma’s college baseball powers.
Both Kent State and Stony Brook are playing in a field where all the other schools are from major conferences. Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Florida State, UCLA and South Carolina round out the teams in the CWS. South Carolina is the two time defending champions. It hasn’t been that rare in recent years for one dark horse to make it to Omaha. Oregon State and Fresno State won the whole thing despite being lower seeds. What makes the Golden Flashes and Seawolves run so intriguing is that they both made it in the same year.
If you are a fan of college sports and don’t normally watch the College World Series, perhaps it is worth your time to start watching. We have two teams who no one in their right mind picked to make it this far. We have a team in South Carolina looking for a three-peat. We have the Florida Gators who are the #1 overall seed heading into this tournament. The CWS is always fun to watch, but this year will be extra special. The hard part will be finding a dark horse to root for. Will it be Kent State or Stony Brook. If you love the underdog this is a great time of year.
Ari Russell
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