It almost sounds like a gag headline, don’t it? 47-31 Fresno State is your college baseball National Champion for 2008. As if Oregon State’s improbable back-to-back titles of 2006-2007 weren’t enough, now it’s the Bulldogs who are celebrating.
Anyone who ever chest-thumps or drones on about regular season stats, #1 rankings and how a National Championship is simply ‘expected’ after a promising January to May run, remember the past few years in Omaha.
Fresno State lost 12 of their first 20 games this seasons. They needed to WIN the Western Athletic Conference tournament just to MAKE the NCAA field of 64. The Bulldogs fought off elimination in the regionals and the super regionals and became the FIRST No. 4 seed to reach the College World Series since the tourney expanded in 1999.
The west coast ‘FSU’ jacked 14 home runs in seven CWS games. No other team in the field boasted more than six.
None of this makes Miami’s 1-2 run in Omaha any easier to swallow.
Even the fact that it was Georgia who Fresno State knocked out – twice.
It just proves that there are no gimmies in college baseball. No favorites. The only absolute is that nothing is certain.
Eight equally qualified teams reach Omaha and all start the tourney 0-0 and in need of a win to avoid elimination games the rest of the way to the championship series.
It’s about getting hot at the right time and in the post-season, Miami went ice cold while Fresno State was molten lava.
A lesson to be learned next time these Canes head to Rosenblatt.