Is Bobda lurking on the NDNation, or did that thread make it to one of his Michigan boards. Can't say what Sid said though! I guess I'm rooting for Vandy, they are a private high academic school like the Irish so I can get behind that and turn a blind eye towards them being in the SEC.
but, but, but...it's TUN! I wonder if Woody ever rooted for Michigan in anything? I remember going to the 2005 Texas/Ohio State game in Columbus and even at that game there were vendors selling shirts with Muck Fichigan! I don't remember seeing any Beat Texas shirts....maybe that's why you didn't!
Congratulations to Vanderbilt. Outstanding team. Outstanding coach. Well deserved. Congratulations also to Michigan. Two excellent baseball programs. Great championship series.
Vanderbilt is a very solid baseball team and certainly played to their potential. Michigan just sort of ran out of gas, but really had a great run in the tournament.
Michigan had a great run, but we can't sell Vandy short. That is arguably the greatest team in the history of the SEC. Consider: -Record for most players drafted -Record for most wins in a season at 59. -Beat/Won every series against every SEC team this year. That had never been done before. All SEC records and some of them, they shattered. I give Michigan a lot of credit here. That's a team that would have won this thing most years. Michigan will be back.
Thanks for that analysis Corey. I do not follow college baseball closely so this topic has been a good source of info about college baseball.
You're welcome @Bobdawolverweasel !! I also forgot to add that they won the SEC Regular Season title as well as the SEC tournament. I think a real difference between Vandy and everyone else is the fact that they have 3 dominant, big-time MLB prospects starting for them and a legit MLB prospect senior at closer. (they used him last night) I cannot emphasize enough that Michigan has nothing to hang their heads about at all. The SEC Network had some interesting post-game stats. One was that in the last 10 years, the SEC East had won 5 World Series while the rest of college baseball has won 5. Of all those great programs, in a year in which great teams ran deep in the SEC, they all absolutely paled in comparison to Vandy. And as their head coach said after the game, Michigan gave them all that they wanted. There was real fear from Vandy about losing, which they hadn't really faced all year. The TV exposure for your program is going to give you a huge recruiting boost as well. You guys are going to be very good for a long time.
As always when somebody has a breakout season, like Michigan, you have to wonder if this is the start of a run like what Vanderbilt is on or will their coach be poached by a SEC or ACC or warm weather school somewhere and they have to start over with a new guy. Vanderbilt does seem poised to be one of the top teams in the country every year for a long time. They have the coach, they are in a good league, they have access to talent and they have a commitment to baseball and a process that helps them recruit in spite of the high cost of attending Vanderbilt with only partial scholarships to give out.
An amazing run by Michigan... I first noticed Vanderbilt when the Dodgers began drafting their players. One of them is our starting pitcher tonight: Walker Buehler.
Interesting article about Tech in baseball. I never really considered the impact of this on College baseball but the NYTimes has an article on this and the gist of the article is that Vanderbilt is on the leading edge of this and it's one of the things that is driving their success. That article is behind a paywall but there is another article on the same topic that I'll link. Texas has invested in a lot of tech and they will have a new facility ready for this fall that will have all the latest stuff. https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/06/26/college-baseball-the-next-tech-frontier/
Didn't know they had a CWS HOF...but Huston Street was named to it... AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Baseball great Huston Street will be inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame on June 29 in Omaha, Neb., the Hall announced Tuesday. Street, along with Eddie Bane (Arizona State), will be recognized in front of the fans at the 10th annual Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans College Home Run Derby and on ESPN2 during the event’s live broadcast. Established in 2013 to celebrate college baseball's rich history, the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame honors the incredible achievements of the players and coaches on college baseball’s greatest stage, the College World Series. Inductees are voted on by a panel of college baseball experts that includes former players, coaches and national college baseball media members. Street is the sixth former Texas player or coach to be inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame, following Augie Garrido, Brooks Kieschnick, Cliff Gustafson, Burt Hooton and Keith Moreland. Street is the all-time College World Series leader in saves with five, and set the single-series record of four in 2002. He was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player as Texas claimed the national championship in 2002. Street and the Longhorns returned to the College World Series in 2003 and 2004, and he would finish his College World Series career with 10 all-time appearances. In his three trips to Omaha, Street surrendered just three earned runs in 16.2 innings pitched, good for a 1.62 ERA. In 2010, he was named to the College World Series Legends Team. A three-time All-American, Street finished his Texas career with a school-record 41 saves to go along with a 1.31 ERA, which ranks second in Texas history. He was selected with the 40th pick in the 2004 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, and quickly made his mark on the major league level by winning the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year award. He played 13 seasons in the major leagues, amassing 324 career saves, and was a two-time All-Star. With a Hall that boasts many of the game’s most-recognizable names, including an inaugural Class of coaches Rod Dedeaux and Augie Garrido, and players Bob Horner, Brooks Kieschnick, Robin Ventura and Dave Winfield, the induction of All-Americans Bane and Street add to an accomplished list of recent inductees. Former college stars Terry Francona, Nomar Garciaparra, Pat Burrell and Fred Lynn have each been honored in recent years. @JosephCook89