Salute to college baseball’s mid-majors
The College World Series has become one of the most fun events in NCAA sports, because of who has been winning it. The last six years, the champions have been Cal State-Fullerton, Rice, Texas, Oregon State twice in a row and Fresno State.
That’s three mid-major champs out of six years, plus a two-time winner from out of the Sun Belt.
Six years, only one upper-crust champion, the Longhorns.
You don’t get that kind of parity in football or basketball. In football, it’s a breakthrough if a mid-major wins a BCS bowl (like Boise State over Oklahoma or Utah over Alabama) or even gets an invitation. In basketball, it’s a huge accomplishment if a mid-major reaches the Final Four (George Mason).
But baseball habitually not only provides us a Cinderella story, but a couple. And they often come through.
This year, two mid-majors reached Omaha. Alas, their stays were short. Southern Mississippi and Cal State-Fullerton both were eliminated in two games, Fullerton on Monday and Southern on Tuesday.
But this Omaha era was a terrific ride by mid-majors. College baseball has periodically provided America with a little-guy champion. Fullerton in 1979, 1984 and 1995. Wichita State in 1989. Pepperdine in 1992. Then this run, punctuated by Fresno State, which last season was a No. 4 seed in its regional, which means the baseball committee did not consider the Bulldogs among the top 48 teams in America. That’s the equivalent of a 13 or 14 seed winning the NCAA basketball tournament.
Even in this disappointing season, mid-majors, we salute you.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
CUSA has been a Top 5 RPI league in baseball each of the past four seasons – it is NOT a mid-major in baseball. The “Big Six” baseball conferences are the SEC, ACC, Pac 10, Big 12, CUSA, and Big West.
If you want to use the term in baseball, the Big 10 and Big East are examples of “mid-major” conferences.
The definition of a mid-major has changed. It originally stood for teams in a league that did not participate in Division I-A (FBS) football. The term seems to have changed to mean any non-BCS Division I school. If you have a major and a mid-major, then who the hell is a low major? Is that a Valpo or a George Mason? But are they not considered mid-majors?
If it weren’t for Texas, the Big 12 would be a mid major in baseball. Since the formation of the conference, the little 11 have exactly one win in Omaha – by Baylor on a walk-off error. Everyone else is 0-fer.
The Big 12 has sent 1 team to Omaha in the past 4 years – UT this year. Contrast that to CUSA who has had a team in the CWS in 4 of the last 4 years (and sent 3 different teams in the past 5 years), or the Big West who has sent 4 representatives in the past 4 years.
Save the BCS and midmajor nonsense for football season where ut belongs. Follow college baseball for more than 2 weekends a year, learn something, and then run your yap. I have a hard time believing that with all the downsizing occurring in print journalism, that the Oklahoman can’t find a remotely competent replacement for you.
LOL for calling Fullerton a “MID MAJOR”. Berry, this isn’t football with its billion dollar revenues. You are totally clueless about NCAA baseball.
Yo, douche bag. C-USA is NOT a mid-major baseball conference. If anyone is, it’s the Big 10 and Big East. Do some research before you go letting vomit spew from the tips of your fingers!