A NEW FRONTIER
Sam Houston State savors its first trip to a super regional.
This isn’t supposed to happen.
Sam Houston State never had survived a regional before, despite qualifying in four of the past five seasons, and, in fact, no Southland Conference team had ever made the NCAA super regionals.
“It’s only impossible until somebody does it,” coach Matt Deggs said. Anything is possible today. The mighty mid-major found redemption twice against No. 18 Arizona, which ended its run last year, then shocked No. 5 Texas Tech two times to secure its first regional title and a place in the super 16.
The unranked Bearkats (44-21) face No. 16 Florida State at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Tallahassee super regional.
“This is for all our great administrators, all our great donors and alumni, and all the players, teams and coaches who’ve gone before,” Deggs said. “It’s for all the Southland Conference, for that matter.”
“The Southland Conference is a great league, and I felt like there should have been three teams in a regional this year. McNeese State should have been in a regional, so this is for everybody, and yeah we feel the love and support from all of Houston, all of Texas, and definitely all the teams in our league.”
Mid-majors emerging
Deggs predicted an historic breakthrough last year after watching UC Santa Barbara and Coastal Carolina make their first College World Series appearances, and seeing Coastal Carolina win it all.
The Chanticleers upset Arizona twice in the 2016 CWS
championship series.
“We’re entering an age where it’s possible for multiple mid-majors to get to Omaha in a year,” Deggs said last June after his second season at Sam Houston State. “Is this year just an (aberration)?
“I think this will be more of a trend than a fad. I think it’s something that is on the horizon.”
The Bearkats still have to survive the Seminoles in hostile territory at Dick Howser Stadium to reach the CWS, but they’ve already proved they have the prowess to hang with the Power 5 programs.
Their training and tenacity overcame the bigger schools’ talent in Lubbock.
“This team is by far the biggest thing I’ve been a part of,” said first baseman Hunter Hearn, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs in Monday’s 4-3 win over Tech that clinched the regional championship.
“We played this whole week like we weren’t afraid to lose,” said catcher Robie Rojas, one of seven Bearkats on the all-regional team. “We weren’t afraid to go home. No matter what, we love each other.
“When you play without a fear of losing … you can do things like this.”
Hard work pays off
They certainly weren’t afraid of Arizona, which ended their season with 7-3 and 6-5 decisions last year in Lafayette, La.
But Deggs said this trip wasn’t about revenge against the Cats.
It was always about his Kats showing up.
“Initially, we wanted to make this about Arizona, but it wasn’t about Arizona,” he said. “It was about winning a regional, so you’ve got to take the name on the jersey off of it and just play the game of baseball, and see how well we can play together as a team. And so it wasn’t anything about Arizona.
“They just happened to be a ballclub we had to face a couple of times.”
Sam Houston prevailed 5-4 in its Lubbock opener with Arizona on Rojas’ threerun homer and the inspired efforts of six pitchers. Then, after a 6-0 setback against Texas Tech, the Bearkats eliminated last year’s CWS runnerup with a 9-3 win fueled by Rojas’ second super showing.
That win propelled the Kats to the regional final, where they beat the Red Raiders on their home field, winning 9-8 and 4-3.
“It was total euphoria,” Deggs said. “When you’ve worked as hard as they’ve worked to accomplish something that’s never been accomplished, it’s a feeling you can’t describe.”
All hands on deck
Sam Houston beat the odds in more ways than one.
It was out-hit in its last three regional games, including 12-8 in Monday’s clincher — and won them all.
“We might have gotten out-hit, but we did a great job of reaching base, executing and getting two-out knocks,” Deggs said. “Two-out RBIs are back-breakers.”
The Bearkats also used at least five pitchers in three of the five games, and none of their starters won.
Riley Cooper, named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player, won three times in relief, and freshman Nick Mikolajchak, from Klein Collins, picked up three saves, including his 13th of the season Monday.
“(Mikolajchak’s) got big cojones for a freshman,” Deggs said. “He loves that moment. He loves the big stage and likes the bright lights as much as any kid I’ve ever had.”
The lights only get brighter from here, but the Bearkats refuse to be blinded.
“This team can go to Omaha,” Deggs said. “You’re going to have to catch some breaks (this) week, and you’re going to have to play your best ball of the year, but this team is capable of going to Omaha.”