Coastal Carolina University wins College World Series on first trip
OMAHA, Neb. — Coastal Carolina University baseball coach Gary Gilmore often said he just wanted his team to reach the College World Series. Until this week, he never imagined the Chanticleers would do so much more.
When they return to Conway, S.C., it will be with the school’s first national championship in any sport.
The Chanticleers beat Arizona 4-3 Thursday in the deciding third game of the College World Series finals, capitalizing on two errors on the same play to score four unearned runs in the sixth inning of a game delayed a day by bad weather. It was worth the wait. “Whenever I die, I’ll know this group of guys here, they willed themselves to be the national champion,” Gilmore said. “It was just meant to be, no doubt. If there is such a thing as a team of destiny, this group is it.”
Coastal Carolina (55-18) became the first team since Minnesota in 1956 to win the title in its first CWS appearance. Arizona (49-24) was trying for its second national title since 2012, but the Wildcats came up just short in a season in which they were picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12.
“Amazing season, and they’re a deserving champion,” first-year Wildcats coach Jay Johnson said of the Chanticleers. “We played as good as we possibly could this year, and they’re the best team we’ve played, in my opinion.”
Andrew Beckwith (15-1), the national leader in wins, went 5 2/3 innings after pitching two complete games and picked up his third victory of the CWS. Named the most outstanding player, he was happy to turn the
“WHENEVER I DIE, I’LL KNOW THIS GROUP OF GUYS HERE, THEY WILLED THEMSELVES TO BE THE NATIONAL CHAMPION.” —COASTAL CAROLINA COACH GARY GILMORE
spotlight on Gilmore.
“He’s been coaching for 21 years, and he deserves every bit of it,” Beckwith said. “We got him to Omaha and we got him a national championship. The senior class, the hard work in the fall, the dedication of the guys who don’t play much, it doesn’t go unnoticed. It was a full team effort the whole College World Series, and we got it done.”
Alex Cunningham earned his first save, striking out Ryan Haug with a full-count fastball to end the game after Arizona pulled within a run in the bottom of the ninth. When Haug swung and missed, Cunningham turned to his dugout, beat his chest with his fist three times and saluted before flipping his glove away to start the celebration.
“The running joke is that in high school I lost the state championship three times in a row,” Cunningham said. “I was not going to lose this one, I promise you that.”
In addition to breaking through for the school, the championship was the first in a team sport in the 33-year history of the Big South Conference, which had about eight hours to savor the accomplishment. The Chanticleers become members of the Sun Belt Conference today.
“This program has been a lot better than people give it credit for,” Gilmore said. “They thought we played in a small conference and couldn’t get this done. This bunch wanted to prove everybody wrong.”
Arizona started the day with just two errors in seven CWS games, but second baseman Cody Ramer committed two on the same play in the sixth inning. He couldn’t get a handle on a grounder, allowing David Parrett to score from third. Then Ramer tried to get Michael Paez running from second to third but overthrew Kyle Lewis. That allowed Paez to come home.
G.K. Young then launched a no-doubt homer into the seats above the right-field bullpen for a 4-0 lead.
“It’s the best feeling of my life,” Young said. “I’m trying not to cry right now. Just dreaming of that in my head since I was 10 years old, hitting a home run in the College World Series. I never would have thought it would come in the championship game.”
The Wildcats cut the lead in half with two unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning against a tiring Beckwith.