Virginia’s Michaels gives dad a victory

OMAHA, NEB.» Logan Michaels gave his dad one of the greatest Father’s Day gifts imaginable Sunday.

In his first College World Series at-bat, the light-hitting catcher for Virginia homered for the first time this season. Jeff Michaels, a threeyear pancreatic cancer survivor, was there to see his son do it — and more — in the Cavaliers’ 6-0 victory over Tennessee.

After the game, television cameras showed a beaming Jeff Michaels holding the treasured ball in the stands behind the Virginia dugout.

“For someone to bring him the home run ball, and obviously for it to happen on Father’s Day and at the College World Series — definitely a special moment for our family and for my dad and I,” Logan said.

Logan Michaels hit Chad Dallas’ hanging breaking ball out to left in the second inning for only his second homer in 343 at-bats since he joined the Cavaliers in 2019. His RBI single to center began a fourrun seventh inning, and he singled and scored the Cavs’ final run in the ninth.

“When I hit that over the fence, I instantly started thinking about my dad,” Logan said. “I was sitting in the dugout after it happened and I got pretty emotional. For him to be here, for what he went through in the past, just for him to be able to see that, I couldn’t ask for any more.”

While Michaels provided a good portion of the offense, Andrew Abbott was at his best on the mound. The senior left-hander pitched six shutout innings and Matt Wyatt finished against what had been a powerful Tennessee offense averaging eight runs with 16 homers in its first five NCAA Tournament games.

Mississippi state 2, texas 1. Will Bednar struck out a career-high 15 over six innings, the most at the College World Series in 25 years, and Mississippi State held off Texas 2-1 on Sunday night.

Bednar and Landon Sims set a CWS team record, combining for 21 strikeouts, and the Bulldogs (4616) ran their season total to a Division I record-tying 766.

Bednar’s total was the highest by an individual since Clemson’s Kris Benson struck out 15 against Miami in 1996.

No. 2 national seed Texas (47-16) put only four balls in play against Bednar: three flyouts and Mitchell Daly’s base hit up the middle in the fourth.

Bednar (8-1), brother of Pirates pitcher David Bednar, had pinpoint command with his low 90s fastball, mixed with a slider down and out of the strike zone.