A Four Seed is Just a Number

An underdog? … Yes.

A surprise national champion? … Absolutely.

Cinderella? … Not even close.

Last night, the Fresno State Bulldogs completed an unprecedented run to a national championship, by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 in the deciding Game 3 of the Championship Finals to win the College World Series.

Following the game, members of the media began comparing their title run to other great upsets in sports history, and saying it may top them all. While all the media attention is exciting, people that know baseball understand Fresno State had a damn good ball team.

I understand the idea that a four seed in a baseball regional is equivalent to a 13-16 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament. If a 13th seeded team emerged from March Madness as the champion, obviously it would be a huge story and be called the greatest Cinderella run in tournament history.

I get it.

The problem I have is the Fresno State is too talented to be labeled a Cinderella.

Tough Road to National Championship
They fought through what was unquestionably the toughest regional, which featured three other teams ranked in the top 25. They went on to win a pair of must win games at national power Arizona State (who was 39-3 at home prior to losing twice to Fresno in the Tempe Super Regional) to advance to Omaha.

Omaha. Prestigious Omaha.

Where Fresno State looked every challenger square in the eyes and emerged victorious. Were they the most talented team in Omaha? Of course not. Most of the teams there had better overall talent, but the gap between Fresno and the rest of the field was not nearly as wide as people wanted to believe.

Fresno State actually matched up quite favorably with Georgia in the Championship Finals. Offensively, I would argue that Fresno put out a better lineup than Georgia. Fresno did not have the star power of a Gordon Beckham in the middle of the order, but 1-9 they presented a very prolific offense, while Georgia relied heavily on the top of its order to produce runs.

What Does Cinderella Look Like Again?
Cinderella doesn’t have the best coach in the land like Fresno State’s Mike Batesole, who was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s inaugural National Coach of the Year.

Cinderella doesn’t have a middle of the lineup that features Steve Susdorf (.343 AVG, .600 SLG, 88 RBI) and Alan Ahmady (.386 AVG, .589 SLG, 92 RBI). You can put those numbers up against any duo in the country. Don’t forget about the supporting cast that surrounds these sluggers, including WAC Freshman of the Year, shortstop Danny Muno, 13th round draft pick Erik Wetzel, and the best defensive third baseman I’ve seen in a long time Tommy Mendonca, who just happened to add 19 home runs this season (including 4 in the CWS).

Cinderella also can’t run out a 5th round draft pick, Justin Wilson to pitch the national championship game. How impressive was his performance last night? Cinderella isn’t supposed to give the ball to a 90 plus mile per hour left-hander with good control and command of three pitches.

Fresno didn’t have a deep pitching staff, losing WAC Pitcher of the Year Tanner Scheppers was certainly a factor in that, but their top 3 starters matched up favorably with anyone else in the CWS. They were also able to get key innings late in the tournament from down-the-line relievers, which was crucial to their success throughout the tournament.

Don’t forget, the only two games Fresno lost in Omaha they led going into the eighth inning. Fresno’s victories were not flukes.

Fun to Watch
Beyond all the Cinderella talk and media sizzle, Fresno State was just a fun team to watch. They played the game the right way: hustling out every ball, playing fundamentally sound defense, and keeping an upbeat, loose attitude that was refreshing to see.

Then you add that so many of their players, and key players like Mendonca and starting pitcher Clayton Allison, were fighting through injuries, and the team becomes even more likeable.

How great was it to watch Steve Detwiler hit two home runs and drive in 6 in the title game, all whilst playing with a fully torn ligament in his thumb?

Baseball is tough enough to play when fully healthy, and here is a guy who never complained about the injury and was able to play the best game of his life on the biggest stage in college baseball. That is the stuff that makes amateur athletics so enjoyable. What a great story. Not because they were Cinderella, but because a team of hard-nosed, injured, overlooked ballplayers believed they could achieve their dream, and they did so on college baseball’s biggest stage.

So what Fresno State was a four seed? You can’t tell me there were 48 better college baseball teams in the country than Fresno State. In fact, over the past two weeks in Omaha, there wasn’t one.

Rosenblogger

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