Who would have thought it? If the Hogs had nine lives to start this College World Series trek, we burned about half of those or more in the 4-3 win over Virginia on Wednesday.
How many bullets did we dodge? It was hard to keep track…
- The 9th through the 12th innings all saw the UVA leadoff man reach base.
- Before slapping a single to center, Zack Cox was down to the Hogs last strike of the season.
- Dallas Keuchel goes to a 3-0 count with the bases loaded, winning run on third, and battles back to record the out.
- A double play, turned by two freshmen, to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth.
Erasing a season full of frustration at the plate (.227 batting average), Brett Eibner’s blast to tie the game in the ninth is a highlight for the ages. Late subs Andrew Darr (GW double in the 12th) and Tim Carver (started the double play in the ninth off a hard hit ball) all came up big, and Keuchel did the rest. “Fear the Jaw!!!”
(Thanks to RazorVision for the video and to CharlieHog and HogNation — the best Hogs baseball message board around — for uploading it to YouTube.)
A thrilling night, and an incredible team victory by a team that has fought, clawed and scratched their way to the CWS final four. That kind of effort and resolve has brought out a level of excitement not seen in a while for Razorback Baseball. The grinding nature of this overachieving team will make this one a “team to remember”…win or lose against LSU.
Too True.
It is the best thing about sports, seeing toughness, determination, and hardwork pay off. Underdogs and overachievers are what college sports in particular are all about. This bunch should be very proud of what they have done.
And, not that we haven't know it since day one, Van Horn is the real deal. What a pleasure it is to see real coaching take hold with a group of kids. Great, great fun. That is what makes it such a great passtime.
No one is holding much hope against LSU and that is OK. Texas and LSU are not underdogs, they are powerhouses that are supposed to be here. You can only expect so much.
Awesome baseball Hogs. Kudos to college baseball coaches who have a much harder row to hoe than football coaches because of the draft of their recruits out of high school. Also, I sure enjoyed the womens' college world series games, too.