Mid-majors turning heads in college baseball
6/27/2016 5:59:00 PM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State baseball program has never shied away from being labeled as mid-major. With the way the year has turned out nationally, it should be more of a compliment.
While the Bearkats road to Omaha concluded during the NCAA Regional round, Coastal Carolina, which opens the College World Series Finals against Arizona on Monday evening, has proven it takes something more than a big name to play for a national title.
“We're entering an age where it's possible for multiple mid-majors to get to Omaha in a year,” second-year Sam Houston head coach Matt Deggs said. “Is this year just an abomination? I think this will be more of a trend than a fad. I think it's something that is on the horizon.”
Like Coastal, UC Santa Barbara also made its first appearance in the College World Series. The Gauchos, who went 3-0 in the Nashville Regional and downed Louisville in two straight in Super Regional play, went 1-2 in Omaha, like the Bearkats, seeing the season end at the hands of Arizona.
“It gives schools like us hope that it is possible,” Deggs said. “We know how close we are. One thing about college baseball is everyone is working at it. Everyone is investing in baseball. There is a lot of competition. It's really a testament that this can be done.”
As was a rallying cry late in the season for Sam Houston, both Coastal and UC Santa Barbara have others across the country saying, “why not us?” Bearkats catcher Robie Rojas, a transfer from CWS-participant Oklahoma State who threw out a national-best 30 runners on the base paths last year believes the ability exists at a program like Sam Houston to replicate that success.
“There really isn't a big divide between mid-major and these big programs when it comes to talent,” Rojas said. “Mid-majors like us are showing that we can hang with these big powerhouses. Talented players wants to come play here especially when you start taking teams down like Texas A&M, Baylor and Houston.”
Deggs, who helped turn the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns into a household name in the baseball world during a two-year stint in Lafayette, believes the similarities between the programs bode well for a Bearkats program that has made 10 NCAA Regional appearances and is looking for more.
“The two programs share what it takes to win on a national level and that's great support from the top to the bottom, great facilities and great location,” Deggs said. “Any time you have those things, you have a chance to win. We're fortunate to be in a spot where we have those three things. UL has those three things. Most of the teams that win across the country have those things.”
With 23 players returning in 2017, Sam Houston should like its chances of taking the next step. The squad, which was picked third and fourth in the Southland Conference during the 2016 preseason and welcomed 19 freshmen, has been weathered.
Helping the cause was a schedule that featured 13 games against NCAA Regional opponents including five against College World Series' contenders Texas Tech and Arizona. After a 6-12 start, the squad went 31-7 to close out the regular season, winning the league title outright on the final day of the year and rolling to the tournament championship soon thereafter.
“I really and truly believe you have to play a non-conference schedule that prepares you and then you have to play extremely well in your league,” Deggs said. “You have to come together as a team and play good when it matters. I saw it out of our ballclub, I see it out of Coastal and I saw it out of our ballclub in 2014 at UL. That is definitely the roadmap and formula for how you get there.”
The surge of UC Santa Barbara and Coastal Carolina prompted the Omaha World-Herald to ask, 'who's the next CWS first-timer?' On their list of up-and-comers included the Bearkats. A Sam Houston team is Omaha may shock some but it would only meet the expectations of those in the program.
“If I'm more talented in football or basketball, you can line up and get beat,” Deggs said. “Baseball is not that way. I think what we do a really good job of is development. For a school like us, that's where we have to hang our hats. That's our edge and what will give us the chance to walk through the gates of Omaha.
“They know they can get there, be dangerous and win the thing. Before we could see it. It's exciting when you can see it but now we can smell it. Our ballclub is really to go work for it and go get it.”
