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College  | Story  | 6/30/2016

Chants named 2016 CWS champs

Nick Herfordt     
Photo: Coastal Carolina University




2016 College World Series Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8
2016 College World Series Finals Recaps: Game 1 | Game 2

2016 Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball All-Americans
2016 Perfect Game Rawlings College Baseball Freshmen All-Americans


OMAHA, Neb. – They weren’t supposed to be here. Not because they were Coastal Carolina, not because they were from the Big South Conference, but because had it not been for a hit by pitch and a ball bounding a few inches in one direction, the Chanticleers season would have ended weeks ago.

It was the ninth inning in the Raleigh Regional way back on June 7. Coastal was threatening with the bases loaded and only one out, but they were down 5-3 to host North Carolina State.

A fielder's choice to the first-base side narrowed the gap to one, but it also put them an out away from having their season extinguished. Tyler Chadwick, who was battling an injury, came off the bench to pinch hit and quickly dug himself into a hole 0-2. The Chants were now a strike away from having their season ended. Instead he was plunked by the pitch and the bases were filled with teal once again.

A Seth Lancaster liner to right landed on the turf inches away from the Wolfpack outfielder’s outstretched glove. The minuscule miss allowed two more to score and gave the Chants a 6-5 lead. Coastal Carolina would win the game, and the Regional, sweep LSU in the Super Regionals in Baton Rouge and make their first appearance at the College World Series.

Because of a hit-by-pitch and narrowly made single, Coastal Carolina was now in an opportunity to win the 2016 College World Series, which they did on Thursday with a 4-3 win over Arizona in the third game of a best-of-three series.

For the first few innings the game went as expected with two phenomenal pitchers on the mound. Arizona’s All-American Bobby Dalbec and Carolina’s breakout sensation hurler Andrew Beckwith hung zeroes on the board and each gave every indication that it was going to be a low-scoring affair.

In the bottom of third inning Arizona didn’t capitalize when the first scoring opportunity arose.

Arizona’s Cody Ramer hit a hard liner to right which suddenly dropped as if an underground magnet was suddenly turned on to attract it to the turf. Connor Owings raced to the ball and got caught in the perilous do-I-dive-or-let-it-hop zone. The ball skirted under his mitt, which allowed the speedy Ramer to dart all the way to third. It was ruled a single with a two-base error.

The next batter, Zach Gibbons, who had been having a doozy of a Series, seemingly only needed to make contact to drive in the game’s inaugural run.

Gibbons chopped the ball in front of the plate, which bounded with a hyperbolic hop to Beckwith’s right. Beckwith gloved the ball and immediately fired home. The toss forced the catcher’s glove to the far side of the plate, which outwardly appeared to have allowed the Ramer to score. Ramer bounded out of his slide with a celebratory clap, but the home plate umpire declared him out. The benefit of replay did little to determine if Ramer escaped the tag. The high angle seemed to show that he did indeed dodge the mitt, but a lower angle seems to show the glove touching Ramer’s outstretched arm an inch before he touched the plate. Nevertheless Beckwith was able to get out of the inning to keep Arizona scoreless.

From then on Dalbec and Beckwith continued to dominate their opposition. Hits and baserunners were few and far between and the game was scoreless going into the sixth.

Light hitting David Parrett enjoyed another big moment in Omaha, as he started the sixth inning with a walk. He only had a dainty .151 average as he approached the plate, but displayed his catcher savvy to earn a free pass to first after a FBFFBFBB sequence. He was brilliantly bunted to second and Michael Paez followed with a walk of his own to put runners on first and second.

The next batter was the Big South Player of the Year, Connor Owings, who came to the plate with the opportunity to break the game open. Instead he was absolutely baffled by a breaking ball to strike out, however the ball scooted by the catcher, which allowed both runners to advance to second and third.

A Zach Remillard high hopper up the middle appeared to end the inning, but Ramer had trouble making the glove to hand exchange and dropped the ball. Parrett was able to plate the first run and while he was crossing the plate Ramer threw behind Paez at third in an effort to end the inning. Instead the ball went sailing above the third baseman’s head and Paez easily scored as the errant throw rolled in the copious foul territory.

Despite the unraveling Dalbec managed to get designated hitter G.K. Young down 0-2. However the next pitch was sent deep to right field for a home run. The Chanticleers suddenly had a four-run lead, all unearned.

After 5 2/3 innings Dalbec was relieved by Cameron Ming. Before Dalbec left the mound he signaled to Ramer, whose errors unthreaded the inning, and put his arm around him. It wasn’t an "I know it was you, Fredo,” Godfather hug, but a brotherly embrace for his teammate and touching moment for the series.

Ming completed the inning and Arizona came up in an effort to get the run back.

After a leadoff out, catcher Cesar Salazar drew a four-pitch walk. Another out followed and Kyle Lewis came to the plate. Lewis laced the ball to right side where it should have been handed by the first baseman, but an error allowed him to reach base. A walk to Alfonso Rivas loaded the bases with two away.

Like the Chants did in their half of the inning, Arizona capitalized on the error. Jared Oliva hit a no-doubt single to right, which scored two. Coastal’s gifted lead had quickly been sliced in two. The hit bumped Beckwith from the game as Bobby Holmes came in to get the final out.

When Beckwith left the mound he put his name in the College World Series folklore along with the names of LSU’s Warren Morris, Texas’ Huston Street and South Carolina’s Michael Roth. In Beckwith’s three starts totaling 23 2/3 innings he only allowed a pair of earned runs during Coastal Carolina’s Omaha run. For his effort he was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player.

Despite his performance, Beckwith diverted the praise afterwards to his teammates.

“I'm sitting in the back of the dugout watching it, and this offense has capitalized on other teams' mistakes, and they make that error up the middle, and, I mean, G.K. just punishes that ball. There's no other word for it.” Beckwith would state later, “But the offense has carried us a lot of the way this whole season. And they came up big today.”

After CCU was unable to add insurance in the seventh, Arizona had an excellent opportunity to capitalize once again in the bottom of the inning. Alex Cunningham, who would have gotten the start had the game been played last night, came in to pitch. Cunningham, who typically starts games, as he’d thrown first in 32 of 41 of his college career appearances, looked a bit uncomfortable on the mound and struggled to find the plate. He walked two of the first three batters, but was able to induce an inning-ending double play to dodge additional damage.

After no runs were scored in the seventh or eighth inning the game came down to the final at-bat.

A line out started the inning, but a four-pitch walk and single gave Arizona runners on the corners. Jay Gibbons hit a ball deep enough to center to score the run from third, but Ramer, the runner on first, couldn’t capitalize and advance to second. The next batter was Ryan Aguilar who hit a ball which bended deep into the left field corner. The ball landed onto the field right chalk line and was played perfectly by Anthony Marks. His copybook relay throw back into the infield was able to keep Ramer from scoring and keep the tying run at third.

“We were just playing no doubles,” Marks said after the game, “Wasn't really shaded down the line or anything, more towards the gap because the gap can kill you because this is a really big ballpark. But we do that stuff every day. We've been doing the double cuts. We do it every day in and out and we practice it. We beat it in our heads.”

Up to the plate came sophomore catcher Ryan Haug. Haug had entered the game late after the ‘Cats starting catcher was struck on the back of the head by a bat following a ferocious strikeout swing by Paez to close the seventh inning.

A base hit by Haug would potentially be the eighth time in College World History the title was won with a walkoff hit. Haug and Cunningham battled each pitch. Two balls were followed by two strikes and another ball made the count full.

The next pitch by Cunningham was attacked by Haug but he missed. The Chanticleers collapsed upon Cunningham and a sea of teal and bronze filled the jubilant infield. Coastal Carolina had captured their first title in school history.

An emotional Gilmore talked about the feeling of winning the national title after the game.

“Before I talk about the game, Dad, I miss you. And if there's a thing up in heaven of you looking down on me, I know there's the biggest smile that's ever been on your face. You kept telling me we could win a national championship at Coastal Carolina, even when I doubted it myself. And I thank you for that so much. And for me, Lord, the biggest thing that I want to say is thank you for the opportunity to coach this group of young men. That's one of the greatest blessings. Whenever I die, I'll know that this group of guys here, they willed themselves to be national champions. They truly did.”
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