OMAHA, Neb. – Tyler Wilson returned to Virginia for his senior campaign for moments like these.
Virginia began the College World Series with a solid win over California, but was forced to the losers bracket after dropping a tough bout to South Carolina. The Cavaliers, who spent many weeks atop the Perfect Game Top 25 this season, were put against a wall entering a rematch with Cal.
Win and the Cavaliers needed just two wins over the Gamecocks to advance to the national title series against either Vanderbilt or Florida. Lose and they wouldn’t have to worry about their next game in this year’s CWS, their season would be over.
Knowing the parameters of the elimination game against the Golden Bears, the Cavaliers decided to send Wilson, the senior right-handed pitcher, to the mound.
As he has done many times throughout his illustrious career, Wilson rose to the occasion and put together a fantastic start in an 8-1 win over California.
“I thought Tyler Wilson was spectacular tonight. All year long when we’ve needed a great outing after a difficult loss, he has responded every time for this team,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “He was the right guy to give the ball to tonight. He went out there, took charge on the mound, and gave us everything he had.”
“All my years in coaching, Tyler is as good of a leader as I’ve ever seen. Not only does he perform on the field, but he does things right off the field, too,” he continued. “The fact he decided to come back for his senior year with the conversion he made from a reliever to starter, it’s just your perfect teammate. He’s just a warrior out there.”
It wasn’t the first time Wilson faced the Golden Bears in this tournament. He entered the game in relief the first go-round with Cal, allowing just a run in 2 1/3 innings of work. This time, as a starter, he was even better, much better, actually.
Wilson used a heavy dose of 90-91 mph fastballs on both sides of the plate to keep the Golden Bears’ pesky hitters off balance. He also challenged Cal’s hitters, putting them on the defensive as opposed to the offensive, a position they’re used to.
“He did a great job. He kept us off balance to the point of popping up a lot of balls. It was pretty uncharacteristic, but he kept throwing two pitches for strikes. His slider really was on tonight,” California designated hitter Tony Renda said. “A guy like him, you have to be able to capitalize on his mistakes. And tonight we couldn’t do that. He definitely had his stuff and that made things very tricky for us.”
Wilson, who became the third Virginia starter – joining Danny Hultzen and Will Roberts -- to earn 10 wins this season, struck out five batters and allowed just a run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings. He also threw 94 pitches, 63 of them for strikes.
“Cal’s hitters were very aggressive early in the count and I was able to establish command of my fastball, allowing me to pitch up in the zone,” Wilson said. “That allowed me to get in under the hands when necessary, and allowed me to place a huge emphasis on fastballs throughout the game. Key was fastball command.”
Equally important as Wilson putting together a solid start is the fact he had a lengthy start. Virginia lifted Wilson with two outs in the eighth inning, and only had to throw reliever Cody Winiarski for 23 pitches and 1 1/3 innings, allowing them to carry a mostly fresh bullpen into two possible games against South Carolina.
“There’s no doubt [Wilson’s start] that was huge for our bullpen. We only had to use Winiarski for a short stint, and that’s huge for what we potentially have in front of us with a game tomorrow night, then perhaps another one,” O’Connor said. “We need to save everyone we possibly can. That definitely helps our chances and it was big for us. Hopefully we’ll see the benefit of that.”
The Cavaliers, who dropped a 7-1 decision to the Gamecocks the last time out, now must win twice to advance out of the bracket.
California, meanwhile, sees its amazing season come to an end. The Golden Bears were told before the season it was the program’s last season of college baseball. Then the program was reinstated, and this special team found its way to the CWS.
It’s truly an unforgettable campaign for both the Bears and Cavaliers.
“We got a chance to go to Omaha with a very special team in a really crazy year, and I think our program and players proved a lot to themselves,” Cal coach Dave Esquer said. “They’ve learned a lot of lessons about perseverance and strength, and this whole situation has taught them a lot about human spirit.”
Game in a nutshell
Player of the game: Virginia RHP Tyler Wilson – With their season on the line, the Cavaliers looked to the veteran right-hander for a solid start. He gave coach Brian O’Connor exactly what he needed. Wilson was brilliant against the Golden Bears, striking out five batters and allowing just a run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings. He also threw just 94 total pitches, 63 of them for strikes. Additionally, Wilson lowered his ERA to an impressive 2.24 with the solid performance. Perhaps most important, Wilson’s start saved some bullpen arms for the Cavaliers.
Turning point: California got off to a slow start against Virginia, but at least had a manageable situation entering the sixth inning down just 2-0. The Golden Bears, though, had a sixth inning to forget, allowing four runs and allowing the Cavaliers to extend their lead to a less manageable 6-0. The Cavaliers didn’t look back. Virginia scored in the inning on RBI singles from Keith Werman and John Barr, an RBI double from leadoff hitter Chris Taylor and a single from Kenny Swab, who scored all the way from first base when the ball went under the glove of Cal center fielder Darrel Matthews. Cal couldn’t recover from the bad inning.
Where both teams stand: California’s magical season that went from extinction to Omaha comes to an end with a 38-23 overall record. However, it’s a season the Golden Bears and all of college baseball will remember forever. Virginia, meanwhile, moves forward in the College World Series and must defeat South Carolina twice to advance to the national title series against either Vanderbilt or Florida. The Cavaliers will send ace left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen to the mound against the Gamecocks. His last time out against California, Hultzen struck out six, walked three and allowed just three hits in six innings. South Carolina is expected to start ace left-handed pitcher Michael Roth, who was fantastic after the first inning against Texas A&M.
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org