Oregon State Returns to Win
Beavers Return to College World Series Riding a Wave of Popularity
The Oregon State University Beavers Baseball team made history by winning its first-ever, first round College World Series (CWS) game at Omaha, against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, June 16, 2007. The first round win is important in this double elimination format championship. The town of Corvallis, Oregon eagerly awaits the next game. This is the team’s third consecutive appearance at the CWS. The Beavers run last year is still fresh in its fans’ minds, as the team battled back from a first round loss to win the National title.
College baseball, especially the College World Series has grown in popularity in recent years. Last June, the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska had record-breaking attendance at its June 21st games of North Carolina vs. Cal State and Oregon State vs. Rice, with 30,335 fans in attendance. The Oregon State Beavers went on to win the National Championship for the first time in school history. It was the first year the university had ever won a College World Series game not to mention the title. Oregon State’s CWS title is also the first in the Northwest.
In 1999, the National Collegiate Division I Baseball Championship expanded to 64 teams, 29 conference winners and 35 other teams selected by a Rating Percentage Index or committee. This year, the Beavers made it into the CWS by being selected to play in the Regional round, beating Rutgers and Virginia. They then beat Michigan back home in Corvallis, although Michigan was the home team. By winning the series at home against Michigan, the Beavers were headed back to Omaha.
The Beavers are riding the wave of their wins, and the gaining popularity of college baseball. Perhaps college baseball fans have come to cheer for the underdog who might be considered an underdog no more, as they threaten to repeat their chances at the title. Perhaps college baseball fans have come to see these amateur players who make the sport exciting, and play it with heart.
Against all odds, the team has returned to the championship for the third year in a row. After losing a majority of its team to the major league last year, its new teammates have proven they too can work together as a major power in college baseball. College baseball may not seem like something the people of the Northwest would focus on, but to the state of Oregon, whose only college Division I team is Oregon State, and city of Corvallis, all eyes will be glued to the television screen tonight.
