Often in baseball, we get a collection of players, coaches, or even a team or two that captivates an entire nation by simply playing the game in a way that connects us to a game we fell in love with as kids. For the last few years, programs like Murray State, Little Rock, Oral Roberts, Stony Brook, or even a Fresno State that won a national championship as a four seed, have been just a few of those names that, when mentioned, bring back memories and folklore so entrenched in the fabric of college baseball that generations from now will learn about. This year, it was a combination of the three of Little Rock, West Virginia, and Troy that have spent the better half of the last three going from a local love, to a household name by simply playing a brand of baseball that has connected with the everyday fan that simply loves baseball because of the way it touches the soul. 

Unfortunately, one of West Virginia or Troy will join Little Rock in the offseason as the Trojans will once again meet the Mountainers in the College World Series; this time around, it will be in an elimination game. A shame because these two programs have provided really a delightful story to follow, two programs often overlooked led by two coaches who have ran programs that do baseball the right way, combined with two fan bases that have ascended on Omaha in droves with no complaints just sheer love and happiness to have the once in a lifetime opporuntiy to cheer on their programs on the biggest stage in college baseball. 

As these two teams prepare for the final matchup of the season, I think it’s important to take a second to really appreciate what these two programs have carried forward from the legacies of the programs that came before them. Unlike some of the bigger names remaining in Omaha, West Virginia, and really, Troy, don’t have the resources or roster depth that the other schools invest in the sport. What the Mountaineers and Troy share is a true love for the game of baseball, where the realities of the future are the same for both rosters: a future in baseball might not mean playing on the professional side, but could mean becoming a coach or something of that nature. That right there is what makes the elimination game on Tuesday afternoon mean just a bit more. 

As far as the style of play from teams, it’s nothing crazy; it’s the fundamentals, from West Virginia stealing home in game one on Friday during the first inning, to Troy quite literally never being out of a game or, better yet, a series. If we use Friday as our guide, Tuesday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field could be an instant classic, with two fierce, scrappy teams trying to reach the College World Series Semi-Finals against North Carolina. Tuesday will likely have the feel and energy of a heavyweight boxing match between two programs not afraid to take the chances and throw the haymakers. 

Lastly, this whole week you’ve seen the excitement from two brand new fan bases enjoying the aura that is the College World Series, from the West Virginia fans taking over every bar in Omaha and drinking the city dry, to the Troy fans bringing the Trojan mascot, these two fan bases have truly showcased the beauty of the College World Series. Every program has its fans who come out and do what they do, but it’s the first-timers who never in a million years expected to be playing in the College World Series that truly make the College World Series experience what it is and what it will always be. Those folks will remember this ride for generations to come, and even though more trips are likely in order in the near future, there’s always something about the first time that hits. 

Baseball has always been the people’s sport, and no matter who tries to change that, it will remain so. Almost every sport has changed for the worse with the help of greed, but not college baseball, and what we will all play witness to on Tuesday afternoon, combined with the elimination game between two giants as Texas and Georgia will play in the nightcap, might deliver one of the best dramatic and thrilling days of postseason college baseball that we have not experienced in years. All of that starts with the Trojans and Mountainers with a first pitch slated for 1:00PM on ESPN. 

Photo Credits- WVU and Troy baseball on X