Buckeye Great Steve Arlin Named to College World Series Legend Team

Shocking, but there was a time when Ohio State was a true national power.

In the late 1960s Ohio State made three trips to Omaha, returning home to Columbus once with a championships as winners of the 1966 College World Series. The driving force behind the Buckeye dominance was the arm of Steve Arlin.

While current Buckeye ace Alex Wimmers puts up gaudy numbers and is recognized as one of the country's best, the career Arlin had is unfathomable.

In two seasons at Ohio State, Arlin went 24-3 with 294 strikeouts. His 165 strikeouts in 1965 is a program record, dwarfing the 132 strikeouts Wimmers had a year ago.

The most notable of his accomplishments is the 20-strikeout, 15-inning performance he had in the 1965 CWS against Washington State, a 1-0 Buckeye victory.

For his efforts Arlin has been named as one of top 25 players in College World Series' history.

Fresno State Wins Title

Wow! What an incredible run by the Fresno State Bulldogs. Wednesday night they celebrated as champions of the college baseball world after beating Georgia 6-1. We already know they were the lowest seed to ever win an NCAA championship. Fresno had the most losses of any team to win the title.

The-Ozone.net has some great discussion about the CWS on their forum. Some are a little misinformed, but thankfully people are there to help set the record straight.

Rightfielder Steve Detwiler had a career night in the championship game going 4-4, driving in all six Fresno State runs and setting College World Series records for the most home runs in a championship game with two, most home runs in a championship series with three, most RBIs in a championship game with six, most RBIs in a championship series with nine, most extra base hits in a championship game, most bases in a championship game with 11 and in a fitting end to the game he caught the final out for Fresno State.

And yet it was third baseman Tommy Mendonca that was named the Most Outstanding Player. He hit four home runs and had 11 RBIs and also made a number of spectacular plays in the field.

The last seven NCAAA champions have been west of the Mississippi River: Texas 2002 and 2005, Rice in 2003, Cal State Fullerton in 2004, Oregon State in 2006 and 2007 and Fresno State in 2008.

For Fresno, it was Underdogs to Wonderdogs, indeed.

With that, it is time to start looking toward 2009. Go Bucks!

Underdogs to Wonderdogs!

The field for the championship series of the 2008 College World Series is set. Georgia earned a spot Saturday and tonight Fresno State upset North Carolina to set up an all-Bulldog series that begins Monday.

After Rice lost Tuesday, I was pulling for the Tar Heels though as the week went along it was hard not to pull for Fresno State. They remind me of the Southwest Missouri State team that ended Ohio State's season in 2003 at the Columbus Super Regional. They are scrappy and play with a lot of heart. Of course, this team is playing for a national championship. SMS did not.

They now have a tough task of taking on Georgia, which won the other bracket. Fresno State, though a No. 4 regional seed, seems up to that task, and I, for one, will be pulling for them.

On this Day in 1966

Today is the 42nd anniversary of Ohio State's 1966 national championship. The Buckeyes are the last Big Ten team to win the College World Series.

The Buckeyes made three straight appearances in Omaha from 1965-67. They were the runnerup in 1965 after losing 2-1 to Arizona State in the championship game. The next year, Ohio State beat Oklahoma State, 8-2, to win the school's only national championship and one of six won by Big Ten teams during a 14-year span (1953-66).

1966 College World Series Results
Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb.

• Ohio State 4, Oklahoma State 2
• Ohio State 6, Southern California 2
• Ohio State 8, St. John's 7
• Southern California 5, Ohio State 1
• Ohio State 1, Southern California 0
• Ohio State 8, Oklahoma State 2

I know I'm not alone when I say I would love to see the Buckeyes in Omaha in the very near future.

Go Bucks!

Back Home in Omaha!

Well, the field for the College World Series is set. Six of the eight national seeds advanced. Who didn't make it? Well, No. 3 seed Arizona State was ousted Monday night by Fresno State, which was the No. 4 seed in its regional. The Bulldogs won the Long Beach Regional and then surprised the Sun Devils in Tempe. Stanford upset national No. 5 seed Cal State Fullerton in the Super Regional.

The national seeds that advanced are No. 1 Miami (Fla.), No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Florida State, No. 6 Rice, No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Georgia.

A few Blogs to read during the CWS:
The College Baseball Blog
Baseball America
ESPN.com
NCAA Blog Central

I was fortunate enough to see Rice beat Texas A&M last Saturday at Reckling Park in Houston. They have strong pitching again this season but have an offense, too. If they can keep their fielding under control, they'll make a run at their second national championship. They are making their seventh CWS appearance (all since 1997) and won the school's only national title in 2003. Obviously, I'm pulling for them, having worked in the Owls' SID office from 1994-2000.

Miami looks like the team to beat and the ACC appears to be in good shape to win its first national championship since Wake Forest won in 1955. Seriously. If Rice can't play for the championship, I'll be pulling for North Carolina, which has been close the last few years but hasn't been able to get over the hump. I despise Miami in all sports, mainly because they are sore losers and even worse winners.

Complete Bracket
Official CWS Site

I know this site is dedicated to Ohio State baseball, but its purpose is also to help introduce fans to college baseball at a national level. There is no sporting event better than the College World Series and I think every fan should make the trip to Omaha at least once. I'll never forget my first visit with Rice in 1999. I went again with Clemson in 2000 and have been back a few other times through my participation with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.