June 14, 2013

Indiana continues string of first-timers in Omaha

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com

Phil@CollegeBaseballInsider.com @roadtoomaha

In recent years, there have been several first-time participants in the College World Series. Indiana continues that trend in 2013.

The Hoosiers won a regional and super regional for the first time in program history, giving IU its first trip to Omaha. The Hoosiers are the first Big Ten team to reach the College World Series since Michigan in 1984. Indiana raises the total to 113 for schools which have reached the College World Series, out of nearly 300 Division I baseball programs.

In looking at the College World Series fields, there have been numerous first-time participants over the past 14 seasons, and at least one new member each of the past five seasons.

From 1995-99, there was only one team able to crack the Omaha club. Rice made its first of seven trips in 1997, going 0-2.

As we entered the new century, there were two newbies for two straight years. In 2000, Louisiana-Lafayette and San Jose State both made their debuts, with the Ragin’ Cajuns going 2-2 and the Spartans falling twice. A year later, nearby Nebraska was 0-2 and Tulane went 1-2 in their first visits to Rosenblatt Stadium.

Over the next five campaigns, just one first-timer appeared in Omaha. The 2003 edition saw Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) go 0-2.

There have been nine rookies to appear in the College World Series over the past seven seasons. UC Irvine (2-2) and Louisville (0-2) made it in 2007. Two seasons later, another pair arrived in Southern Miss (0-2) and Virginia (1-2). In the past three tourneys, first-timers have had much success in their first trip to Omaha. TCU went 3-2 in 2010, while Vanderbilt was 2-2 in 2011. A year ago, Kent State went 1-2 and Stony Brook was 0-2.

The last team to win a national championship in its first trip to the College World Series was Minnesota in 1956, from the Big Ten.

(photo courtesy of IU Media Relations Office)