Omaha Baseball Village Trivia

Q: In what year did LSU's Warren Morris hit a two-run home run off Miami reliever Robbie Morrison with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning of the CWS championship game, turning a 5-6 deficit into a 7-6 victory?

1996. While no World Series at the major league level had ended on a home run that changed a loss into a win, Morris did that very thing for LSU at the
Division I level in 1996. The All-American Tiger second baseman suffered through an injury-riddled season, making the home run his first of the season.

Q: U.S. Presidents have attended major league baseball games on occasion, but how many sitting presidents attended a College World Series game during the 20th century?

The correct answer is 0.  George W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, became the first president to attend a CWS game, but it didn't occur until the beginning of the 21st century. Bush actually threw out the first pitch of the 2001 College World Series, and saw much of a wild contest between Stanford and Tulane, won by the Cardinal 13-11.

Q: The NCAA has chosen five CWS all-decade teams for the 1940s/50s, the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, and 90s. Which school had the most players selected for an all-decade team?

With eight selections, Arizona State had the most of any school. USC and Oklahoma State tied with six selections each, followed by Texas with five and Arizona with four.

Q: Of the 14 schools who made only one championship game appearance from the 1940s to the 1990s, how many won their championship game?

Holy Cross in 1952, Georgia in 1990, Pepperdine in 1992 were the only schools to win in their only championship game appearance. Eleven schools lost their only appearance in the championship game (Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Houston, Penn State, Rollins, Santa Clara, Tennessee, Tulsa, Washington State, and Western Michigan).

Q: Which military school sent their team to Omaha?

In 1990, one year after their baseball stadium was devastated by Hurricane Hugo, the Citadel followed up a season in which it had a 26-game winning streak with a regional title in Coral Gables FL, beating the Miami Hurricanes twice on their home field in the process. In Omaha, the Bulldogs sandwiched an 8-7, 12-inning victory over Cal State Fullerton between two losses to powerhouse LSU.

Q: USC's 21-14 victory over Arizona State in 1998 marked the highest scoring championship game in CWS history, and tied for the highest output for any CWS game. Who were the two teams that had previously combined for 35 runs in a game at the CWS?

The Arizona State Sun Devils defeated Oklahoma State, 23-12, in 1984 to set the record that they matched 14 years later, in their 1998 championship loss to USC. LSU and Georgia Tech combined for 42 runs in a 29-13 LSU victory in Baton Rouge, setting a regional record to that point. With 23 hits, the winning team set a record for most hits by a single team in the ASU-OSU, USC-ASU, and ASU-Wichita games. Miami and Tennessee set a combined record with 41 hits in 2001.

Q: Not every CWS record holder can be proud of his accomplishment. In fact, some hold a CWS record they would have liked to see someone else take over. Which of these four record holders set a record when he walked 15 batters in a single CWS game?

On June 14, 1951, James Waldrip walked 15 batters against Springfield College at the CWS. Amazingly, the Maroons could manage only one run against him as Oklahoma won the game 7-1.

Q: From the 1940s through to the 1990s, a number of pitchers pitched multiple games at a single CWS without allowing any runs. Which one is the record holder with 16 1/3 scoreless innings pitched in a single College World Series?

John Stewart pitched in 16 1/3 innings and 5 games for USC in 1966 without allowing a run, making him the record holder in this category.
 

Q: Which pitcher threw the most innings in a single game at a College World Series?

On June 10, 1965, Steve Arlin of Ohio State pitched 15 innings without allowing a run as Ohio State edged Washington State, 1-0. This record was still standing at the end of the 20th century. His 20 strikeouts in that game was also a high mark for a pitcher in a College World Series game.

Q: From the 1940s through to the 1990s, the championship game of the Division I CWS went to extra innings four times. What school did not win an extra-inning national championship during that period?

While Arizona State won 5 and lost 4 CWS championship games, none went to extra innings. The first championship game to go extra innings was in 1958, when USC defeated Missouri, 8-7. The two longest championship games went 15 innings each; Michigan beat Santa Clara 5-4 in 1962, and USC defeated Florida State 2-1 in 1970. The only other championship game to go extra innings was in 1960, when Minnesota defeated USC 2-1 in 12 innings.