The Oklahoma Sooners continued their unprecedented run in Omaha on Wednesday, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs to punch their ticket to the championship series.
Oklahoma, a relative nonfactor in the SEC during the regular season, has been on a tear over the past month. The Sooners lost their opening game of the SEC tournament in May, but have lost just once since, cruising through the NCAA tournament en route to the program’s first title game appearance since 2022.
Now that all the background is out of the way, let’s get down to business.
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During the ninth inning of Wednesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma, Bulldogs shortstop Kolby Branch belted a home run in his final collegiate at-bat. His brother, Kyle, is an infielder for the Sooners, and was at second base for his brother’s final blast.
The two then shared a surreal moment during Kolby’s trot:
College baseball continues to deliver
“Unbelievable, you can’t script it up any better,” Kolby said after the game. “It’s a good moment, high-fived him, which is kinda cool, and then I wished him luck in the National Championship.”
I’ve said it all tournament long — college baseball is the last of a dying breed in terms of college athletics. It’s sad, but true. We live in the (miserable) era of NIL and the transfer portal. It’s been that way for a few years now, and we’ve certainly lost a little of the magic.
Cinderellas are all but dead. School loyalty is a thing of the past. Recruiting is all based on how big a program’s checkbook is. It’s just a mess.
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But college baseball, unlike football or basketball, still has a pulse. We’ve seen throughout this tournament that all of that is still alive.
“Country Roads” at West Virginia.
Mid-majors (Troy) making a run.
Upsets, Cinderellas and bracket-busters.
We’ve gotten all of it over the past month, and this moment between the Branch Brothers — with the entire family in attendance — was just the latest example.
What a tournament. Sadly, we’re near the end. Oklahoma and North Carolina will face off in a best-of-three series starting Saturday. There’s still time for a little more CWS magic.
If the past month has been any indication, we’ll probably get it.
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