Columbus State overcomes adversity to reach Division II World Series

They are ranked No. 8 among the nation’s NCAA Division II teams by Collegiate Baseball. But perhaps they would be No. 1 if there were a poll for overcoming the most adversity this season to qualify for the D-II College World Series.

Those in and around the Columbus State University baseball program list the following ways these Cougars have amazed their fans – and themselves – to be among the final eight teams competing for the 2018 national title:

▪ In the preseason, starting catcher Bryce Delevie, a junior from Northside High School, was sidelined for the year with a hand injury. But his replacement, freshman Robert Brooks, has shined with a .342 batting average – only three points behind team leader Austin Pharr.

▪ Last month, the Cougars lost another starter for the resr of the season when a thumb injury took out shortstop and leadoff hitter Justin Evans, who was fourth on the team in hitting with a .318 average. But when Grant Berry shifted from second base to replace Evans at shortstop, Gunar Drinnen came off the bench to be a steady infield starter.

▪ Then in the double-elimination NCAA Southeast Regional tournament at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C., the fourth-seeded Cougars won their first two games, including against top-seeded North Greenville on its home field. They lost to third-seeded Belmont Abbey but persevered through the losers bracket. They again upset North Greenville, then gained revenge against Belmont Abbey by sweeping their two games Monday to capture the region championship.

CSU’s first game in this year’s D-II College World Series at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., will be against Mercyhurst on Sunday at 7 p.m.

This is the eighth appearance in the season’s final tournament for the Cougars but their first since 2007.

“It’s just super exciting,” said CSU coach Greg Appleton, who guided the Cougars to their first national championship in 2002 and is in his 21^st season at Columbus State. “I’m just proud of these guys and my coaches for doing such a great job to get there.”

Sophomore outfielder Drew Webb, a Brookstone School graduate, called it a dream come true to play at this level with his hometown team.

“It’s awesome, just the experience of it all,” Webb said. “We’re finding ways to win. If one guy isn’t doing what they can, we pick him up. We have the chemistry.”

The Cougars were confident they had a good team, Appleton said, “but when you get in the regional, there are six other good teams, and sometimes you just need a break. It didn’t look good when we lost in the winners bracket and had to win three in a row with our pitching dwindling down. But the guys really stepped up and things just happened for us. Sometimes, you have that special something.”

Webb noticed that something special even in fall practice.

“The way we went about our workouts, everyone was getting after it,” he said. “You don’t see that too much on other teams.”

Appleton noticed that special something after CSU lost three straight at South Carolina-Aiken in late March. Then the Cougars (45-13) responded with a four-game winning streak to get back on track.

“You have to have talent, and you have to have leaders, but you also have to have resiliency and confidence,” Appleton said. “That’s when this team has.”

The prime example came Monday against Belmont Abbey.

In their first game, CSU prevailed in 12 innings after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the 10^th, when Sheridan Coy fell behind 3-0 and the Cougars were one more ball from elimination. Coy, however, threw three straight strikes to end the threat.

“That just gives us momentum going into the World Series,” Webb said, “knowing we can do this.”

Appleton, however, won’t count on momentum helping his Cougars.

“We are starting over again,” he said. “It’s a brand new tournament. There is no carryover.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2018 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Columbus State overcomes adversity to reach Division II World Series."