GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- So, @BCUDiamondCats just happened on Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat...everywhere!
Uh, yeah. Wow.
What do you want me to type? We beat the Florida Gators. 1-32 lifetime, baby! We won more regional games in 36 hours than in the previous 36 years. Do I really NEED to type anything else?
When a weekend like this comes together, what can you do?
To quote the Boss (Springsteen, not Lynn Thompson or Dr. Edison O. Jackson): Sit back right easy and laugh … and watch Bethune-Cookman bust the college baseball world in half.
Enjoy the ride.
Not even that two at-bat sequence where a scoreless game got away from Bethune-Cookman on Monday can diminish it. The weekend was amazing.
Nate Sterijevski sets base running back a generation and still gets more time then Draymond Green on the 12:30 SportsCenter. He had four RBIs Sunday night. He gets a pass.
The
Tyler Krull licking his bubble gum video goes viral. He knew. "I'll be trending by the time I get on the bus," Krull said. He was right.
The Poweraid cup radar gun. Subtle. But fantastic. I see what you did there Maestu.
In Tallahassee, support from the highest of seven hills AND the Unconquered. Not to mention all of HBCU baseballdom. The love was felt.
Austin Garcia being referred to as "a glorious man beast" and proof that "Grizzly Adams and the Most Interesting Man In The World had a baby." You know, when social media isn't mean or angry, it can be awesome.
All those experts out there who didn't think the Wildcats deserved a No. 3 seed. You're awfully silent. Tee, hee. That's okay. If we had made it to Omaha, you would have probably vote us No. 31 in the final poll Top 30 poll. That's okay, too.
Knowing that we could've been jerks and make the Gators move to the visiting team dugout Monday. We didn't. The thought really does count.
Appreciating the vibe difference between a "We're kicking your butt" kind of crowd and a "Uh, let's get back in the game, guys" audience.
Did I miss anything? Oh, yes. The baseball.
Demetrius Sims, after getting injured Friday and sitting out Saturday, saying there was no way he'd miss Sunday. Gator fans started off shouting "hit it to short." That died by the fifth inning after a few 6-3 outs.
Danny Rodriguez sacrificing the body to make plays at first. Some thought he was the back-up catcher. Nope.
Josten Heron's speed and range in center field.
Kyle Corbin's run-saving catches in right.
The balanced hitting. When the Wildcats weren't long balling, they small balled. Three runs against USF without the ball leaving the infield.
The bullpen.
Joseph Calamita, who all but delivered the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title when he saved the Florida A&M game, does it again by killing a USF rally with just five pitches. Then
Anthony Maldonado, who got wrecked in his post-season debut just 48 hours before, no-hits the Gators for four innings.
The Marist win on Saturday gave B-CU the minimum for declaring a successful season. Anything on Sunday was gravy. Then the attitude shifted from must win to absolutely nothing to lose. When that happens, this happened.
Okay, the poo-pahers will say "USF had that 12-inning late-nighter against Florida on Saturday and was throwing a freshman." Feh. They were 22nd in the nation. Next was "Florida's stout pitching was running thin, also." Feh.
[UPDATE: The Gators won the national championship. Double Feh!]
We can say that all those MEAC regular season doubleheaders prepared us to beat two nationally-ranked teams on the same day. We won't. We hate those things.
Forget the "inside baseball" analyzing sometimes.
Laura Watten, whose office is next to
Jason Beverlin's and will later be dedicated as the "Coaches Who Have Beaten Florida Wing" noticed something about 2017 baseball in Gainesville that was exactly the same as her 2005 softball in Gainesville.
Absolutely nothing to lose. Nothing to prove. Relaxed and unfazed.Living in the moment. Enjoying the ride.
And what a ride it was.
