OMAHA, Neb. – It was pitching and defense that was key in the season’s final game.
Sophomore Mason Hickman allowed one run over six innings as No. 2 Vanderbilt topped Michigan 8-2 to win the National Championship in the finale of the 2019 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park.
Hickman surrendered four hits and three walks. He gave up just one hit over his final five frames.
“I think it starts, again, on the mound,” VU head coach Tim Corbin said. “It certainly starts on the mound with Mason. He’s created such harmony during the course of the year with how he’s pitched the weekday and certainly down the stretch here. He’s pitched some very difficult games himself and certainly gave us a great start tonight.”
Hickman struck out 10 in his second CWS start. He threw 101 pitches with 63 strikes.
“I thought we had the chance the whole season to end up
in this situation,” Hickman said. “I had no idea what exactly my role
would be. For me it was just trying to put our team in any position to win that
I possibly can, and a lot of the credit is just because of the defense we had
behind us, because of the offense that was produced tonight, and that really
allowed us to get to this moment.”
UM would score in the first for the fifth time in six games at the CWS. Ako
Thomas had a leadoff single and advanced to third on a base hit to right by
Jesse Franklin. A single by Jordan Brewer plated Thomas with the game’s first
run. Hickman settled down and struck out the next three hitters to end the
threat.
“We came out on the attack,” Thomas said. “It was three hits in a row, scored a run first. We were on our heels the rest of the game, didn’t maximize our opportunities. But we fought our hardest out there.”
Pat DeMarco led off the bottom of the second with his ninth home run as VU knotted the game at 1-1.
The Commodores would take their first lead in the third. With two away, JJ Bleday walked, moved to second on a base hit by Ethan Paul, and went to third on a walk to Philip Clarke to fill the bases. DeMarco walked to force in a run to make it a 2-1 contest. Stephen Scott delivered a two-run single to center to give Vandy a 4-1 advantage.
“Pat certainly got us going offensively with the home run,” Corbin said, “and then we were pretty clutch with two outs today and getting those runs. I felt like we were going to hit well. I felt like we were going to play well. I thought this was going to be a nice night for the kids.”
VU kept the offense going in the fourth. Ty Duvall had a leadoff walk, ending the night for UM starter Karl Kauffmann (3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 5 K). With one away, Austin Martin walked. Bleday singled home Duvall, moving Martin to third. A sacrifice fly by Paul extended the Commodore lead to 6-1.
Harrison Ray added an RBI single in the seventh as VU went up 7-1.
Franklin had a leadoff double in the top of the eighth for the Wolverines and came home on a two-out double by Blake Nelson to make it a 7-2 contest.
Clarke added a run-scoring single in the eighth as VU made it 8-2.
Sophomore Jake Eder earned his fourth save, hurling the final three frames with two hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.
Vanderbilt was the highest-seeded team to win the national championship since No. 2 Miami claimed the crown in 2001.
Did the Commodores feel pressure during the postseason?
“I wouldn’t say so,” Paul said. “Credit to the maturity and the experience on this team, we’ve never really looked too much into the rankings or opinions. It’s great to be thought highly of, but that’s one of the reasons why this team is so successful. We were able to just stay within each other and keep the communication within each other and have a similar vision. So I think that led us to having some success along the postseason.”
Michigan had its best finish since winning the national title in 1962.
“I’m very proud of our team,” UM head coach Erik
Bakich said. “When we talk about leaving a legacy in our program and it’s
not about 50 wins or stats or accolades, it’s the seniors and the upperclassmen.
They have inspired future generations of Michigan
baseball players with a belief that winning a national championship is a
possibility and getting to Omaha is
something that can be done on a consistent basis. The only way you can have an Omaha
program is if you first have an Omaha
team, and this is very much a tipping point for us. Very proud of what these
guys put in on a daily basis from Day 1. They were very determined to make that
mark and leave that legacy, and everybody says that, but not everybody is
willing to do what it takes, and these guys did it on a daily basis.”
2019 College World Series All-Tournament
Team
Catcher – Philip Clarke, Vanderbilt
First Base – Jimmy Kerr, Michigan
Second Base – Ako Thomas, Michigan
Shortstop – Jack Blomgren, Michigan
Third Base – Austin Martin, Vanderbilt
Outfield – JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt
Outfield – Drew Campbell, Louisville
Outfield – Jesse Franklin, Michigan
DH – Cameron Warren, Texas Tech
Pitcher – Tommy Henry, Michigan
Pitcher – Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt
Most Outstanding Player – Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt