Florida, Oral Roberts Win On Thrilling First Day Of 2023 Men’s College World Series
OMAHA—Friday began with pageantry. The national anthem before the opening game of the 2023 College World Series was punctuated by a flyover of a Boeing WC-135 Constant Phoenix from the nearby Offut Air Force Base. A crowd of 24,134 fans piled into Charles Schwab Field for the tournament’s opener.
The day ended with a mob of Gators in right field. Freshman Luke Heyman had just delivered a 6-5 victory for Florida against Virginia, walking off the night with a sacrifice fly to center field. In between was eight hours of thrilling baseball. In the first game, Oral Roberts continued its storybook NCAA Tournament run with a 6-5 victory against TCU, scoring four runs in a ninth-inning comeback. In the nightcap, Florida scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to come back against Virginia. It was the first time in the 21st century that two CWS games in the same day were won by teams that were trailing after eight innings.
“What a great college game, man,” ORU coach Ryan Folmar said. “I think that’s what this tournament is about.”
“Special things happen this time of the year,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Awfully proud of the team the way we battled.”
I’m not old enough to declare Friday the best opening day in CWS history—they’ve been playing this tournament since 1947, after all—but if there were any better, I sure would have loved to watch them.
No matter what you love about baseball, there was something for you Friday in Omaha.
Like towering home runs? Florida’s Wyatt Langford hit the longest home run in ballpark history when he ripped a ball 456 feet to left field for a game-tying home run in the ninth inning.
Langford’s home run was one of six on the day. Early in this ballpark’s tenure, home runs were exceedingly rare. The changes to the ball over the last decade and the changes in baseball that have increased the home run and strikeout rates have brought the long ball back to the CWS. The idea that teams like Florida, LSU, Wake Forest and Tennessee, which all rank in the top 10 nationally in home runs per game, would struggle in Omaha because of the large dimensions of Charles Schwab Field were put to bed Friday.
Like web gems? There were plenty of those. TCU shortstop Anthony Silva made a sensational play ranging to his left, diving, spinning and throwing for an out. ORU first baseman Jake McMurray laid out to snag a line drive. Virginia outfielder Casey Saucke made a perfect throw from deep right field to cut down a runner at third base.
Like pitching? Florida righthander Brandon Sproat was pumping upper-90s strikes and delivering his fourth straight quality start (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K). TCU freshman lefthander Kole Klecker (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K) was excellent and Virginia righthander Nick Parker (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K) silenced a powerful Florida lineup.
Like the chess game of baseball? All four coaches were forced into difficult decisions. Florida went to closer Brandon Neely with two outs in the seventh inning and asked him to finish the game, which he did on 33 pitches. Virginia’s Brian O’Connor was faced with a similar decision after going to lefthander Jake Berry in the same spot and then watching him struggle to finish. He gave up three home runs in 1.2 innings after not allowing a home run in the first 47 innings he pitched this season. In the opener, both ORU and TCU went to their closers only to see them give up runs and, in the Horned Frogs’ case, the game.
Like celebrations? There were a couple of those Friday. Heyman’s fly ball sent the Gators into a frenzy, as they tore the jersey from his back. Because ORU didn’t walk it off, things were a little more subdued for the Golden Eagles, but only a bit as it marked their first CWS win since 1978.
The 2023 CWS is loaded with stars and powerhouse programs, with just enough Cinderella sprinkled in. It’s very likely the first pick in next month’s draft is playing in Omaha this weekend and a reasonable chance the top pick in the 2024 draft is here as well. This is a highly anticipated field and tournament for good reason.
Even with that striking field, however, a day as good as Friday’s could never have been expected. And it set a high bar for the rest of the fortnight in Omaha.
“If the first game is any indication of the 2023 College World Series, it’s going to be a pretty special one,” TCU coach Kirk Saarloos said.
Saarloos has a pretty good idea of what special tournaments look like. He came here twice as a player with Cal State Fullerton, four times as a pitching coach with TCU and now is making his first appearance as the Horned Frogs’ head coach. So far, the 2023 CWS is looking like must-see TV.
