It was a dream come true, a Cinderella story and a comeback for the ages. It was UCSD’s first California Collegiate Athletic Association baseball championship and it could not have been more spectacular. After losing their first game in a double-elimination tournament, in a lose-and-go-home situation, the Tritons stepped up their game and beat the tournament favorite and regular season champion Chico State Wildcats twice, both in extra innings, to win the title. The Tritons stood proud on top of the CCAA, king of their respective mountain, untouchable, unbeatable and unbreakable. So what could turn their dream season into a nightmare? What could keep them from riding their momentum to the top of the upcoming NCAA Division II tournament? How about being snubbed by the NCAA and missing out on the opportunity to prove to the nation that their CCAA title was no fluke?
Well, the nightmare became a reality for the Tritons, who, thanks to the geniuses in the NCAA selection committee, will be staying home while the team they beat twice in a row gets to play ball in the tournament. If this makes sense to you, then please explain it to me. Stop me from going Dennis Miller on the NCAA and ranting to my heart’s content. However, if you feel that the NCAA has a bias against the Tritons worse than the prejudice against the Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio, then allow me to tell the NCAA exactly how I feel.
First, let me describe the situation leading up to the CCAA playoffs and how it led to what will soon be known as “The Snub.” The Tritons went 23-17 in the CCAA and 33-19 overall in the regular season. They placed second in the South Division behind Cal Poly Pomona and third overall behind the Broncos and the Wildcats, the North Division champions and preseason favorites. Chico State, which went 24-11 in the CCAA and 40-12 overall, split its season series with the Tritons, with each squad taking two games apiece.
Once in the tournament, both teams did well enough to square off against each other in the CCAA Championship. The Tritons, on the brink of elimination, needed two wins over the Wildcats to steal the title away from Chico State, which only needed one win to send the Tritons packing.
With the odds in favor of Chico State, the Tritons played 23 innings and won two games by a total of two runs to upset the Wildcats.
After the celebration died down, the Tritons awaited the NCAA’s announcement of their selection. However, it never came.
Instead, the Tritons got passed over while the team they just beat twice in a row got honored with a No. 2 seeding in the West Region of the tournament. How did the NCAA arrive at this decision? Did they simply ignore the playoffs, the most important test of a team’s performance under pressure?
One possibility is that Chico State had a tougher schedule during the season, making its record more impressive. However, even if the Wildcats had a chance to prove themselves against tougher competition, they still went 2-4 against the Tritons, including the playoffs. The head-to-head record should count for something and the NCAA should be smart enough to realize that.
There is no logical explanation for the NCAA’s decision, which has left the Triton baseball team and their fans to wonder: what if? Meanwhile, the Wildcats have gone 3-0 in the tournament to become the West Region Champions and are on their way to face Delta State in the next round on May 28. If the Tritons could beat the Wildcats twice, who’s to say that they wouldn’t be on their way to their first NCAA Division II Championship?
