WATCH: UCSB Advances To Omaha With Walk Off Grand Slam To Beat Louisville 4-3

SteveHolt9 years ago

And I thought I was having a bad weekend, just imagine how Louisville pitcher Zack Burdi is feeling right now.

Down 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, UCSB’s Sam Cohen, a freshman catcher, jacked a bomb off Burdi to eliminate the Cardinals in Louisville’s home ballpark. To make this grand slam even more historic, it’ll be UCSB’s first ever trip to the College World Series in Omaha.

It was a true David vs. Goliath moment. Not just because Louisville was heavily favored in this super-regional, but also because Cohen only had 26 at-bats on the year, while Burdi was the Chicago White Sox’ first-round pick in the MLB Draft. That pick value ranges somewhere in the low $2 million range, so I’d say it was still a solid week for Burdi. But damn, that’s gotta sting.

College baseball’s growing popularity is no surprise. It’s awesome. It was a little more fun before they cut down on the metal bats (back when there was like a home run every other at-bat), but it still one of the most fun sporting events to watch in the summer. Keep your eye on the pesky little UCSB Gauchos. They could continue to surprise..

Image via YouTube