As the field of college baseball teams narrowed this weekend and eight teams were named into the College World Series, several past and present Anglers led the way for their respective teams in the NCAA tournament. 13 players in total were on Super Regionals teams.

Highlighting the field was two home runs from Colin Simpson (‘18), John McMillon’s (‘18) top-notch relief performances and a game-winning single by Drew Mendoza (‘18) to lead FSU to the College World Series.

The remaining eight winners will travel to Omaha for the College World Series from June 15-26. Several current Anglers have not made the trip to Chatham yet because of their team’s success in the NCAA tournament, head coach Tom Holliday said, but most of them will return within the next two weeks.

Here’s some of the top performances from this weekend’s action.

Drew Mendoza’s (‘18) game-winning hit sends Florida State to Omaha

After three walks in Florida State’s first contest against LSU, Drew Mendoza started cold in his second matchup against the Tigers. Despite the early 1-for-4 clip, Mendoza came up for a fifth time in the bottom of the 12th inning with two outs and a runner on second.

On a 2-2 count, Mendoza floated a line drive over the head of LSU’s second baseman and a play at the plate came too late. His hit propelled head coach Mike Martin to a College World Series in his 40th and final collegiate year.

Tonight is 3 months to the day where Mike Martin won career game 2,000. Afterwards, Drew Mendoza called his shot.

What a dude. pic.twitter.com/NUqzAQ5TrJ

— Aslan Hajivandi (@AslanHodges) June 10, 2019

Despite series loss, Colin Simpson (‘18) homers twice

In a three game series with Texas Tech, Colin Simpson had four hits and five RBIs for the Cowboys’ offense, including two home runs. After three strikeouts in game one — a 8-6 loss on Friday — Simpson kept OSU alive with a game-opening RBI single and a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning.

During game three, Simpson recorded a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at three apiece. Then, he gave Oklahoma State a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning off a solo home run. The Cowboys eventually gave up two homers and four runs in the bottom half in another 8-6 loss, this one ending their season.  

John McMillon’s (‘18) nine strikeouts lead Texas Tech to College World Series

On the winning side of the Oklahoma State-Texas Tech series, John McMillon shined in his two appearances in the three game series. The righty from Jasper, Texas allowed two earned runs over 5.2 innings of work with nine strikeouts.

In game one, McMillon allowed just one hit with three strikeouts in two innings. Then in game three, after starter Bryce Bonnin left the game in the fifth inning, McMillon took over and was credited with the clinching win. He struck out more than half (six of 11) of the batters he faced while allowing two runs. His success in relief propelled the Red Raiders to Omaha.

Other Standouts

Austin Bergner (‘17, ‘18) had 4.1 scoreless innings in UNC’s 2-0 win over Auburn on June 9. He walked four batters while striking out five.

Jack Owen (‘19) kept Auburn alive with a five inning start. He allowed five earned runs with three strikeouts in a 11-7 win over North Carolina.

Michael Busch (‘18) recorded a run in each of UNC’s three games in the Super Regionals. He also walked three times against Auburn during the series.