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USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Wisconsin-Whitewater wins DIII title by turning College World Series field into paste
Wisconsin-Whitewater wins DIII title by turning College World Series field into paste It's been a remarkable year for lower-level college baseball powerhouses. Last week, LSU-Shreveport capped off a historic 59-0 season with an NAIA championship. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wasn't quite as dominant at the Division III level. Until it mattered most. The Warhawks, perhaps better known for their football dynasty in the late 2000s and early 2010s, ran absolute roughshod over the competition at the Division III College World Series. UW-Whitewater's 21-5 win over Messiah University Wednesday afternoon -- an extremely Division III time to hold a national title game -- capped off a furious run through the eight-team field. The Warhawks scored a World Series record 74 runs in five games. Their opponents? 19. That's right, Wisconsin-Whitewater's title run was so ridiculous it outscored the Division III College World Series runner-up Messiah -- another scorching-hot team -- 39-8 in two games. The Warhawks' third national championship scattered a pile of wreckage in its wake. After taking a deciding game three in Super Regional action against WIAC rival Wisconsin-Oshkosh 10-0, Whitewater could barely be contained in Eastlake, Ohio. Their World Series opener against Trinity University was marred by cold weather and suspended mid-game. That 7-3 victory was as close as any opponent would get. Wins by the count of 11-4, 17-4 and 18-3 paved the way for Wednesday's beatdown. Every regular starter in the lineup finished with at least one RBI in the title clinching game and at least three on the week. While that wasn't enough to outpace the entire DIII College World Series field, meant the Warhawks generated more than 35 percent of the total runs from the eight-team bracket (74 of 211). They scored 30 more runs than the only other team to play five games in Ohio this year. This was a loss for fans of competitive baseball, but a wonderful outcome for everyone who likes watching missiles rocket off aluminum bats in front of a rapt crowd of dozens during a work day.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
From the first-base box to circling the bases: Auburn's Andrew Dutton delivers a movie moment
Andrew Dutton is no stranger to storybook moments. Last season, Dutton and his Birmingham-Southern teammates made an improbable run into the Division III College World Series shortly after the school announced it would be closing due to financial troubles. After transferring to Auburn as a graduate student, Dutton had carved a niche for himself on the Tigers this season as their first-base coach. But when Auburn took an 18-0 lead over Jacksonville State in their final regular-season game at Plainsman Park, Dutton finally got his chance in the batters' box. He didn't miss it. Dutton took a 2-1 pitch well over the wall in right field in his first at-bat of the season, giving the Tigers a 19-0 lead and his teammates a chance to go wild. Andrew Dutton played 4 years at Birmingham-Southern, leading them to the D3 College World Series before the school closed. This year, he's been a graduate student/first base coach at Auburn. He homered in his first at-bat of the year. 👏 (🎥 : @ESPN) — MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2025 'The crowd going crazy was a dream come true,' Dutton told the Auburn Athletic Department. 'It's what I've been waiting for. It was awesome. The guys have always been super supportive of just me and being the teammate that I am. That's the biggest thing is just having those 40 best friends who really care about you.' Advertisement Dutton, 23, is a Birmingham, Ala., native who hit .340/.445/.454 in his four seasons at Birmingham-Southern. Last season, he hit .342 with a career-high seven home runs. 'It was movie script stuff to me,' Auburn head coach Butch Thompson told the Auburn Athletic Department. 'That's what it is all about. That's the good stuff. You talk about capitalizing on a moment. We had a blast with that tonight. That was a special moment. He's got that for life, to run around these bases in an Auburn uniform. He's worked every day to be ready to play the game, and you're rewarded for stuff like that.' The Tigers won the game on the run rule, 19-1, to move to 37-15 on the season. They have won five straight games. The Tigers are 16-11 in Southeastern Conference play and currently ranked No. 7 in the country in The Athletic's college baseball top 25. The SEC Tournament begins in Hoover, Ala., on May 20 and the postseason tournament field will be set on May 26. (Photo of Dutton, right, as first-base coach talking with teammate Bub Terrell: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn baseball's Andrew Dutton has 'movie script' home run in first at-bat of season
Auburn baseball's Andrew Dutton has 'movie script' home run in first at-bat of season For the entirety of the Auburn baseball season, Andrew Dutton has had a presence inside the first base coaches' box, serving an unofficial role as an extension of the coaching staff. But that changed Tuesday in No. 6 Auburn's final non-conference game of the season against Jacksonville State. With Auburn holding an 18-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tigers manager Butch Thompson called his graduate student infielder off the bench to swing. And that's exactly what Dutton did, as the Southside, Alabama native launched one to deep right field at Plainsman Park for his first home run and hit of the season. How can you not be romantic about baseball? REQUIRED READING: SEC dominates NCAA baseball tournament bracket projection "The crowd going crazy was a dream come true," Dutton told Auburn Athletics after the game. "It's what I've been waiting for. It was awesome. The guys have always been super supportive of just me and being the teammate that I am. That's the biggest thing is just having those 40 best friends who really care about you." Wednesday's game marked the first game that Dutton saw play in a Tigers uniform after transferring in from Birmingham-Southern College before the season. A three-year starter at Birmingham-Southern, Dutton led his former squad to the Division III College World Series last season while leading the team in hitting with a .340 average, 68 hits, 61 runs and 12 doubles. "It was movie script stuff to me," Thompson added. "That's what it is all about. That's the good stuff. You talk about capitalizing on a moment. We had a blast with that tonight. That was a special moment. He's got that for life, to run around these bases in an Auburn uniform. He's worked every day to be ready to play the game, and you're rewarded for stuff like that." The Tigers run-ruled the Gamecocks 19-1 in seven innings, earning their 37th win of the season while extending their win streak to five games. Auburn now heads into an important three-game weekend series to close out SEC regular season play against Ole Miss starting Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi. The Tigers currently hold a two-game lead over the Rebels for ninth place in the SEC standings.
