June 16, 2012

Jeremy Birmingham
KentStateReport.com Baseball Staff Writer

History Happens Here

It's finally here. # 8 Kent State and coach Scott Stricklin take their school record 46 wins to TD Ameritrade Field in Omaha today for the first ever College World Series game in the school's storied baseball history. The opponent, the 6th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks will pose an interesting challenge, but at this point it's unlikely that these Flashes will feel intimidated by their SEC foe. The road to here has been anything but easy.

How They Got Here

Stricklin's team has seen its fair share of drama on their way to Omaha. What started with a 21-inning marathon against Kentucky (the second longest NCAA tournament game ever) and culminated in last week's thrilling 3-2, bottom of the ninth win at Oregon hardly tells the whole story. This Kent State team is a squad that lost five players from their 2011 team to the MLB first year player draft and sputtered out of the gate in 2012. At seven wins and eleven losses on March 21st, the team had cracks threatened to become full-fledged great divides upon the inception of the MAC schedule.

With the opening of the conference play, the ship did not right itself immediately, but there were signs that things were starting to come around. There was no doubt following a 31-20, yes - 31 to 20 - win against Bowling Green April 15th that the offense had found its rhythm. It was not too long before all the facets came together in concert, and what followed was a school record 21 straight wins that led them into the Ducks nest last weekend.

Teams with less intestinal fortitude may not have been so capable of bouncing back and knocking off a favored home team in the first Super Regional in school history, but this Flashes team is one that does not lack for moxie.

As Kent State heads into this weekend, they average just under seven runs a game while surrendering three and a half. With 161 doubles and 43 homeruns, the Golden Flashes have relied on big-fly baseball and a trio of arms (David Starn,Ryan Bores, and Tyler Skulina) that have compiled a remarkable 31 wins against 8 losses. As a unit, those three starters have a combined ERA of 3.06 and in just over 320 innings. The Golden Flashes are not a team that has relied on one or two stars, despite the presence of a few.

This is a team that has done it in a number of different ways, and on the backs of a number of different players.

Never Faced The 'Backs

Aside from never appearing in the College World Series, the Golden Flashes are also facing another first: the first meeting ever with the Razorbacks of Arkansas. The Hogs (44-20) earned their spot in the CWS by upsetting the 4th ranked Baylor Bears in a 1-0, ten inning elimination game the same night that Kent State was upsetting Oregon. Dave Van Horn, in his tenth season as the head man at Arkansas, will lead his third different Razorbacks team to Omaha, It is the seventh appearance all-time for the Hogs in the College World Series.

Throwbacks Again

Kent State will once again wear their gray throwback uniforms for the series opener, and their popular cream colored threads for Monday's second game. Whether or not that game will be against Florida or South Carolina, the first and second-ranked teams in the nation, will be decided this evening.

Starn Looks To Bounce Back

Kent State ace, lefty David Starn, was not at his best in last week's game one win in Eugene. He struggled to find the plate with any consistency and found himself working from behind nearly the entire game. The 239th pick in this year's MLB draft will get a chance to redeem himself as he will once again take the hill looking to give the Flashes some important momentum.

Where To Watch/Listen

The 5pm EST start will be televised nationally on ESPN. Karl Ravech, Kyle Peterson and Jenn Brown will be on the call for the worldwide leader. Locally, the game will aired on 640 WHLO-AM, and Ty Linder will have the call.