After a grueling season that lasted 51 games, Cal Lutheran was able to come back from a game one loss in the D3 Baseball championship series to claim their first national title over Washington and Jefferson.
Members of the SCIAC, Cal Lu broke out the bats on Tuesday following a performance in which they scored just two runs in a 12-2 decision to the Presidents. Between the final two games of the championship series, CLU put up 19 runs, and only allowed W&J to score seven total.
Both programs sent out starters on short rest in an effort to win the third and decisive contest, and the final game started off as one would expect a finale to, with both teams feeling out the contest and adjusting to the moment. But in the bottom of the third inning, Cal Lutheran broke through with two runs on a Gabe Gunter double that plated the pair.
W&J, with the potent offense they have had all season, did not go quietly and responded with a run in both the fourth and fifth innings, drawing to within 3-2 after CLU pushed across another run in the fourth.
The standout performer in the third game of the championship was Austin Kay for CLU, as the shortstop went 3-4 at the plate and drove in two runs. The junior finishes the season with 26 RBI and a .337 average at the plate.
CLU's best player — and table-setter at the top of their lineup — Max Weinstein was a thorn in the side of Washington and Jefferson pitchers, going 2-5 and driving in one run. Starting the CLU attack by reaching on an error in the first inning, Weinstein made contact in each of his plate appearances, and was a key catalyst in late innings that provided some insurance in the late going.
The insurance was very much needed, as W&J scored once in the top of the ninth to make the final score stand at 7-3 after the Kingsmen had notched four runs between the seventh and eighth innings to increase their lead from 3-2 to 7-2.
Lutheran starter Seth Roberts went six innings and picked up the W moving his record to 6-1 on the season. Only using one other pitcher, reliever Miguel Salud notched the three-inning save — his 14th on the year, tying the national lead — all while escaping some jams caused by the very good Jefferson offense.
Seven senior players for Cal end their collegiate careers with a title, the first in three appearances at the World Series for CLU. While there are some impact players in that collection of players, CLU will return Weinstein — a former Cal-Irvine player who was part of the 2014 CWS team — as well as Kay who was instrumental in the championship bout.
A majority of the pitching staff will also return, and that was the secret to success for the long tournament run that Lutheran went on. During the NCAA Tournament, the SCIAC champs gave up just 50 runs in 10 games while scoring 82 of their own, a difference of 3.2 runs per contest.
While a repeat is definitely on the minds now of players, administration, and fans, let's all take the time to bask in the glory the Kingsmen have achieved in what has been a long climb to the top. CLU is the first team from California to win the title in 14 years, with Chapman claiming the last in 2003.
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Congratulations to the Kingsmen and the Presidents for a miraculous run to the championship series and a tremendous season for both programs. The D3 Baseball season may be over now, but history will now forever allow us to remember that for the year 2017, Cal Lutheran were truly the kings.
