From Graveyard to Glory (Almost)
by John
A couple practices into the season, Coach Dave Esquer delivered the news to the team that University of California – Berkeley Baseball was to be cancelled. As the news quickly spread to the community surrounding the team that the team was to be no more, alumni and people from all over donated money and time to help keep the program in the history of CAL sports. The team even made a rap song, reaching out to the community for additional support for the program.
Months later, after raising upwards of $9 million, the University reinstated the program for the long-term. The team took this to heart and realized the enormous support they had behind them throughout the entire season. The Golden Bears battled through the regular season and earned a prestigious spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska for the first time since 1992.
In the CWS, the Golden Bears lost to Virginia early in the double-elimination bracket and was placed in the losers bracket to face Texas A&M. After a win against Texas A&M, they advanced to face Virginia again. It was a sad day for CAL Baseball, but the team still walked off the field holding their head high. The team ended the season with a 38-23 record, a National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Coach of the Year award, a Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Houston Regional award, and a 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year award. This was truly an amazing team that took it all the way and went out swinging.
