OMAHA, Nebraska. – At the urging of an NCAA official, Texas coach Augie Garrido delivered as genuine a smile as he could muster Friday to appease the photographers snapping pictures of him, Florida coach Pat McMahon and the trophy one of them would hold aloft after the 59th College World Series.
Garrido needed no such prompting Sunday afternoon. The trophy he cast a longing eye upon two days earlier was now his to keep. The smile came quite naturally.
Texas claimed its sixth national championship Sunday with a 6-2 victory over Florida at Rosenblatt Stadium, thanks in part to series Most Outstanding Player David Maroul’s three-run homer. Maroul, a .229 hitter who entered the CWS with more career strikeouts (89) than hits (67), supplied uncustomary thump for UT, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“We’re used to the small ball,” he said.
Maroul’s two-run homer in Game 1 on Saturday provided the winning margin. His three-run blast Sunday was the biggest blow in a four-run sixth inning that gave the Horns a 6-0 lead.
A wizard with the glove, Maroul has remained a fixture in the UT lineup because of his defense. And with shortstop Seth Johnston as the offensive linchpin, whatever Maroul chipped in from the No. 8 hole was a bonus.
With his 3-for-4 day, Maroul closed the CWS 8-for-16 with team highs in RBIs (eight) and total bases (16).
“Having production like that at the bottom of the lineup is tough to beat,” Johnston said.
Not to mention that Maroul handled 12 balls at third without a mistake.
“That home run is something that didn’t surprise me; he’s got that kind of power,” Johnston said of Maroul. “When you play at Disch-Falk in Austin, those numbers really don’t show up, but he’s been solid at third base for the last two years. The offense has always been there. He’s stepped up in the postseason. We’ve had a number of guys step up in the postseason.”
The other elements that punctuated the Longhorns’ run to their second championship in four seasons were there against the Gators, too: nearly flawless defense and immaculate pitching.
From the moment UT (56-16) carved up Baylor in its CWS opener through its finals sweep of Florida (48-23), this result was hardly in doubt. Texas went 5-0 at the Series.
“It hasn’t sunk in. How many times can you say, ‘We are the best at what we do?’ There is some magic in that,” said Garrido, whose fifth national championship (including three at Cal State Fullerton) moved him into a second-place tie with former LSU coach Skip Bertman.
Magical moments abounded for the Horns, from sophomore righthander Kyle McCulloch’s capping a sensational week of pitching to dominant relief. McCulloch (12-4) allowed five hits and two runs over 6 2/3 innings, matching his career high of eight strikeouts.
McCulloch, redshirt freshman Adrian Alaniz and true freshman Kenn Kasparek were 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA in five CWS starts. UT allowed just 1.6 runs per game, the second fewest by a national champion since aluminum bats were introduced in 1974.
“We did a very good job of getting ahead of hitters and, when we got ahead of them, putting them away,” McCulloch said. “Going into Ole Miss (site of the super regional) and into such a hostile environment really helped our pitching staff.
“Once we knew we could succeed there, we could succeed anywhere, especially in a neutral environment like this. It allowed people to relax and come in here and pitch their own games. We all did that this week, and it worked out well.”
The Horns survived five elimination games en route to Omaha, and with McCulloch and junior catcher Taylor Teagarden slowed by back injuries down the stretch, UT pinned its hopes on young and old alike.
The Horns were expecting junior closer J. Brent Cox to be brilliant, and he was, finishing the postseason 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA and five saves, including 17 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Johnston, Maroul and designated hitter Will Crouch provided invaluable senior leadership, but UT also received contributions from sophomore first baseman Chance Wheeless.
Wheeless beat Baylor with a memorable walk-off home run on Wednesday and keyed Sunday’s rally in the sixth with an opposite-field homer off Bryan Ball (7-6). Wheeless had a hit in 15 of UT’s last 16 games and was battling a shoulder injury at the CWS.
“When Chance hit that oppo (opposite-field) home run,” said Johnston, “I had pretty much seen everything.”
The Longhorns are set to return to Austin and Disch-Falk Field for a celebration at 4 p.m. today, and the UT Tower will be lit tonight to honor the title.
In a fitting finish, Cox closed out the triumph with a strikeout of Stephen Barton. Cox took the loss in the championship opener against Cal State Fullerton last season.
When the final pitch of his UT career eluded Barton, Cox fell to his knees and enjoyed a moment of elation before being swarmed by his teammates. Like everyone else in the pile, Cox wore a smile.
“I guess you could say it was a dream come true,” Cox said. “It sounds kind of corny, but that’s the truth.”
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