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Davidson makes first appearance in NCAA baseball tournament

After Stephan Curry comes small-town Davidson making its first appearance in the NCAA Division One baseball tournament, now in the Super Regionals after eliminating No. 1 North Carolina

Wildcats barely made it into their conference tournament where they won out of the loser’s bracket, and now try to follow-up Curry’s 2008 hoops season

Arnie Leshin

By Arnie Leshin | June 6, 2017

Davidson and Stephan Curry. The small Division I college in a small town in North Carolina, and who Curry landed on the map as the Cinderella team of the NCAA tournament in 2008.

First came the hoops. Making into the NCAA tournament as a 10th seed, and with Curry making the headlines, the Wildcats came up just short of the Final Four, losing in the Elite Eight, 59-57, to Kansas after turning back Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin.

These days, Curry is a superstar with the Golden State Warriors in a third-straight NBA final against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s wealthy, has a well-provided-for family, is an All-Star and fan favorite, and the pride of Davidson.

Now he can play his game of ball while the Wildcats become perhaps one of the feature stories of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. They somehow found their way into the 64-team field for the first time in the 115 years of the program.

Saddled now again as the tournament Cinderella, Davidson just barely made it in to the Atlantic 10 tournament, then had to climb out of the loser’s bracket to gain the Chapel Hill Region hosted by No. 1 North Carolina.

They entered this round as the fourth seed with the worst record, the worst earned-run-average, and the lowest batting average. In the region, they had only a pair of extra-base hits and scored only four times over the last 22 innings.

But the good overruled the bad. Davidson, with an enrollment of less than 2,000, won the region at 3-0 and never trailed. It knocked around J.B. Bukauskan of the Tar Heels, who was 9-0 and ACC Pitcher of the Year. It had outfielder Will Robinson hit in his 52nd, 53rd and 54th consecutive games.

Then there’s Alec Alota and his burritos. The infielder had but one home run in his three years with the Wildcats. But late in the season he stepped into a Mexican restaurant in St. Louis, ordered a burrito, hit a home run his next game. Next day, same restaurant, another burrito, another home run. He ate eight in one visit and hit five homers and drove home 11 runs in the Atlantic 10 tournament.

He couldn’t find a Mexican restaurant in Chapel Hill or another one that served burritos, but he swung a good bat, hitting .332 against North Carolina. No burritos, no home runs, but he did knock in six runs in the regional.

Said Mike Fox, the head coach of the Tar Heels: “It was an amazing showing by Davidson. They found ways to win and did something pretty special. I wish them luck in the Supers.”

The Wildcats will play at Texas A & M Friday in the best-of-three. It’s their first NCAA tournament, but Florida and FSU have been in many and have yet to win the championship. The Aggies have.

The Gators are hosting ACC foe Wake Forest, the Seminoles play host to Sam Houston State. The last team in was Long Beach State and it will host state-rival Cal-State Fullerton. In an SEC match-up, Mississippi State plays at LSU.

Also out of the SEC is Kentucky and it finds itself at Big East Louisville. TCU of the Big 12 heads for Missouri State, Pac 12 Oregon State is hosting Vanderbilt of the SEC.

That’s six schools remaining from the SEC, two from the ACC, and one each from the Pac 12, Big 12, and Big East. Not from these power conferences are Davidson, Sam Houston State, Missouri State, Cal-State Fullerton, and Long Beach State.

But take note, Wildcats, for in 2008’s Curry-led basketball magical campaign, another 10th seed, Fresno State, won it all. Wishful thinking, but then again, who expected Davidson to crash the party.

Schools left who have already hoisted the championship trophy are LSU, Cal-State Fullerton, Oregon State, Wake Forest, Virginia, and Vanderbilt. Last year’s surprise champion, Coastal Carolina, did not qualify for the field this time.

Miami, the one from South Florida, had made a record 44-staight appearances in the tournament, but was left out of this one. Now it’s state-rival FSU playing in its 21st in a row. For LSU and Fullerton, it’s the 17th time.

Along with North Carolina, other schools that were upset in their regions were Southern Mississippi by Mississippi State and Arkansas by Missouri State.

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