Aggies are national champs!!!

USU's 2012 seniors are bringing home some hardware

Utah State baseball wrapped up a season for the ages Thursday night in Georgia with a dominating 14-3 victory over Colorado State in the National Club Baseball Association's World Series championship game.

With the exception of the tournament semifinal game against Texas Tech, the Aggies essentially dominated the entire tournament, putting forth a 9-3 win in the opening round, a 3-0 shutout in the second round and the championship game's 14-3 win.

The championship marks the first in USU baseball's history, and is yet another big splash that Utah State athletics continue to make. It's all the more fitting that the win came in the heart of SEC country, where USU has earned a bit of a reputation of excellence in the last year. Above all else, we've got an early frontrunner for the top story in USU athletics for 2012, and they've set the bar pretty damn high!

While some people might try to undersell how awesome of a thing this is because they're a club team, don't buy into that attitude. Like I've said about things like winning a crappy conference, or winning a crappy bowl game or a crappy postseason tournament; being the best among whatever competition is put in front of you, is something to be proud of. For 2012, Utah State are the kings of the club baseball world!


PITCHING AND DEFENSE

Second basemen Brad Singer said that pitching and defense were what carried the team all season, and this tournament was no exception. Georgia, Texas Tech and Colorado State were the only other teams in the tournament to finish a single game allowing as few as three runs to their opponent. Texas Tech did it in two games, while USU managed to hold opponents to no more than three runs in all four tournament games played. Even more impressive, they allowed a combined one run over 25 innings against the tournament's No. 1 and No. 2 seed.

Probably the most impressive performance of the entire tournament came in the semifinal game against Texas Tech. With the Aggies having thrown their top two starters in the first two games, winning that third game was crucial in getting the pitching staff some depth.

Enter Jaren Tyler.

Tyler entered the game in the seventh inning in relief of Sixto Cabrera and was absolutely masterful!!! Tyler tossed 10 innings of shutout baseball, allowing only four hits and two walks, while striking out six batters. His pitch count ran up to 142, but even with what had to have been an absolute noodle arm in those mid-teen innings, dude kept taking the bump and putting guys down. His ultimate man performance kept the rest of the pitching staff fresh, while holding off the opposition long enough until USU finally got a run home in the bottom of the 16th inning.

I can't wait for the day that somebody puts forth a more ballsy effort than that, because it will be one hell of a sight to see. Sadly, I'm not sure I'll ever live to see it.


HOW GOOD DOES THIS SOUND?

"Utah State Aggies are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!"

I keep saying aloud and in my head, and it still is a thrill every time!

Logan City, you'd best be planning a parade for these guys. They deserve it!!!

And USU athletic department, let's start thinking a little more seriously about how we're going to make baseball a NCAA sanctioned sport here at Utah State.