1973 NCAA University Division baseball tournament
The 1973 NCAA University Division baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1973 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, a double-elimination tournament in its twenty-seventh year.
| Season | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Southern California (9th title) |
| Runner-up | Arizona State (6th CWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Rod Dedeaux (9th title) |
| MOP | Dave Winfield (Minnesota) |
Eight regional districts sent representatives to the College World Series with preliminary rounds within each district serving to determine each representative. These events would later become known as regionals. Each district had its own format for selecting teams, resulting in 32 teams participating in the tournament at the conclusion of their regular season, and in some cases, after a conference tournament.[1]
The twenty-seventh tournament's champion was Southern California, led by head coach Rod Dedeaux, and Dave Winfield of Minnesota. was the Most Outstanding Player. He was the starting pitcher in two games, tossing 1717+1⁄3 innings, allowing nine hits, one earned run, and striking out 29. In addition, Winfield batted .467 in the Series.
USC became the first team to win four consecutive College World Series and was undefeated (5–0) in the double-elimination format. The final game drew 12,050, the sixth highest to date, and attendance for the fourteen-game Series was 65,356, a new record by nearly seven thousand.[2]
Tournament
The opening rounds of the tournament were played across eight district sites across the country, each consisting of between three and six teams.[3] The winners of each District advanced to the College World Series.
Bold indicates winner.
District 1 at Boston, MA
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Northeastern | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Providence | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Northeastern | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Harvard | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Harvard | 4 | |||||||||||||
| UMass | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Harvard | 8 | — | ||||||||||||
| Providence | 1 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Providence | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Providence | 8 | Northeastern | 4 | |||||||||||
| UMass | 7 | |||||||||||||
District 2 at West Windsor, NJ
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Temple | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Penn State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Penn State | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Penn State | 4 | — | ||||||||||||
| Temple | 2 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Temple | 4* | |||||||||||||
| Temple | 4 | Buffalo | 3* | |||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 2 | |||||||||||||
District 3 at Starkville, MS
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 5 | Miami (FL) | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 3 | Appalachian State | 6 | Miami (FL) | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 4* | Georgia Southern | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 2* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 6 | Georgia Southern | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 2 | Vanderbilt | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
District 4 at Carbondale, IL
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Marshall | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 7* | — | ||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 6* | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 8 | |||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 5 | Miami (OH) | 1 | |||||||||||
| Marshall | 1 | |||||||||||||
District 5 at Tulsa, OK
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 8 | |||||||||||||
| Creighton | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 5* | — | ||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 1* | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Tulsa | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Creighton | 4 | Oral Roberts | 1 | |||||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 11 | |||||||||||||
District 6 at San Antonio, TX
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Trinity | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Trinity | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 17 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Texas–Pan American | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 1410 | — | ||||||||||||
| Texas–Pan American | 12 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Texas–Pan American | 410 | |||||||||||||
| Texas–Pan American | 410 | Trinity | 3 | |||||||||||
| Arkansas | 2 | |||||||||||||
District 7 at Spokane, WA & Mesa, AZ
| Spokane, WA | Mesa, AZ | ||||||||
| Arizona State | 14 | ||||||||
| Denver | 2 | 4 | 4 | Denver | 1 | ||||
| Gonzaga | 8 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
District 8 at Los Angeles, CA
| Semifinal | Final | ||||||||||
| Cal State Los Angeles | 3 | 6 | — | ||||||||
| Loyola Marymount | 8 | 1 | — | Southern California | 4 | 13 | — | ||||
| Southern California | 9 | 2 | — | ||||||||
College World Series
Participants
| School | Conference | Record (conference) | Head coach | CWS appearances | CWS best finish | CWS record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | WAC | 56–6 (16–1) | Jim Brock | 5 (last: 1972) | 1st (1965, 1967, 1969) | 20–7 |
| Georgia Southern | Independent | 42–10 | Ron Polk | 0 (last: none) | none | 0–0 |
| Harvard | EIBL | 35–3 (11–2) | Loyal Park | 2 (last: 1971) | 5th (1971) | 1–4 |
| Minnesota | Big 10 | 29–14–2 (14–4) | Dick Siebert | 3 (last: 1964) | 1st (1956, 1960, 1964) | 14–3 |
| Oklahoma | Big 8 | 47–10 (17–4) | Enos Semore | 2 (last: 1972) | 1st (1951) | 5–2 |
| Penn State | Independent | 19–5 | Chuck Medlar | 4 (last: 1963) | 2nd (1957) | 8–8 |
| Southern California | Pac-8 | 46–11 (14–4) | Rod Dedeaux | 14 (last: 1972) | 1st (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972) | 48–18 |
| Texas | Southwest | 48–5 (15–3) | Cliff Gustafson | 14 (last: 1972) | 1st (1949, 1950) | 28–25 |
Bracket
| Upper round 1 | Upper round 2 | Upper final | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern California | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern California | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 1 | Minnesota | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern California | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern California | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harvard | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern California | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower round 2 | Arizona State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 6 | Oklahoma | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 8 | Georgia Southern | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Harvard | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Game results
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 8 | Game 1 | Minnesota | 1–0 | Oklahoma | Dave Winfield: 14 Ks, 6-hit shutout.[4] |
| Game 2 | Arizona State | 3–1 | Penn State | ||
| June 9 | Game 3 | Texas | 6–3 | Georgia Southern | |
| Game 4 | Southern California | 4–1 | Harvard | ||
| Game 5 | Oklahoma | 6–0 | Penn State | Penn State eliminated | |
| June 10 | Game 6 | Georgia Southern | 8–0 | Harvard | Harvard eliminated |
| Game 7 | Arizona State | 3–0 | Minnesota | ||
| Game 8 | Southern California | 4–1 | Texas | ||
| June 11 | Game 9 | Minnesota | 6–2 | Georgia Southern | Georgia Southern eliminated |
| Game 10 | Texas | 10–2 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma eliminated | |
| Game 11 | Southern California | 3–1 | Arizona State | ||
| June 12 | Game 12 | Arizona State | 6–5 | Texas | Texas eliminated[5] |
| Game 13 | Southern California | 8–7 | Minnesota | Minnesota eliminated[5] | |
| June 13 | Final | Southern California | 4–3 | Arizona State | Southern California wins CWS[2] |
- Final game was on Wednesday night, with an attendance of 12,050.[2]
The Minnesota vs. USC semi final game
Recalled each year as perhaps the most amazing game in CWS history, Minnesota faced a USC team that featured future major leaguers Rich Dauer, Fred Lynn, and Roy Smalley. Dave Winfield was the starting pitcher for Minnesota. In his first game vs. Oklahoma, he struck out 14 in shutting out the Sooners, 1-0. In the semi-final vs. defending champion USC, Winfield had struck out 15 through 8 innings, allowing only an infield single as Minnesota built a 7-0 lead. USC's Rich Dauer said "In my whole career, even facing the big boys in the majors, I have never seen anything like that," When Dave let go of the ball, it was three feet in front of your face and it seemed like it was going 110 miles an hour."[6]
In the ninth inning, USC opened with a base hit but the next batter grounded into what appeared to be a double play. Television replays indicated the batter was out at first base, but the umpire called him safe and Minnesota coach Dick Siebert was thrown out of the game arguing the call. Two more singles and a key error by the first baseman led to three runs and Winfield was relieved and went to left field. Two relievers allowed five more runs and USC won the game 8–7.[5] "I have played in a lot of memorable big games during my career," Winfield said. "World Series games, league championship games, all-star games, all kinds. But I will never forget that game against USC. Never."[7]
All-Tournament Team
The following players were members of the All-Tournament Team.
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| P | Eddie Bane | Arizona State |
| Randy Scarbery | USC | |
| Bob Shirley | Oklahoma | |
| Dave Winfield (MOP) | Minnesota | |
| C | Clint Meyers | Arizona State |
| 1B | Clay Westlake | Arizona State |
| 2B | Bill Berger | Arizona State |
| 3B | Keith Moreland | Texas |
| SS | Roy Smalley | USC |
| OF | Ken Huizenga | USC |
| Carl Person | Georgia Southern | |
| Terry Pyka | Texas |
Notable players
- Arizona State: Gary Allenson, Eddie Bane, Jim Lentine, Paul Moskau, Jim Otten, John Poloni, Jim Umbarger, Bump Wills
- Georgia Southern: Jim Morrison, John Tamargo
- Harvard:
- Minnesota: Steve Comer, Dave Winfield
- Oklahoma: Keith Drumright, Bob Shirley, Joe Simpson, Jackson Todd
- Penn State:
- Southern California: Rich Dauer, Steve Kemp, Dennis Littlejohn, Fred Lynn, Ed Putman, Pete Redfern, Randy Scarbery, Roy Smalley
- Texas: Bobby Cuellar, Jim Gideon, Keith Moreland, Ken Pape, Rich Wortham
References
- "NCAA Men's College World Series Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. p. 195. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- "Trojans capture fourth straight". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 15, 1973. p. 32.
- "NCAA Men's College World Series Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. pp. 198–99. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- "Arizona, Gophers capture openers". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. June 9, 1973. p. 11.
- "USC gets eight in ninth for win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 13, 1973. p. 16.
- Hoffbeck, Stephen R. (2005). Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 176.
- Schwarz, Alan (June 11, 2002). "Greatest College World Series moments". ESPN. Retrieved January 18, 2014.