This College Baseball Team Could Win a National Championship…For a School That No Longer Exists
The incredible story of the Birmingham-Southern Panthers
Championships last forever.
In fact, they might even last longer than the school for which you won them.
Such is the predicament of the Birmingham-Southern Panthers who, later today, will begin a 3-game series against Denison University to clinch a spot in the Division-III NCAA College World Series. If they advance, the Panthers will play in the 8-team World Series tournament that begins on May 31.
May 31 also happens to be the day that Birmingham Southern College will close its doors forever.
Wouldn’t that be something, to win a championship for a school that no longer exists?
Faced with insurmountable budget troubles, the 168-year-old Birmingham-Southern announced it would be shuttering in late March. Current students would have to transfer. Teams would be disbanded. Doors would be locked forever.
But the baseball season wasn’t over. And Birmingham-Southern, a D-III baseball powerhouse, had lofty ambitions. It’s a horrible turn-of-events, right?
“I think,” longtime head coach Jan Weisberg said, “it is a special opportunity.”
When the news about the school was made public, Coach Weisberg called a team meeting. “We sat the guys down and talked about things, about living in uncertainty of where they’d be next year and the sadness of losing something they love,” Weisberg said. “We simply told them their job was just to finish. And, by finishing, it doesn’t mean we have to win a national championship. We can’t put that weight on our shoulders. We just want to do things the right way like we’ve always done them. We want to play the game the right way and play it hard.”
Near the final stretch of seasons, Coach Weisberg has long made a point to remind his teams about the importance of finishing strong, of leaving behind a legacy, of setting a tone for all others to follow. In the past, that has typically meant a focus on ensuring that upperclassmen set the right example for younger players. “Now,” Weisberg said, “our job is to close up shop and do it the right way.”
Teams are often only as good as their ability to handle distractions. By that metric, the Panthers are in rare company. Since the news broke, the team has gone 17-4. “It was almost a weird thing. Right before we heard the news, we were in a rut and were struggling,” junior outfielder Eli Steadman said. “Once we heard the news, it was like a weight was lifted from our shoulders. We just rallied around each other and all the alums who reached out and have given us support. We came together like one big true family and gave each other our all, and we’ve been playing so much better since.”
Between practices and games, the team meets with administrators who help them figure out which schools might accept their credits, as well as navigating the admissions process. “One place that didn’t have uncertainty, and the one place they were really happy, was when they were on the field.” Coach Weisberg said.
Last weekend, the Pnathers won 5-2 against the No. 2 seed Transylvania University Pioneers (Division III!!!) to advance to the Super Regionals this weekend. It was their third win in three days. This weekend, they’ll need to win just twice against Denison in Ohio. Do that, and they’re into the World Series—school or not.
“We have nothing to lose,” Steadman, the junior outfielder said. “We want to go out and give it our all every single pitch. We’re extremely excited. We can’t wait to get out there and let loose.”
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