MAC Tournament Memories

Hi again everybody! Well it's tournament time once again for the baseball teams of the Mid-American Conference. All eight qualifiers are hoping to skip the Memorial Day barbecues in favour of a another holiday weekend tradition.

The dogpile.

KSU's Golden Flashes were fortunate enough to celebrate four straight times from 2009-2012 on the first unofficial weekend of summer - with a celebration also coming in 2007. This year the Flashes will play from the four seed, taking on Bowling Green - last year's tourney winner - on Wednesday afternoon at 1.

I was lucky enough to witness many memorable moments during KSU's great run from 2007-2012, and along with former baseball SID Matthew Lofton have compiled a list of some great moments. Here they are, in no particular order!

The Dogpiles

Nothing in sports quite compares with watching eight fully uniformed players converge with a handful of dugout players into a mess of tangled excitement and joy when the final out of a title game is recorded. KSU found itself in such a position in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. And each year was unique in its celebration. I remember pitcher Justin Gill and catcher Cory Hindel embracing for a moment before being enveloped by their teammates in 2010 and Evan Campbell soaring into the top of the pile in 2012 like he was making a landing at Hopkins International Airport.

Bouncing the RedHawks

In baseball, KSU's biggest rival through the last decade has been the Miami RedHawks. Always a spirited regular season series, the two squads often met in post-season play as well. And regardless of how that regular season set went, the Golden Flashes got the last laugh in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 - dealing Miami a loss which ended its season. Even more damaging in 2011 was the fact it was the title game; when a well-rested RedHawks team was blitzed by KSU, 11-0.

Kyle Hallock

Hal'lock' ing it Down

In 2010, second-seeded Kent State was shocked in the opener 12-4 by Eastern Michigan. It had to rally back to win four consecutive elimination games (two in their final at-bat) just to reach the finals. In the semi-final rematch with the Eagles, Kyle Hallock came in to work the 10th inning of a game KSU once trailed 8-3. He breezed through the inning and when the Flashes won in the bottom half, head coach Scott Stricklin quickly announced him as the starter for the title game just 40 minutes later. Against the top-seeded Chippewas, the lefty dazzled, tossing seven superb innings, striking out six in making 121 pitches. The bullpen held the lead and KSU pulled off the biggest comeback in MAC Tournament history.

 

No Fear

2008 MAC Pitcher of the Year Chris Carpenter was cruising into the sixth when he lost command of his fastball. He walked three straight CMU hitters and was pulled from the game. With ice in his veins, pitching coach Mike Birkbeck made the move to rookie Jon Pokorny. The southpaw came in and delivered one of the most clutch pitching performances in KSU history. He notched a strikeout against the first hitter, using four pitches and then recorded a 6-4-3 double play on an 0-2 pitch to keep the game tied. Seven pitches. Six of them strikes. Clutch.

Hindel's Wild Ride

In the same 2008 tournament game against the Chips, the Flashes used the momentum from Pokorny's sixth inning Houdini act to take the lead in the bottom half. With the bases empty and two outs, Brett Weibley singles and Cory Hindel steps to the plate. With the clock nearing midnight, Hindel hits a slow roller to second. The Chips' infielder appears as if he is going to eat it but spins at the last moment and throws wildly to first, shooting it off the dugout rail. Weibley flies into and around third as Hindel takes off for second. The CMU centre fielder comes into second for backup purposes as Hindel gets into a pickle. Just as they are about to tag him to end the inning, they opt to instead throw home against a charging Weibley. That throw hits halfway up the backstop allowing the Flashes to take the lead. Seeing this, Hindel resumes on his path to second. The throw there is air mailed into centre field, where - you guessed it - no one is because of the backup. As the ball gets smaller and smaller as it rolls to the wall, the KSU catcher sets sail for home plate and scores with ease, giving Kent a 4-2 lead and game one win.

Evan Campbell

Soup's Slam is Mmm Mmm, Good

In a win-or-go-home semi-final clash with the Eastern Michigan Eagles in 2011, Andrew Chafin and Rob Wendzicki were locked in a mesmerizing 0-0 game in the eighth inning. In the bottom half with two outs and two strikes against pinch hitter Nick Hamilton, he drew a free base on a hit by pitch and later broke the ice on a seeing-eye single by Joe Koch. With KSU clinging to a 1-0 lead and runners at second and third, the Eagles elect to walk the bases loaded. As the walk is issued, Mike Birkbeck leans into the on-deck circle and tells Evan Campbell to "be better in this moment than he is in this moment." The junior launched a missile into the treeline in right field for a dramatic grand slam, finishing off the Eagles and sending the Golden Flashes dugout into delirious celebration as the Miami RedHawks - scheduled to play the winner in the title game - looked on and collectively gulped.

The Comeback

The 2010 title was as hard-earned as any in history for KSU

Heavily favoured KSU opened the 2010 tournament against seventh-seeded EMU and was shocked by a 12-4 laugher. Now with an impossible trail in front of them, they send Robert Sabo to the mound in a 9 a.m. elimination game against Miami. He saves the season with a 143-pitch masterpiece as the Flashes rout the RedHawks, 9-2. The next day against Toledo, David Starn is magnificent. But a rare bullpen snafu allows the Rockets to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the 11th, Jared Humphreys corks a liner to the gap to give KSU a dramatic win. Later that night, Ben Klafczynski's grand slam is all the offense Ryan Mace needs as the righty shuts EMU down over seven innings. KSU's 15-1 revenge forced a second semi-final the following day. There, the Eagles rip open an 8-3 mid-game lead and the outlook is bleak. But as they had all year, the Flashes battle back and down to their final out, David Lyon rips the first of what would become many clutch hits in his KSU

career to tie it at 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth. Travis Shaw was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 10th with the bases loaded to send the Flashes to the 9-8 win. In the finale against CMU, Hallock provided the pitching and the good guys went up 5-0 and held on for a thrilling 5-3 win.

Rocky the Rally Raccoon 

In the late game to open the 2009 tournaments, top-seed Bowling Green and eighth-seeded Central Michigan are at the end of three innings with CMU holding a surprising 4-1 lead. The entire complex then goes dark before the fourth begins. Here, a raccoon had worked its way into a nearby transformer and caused the entire device to rupture. Power crews were not able to restore juice to the facility until the next night, forcing a suspension until the following morning. The discombobulated Falcons never got on track, falling to the Chips, 6-2 in the only 8-beats-1 upset in the tournament's history. The extra day and pitching takes its toll on both clubs, as the Flashes club CMU later that Thursday, 17-2.

Steve Partington takes the lineups in 2008

Party's Last Party

Veteran umpire Steve Partington - with nearly 50 years of baseball service - worked his final MAC Tournament in 2008. Selected to work the plate in the title game for the final time, he accepted Scott Stricklin's lineup with tears in his eyes. The Flashes fall to EMU in the title tilt, but "Party" is virtually flawless on the balls and strikes, taking only one direct foul ball to the mask. As the final out is recorded, he tips his cap, leaves it at home plate and walks off the field. The support for Steve from both the players and his brethren was a fitting conclusion to a great career.

Here's hoping for a handful of new memories this week in Avon!

See you there!

TL