Missions Trio Shares College World Series Experience
Published on June 23, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
San Antonio Missions News Release
San Antonio Missions outfielders Travis Jankowski and Hunter Renfroe and catcher Jason Hagerty have something in common.
Prior to the beginning of their professional baseball careers, the three experienced the thrill of playing in the College World Series. While Jankowski helped Stony Brook to the big stage in Omaha, Renfroe (Mississippi State) and Hagerty (Miami) did the same at their respective schools. Neither of them was part of a championship, even though Renfroe and the Bulldogs reached the finals. Despite coming up short in that category, it was still the highlight of their college careers.
"It was awesome" said Hagerty, who was with Miami during the final year (2008) the series was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. "This was the first time I had ever played on a big stage like that. The welcoming you get from Omaha is great. It's that goal of winning a national championship that makes it exciting.
"There's that fight to get there and when you do anything can happen. It's on ESPN and you're there representing your school. The atmosphere at the games was amazing. Every game was sold out. It seemed like every play was so important. You had the feeling something special was going to happen."
All three were part of something special. In Jankowski's case, it was also an opportunity to make history. While Miami has been to the College World Series 24 times with four championships and Mississippi State has nine appearances, it was a first-time accomplishment for Stony Brook.
At the time many college sports fans had never heard of the New York-based school, which plays in the America East Conference. Prior to recruiting, Jankowski admitted he didn't know about the Seawolves. During the 2012 season, Stony Brook became a household name among the college baseball nation.
"We were the underdogs and the people of Omaha always adopt the underdog as the team to root for," said Jankowski, who was the first Stony Brook player to be a No. 1 draft pick after being selected by the Padres. "I remember when we got to Omaha all our merchandise was sold out in the stores. It was crazy. We were treated like celebrities and we were just a bunch of no names from Stony Brook.
"That's what makes the College World Series so great. The fans are amazing. The town is rooting for good baseball. That was the first year of the new stadium (TD Ameritrade Park) and it was unbelievable playing there. This is a moment that will literally stay with me the rest of my life."
Stony Brook had an amazing run. With Jankowski leading the way with a .414 average, 46 RBIs and five home runs, the Seawolves soared to the America East Conference title during the regular season and zipped to league tournament title, setting the stage for more adventure in the Coral Gable Regional as the No. 4 seed.
"We had a good record going into regionals but we came from a weaker conference and didn't get that much respect as far as baseball goes," Jankowski said. "I don't know what the other teams were thinking, but I am sure they weren't thinking too highly of us. To be honest we never thought we would make it to the College World Series.
"But we got hot at the right time. I get goose bumps even thinking about it now."
Stony Brook opened eyes immediately by stunning Miami, 10-2, in the regional opener.
It appeared the good times would be short lived as Central Florida handed the Seawolves a 7-2 loss the next day. Stony Brook's outlook didn't look better in the elimination game as Missouri State cruised to an early 7-2 lead. This was a magical season, however, and just when the Seawolves were on their way out, a turnaround occurred.
Stony Brook came storming back for a 10-7 win and followed with 12-5, 10-7 victories over UCF to advance to the Super Regional against LSU.
Jankowksi and his teammates knew the odds were stacked against them even more in Baton Rouge. Not only were the Seawolves playing in a hostile environment, they were going against one of the premiere programs in college baseball. Once again, the magic was there.
After a losing a 3-2 12-inning opener that was suspended until the following day because of rain, Stony Brook evened the series with a 3-1 win before stunning the Tigers with a 7-2 thumping to clinch its first appearance in the CWS.
"The games at LSU were crazy," Jankowski said. "They were swinging the bats, but we kept making plays. It was almost like a miracle. Usually when you beat a team like LSU, it ticks them off and they come back to show you they're the better team.
"We got the seven runs in the third game and you could hear a pin drop. When we beat LSU the emotions were through the roof. You have to give credit to their fans. After we won, we did a victory lap around and they were cheering us on. Some of their fans even came to watch us in Omaha because they had pre-bought their tickets. It was almost overwhelming."
The magic ran out in Omaha. Although Stony Brook was a crowd favorite, the Seawolves were unable to get anything going, losing to UCLA (9-1) and Florida State (12-2).
"I think the thing that happened was we just ran out of steam and lost to two very good teams," Jankowski said. "I think I got one hit and that was on my last at-bat. That's baseball. Anything can happen."
While making it to the College World Series was a dream come true for Stony Brook, trips to Omaha are expected every year at Miami.
That is a big reason Hagerty chose Miami in the first place.
"At Miami, the goal every year is to win a national championship," Hagerty said. "It's not to just make it the regionals and the playoffs. The expectations are high."
In 2008 Hagerty, who batted .289 with 38 RBIs and eight home runs, got to live the CWS dream. The Hurricanes zipped through the Coral Gables Regional, but hit a slight roadblock in the Super Regional with Arizona, losing a 6-3 opener in extra innings. Miami bounced back with 14-10, 4-2 wins to punch its ticket to Omaha.
The trip to CWS didn't last as long as Hagerty hoped. Miami lost to Georgia, 7-4, in the first game, but bounced back with a 7-5 victory over Stanford in the elimination game on a clutch RBI single from Hagerty.
However, the Hurricanes were unable to maintain the momentum in the next outing, falling to Stanford, 8-3.
"We had a really good season," said Hagerty, who was drafted by the Padres during the fifth round the following year. "We were No. 1 in the country most of the year. In the first game we had the lead but lost it late in the game. If you lose that first game it's not the end of the world but I really think winning that first game is extremely important to you though.
"It was nice to knock Florida State out the next game. That was huge for Miami. We lost the next game and that was tough. You work all season to get there. When you get there and don't take full advantage it's kind of heartbreaking. Even though you lost, you still love being there."
Renfroe, who had been selected as the Padres' No. 1 draft pick prior to the Super Regional with Virginia in 2013, had a longer stay in Omaha as Mississippi State charged through its bracket with two wins over Oregon State (5-4, 4-1) and another over Indiana (5-4).
The Bulldogs had been on a roll going into the College World Series, sweeping through its regional before taking two from Virginia (11-6, 6-5) in the Super Regional.
Although Mississippi State was on a hot streak, UCLA happened to be hotter in the long run by registering 3-1, 8-0 wins in the championship round.
"Getting to the finals was unbelievable," said Renfroe, who had a three-run home run in the 5-4 victory over Oregon State in the first game. "Winning the first game helped a lot, because we saved our pitching and got some off days. The nerves were out and we started believing we could do it.
"The resting helped, but it's also very important you go there and have fun. It is the biggest stage you have played on at that time. Some people crack under pressure. You have to be relaxed and enjoy yourselves."
Winning makes it even more enjoyable, especially when your team isn't one of the favorites.
UCLA and (Mississippi State) weren't very highly touted that year," Renfroe said. "All of a sudden we both started winning and made it up there. When we did people realized these teams were legit.
"UCLA played pretty well in the finals. They pitched to the stadium. We hit the ball as far as we could but they were making the catches. They bunted runners over. They hit and ran. They did everything right."
Like Jankowski and Hagerty, watching this year's series refuels the memories for Renfroe. Chances are that will happen every June.
"It was one of the better experiences of my life," Renfroe said. "My family and friends were there. I got to know players on the other teams.
"You grow up seeing it and want to be part of it. When you get to experience that moment in your life it lives up to every expectation you ever had about it."
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