Birmingham-Southern makes College World Series, even if school closes: NPR

The NCAA logo painted on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park as Oral Roberts takes the field before the start of an NCAA baseball game against TCU on June 4, 2022 in College Station, Texas.

Sam Craft/AP

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Sam Craft/AP

The Birmingham-Southern College Panthers couldn’t contain their joy. After beating Denison University, 7-6, the Alabama baseball team rushed to center field and joined in a huge celebratory hug.

Not only were the Panthers advancing to the Division III College World Series, they were doing so as their school prepared to close its doors for good.

“CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! YOUR BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN PANTHERS ARE REGIONAL SUPER CHAMPIONS AND ADVANCED TO THE DIII COLLEGE WORLD SERIES!!!!!” The Birmingham-Southern College athletic department wrote about X after Saturday’s victory.

Birmingham-Southern College is a private liberal arts college located in Birmingham, Alabama with more than 1,200 students. In March, the college announced its closure due to financial difficulties – a problem that affects many small private institutions across the country.

The closure meant that most south Birmingham students — except for those who would graduate this semester — would have to find new schools to attend in the fall.

The news came just weeks after the start of the college baseball season. The team was heartbroken and fell into a losing streak mid-season. But the student-athletes persevered with the goal of “finishing strong,” as their coach Jan Weisberg had asked them to do.

“Go out and honor all those who came before you,” Weisberg told NPR member station WBHM.

Despite the uncertainty about the future, Panthers players remained focused on the season. Freshman pitcher Jacob Fields even stopped his conversations with college recruiters in order to focus on the baseball season.

“I told them all that I really wanted to focus on the team right now and that we can wait to have more conversations after we’re done,” Fields told WBHM.

Senior pitcher Hansen McCown is simply relishing the time they have left to play together as a team.

“Some people might consider this a sad story. But for us, you know, we accept it,” he said. “We’re just excited to play another baseball game.”

The school’s financial difficulties will not prevent the team from participating in its first College World Series game, thanks to funding from the NCAA and donations, including from alumni. The Alabama school is scheduled to close its doors on May 31 – the same day the Panthers play their World Series game in Eastlake, Ohio.