College World Series in Need of Repair

Jun 14, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; The Texas Longhorns and the UC Irvine Anteaters line up for the national anthem prior to game one of the 2014 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Part I

Watching the College World Series this year is kind of hard. It’s like they are playing on a field with the fences 500 feet away – no one can hit it to the fence let alone over the fence.

Hunter Renfroe’s home run vs. Oregon State was the last long ball hit at the CWS. (Congrats to Hunter on his promotion to AA by the way).

College baseball started playing at TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 – the same year as the BBCOR bats were introduced. That has decreased the power numbers tremendously.

It’s not just the bats and large field dimensions but the wind as well. It knocks down everything.

All joking aside about Ole Miss’ confiscated bats, they are a good hitting team who is only 6 for 57  (.105) in two games. How does that happen? Who would have guessed they would have been involved in two 2-1 games?

It’s not lack of offense that’s the major problem (although more would be nice). It’s the fact that it’s not the same game teams have played all year. If every ballpark played this way it would be one thing, but to play (and win) playing one way, then have to change the way you play once you get to Omaha is wrong.

The ballpark should play fair.

One major problem is the orientation of the park. The wind blows in much more than it blows out. If we were still using the Gorilla bats that would be fine, but it just compounds the issue now. The architects who designed the park should have oriented it in the other direction, period.

But that’s not something which can be changed – the College World Series will be played at TD Ameritrade until at least 2035. So what can be done?

First, let’s see how the new ball effects things next year. The seams will be lowered allowing for more flight once it’s hit. Some say it could increase flight as much as 20 feet on a ball hit to the warning track. If that doesn’t work the fences need to be moved in for 2016.