Shortly after the Birmingham-Southern College baseball team's Hollywood run to the NCAA Division III College World Series ended in heartbreaking fashion, coach Jan Weisberg gathered the team's seniors.
For those players, there would never be a next year, but the team's elimination represented more than that. Two days earlier, the school had closed its doors for good and soon the team would disperse, with no chance of them ever being together again.
Weisberg gave the team two options: take a two-hour bus ride to Pittsburgh and fly home or take the bus for a 730-mile trip back to Birmingham. It was an easy decision.
“Bus rides are where a lot of college baseball memories are made,” said first baseman Jackson Webster. “I think we just wanted to take advantage of that time together and experience one last bus ride.”
Despite being eliminated with a home run in a game in which they once led 10-5, the atmosphere on the way home was celebratory.
“There's a lot of joy for the team,” Webster said. “We got to the College World Series. You play your best and things didn't happen, but there were a lot of them. The guys were just having a good time soaking it up and laughing. I mean, what else can you do?” in that situation?”
For a few weeks, BSC rode an incredible wave of success and excitement that, for a brief moment, captured national attention. With a documentary crew in tow, the team temporarily staved off extinction as if a movie plot had come to life.
All the twists were there.
In March, Weisberg informed the team that after a protracted battle to keep the 168-year-old school open, university leadership had succumbed, realizing it was no longer possible. After years of financial problems (some self-inflicted, others outside the school's control) there was no clear path to sustainability.
With that news, BSC baseball was on the clock. The team had not performed at its level at the time, but played freely during the final months of the season to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. The opportunity itself represented a notable achievement given the school's recent difficult situation, but it wasn't until the Panthers topped their four-team regional with a 3-0 record that outsiders began to take notice.
That's when a documentary crew came to town, the buzz grew on social media, and the national media began to take an interest.
“Having all those cameras around was a little strange, but I think we all got used to it pretty quickly and realized we had the vision of what was going to be done,” Webster said. “We had a lot of fun with it. If anything, I think it made us play better just because no one wants to do poorly on camera, right? It was actually a blast.”
It all might have been short-lived had BSC been eliminated in the super regionals the following week, but again, the Panthers found a way to live on. This time against two opponents: Denison College, one of the best Division III teams in the country, and a virus that ravaged the team, resulting in hospital visits and IV fluids for many players, jeopardizing a depleted roster. . of not having enough players to compete. None of the obstacles were too big. The Panthers punched their ticket to the World Series with a pair of wins and returned to Birmingham having justifiably called themselves “America's Team.”
Birmingham-South. Team America. https://t.co/yNwqJkYBEF
– Birmingham Sports (@BirminghamSport) June 3, 2024
For much of the program's existence, outside interest was virtually invisible. That's the nature of Division III sports. But when the Panthers began practicing before the World Series, their story resonated outside the sports world and even the “Today” show filmed a segment about the team's trip.
“It was great because Birmingham-Southern is a special place for all of us,” outfielder Eli Steadman said. “It was really cool to see the rest of the nation get a glimpse of how cool and special this place was. It was just a surreal moment.”
Then the World Series began. Once in Eastlake, Ohio, BSC lost its first game and for the first time faced a postseason game where the stakes were clear: lose and it's over.
“I was sitting there and thinking the last two weeks have been amazing, but today might be our last day together as a team,” Steadman said. “We didn't lose in the regional or the super regional. So we never went into a game where I thought, 'This could be our last game.' So that was a moment for me right on the bus after that loss and I thought, 'We have to play our best game tomorrow.'”
It wasn't a top-notch performance that followed, but what followed was much more memorable. Playing against Randolph-Macon College, BSC took a 4-0 lead, then lost 7-4 before going into the ninth inning tied at 7.
Webster began the entrance in the waiting circle, talking to former teammates in the stands who had come to support the team.
“I basically told them, I said, if I have a chance, I'm going to win this game,” said Webster, who had hit a home run in the first inning.
Leadoff hitter Andrew Dutton walked on four pitches, so Webster assumed the pitcher would be focused on throwing a strike.
“I came to the plate, took a deep breath, and the first swing was horrendous,” Webster said. “The guy threw a pitch probably 54 feet and I took a horrendous swing. I feel like that took away the nerves and nervousness.”
He fouled off another curveball to fall behind 0-2, then sat on a curveball before launching a game-winning home run in truly cinematic fashion.
“I've got it all,” Webster said. “It was the coolest thing I've ever done in my life.”
If the writers ever attempted the BSC story, it was the kind of moment to end the movie.
The reality, however, was that there was more baseball to be played, and the next day the roles were reversed and BSC formally bowed out of the tournament and collegiate athletics with a walk-off home run.
After the long bus ride home, the players cleaned out their lockers, left their apartments and dorms, and changed gears for what's next, which is a bit of a mixed bag for everyone.
Some have decided to move forward without baseball. Others will try to continue playing and many of them have been deployed to summer teams across the country.
But in a final ceremony on the field, the team shared their fondest memories before gathering at an Italian restaurant in town for a big dinner with donors, athletic department staff and even the bus driver from their final trip.
“Usually when you clean out your locker at the end of the season, you'll see everyone next year. So it was pretty tough for everyone,” Webster said. “I think that's when it really hit me that this was it. I felt really emotional about it, like pulling my business card out of the top and just giving everyone hugs. That was a very emotional moment.”
Roll credits.
