McFeely, OSU snare national baseball title

By CASEY OLSON

The Mirror

Shea McFeely is a national champion.

The senior third baseman and the rest of his Oregon State University baseball team downed the North Carolina Tar Heels Monday night, 3-2, to win their first-ever College World Series title. The Beavers (50-16) became the first team in CWS history to lose twice in Omaha and win the national title. Oregon State also is the first truly Northern-based school to win the series since Ohio State in 1966.

“I really don’t know what to say,” said OSU head coach Pat Casey. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. These young men worked their fannies off. I told them at the beginning of the year, if you give 100 percent and never allow your opponent to be tougher than you, we’ll win a lot of games.”

McFeely, a 2002 Federal Way High School graduate, was a big reason for the Beavers’ national championship run.

In Omaha, McFeely hit a pair of home runs in early-round games and finished with five RBIs total in the tournament, including one in Monday’s decisive game.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the eighth inning, Oregon State’s Bill Rowe drew a two-out walk and Tyler Graham blooped a single to left. Tar Heels ace Andrew Miller, the No. 6 overall pick by Detroit, came on in relief of Daniel Bard and got pinch-hitter Ryan Gipson to one-hop a grounder to Bryan Steed.

The second baseman, who came in as a defensive replacement in the fifth, threw wide and past first baseman Tim Federowicz for the Tar Heels’ fourth error of the game as Rowe slid home with the go-ahead run.

“They were tough,” said North Carolina coach Mike Fox. “Obviously, it’s a huge disappointment for us. To get this close and not win it certainly is disappointing.”

Oregon State scored twice in the fourth, helped by two errors. McFeely’s single to center knocked in the Beavers’ second run to make it 2-0.

McFeely ended the season hitting .292 with 41 runs, seven doubles, six triples, four home runs and 51 RBIs.

He was also the only player on the team to start all 66 of Oregon State’s games.

McFeely will now begin his professional baseball career in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization. He was a 28th round pick of the Diamondbacks in last month’s Major League Baseball draft.

Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com

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