IU Advances to College Baseball's World Series

Indiana University’s baseball team made history over the weekend, becoming the first team in school history to advance to the College World Series.

A two-game sweep over No. 7 seed Florida State sent the Hoosiers to Omaha, Neb., for the World Series set to begin this Saturday with opening-round games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The eight-team tournament will feature winners from the Super Regional round.

Plenty of homegrown talent has headlined for the Hoosiers this season, as the Indiana roster features nine players from this state, including four starters. Senior Justin Cureton, freshman Will Coursen-Carr, and juniors Dustin DeMuth and Casey Smith have been major contributors for what’s obviously one of the best teams in IU baseball history.

The Hoosiers (48-14) won their first Big Ten regular-season title since 1949, and their first outright title since 1932. Indiana also captured the Big Ten tournament title for the third time in program history, and first since 2009.

Sunday’s 11-6 victory over the Seminoles made the Hoosiers the first Big Ten team to qualify for the World Series since Michigan advanced to Omaha in 1984. The Hoosiers are also the first Division I team from Indiana to land in the World Series since Notre Dame in 2002, and only the fourth Indiana-based team ever to make it.

The 12-day World Series uses a double-elimination format culminating in a three-game series to crown the national champion. Along with the Hoosiers, No. 4 LSU, Louisville, UCLA, and North Carolina State have already qualified for the World Series. Three other Super Regionals complete action today.

Fans interested in making the trek to Omaha next week to see the Hoosiers live in action have several ticket options available: Contact the IU ticket office at 1-866-IUSPORTS (487-7678), or ticket packages can be purchased through TD Ameritrade Park Omaha or the NCAA. Details and contact information for those packages can be found here.

Photo via IUHoosiers.com