And a bun out in front of the plate. The Birmingham Southern Panthers could make baseball history. First is wide and down the line. Playing in the College World Series without a college. Confused? So were the players when their coach told them the school was closing down due to a lack of funding.

It's always been about pass it on to the next guy that's played your position, worn your number, sat in your locker. Yet now there was no one to pass it on to. But the job was just to finish so strong.

At the time, the team was in a bit of a slump, 13 wins and 10 losses. Your coach tells you your school is going to shut down, and it's almost like something clicked. What happened with the team?

I think, really, we just started playing looser because we have nothing to lose.

The team took off, winning 17 of their final 21 games, advancing to the Super regionals.

To be able to go in our last year in the The lasting memory that people have of Birmingham Southern is us in the World Series. I think that would be incredible.

Their coach says the school has never had a team like this one, the closest team I've ever had by far, and just goes to prove the power of togetherness. Let's go, we're getting For the players, they say they've learned to deal with adversity, coming together and trying to honor all those athletes and students who came before them. What does it mean to wear that jersey today and for the rest of this tournament?

It means the world to me. This before me have worn this jersey, and I'm just really trying to represent them and carry on what they've done for the program.

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