Update from Omaha: The Latest from the College World Series

Here are five things you might have missed if you haven’t tuned into the College World Series yet:

Singer Wins Howser
Florida pitcher Brady Singer was presented with the Dick Howser Trophy on Friday, which means he is the national player of the year. (Howser was a major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987.)

Singer said that the award means a lot to him because the winner has to show on-field performance and also leadership, character, and courage. “To be represented by that means the world,” he said.

Marathon Game
The first game of the tournament  broke the record for the longest nine-inning CWS game. The game lasted four hours and 24 minutes. When it was over, North Carolina had beaten Oregon State 8–6.

Tar Heels catcher Cody Roberts said the team making good plays helped keep his energy up, but he still wanted the clock to go faster.

“That was the longest game I’ve ever played in,” he said. “It took two hours to get through the first three innings, so I was hoping it would speed up.”

Luke Alexander’s drive to rightfield gave Hunter Stovall the chance to score from second base. Then the game was over, and the Bulldogs took the field to celebrate their dramatic win.

Mississippi State coach Gary Henderson called the game’s score of 1-0 a “tremendous rarity in college baseball” during a press conference afterward.

Dreary Sunday
Rain during the Arkansas-Texas game meant a long day at the ballpark for the teams. The game lasted three hours and 55 minutes and had a two-hour, 49-minute rain delay. The Razorbacks beat the Longhorns 11–5.

Arkansas third baseman Casey Martin said the wet weather caused the “longest delay we have been through the whole year.” He said during the break the team tried to stay hydrated and stretched out so they would be ready to play when the weather cleared.

Florida Coach Kevin O’Sullivan gave credit to Texas Tech’s strategy during a press conference. “They just played really well,” O’Sullivan said of the Red Raiders. “I think they had a really good approach against Brady. They battled.”

O’Sullivan said the Gators “will come back Tuesday and be ready to go.”

Upcoming Schedule
Monday, June 18
Game 6 – Mississippi St. (V) vs. North Carolina (H), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 19
Game 7 – Florida (V) vs. Texas (H), 2 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 8 – Arkansas (V) vs. Texas Tech (H), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Top photograph by John Peterson/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images