Golden Eagles Take Flight in Oxford

Oxford: Tennessee Tech upends the Ole Miss Rebels to win the Oxford Regional and advance to the programs first Super Regional in Austin, TX. With an impressive 3-2 win over Ole Miss, the Golden Eagles will be soaring sky high heading into a showdown with the mighty Texas Longhorns.

Tennessee Tech has been one of the best of the best teams in the country and proved that mightily in Oxford over the weekend. Tennessee Tech went punch for punch in the all-out war with the Ole Miss Rebels throughout the entire weekend. Ole Miss won the first game by a score of 9-8. When Monday came rolling around the Golden Eagles got the best of SEC power that not only won the SEC West, but also the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

Tennessee Tech came into the Oxford Regional as one of the best offensive teams in the country. Coming into the Tournament play with 128 home runs, and 558 RBI’s it proved to be too much for the Rebels.

Tennessee Tech also had lights out pitching throughout the Regional, including an impressive outing by the closer Ethan Roberts who had never started before. Roberts went for seven innings, six hits, and striking out four batters in his first ever start for the Golden Eagles. Roberts set up Tennessee Tech in the first game on Sunday and was a huge reason for the 15-5 win over Ole Miss to force the deciding game on Sunday night.

Tennessee Tech will look to prove the College Baseball world wrong by going to Austin, Texas and battling with the Texas Longhorns. Games in Austin will begin on Saturday at 2p. The Longhorns of Texas will have to play their A game to keep the Golden Eagles from taking flight.

Coach Bragga on the win for his Golden Eagles:

“These guys are resilient. I said it yesterday and I will say it again. Ole Miss, obviously a great baseball program and a great environment to come in here and do what these guys did. To come out of the loser’s bracket and have to win three games in 30 hours out of four is pretty incredible. These guys are a hard-working group and I’m just really proud of what they have accomplished. Love these guys.”

Coach Bragga on advancing to the Super Regionals:

“It is huge. What a great spot. Tennessee Tech is such a great university and town. It is great for the Ohio Valley Conference. I don’t think people know a lot about the conference and we typically have been a one-bid league. We get overlooked and this is a good league but no one believes me. It is a really good, competitive league and has been the whole time I have been at Tennessee Tech. I am happy for the league and for Tennessee Tech, what a great place.”

With the loss, the Rebels season comes to an end in a very disappointing fashion as the Rebels were picked by many to make it to Omaha. Despite the Loss, Ole Miss had a very successful winning the SEC West, and SEC Tournament.

Ole Miss falls to 48-17 overall.

Mike Bianco on the loss:

“You are always at a loss for words. I told the players a few minutes ago I’ve done this here for 18 seasons and three others at McNeese. It usually ends in a loss, unless you win the national championship. Unfortunately, as coaches, you’re never ready for that final talk or message. It takes a few days to wrap your head around it. Disappointed for this team that it ends this way. I told the guys that this was the best team that I have ever coached. Yeah, we have had teams go further in postseason, but nobody has played as well as this team has, consistently well through whatever amount of games we have played, in the sixties, from day one to tonight. Unfortunately, we did not play great today and we needed to. That team in the other dugout (Tennessee Tech) is really good. I look down, and there are 100 wins on that field tonight. There was 52 in one (dugout) and 48 in the other. You’re probably not going to have that the rest of this year, even in Omaha. Two really good teams that had two really good years, and we just came up a little short. It was a tough one in game one but in game two I thought we played well, but you have to credit Tennessee Tech.”

As the dust settles on the Oxford Regional, fans were treated to high flying explosive baseball from all four teams. Tennessee Tech proved they belonged with the big boys and will look to carry that on into Austin next weekend, one thing is for certain Coach Bragga will have his boys ready to play.