If the South Carolina Gamecocks and head coach Ray Tanner win tonight against the Florida Gators in what would become the final game of the championship series, they’ll accomplish far more than just taking the 2011 College World Series title. They will have established new NCAA baseball records in the process.
Tanner and his squad have already had a memorable season. For players lucky enough to have been on the 2010 roster, they could earn two national championships back-to-back. But what they might not realize is that they will have established a new record for consecutive wins in the College World Series with 11, dating back to the opening round against Oklahoma in last year’s bracket play.
Louisiana State and USC are the only other teams to accomplish the feat in NCAA history and the streak could certainly continue next year as the Gamecocks return several great players for another season. This is Tanner’s fifth year with 50 or more wins in 15 seasons at South Carolina, a sign that the SEC team will continue to dominate as long as Tanner is at the helm. Florida can only hope that all records are made to be broken and that tonight is one of those nights. Otherwise, it’s a successful defense of the national championship for the South Carolina Gamecocks.