Champs! Columbia International wins World Series to make history in first full season
In just two years and in its first full season, the Columbia International University baseball team is already a national champion.
The Rams defeated top-seeded Southwestern Christian 11-2 on Tuesday to win the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association World Series championship, held at the J.B. Owens Complex in Easley.
The baseball team is not only the first in CIU athletics to win an NCCAA team title but reach an NCCAA title game
CIU went 3-0 in pool play of the tournament and then defeated Carolina University (North Carolina) 10-0 in the semifinals on Monday.
“I want to thank the university, the president Dr. Smith and the athletic director Darren Richie,” said CIU coach Jonathan Johnson, who previously coached at Ben Lippen and Lexington County Blowfish. “They gave us everything we needed to be successful to win. We got a beautiful field, .. a budget we can go out and compete with.
“We locked in some good talent, coached a few guys up and got them better. To be able to do it in the first year is a huge achievement. ... These guys came together, bonded and played selflessly and will be better man in life for what they learned this year in baseball.”
Grant Bodison drove in four runs and Kody Trujillo had two. former A.C. Flora standout Josh Hernandez hit a solo homer in the championship game. It was Hernandez’s team-leading 18th homer of the season.
Justin Parrsh pitched six innings to pick up the win and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Carter Willis also was named to the all-tournament team.
CIU started the baseball program last year but had its inaugural season cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIU is a member of the NCCAA that’s made up of more than 80 colleges.
This year, the Rams went 38-26 and earned a bid in the NCCAA South Regional. CIU went 3-0 in the regional to clinch a spot in the NCCAA World Series, winning it all Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 4:10 PM.
