Noah Darling

Los Angeles — As the Bruins faced elimination in the College World Series in June, the run led by an outstanding sophomore class, turning a 19-33 2024 into an Omaha berth in 2025, onlookers anticipated emotion as UCLA’s dream of a dogpile drifted away. Emotion they witnessed, though likely not of the variety fans, media, or anyone outside of Head Coach John Savage’s walls may have anticipated. As out #27 approached, with the Bruins trailing late against Arkansas, the talented visitors from...

There is no greater holiday than Opening Day in College Baseball.  Not even the early Valentine’s Day experience I received while checking in to the DoubleTree in Arlington last night could top it.   For some important context, this story begins on the evening of February 12th.  At my home in Omaha, the late-night hour brought the discovery of my home’s furnace going out alongside a cracked pipe that was spewing water.  This meant turning the water off until the fine people at McCarthy’s...

As I sit down to type this “daily” entry, today on February 9th, the feeling of a new beginning lurks.  College baseball as we know it returns on Friday, representing not only the start of the premier athletic season on the calendar, but also the sport that has withstood the consequences of a changing landscape in collegiate athletics.  While college football has become a product of suits and corporate greed and college basketball has become a product of annual roster turnover, it’s college...