The 1949 NCAA baseball tournament was the third NCAA-sanctioned baseball tournament that determined a national champion. The tournament was held as the conclusion of the 1949 NCAA baseball season. The College World Series was played at Wichita Municipal Stadium in Wichita, Kansas from June 22 to June 25.[1] The third tournament's champion was the Texas Longhorns, coached by Bibb Falk. The Most Outstanding Player was named for the first time, with the inaugural award going to Tom Hamilton of Texas. This was the first of six championships for the Longhorns through the 2023 season.
| Season | 1949 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Texas (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Wake Forest (1st CWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Bibb Falk (1st title) |
| MOP | Tom Hamilton (Texas) |
Tournament
editThe tournament was divided into four regional brackets, Region A, Region B, Region C and Region D, with each region consisting of two teams playing a best-of-three-game series. The winner of each bracket advanced to the College World Series. This was the first and only year of this format.[2]
Field
editAs in previous years, each representative of the eight districts were determined by a mix of selection committees, conference champions, and district playoffs.[2]
| School | Conference | Record (Conference) | Berth | Previous NCAA Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Independent | District I Selection | None | |
| Colorado State College[a] | RMC | District VII Selection | 1 1948 | |
| Notre Dame | Independent | Won District IV Playoff | None | |
| Oklahoma A&M | MVC | Won District V playoff | 1 1948 | |
| Southern California | CIBA | 20–3 (12–2) | District VIII Selection (Won PCC) | 1 1948 |
| St. John's | MNYC | 19–4 | Won District II Playoff | None |
| Texas | SWC | 18–7 (12–3) | District VI Selection (Won SWC) | 1 1947 |
| Wake Forest | Southern | 27–2 (13–1) | Won District III Playoff | None |
Region A
editAt Brooklyn, New York June 13[3][4][5]
| Region A Playoff | |||||
| St. John's | 10 | 7 | — | ||
| Boston College | 5 | 2 | — | ||
Region B
editAt South Bend, Indiana June 17–18[6]
| Region B Playoff | |||||
| Wake Forest | 4 | 10 | — | ||
| Notre Dame | 1 | 7 | — | ||
Region C
editAt Austin, Texas June 16–17[7]
| Region C Playoff | |||||
| Texas | 7 | 3 | — | ||
| Oklahoma A&M | 3 | 2 | — | ||
Region D
editAt Los Angeles, California June 16–17[8]
| Region D Playoff | |||||
| Southern California | 12 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Colorado State College | 2 | 6 | 7 | ||
College World Series
editFollowing financial losses in Kalamazoo, Michigan the previous year, the NCAA moved the tournament to Wichita for the 1949 edition. This would be the only year in Wichita, as the 1950 edition would take place in Omaha, Nebraska, as it has been every year since and will be through 2036.[2]
Participants
edit| School | Conference | Record (Conference) | Head Coach | CWS appearances | CWS Best finish | CWS record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | MNYC | 21–4 (9–1) | Frank McGuire | 0 (last: none) |
none | 0–0 |
| Southern California | CIBA | 22–4 (12–2) | Sam Barry | 1 (last: 1948) |
1st (1948) |
2–1 |
| Texas | SWC | 20–7 (12–3) | Bibb Falk | 0 (last: none) |
none | 0–0 |
| Wake Forest | Southern | 29–2 (13–1) | Taylor Sanford | 0 (last: none) |
none | 0–0 |
Results
editBracket
edit| First Round | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Southern California | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 8 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 7 | |||||||||||||
| St. John's | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Texas | 10 | — | ||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 3 | — | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 212 | |||||||||||||
| Southern California | 12 | Southern California | 1 | |||||||||||
| St. John's | 4 | |||||||||||||
Game results
edit| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 22 | Game 1 | Wake Forest | 2–1 | USC | |
| Game 2 | Texas | 7–1 | St. John's | ||
| June 23 | Game 3 | Texas | 8–1 | Wake Forest | |
| Game 4 | USC | 12–4 | St. John's | St. John's eliminated | |
| June 24 | Game 5 | Wake Forest | 2–112 | USC | Southern California eliminated |
| June 25 | Final | Texas | 10–3 | Wake Forest | Texas wins CWS |
Notable players
editNotes
edit- ^ Colorado State College is currently known as the University of Northern Colorado. Not to be confused with Colorado State University, then known as Colorado A&M.
References
edit- ^ "1949 College World Series". Omaha.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c W.C. Madden & Patrick J. Stewart (2004). The College World Series:A Baseball History, 1947-2003. McFarland & Co. pp. 14–16. ISBN 9780786418428. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ "14 Jun 1949, 14 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at". Newspapers.com. June 14, 1949. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "14 Jun 1949, 26 - The Boston Globe at". Newspapers.com. June 14, 1949. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ 2011 Baseball Record Book (PDF). St. John's University. p. 46. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ NCAA tournament History/Championship Teams (PDF). Wake Forest Demon Deacons. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ 2011 Fact Book (PDF). University of Texas. p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ 2012 USC Baseball Guide (PDF). USC. p. 94. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.