Across the fields, the group of Southern Mississippi Throwback Alums, who had won the tournament over a decade ago, came back to compete. The members showed that age was not a factor, defeating the Tulane Alums 7–0 and then beating eight-time winner South Florida Alums 9–7 in a nail-biter that saw the lead change three times. Meanwhile, a strong alumni team from Troy University in Alabama defeated the Nicholls State Alums 23–8 as well as the second-seeded Christian Brothers Alums 16–8 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The event continued Saturday in the much-needed sunshine, but the competition only became more intense. The Southwest Texas Alums beat the top-seeded defending champion Nicholls State A team 13–4 to advance in the winner’s bracket. The Troy University Alums continued to turn heads as they drummed the Southern Miss Throwbacks 12–1 and needed only one more win to advance to the championship game. The most exciting game of the tournament, though, saw Southwest Texas leading the Troy Alums 11–10 in the bottom of the seventh and last inning. With so much on the line, Ricky Ibarz of the Troy squad hit a solo homer, sending the game into extra innings. While neither team could score in the eighth, the Southwest Texas Alums added two in the ninth to pull ahead 13–11. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Troy loaded the bases with no outs. Team captain Hunter Rolling hit a grand slam for a 15–13 final score, advancing his squad to the championship game.

Geoff Harris, captain of the Southwest Texas Alums, was leading his team in their 13th straight competition, so the squad was ready for a fight. In the finals of the consolation round, with a berth in the championship game at stake, the team was down 10–5 to the Nicholls State A team. But in the bottom of the last inning, the Texas boys rallied to score seven runs and steal a 12–10 come-from-behind victory, which earned them a rematch against the Troy Alums in the championship game.

Because of the tournament’s double-elimination format, the Southwest Texas Alums would have to defeat the Troy Alums twice because Troy had not yet lost a game. With a huge crowd on hand for the final game, Rolling led his team to a 3–0 lead with a homer in the top of the first inning, but the opposition belted two solo home runs in the bottom of the second to close the gap, 3–2. Three-time tournament MVP Adrian Castilleja of Southwest Texas also hit a solo shot in the fourth to tie the score 3–3. After the teams entered the seventh tied at 7–7, Jason Harris became a hero by smashing a solo homer to win the game for the Southwest Texas Alums, 8–7. After a 15 minute break, both teams would play for the third time in the day — but this time, it would be for the tournament title. The tired but still determined Southwest Texas Alums would play their fifth game in a row with only 10 minutes of rest between games.

The team needed little rest, apparently, as the men exploded to a 9–0 lead in the top of the first inning. In the top of the second, five members of the Southwest Texas team set a record as the first five at-bats — Marcus Smith, Adrian Castilleja, Noel Zoepada, Geoff Harris and Rick Maynard — all hit solo home runs to jump to a 14–0 lead with no outs. After two more runs, Marcus Smith homered again with two runners on base to extend the lead to 19–0 in only the top of the second inning. The Troy Alums never quit, scratching out nine runs during the game, but the damage was done. The Southwest Texas Alums cruised to a 19–9 victory and their third SAE World Series championship, after taking the big prize in both 2002 and 2003.

The post-tournament party in New Orleans’ French Quarter went strong, as both conventioneers and World Series participants came together to celebrate their shared brotherhood.

The New Orleans Alumni Association will be hosting the 25th annual SAE World Series again in 2010, and check www.saeworldseries.com for more details.

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