How Zach Morris kept his cool in the heart of danger, on short rest, to keep Arkansas baseball alive

OMAHA, Neb. Arkansas beat Ole Miss 3-2 Wednesday night to force a Winner-take-all game for their side of the bracket in the Mens College World Series. Well, it became a little more complicated than that.

This was just not a ninth-inning jam, this was a five-alarm fire. Bottom of the ninth, Ole Miss down 3-1 but with the bases loaded and nobody out. Survival in Omaha was teetering over a cliff for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Someone had to save the day.

Zack Morris walked in from the Bullpen, a junior who had never saved a game in his Arkansas career. Not one. He had started against this same Ole Miss team only two days earlier and did not get out of the first Inning, facing seven batters and giving up two quick runs in what would be a 13-5 Razorback loss. It made me mad. It made me want to come out and do better, they would say later. He had texted his Coach, Dave Van Horn, the next day with a simple request.

I want the ball again.

But like this? With Ole Miss banging on the door and the Arkansas season on the line, and not a millimeter margin for error? The ninth had started with a Rebels single, only their fourth hit of the night. Then Van Horn called Brady Tygart for closer. Standing in the Bullpen, Morris was sure Tygart would slam the door. Everyone could start thinking about the next day, when theyd decide who faces Oklahoma in the Championship Series. But. Tygart had no control of his feared breaking ball and promptly hit two batters.

Bases loaded. Be Miss smelling a knockout punch.

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All the confidence in my body I had in him, Morris would say later. But sometimes baseball doesn’t let it go that way. So whenever that happens, the next guy has to step up.

And Zack Morris was suddenly the next guy. The crisis was obvious. He makes a mistake, Arkansas loses. He doesn’t throw strikes, Arkansas loses. He blinks, Arkansas loses.

But he walked toward the mound with a free mind, he got later.

Honestly, I really wasn’t thinking anything. There’s only one thing to do when I go out there; just make pitches. So I tried to stay calm and I thought I did that really well.

Van Horn was waiting on the mound and later related the brief conversation.

Hey man, can you do this?

Yes, sir.

OK, here you go, go get it.

Morris said later, That was it, plain and simple. I think that was probably the most calmest I’ve ever been on the mound.

Huh? With the Razorbacks up to their Woo Pig Sooies in trouble? How could that be?

Because I know what Im capable of doing. Thats honestly the only answer I have.

His teammates were with him. Everyone in the dugout had faith in him, said Hagen Smith, the games starting pitcher. Nerves were high, but we knew they were going to get out of it.

And so, Morris went to work.

First was pinch-hitter Hayden Leatherwood. Morris Struck him out. Theres one, he got it himself. I’ve just got to find a way to get two more.

Next, TJ McCants. He hit a fly to the left field that looked harmless enough, except left fielder Jace Bohrofen and shortstop Jalen Battles nearly collided. Bohrofen kept his focus enough to make the catch.

Next, Justin Bench, who hit an infield single, scoring a run to make it 3-2 and leave the bases loaded. So any hit to the outfield would walk it off for the Rebels and send Arkansas careening into the off-season in Anguish.

Jacob Gonzalez next. The count went to 2-2 when they lined a ball to the left. As soon as it came off, I knew he didn’t hit it that well, Morris said. I was just hoping it wasn’t going to find a hole. Luckily it went right at Jace.

Bohrofen made the catch. Its over, Morris exhaled to himself. We’ve got it.

It took him forever to get off the field. He spent time with his parents and signed a gazillion autographs. He was the Savior of Arkansas.

Back against the wall and a lot of drama there at the end, Van Horn said.

It also took other Razorbacks to carry the night, of course. Brilliant pitching by Smith and Evan Taylor, who struck out 12 in eight innings. Brady Slavens hit a ball to Pluto. Actually to the gap between bleachers in the dead center. It was measured at 436 feet, unofficially the longest home run ever hit in 11 years of Charles Schwab Field CWS games.

Still, if Morris doesn’t answer the call, there’s no Thursday game.

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But there will be, and a now compelling one. Connor Noland needed only 79 pitches to get Arkansas into the eighth Inning against Stanford earlier in this CWS. Dylan DeLucia went 7.2 innings of four-hit pitching for Ole Miss against Auburn. They now face each other.

Maybe Arkansas has the momentum after Wednesday night. But Ole Miss has spent this month overturning conventional wisdom. This is a crossroads, but they’ve seen those for weeks.

We’ve been in these situations for a while now, second baseman Peyton Chatagnier said. I cant promise you the outcome of the Tomorrows game, but I can guarantee you were not going to be scared, were not going to back down. This is nothing new to us.

Same for his Coach. If you had asked four or five months ago in February, would you like the opportunity to have your ace on the mound in a Winner-take-all game to get you to the Championship Series, everybody would say yes, Mike Bianco said.

Its disappointing, bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, a chance to win it. That will take a little time Tonight to get over it. But their backs are against the wall, too. They have to win, too.

It might have been so different. The Rebels might have already been planning for the Oklahoma and the Championship Series, if not for that Arkansas guy over there signing all the autographs.