Longest games in DI college baseball history

Longest games in DI college baseball history

The May 30, 2009 game between Texas and Boston College has held the record as the longest game in college baseball history for almost 15 years. This 25-inning marathon took just over seven hours to complete. Can you imagine the fatigue?

Fresno State and San Diego can. These two programs met on March 26, 2011, just two years after Texas-Boston College, and played 7 hours and 12 minutes, making it the longest game in college baseball history. It is one of four games that have gone 22 innings.

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Let’s take a look at the longest games in college baseball history and hear from the people who witnessed two of them. The table is taken from the official NCAA books.

Note: Four of the top five longest games were 3-2.

Innings Team vs opponent (score) time Date
25 Texas (3) vs. Boston College (2) 7 hours, 3 minutes May 30, 2009
23 Colonel of Charleston (3) vs. William and Mary (2) 6 hours, 3 minutes May 16, 2014
23 UL Lafayette (6) vs. McNeese St. (5) without documents March 27, 1971
22 TCU (3) vs. Sam Houston St. (2) 6 hours, 54 minutes May 31, 2014
22 Fresno St. (3) vs. San Diego (2) 7 hours, 12 minutes March 26, 2011
22 Baylor (8) vs. Houston (2) 6 hours, 43 minutes February 21, 1999
22 Colorado (2) vs. Nebraska (1) without documents April 26, 1974
21 Kent St. (7) vs. Kentucky (6) 6 hours, 37 minutes June 1, 2012
21 Evansville (4) vs. Memphis (4) without documents March 7, 1999
21 Louisiana Tech (2) vs. Southern Ark (1) without documents February 16, 1985
20 Rice (3) vs. Houston (2) 6 hours, 2 minutes May 31, 2015
20 Western Karoo. (10) vs Elon (7) without documents May 25, 2011
20 Florida St. (4) vs. Wake Forest (3) without documents May 6, 2006
20 Texas (10) vs. Kansas St. (6) without documents April 9, 2004
20 Texas (7) vs. Rice (6) without documents May 15, 1981
20 San Jose St. (1) v. Long Beach St. (1) without documents March 30, 1973
20 UConn (9) vs. Massachusetts (3). without documents May 13, 1972
20 Washington (2) vs. Oregon St. (1) without documents May 6, 1972
20 Auburn (7) vs. Florida (6) without documents April 22, 1972

25 innings | Texas vs. Boston College | 7 hours, 3 minutes

There are many phenomenal moments in the longest college baseball game, by innings, in NCAA history: Texas reliever Austin Wood’s near-perfect performance and Boston College’s Mike Belfiore’s resilience. Not to mention it was the second day of the 2009 Texas Regional (May 30, 2009). Let’s start with the 25th inning. How often do you hear it?

“It didn’t feel like 25 innings, honestly, when you’re in the moment and you’re competing,” Texas second baseman Travis Tucker told NCAA.com. “It was just another inning at that point, another close game. Then you look up and I don’t think we scored in (23) innings.”

Yes, BC shut down Texas for 23 innings before Tucker gave the go-ahead with one out in the top of the 25th. BC’s Belfiore is a major reason why. He started and finished the game at DH, but moved to the mound in the ninth inning. After 9.2 innings of shutout baseball later, he was relieved in the 19th inning, allowing just three hits, 11 strikeouts and zero walks.

“He was amazing, but he was kind of just that guy for us,” former BC head coach Mick Aoki told NCAA.com. “When he was in the game, he was the nail to boot. It was as if he and Wood were just walking towards each other. It was amazing.”

TEXAS IN 1977: Longest hitting streak in college baseball history

On any other normal game day, nothing could overshadow Belfiore’s exceptional performance. But this game was not normal. UT’s Austin Wood had the performance of a generation in the game of his life — 12.1 innings of no-hit ball, part of a 169-pitch, 13-inning effort.

On any other normal game day, Wood would have been recognized as a no-hitter, but his long-term performance propelled him deeper into college baseball lore unmatched by the ultimate statistical achievement for a pitcher. He has a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Wood’s game-worn cap and Tucker’s game-used bat — nicknamed El Diablo Rojo, the red devil — are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The entire BC team and staff came out of the dugout to cheer for Wood after legendary Texas coach Augie Garrido took the ball from his hands in the 20th inning with men on first and second. The second, Barry Butera, told Tucker in response, “Wow, thank God it came out.”

The 2009 season was special for BC. The Eagles reached their first ACC Tournament in program history and reached their first NCAA Regional since 1967, ending a 42-year drought. By comparison, the Longhorns were making their 53rd NCAA Tournament appearance and chasing their sixth CWS championship.

“I think it’s the epitome of college baseball,” Wood told NCAA.com. “It’s pretty fair game these days.”

BC went into the game thinking it would be a hostile crowd, but it ended up being a celebration of sportsmanship. When Tucker’s hit got stuck in right field between the shallow infield, runner at third, Connor Rowe, scored what would eventually become the clinching run in the top of the 25th inning.

“That was probably one of his weakest hits he’s ever had,” Wood said, tongue-in-cheek.

Tucker credited former MLB and Texans left-handed pitcher Greg Swindell, who was in attendance, for the RBI. While taking practice swings in the deck circle, Swindell held out his left hand for Tucker to rub for good luck.

“I always credit Greg Swindell for giving me the luck to put that ball in the four holes,” Tucker said.

Tucker sealed the 3-2 victory by striking out the final out of the first in the bottom of the 25th.

After Texas outshot BC 20-8 and used three pitchers to BC’s seven, the loyal Longhorn crowd remained. Most, if not all, of the 7,104 fans stayed until the last out — 7 hours and 3 minutes after the first pitch.

“After that, I played professional baseball,” Belfiore said before the game’s 10th anniversary. “I played in the big leagues. It was probably the most intense crowd I’ve ever played in front of in my life. What it means: Even a Texas fan is very loyal to their program, but for them to clap after the game for our team and show that respect was one of the coolest moments of my career.”

22 innings | Fresno State vs. San Diego | 7 hours, 12 minutes

As noted above, four of the five longest games in college baseball history have been decided 3-2, making pitching performance critical to the length of those games.

Fresno State’s battle with San Diego on March 26, 2011 was no different en route to becoming the longest college baseball game ever recorded in college baseball history. Fifty runners were left on base during the game – a DI baseball record at the time – and five Fresno State runners were left on third base between the 9th and 19th innings. There were 39 hits in the game and only 5 runs crossed home plate.

Missed opportunity after missed opportunity by each team changed the perspective of the Fresno State play-by-play announcers tonight. Ray O’Canto and Guy Haberman, filling in for Paul Loeffler, didn’t want to go home; they wanted to make history.

“Ray was hoping they would get the record,” Haberman told NCAA.com. “We’ve been at it this long, let’s get the record.”

HISTORY: The longest half-inning in college baseball history in memory

Both teams came out of the stretch fairly regularly, but neither team was able to break the game open. San Diego led 2-0 in the ninth inning, although Fresno State had runners on base in each inning prior to the ninth inning.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth and runners on second and third, Fresno State’s Brennan Gowens doubled to shallow left-center to send the game safely into extra innings.

“We thought we were going home (in the ninth),” Haberman said. “I probably had plans with my girlfriend, now wife, Alyssa, and I was texting her saying, ‘I’m about to finish.’

Haberman remembers believing the 21st inning would be the last, right around the time the fluorescent light in the press box went out. San Diego loaded the bases with no outs. A gutsy pinch hit that turned into a 3-6-3 double play closed the door and became Torero’s final scoring drive.

Fresno State’s Danny Muno led off the 22nd inning with a single, stole second and scored on Garrett Weber’s two-out single to left field to put him away, 7 hours 12 minutes after the first pitch.

“I was shocked when they scored the winning run,” Haberman said. “I remember it happening very quickly.”

Looking back at his scorebook for the first time in years (as pictured above), Haberman is rekindling the joy it was to call the game alongside O’Canto, a former Fresno State baseball player, especially after his death in 2019 from cancer.

He winces when he remembers that San Diego’s Kris Bryant and Fresno State’s Aaron Judge, current MLB stars, shared the same field that day and neither hit a home run.

However, he would appreciate a classic umpire home run to send the Toreros scrambling.

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