The College World Series has produced some jaw-dropping performances over the years, but certain records seemingly stand above the rest.
NCAA.com’s Anthony Chiusano pinpointed nine CWS records that might be unbreakable. Let’s see which ones he picked from College World Series history and dive into a few that I find particularly interesting.
Editor’s Note: New to MLB Daily Dingers? Then Start Here!
9 (Probably) Unbreakable College World Series Records
Here’s the full rundown of records picked by Chiusano that have withstood decades of elite college baseball competition:
- Steve Arlin’s 15-inning complete game (Ohio State, 1965) represents the ultimate display of pitching endurance that would be unthinkable in today’s pitch count era. This one is definitely not getting broken.
- 20 strikeouts in a single game (also by Steve Arlin) showcases dominance that would require both domination and incredible stamina to last deep in a contest that probably won’t happen much these days, if at all.
- South Carolina’s lightning-fast 1-hour, 13-minute victory over Eastern Michigan in 1975 reflects an era when the pace of play was drastically different from the typical duration of a game today.
- Darren Dilks’ 189-pitch outing for Oklahoma State in 1981 is safe forever. There’s no way we’d see a coaching staff allow one of their hurlers to throw that many pitches in one game now.
- Joe Kazura’s nightmarish 13 runs allowed in a single start shows how different roster management and relief pitching strategies were in 1956.
- James Waldrip’s 15 walks while somehow completing a two-hitter remains one of baseball’s more bizarre statistical anomalies that defies logical explanation.
- Seven different LSU players homering in one game during their 1998 offensive explosion showcases team-wide power distribution that’s rarely matched.
- Four strikeouts recorded in an inning requires the perfect storm of circumstances that includes dropped third strikes that doesn’t happen often. The most recent pitcher to accomplish this was Stanford’s Scott Weiss, who did it in 1990 against Georgia.
- Three hit-by-pitches in one game is a painful mark that modern safety protocols and umpire oversight make increasingly unlikely to occur. Kurt Suzuki (Cal State Fullerton, 2003), Taylor Holiday (UC Irvine, 2007), and Grant Clyde (NC State, 2013) all share this record.
The Iron Man Performance That Redefined Endurance
LEGENDS OF OMAHA
June 10, 1965: Ohio State’s Steve Arlin throws 15-inning, 20-strikeout SHUTOUT… both #CWS records! pic.twitter.com/zdMCve30PR
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 8, 2016
Steve Arlin’s 1965 masterpiece against Washington State stands as the most remarkable individual pitching performance in College World Series history. Throwing 15 innings while recording 20 strikeouts in a 1-0 shutout victory isn’t just impressive—it’s practically science fiction by today’s standards.
Today’s college pitchers rarely exceed 120 pitches in a single outing (which still seems like a lot given the current state of the game), and complete games have become an endangered species. Arlin’s workload would send today’s training staffs into cardiac arrest. The physical and mental fortitude required to maintain velocity and command while facing the pressure of potential season-ending defeat makes this an incredible achievement.
What makes Arlin’s performance even more impressive is it requires two separate broken records to occur. Even if someone surpassed his strikeout total, it’s not like we’re going to see someone toss 15 innings ever again.
When Speed Was Everything: The One-Hour Baseball Game
The 1975 South Carolina-Eastern Michigan game that clocked in at just one hour and 13 minutes represents a completely different era of baseball. Even accounting for the six-inning length due to weather, the nine-inning pace would have been under two hours.
This record shines a light on how dramatically the sport has evolved. Chiusano noted the 2018 CWS averaged over 3.5 hours per game. So, that means contests take nearly three times longer than that blazing 1975 pace. Between mound visits, frequent pitching changes, and increased strategic complexity, today’s game simply doesn’t allow for such efficiency.
The fastest nine-inning CWS game on record came in 1977 when Arizona State defeated South Carolina 2-1 for the championship in one hour and 35 minutes. Chris Bando’s seventh-inning homer was the deciding blow in what was essentially a perfectly executed pitchers’ duel. Replicating this pace would require both teams to abandon modern strategic approaches entirely—a virtual impossibility at college baseball’s highest level.
LSU’s Historic Home Run Derby
The Tigers’ 1998 offensive explosion against USC represents the perfect storm of power hitting. Eight home runs from seven different players in a single game showcases the kind of team-wide offensive eruption of historic proportions.
What makes this record particularly fascinating is the distribution factor. It’s one thing for a team to launch multiple home runs. But having seven different players contribute to the barrage demonstrates remarkable lineup depth that’s incredibly difficult to replicate.
The context makes it even more impressive: LSU’s eight-homer performance exceeded the entire home run output of some recent College World Series fields across 30-plus games. Danny Higgins, Trey McClure, Eddy Furniss, Brad Creese (who homered twice), Clint Earnhart, Wes Davis, and Cedrick Harris all contributed to this legendary display.
Modern pitching development, specialized bullpen usage, and advanced scouting make it much harder for any lineup to catch fire quite like this. While individual players might still find success, coordinating this level of team-wide offensive explosion requires circumstances that rarely align in today’s game.
These records represent more than just statistical curiosities. They’re windows into baseball’s evolution and reminders of the extraordinary performances that make the College World Series special. While future players will undoubtedly create their own legendary moments, these nine records seem destined to stand as permanent monuments to college baseball’s most remarkable achievements.
Love home runs? Sign up for my Substack today and start getting interesting home run-related observations straight to your inbox three times per week!
Leave a Reply