Underdogs to Wonderdogs: Catching up with Justin Wilson

By: Savannah Stoeckle
Communications Student Assistant

The 2008 National Champion Bulldogs will be honored all season as part of the 10-year anniversary of the teams run to the championship in Omaha and will be honored prior to the Diamond 'Dogs game against San Jose State on April 14 at Bob Bennett Stadium.

FRESNO, Calif - On Saturday, former Fresno State baseball student-athletes and current members of the Diamond 'Dogs gathered at Bob Bennett Stadium for the annual Alumni Game, a tradition that dates back to at least 1970. From eight members of the 2017 class all the way to the late 1980's, more than 30 former 'Dogs attended the game won by the current 'Dogs, 14-2.

Approximately 12 of those former Diamond 'Dogs in attendance were apart of a very special season in program history 10 years ago as the Bulldogs trekked to Omaha, Nebraska for the 2008 College World Series as underdogs in the field and returned home national champions after an outstanding run outscoring its opponents 62-31 in its six games.

A strong contributor on the mound for the 'Dogs that season and in the CWS run was Clovis native and left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson. For Wilson, being a Bulldog always felt like home and by the time his career in a Bulldog uniform ended, he had created an incredible amount of success for himself and the program.

A three-year letter winner as both a pitcher and a first baseman at nearby Buchanan High School, throughout his time as a Bear, Wilson worked his way to becoming one of the top recruited players in the Central Valley earning Valley Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2005. After being named to the California All-Star team and earning first-team all-league honors, the senior team captain had a tough decision to make.

Wilson got the call from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 37th round of the 2005 MLB Draft, but made the choice to take a different path for his baseball career.

"I did not think I was ready for professional baseball," said Wilson. "Looking back on it now, I know I was not, plus I knew I still wanted to get some sort an education underneath me."

Wilson found his home right in his backyard at Pete Beiden Field for the next three years becoming a Bulldog.

"It is my hometown," added Wilson. "I grew up with Fresno State. I was always going to football games and basketball games so I had always felt like I was already a Bulldog."

Little did he know, he would soon help lead the Bulldogs to the WAC regular season and tournament titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons as well.

As a freshman in 2006, Wilson was the only two-way athlete on the team, serving as a pitcher and a pinch-hitter. On the mound that year, he threw 25 innings over the course of the season while giving up 24 hits, 14 runs and 19 walks. At the plate, Wilson hit .412 with seven hits, five RBIs and three doubles.

Wilson had earned his place on the mound for the Bulldogs early on in his career. In his sophomore campaign, the young ace began to breakout appearing in 25 games while starting 19. Wilson recorded a 3.19 ERA tossing 101.2 innings and notching a team-high 105 strikeouts. The sophomore earned All-WAC First-Team selection for his 2007 performance as the 'Dogs finished 38-29 overall.

In his third and final year in a Bulldog uniform, Wilson led the 'Dogs through a historic season in Fresno State Baseball history.

As a junior in 2008, the road to the national stage was not expected for Fresno State. The Bulldogs finished their regular season with a 33-27 overall record.

The Bulldogs headed to Ruston, La. for the WAC conference tournament as the number one seed. Fresno State faced Sacramento State in the first game of the tournament and behind Wilson on the mound for seven innings, the Diamond 'Dogs were able to pull off a 3-2 victory to move on in the winner's bracket to face San Jose State.

Fresno State powered past San Jose State, 7-3 and Hawai'i, 11-4, to advance to the WAC title game for the third consecutive season.

The 'Dogs met up with the Nevada Wolf Pack for the title game and came home with a 6-4 victory as Wilson pitched two innings in relief to clinch their third straight WAC tournament title. Fresno State remained undefeated in tournament play, going 12-0 from 2006-08.

Wilson earned a spot on the All-Tournament team along with two Bulldog teammates, Alan Ahmady and Steve Susdorf. With both the WAC regular season and tournament titles under their belt, Wilson and the 'Dogs were ready for their next challenge in the NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the 'Dogs faced a tough pitching and defensive battle with Long Beach State but came out with a 7-3 victory. Wilson threw seven innings only allowing two runs on three hits while tying his career-high with 11 strikeouts.

"In a big game like that, he competed hard and battled," said head coach Mike Batesole, then in his sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. "We knew he would be ready to go, that's in his makeup. He left it all out there until he didn't have anything left in the tank. He always does."

Fresno State went on to face San Diego and were forced into a third game tiebreaker after winning the first game, 6-0 but falling 15-1 in the next. The Bulldogs earned a 5-1 victory in game three to move win the Long Beach Regional as Fresno State was believed to be the first No. 4 seed to advance to a super regional.

The Bulldogs had been on the road for four consecutive weeks after playing its last home game on May 11, but that did not stop them from pursuing their ultimate goal. Arizona State was the next matchup for the 'Dogs in the Super Regional in Tempe. A day after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 6, Wilson got the start in game one of the Super Regional the following day, as the No. 3 Sun Devils were able to get to Wilson for eight runs as the 'Dogs fell, 12-4. With their backs against the wall, Fresno State answered back to win the next two games to move on to its fourth College World Series in program history and first since 1991.

"Going into our conference tournament, we had to win in order to move on," explained Wilson. "We won that and then faced elimination every stop along the way. We just wanted to keep on rolling. We had our backs against the wall, then we would win another game and have our backs against the wall again. It was definitely a whirlwind."

Wilson got the start on the mound for the 'Dogs against then-No.5 nationally ranked Rice on day one in Nebraska en route of a record-breaking 17-5 victory. The left-handed ace went into the game with a 4.51 ERA and tossed seven complete innings, allowing two runs and eight hits to secure another win on the mound.

"We were complete underdogs," said Wilson of the 'Dogs matchup with the Owls. "Everyone told us that we were the underdogs and counted us out, but we did not think that we were. We were hot at the right time and had a lot of fun while doing it."

In the next bracket matchup, a standout defensive effort led the Bulldogs to two wins over the North Carolina Tar Heels which moved them on to the final series against SEC foe Georgia.

Georgia earned the victory in game one, as Wilson faced off with future MLB hurler Matt Harvey, a current member of the New York Mets, narrowly edging the 'Dogs, 7-6. Fresno State answered back in a high-scoring game two, winning 19-10 in an elimination game. UGA held a 5-0 advantage, but the 'Dogs rallied and added 15 runs in three innings to cruise to victory to force a deciding game three.

Taking the mound in front of 18,932 college baseball fans in the final game of the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium, Wilson was ready for the moment.

"I knew it was over when I saw the look in his eye in the first inning," said Coach Batesole. "I knew he was going to do everything he could to get it done."

With an outstanding defensive performance behind him, Wilson recorded eight innings of work giving up five hits while striking out nine and walking one holding Georgia scoreless for seven innings.

"I wanted the ball and did not want to see anybody else out there honestly," said Wilson. "It was great that Coach Batesole and the rest of the coaching staff had enough confidence in me to be able to go back out there for another start in the College World Series. I was very fortunate. At that point, there was a ton of adrenaline so it did not really seem to matter how tired I may have been and our defense made multiple amazing plays as well."

Wilson's pitching and Steve Detwiler's offense helped lead Fresno State to a very unexpected 6-1 victory over Georgia in game three of the College World Series.

The 'Dogs fought off elimination in the WAC tournament, the regionals, the super regionals and the College World Series. Fresno State showed that they belonged in the national spotlight that year.

"It was almost like a 'mission accomplished' type of feeling," explained Wilson of accomplishing the impossible. "We had nothing to lose so it was more of us just going out there and playing our game. We proved everyone wrong."

With Wilson's collegiate career wrapped up with a national championship, he had appeared in 64 games and started 38 on the mound for the 'Dogs. The lefty tossed 243 innings while recording a 3.78 ERA and a total of 238 strikeouts.

With the possibility of the returning for hi senior season in 2009, Wilson knew he was now ready for the next level signing with the Pirates.

"We played at a very high level at Fresno State," Wilson said on his preparation for the next level. "Coach Batesole prepared us in ways that other coaches do not. It was day-in and day-out focus that got us ready for professional baseball."

In first professional season in 2009, Wilson played with the Lynchburg Hillcats who were the High Class-A affiliation of the Pirates.

"The first half of that season was no't particularly fun for me," added Wilson. "I was a little overmatched, but then I found my groove and finished that season strong."

Wilson served as a starting pitcher throughout the season and led the Hillcats to win the championship at the High Class-A level that year.

In 2010, Wilson moved up to the AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, the Altoona Curve. The pitching ace saw another championship season in that year.

With three championships in three seasons, the former Bulldog made the jump to AAA ball for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Wilson stayed with the Pirates organization and got the call up to the major leagues during the 2012 campaign making his debut on August 20 pitching an inning with three strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Sticking in the major leagues ever since, Wilson has gone on to see success at the major league level. Moving on from being a starter, Wilson transitioned to being a reliever at the major league level. He spent two seasons with the Pirates before being traded to the New York Yankees in 2015. He spent one season in New York and was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2016 and stayed with them until the middle of the 2017 season when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

In his six-year MLB career, Wilson has appeared in 341 game all as a relief pitcher. He has tossed 316 innings with 338 strikeouts and has a 3.30 ERA. Wilson recorded 13 saves in 2017 alone with the Detroit Tigers before he was traded to the Cubs.

On January 12, 2018, Wilson re-signed a one-year contract with the Cubs for the 2018 season for $4.25 million.

"It has been a great run so far in major league baseball and I credit Fresno State for much of that," said Wilson. "The Cubs are a great organization and put a good team out on the field and I am really excited for a deep playoff run. I am excited to continue my career in Chicago and be apart of that organization. It is pretty awesome playing at Wrigley Field."

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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Underdogs to Wonderdogs: Catching up with Justin Wilson

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