Fresno State Athletics
Underdogs to Wonderdogs: Catching up with Jordan Ribera
4/11/2018 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
GoBulldogs.com recently caught up with former Diamond 'Dog and College World Series champion Jordan Ribera to get his reflections on the 2008 season and how the Bulldogs were able to accomplish winning a national championship.
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 Diamond 'Dogs run to the championship in Omaha. The team will be honored prior to the Diamond 'Dogs game against San Jose State this Sunday afternoon at Bob Bennett Stadium with an on-field ceremony starting at 12:45 p.m.
On Sunday, the Fresno State baseball team will celebrate its 10-year anniversary of winning the 2008 College World Series and becoming National Champions after a hard fought battle in Omaha.
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Fresno native and Clovis West High School graduate, Jordan Ribera was a staple for the Bulldogs as a freshman in the 2008 College World Series run.
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Ribera got his Fresno State career off to a fantastic start with an outstanding performance as a young Bulldog playing in 43 games and starting 16 as the designated hitter as a true freshman.
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In the College World Series, Ribera served as the designated hitter against Rice on June 15, 2008 singling in his first at-bat and came back to the plate in the sixth inning with a home run clear over the 408 foot sign in center field. With Ribera's first home run of the CWS and fourth of his career, the Bulldogs went on to defeat Rice, 17-5.
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Ribera showed his power swing again in game one of the finals against Georgia with a first pitch, solo home run to left field in the top of the third inning to tie the game, 1-1 and as the 'Dogs fell to UGA in the first game of the championship series before coming back to defeat the 'Dawgs in the final two games.
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Hitting two home runs in the College World Series were remembered to be Ribera's biggest athletic thrill.
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After becoming a national champion, Ribera had a dominating career at Fresno State. As a junior, the Fresno native was number one in the nation with 27 home runs in 2010 as a junior. That same season, he drove in 69 RBIs which is tied for 10th most in a single season in program history. After his junior campaign, Ribera was a Second-Team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American selection, Second-Team Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-American and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Second-Team All-American Selection.
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Ribera played in 195 games in a Bulldog uniform with a .271 batting average knocking in 173 hits, 38 doubles, 140 RBIs and 118 runs. Ribera finished his collegiate career with 44 home runs, a mark that still ranks third-most in Fresno State baseball program history.
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At the conclusion of his senior season, Ribera was selected in the 2011 MLB Draft in the 21st round by the Colorado Rockies. The former Bulldog spent five seasons in the minor leagues before retirement reaching as high as Triple-A. Ribera retired after playing in 306 career minor league games hitting .254 with 279 hits, 75 doubles, 27 home runs and 190 RBIs.
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On winning the 2008 College World Series...
"It is something so special. As a collegiate athlete, you dream of this regardless of your sport. There really are no words to describe it. It was just one of those freak incidents that we were able to put together some wins and get hot at the right time and make it happen. It truly was a Cinderella Story. We shocked the world. It would rank number four behind marriage and my two kids. A majority of my office stuff is all of my Fresno State memorabilia. I have my Omaha jersey, chair and my national championship ring. It is a great conversation starter and it is how a lot of us are remembered. I still talk about it with family and friends and I will continue to talk about it for the rest of my life."
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On the process to winning the national title…
"Looking back and seeing what we had to overcome to do it, it is actually pretty confusing. It is like trying to answer a question that you can never answer. After we did it and once I got into professional ball, I started seeing these guys that we played against and thought to myself 'we beat those guys'. At that time though, we were off the radar. To see what we did with the talent we had, we got hot at the right time and we were perfectly coached. Coach Batesole kept it alive in us. He told us we were capable of doing it and we just came together as a team and put everyone else before ourselves and it ended up working out. It was very special and something we get to have with us for the rest of our lives."
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On the point where he realized they could win it all…
"Honestly, after the first round against Rice. We put up 17 runs against a Rice team that was top five in the country. I knew we had a good shot and I didn't care what anybody said. From there on, we were in every elimination game possible. We came out of it and ended up winning. We just kept it rolling, we didn't think about it or think about losing and being out. All we thought about was making it to the next game. Everybody bought in to what we were trying to do, and we did it. Now we have a pretty nice ring that we get to carry around."
On the last ten years…
"A lot of us from the 2008 team have gotten together and talked about it and it all still feels so fresh, but yet its been 10 years. It is nice that we are all still close with each other and are able to communicate. A lot of us have kids that are the same age group and they are able to hang out and be a part of the Bulldog family. It is amazing. It is something that we still get to have good conversation about and it is something each and every one of us will never forget."
On this year's young Fresno State team…
"I am excited to see them go out and compete this year. They have some athletes that I am really looking forward to watching."
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"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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