The 2024 Men’s College World Series kept the streak alive for grand slams hit in Omaha. For the third straight year, a bases-loaded big fly was launched out of Charles Schwab Field, as Florida’s Brody Donay hit one in the first inning against Kentucky of a second-round, win-or-go-home matchup. It was the 52nd grand slam in MCWS history and second straight by a Gators’ player.
Florida’s Ty Evans mashed No. 51 against LSU in 2023 during UF’s record-breaking 24-4 win over the Tigers in game two of the championship final. It was the first-ever grand slam in finals history.
Here’s a brief history of the grand salami — now 52 in total — at the MCWS.
Gators hit 51 and 52
It’s already difficult enough to reach Omaha, but to hit the last two grand slams is even more commendable.
Donay’s grand slam foreshadowed how the rest of the game would go, giving Florida a 7-1 lead in just the first inning. They would eventually win 15-4, and head to the semifinals, while Donay finished 3-5 with two home runs and five RBIs. The grand slam’s exit velocity was 117.6 mph. Watch it below.
BRODY DONAY’S SECOND HR OF THE GAME WAS 117.6 MPH OFF THE BAT 😮💨
THE HARDEST-HIT BALL IN THE MCWS THIS YEAR‼️ pic.twitter.com/iytVnB3NIi
— ESPN (@espn) June 19, 2024
Evans’s third-inning grand slam and eighth home run of the year got out in a jiffy as well. It had an exit velocity of 109 mph and a launch angle of 51.2 degrees that broke game two wide open. Watch it below.
TY EVANS HITS THE FIRST GRAND SLAM IN #MCWS FINALS HISTORY 💥 pic.twitter.com/LYnUDhbyAA
— ESPN (@espn) June 25, 2023
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GRAND SLAM…GATORS LEAD!!#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @GatorsBB pic.twitter.com/DyU95bsqCj
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 25, 2023
2022 ends the drought
After four years of zero grand slams, Oklahoma’s Jackson Nicklaus hit a one-out first-pitch grand slam in the top of the fourth inning during the opening game of the 2022 MCWS. The dinger was Nicklaus’ 11th of the season and put the Sooners up 12-3 versus Texas A&M. It was the third grand slam in Charles Schwab Field history. Watch it below.
💥💥💥💥
JACKSON NICKLAUS GRAND SLAM 💣‼️
📺 @ESPN | @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/W5FvZrJrIB
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 17, 2022
2018’s dinger
B💥💥MER S💥💥NER GRAND SLAM‼️
📺 ESPN#MCWS x @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/lIgeTmOPLK
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 17, 2022
Westburg hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the second inning during an elimination game against the Tar Heels in the 2018 MCWS. It was just his second home run of the season. He had a chance to hit a second career world series grand slam in 2019, a feat done just once before on college baseball’s grandest stage, but failed to do so.
Watch the 2018 grand slam below.
Mid 2 | Jordan Westburg uses the power of potassium to give us a 4-1 lead!!#OmaDawgs | #HailState pic.twitter.com/RjvjIWvAay
— #OmaDawgs (@HailStateBB) June 19, 2018
The first MCWS grand slam
That one came in 1950, in the fourth year of the tournament. Texas’ Kal Segrist went deep in the bottom of the third inning against Washington State in the Longhorns’ 12-1 win. Texas won its second consecutive national championship that season.
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The only pinch-hit grand slam (so far)
Five years later came perhaps the most unlikely grand slam in MCWS history. Western Michigan’s Freed Messner hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the eighth (the only pinch-hit grand slam ever in the MCWS), but it wasn’t enough as the Broncos fell to Wake Forest 10-7 in 1955. Messner finished the MCWS 1-for-12.
Additionally, there’s only been one pinch-hit grand slam in CWS history. That came in 1955 by Western Michigan’s Freed Messner vs. Wake.
— Rob Anderson (@_robanderson) June 12, 2016
Years with multiple grand slams
On 11 occasions, there have been multiple grand slams in a single MCWS, with a record four grand slams in 1998.
There have been two games in MCWS history where both teams have gone yard with the bases loaded and Arizona State was involved in both games. The Sun Devils and Oral Roberts traded grand slams in the first three innings of their MCWS matchup in 1978 and then Arizona State and Southern California both hit grand slams in a high-scoring, title-clinching 21-14 victory for the Trojans in 1998.
Coincidentally, Southern California also beat the Sun Devils in the finals in 1978. The Trojans are the last national champion to hit a grand slam in the MCWS.
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Walk-off MCWS grand slam
One of the most exciting hits in college baseball history came in 1987, when Stanford right fielder Paul Carey hit the only walk-off grand slam in MCWS history against LSU in the bottom of the 10th inning. Carey stepped to the plate batting .154 (2-for-13 with two singles and one RBI) in the MCWS with the Cardinal trailing 5-2, so Stanford needed all four runs in order to win. The Cardinal advanced to win its first-ever national championship over Oklahoma State in the finals.
Cal State Fullerton, Stanford own the grand slam
Players named Paul and Mark are responsible for three grand slams each — the most of any first name. Cal State Fullerton outfielder Mark Kotsay is the only player to hit two grand slams in his college career as he did so against Florida State in 1994 and Tennessee in 1995.
The Titans and Stanford are both responsible for six grand slams apiece in the MCWS. Of the 48 grand slams at the MCWS, both schools have had a streak of three grand slams without another school hitting one in between. Kotsay’s pair of grand slams were followed by his teammate Brian Loyd hitting one against the Volunteers in 1995. The Cardinal hit three grand slams combined in the 1999 and 2000 MCWS.
There have been two occasions where a grand slam resulted in a team’s only runs in an entire MCWS game. Ithaca’s Don Fazio’s bases-loaded home run wasn’t quite enough in a 5-4 loss to Florida State in 1962, while Texas’ Mike Brumley went yard with the bases juiced in 1983 that proved to be enough offense in a 4-2 win against Michigan.
On two occasions, a team that hit a grand slam in the MCWS won by exactly four runs, most recently accomplished by TCU in 2010. Watch TCU’s Matt Curry connect on his 2010 grand slam below.
Ninth-inning drama
There have been three grand slams in the top of the first inning at the MCWS but ironically, two of those teams lost and both to Arizona State — Oral Roberts in ’78 and Miami (Fla.) in 1984. Five grand slams have occurred in the ninth inning, most recently one off the bat of North Carolina’s Tim Federowicz, who gave the Tar Heels a 7-3 victory on Friday, June 20, 2008, after a game against LSU that started on the day before was suspended due to rain.
Federowicz’s home run broke open a tie game in the final frame. Watch his dramatic shot below.
Three of the top 12 home-run-hitting teams in the country (Arkansas, Florida and Texas Tech) advanced to Omaha for the 2018 MCWS so don’t be surprised if the list of grand slams at the MCWS grows in the coming weeks.
