Birmingham-Southern College Is Headed to the Division III College World Series Despite the Fact That the School Will No Longer Exist After This Week

Birmingham-Southern will play its first game of the Division III College World Series this Friday, the same day the school closes permanently after 168 years. The baseball team will be representing an institution which no longer exists.

This is the stuff Disney+ two-season comedies are made of. Where does the trophy go if and when these guys win the whole thing? Could they bring in ringers for the CWS now that the school no longer exists and is therefore technically not subject to NCAA jurisdiction? All questions we hope to get the answers to in the coming days.

As if this story isn't crazy enough already, a third of the team apparently played the Panthers' super regional-clinching game with food poisoning after eating some bad chicken Alfredo the night before. And oh by the way, the Panthers' ace is a kid by the name of Drake LaRoche, whom you may remember from the fiasco that ensued when the White Sox wouldn't allow his father Adam to keep bringing him into the clubhouse and eventually led to Adam's retirement from Major League Baseball. I love everything about this team.

The Birmingham-Southern Panthers are America's Team. They have simultaneously overcome incredible obstacles to produce an amazing story but have also proven that athletics are more important than academics and will always win out in the end. Inspiring stuff for all the kids out there.