The Rise of Troy Trojans Baseball
Right now, everyone’s eyes are glued to the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup. I get it, the Knicks are in the spotlight. But there’s something happening in Alabama that deserves your attention—perhaps even more than those big games.
Meet Jabe Boroff, a catcher for the Troy Trojans. He’s been making waves, and honestly, it’s time we recognize this story. The Trojans are on the verge of making history, just one win away from their first trip to Omaha for the College World Series. It’s a big deal, especially in a world where college athletics often feels overshadowed by the transfer portal and NIL deals.
This week has been quite the rollercoaster. Nick Saban recently raised concerns about the state of college sports, but Troy has turned things around. The team barely made it into the NCAA Tournament but is now hosting a super regional for the first time, breaking attendance records along the way.
On Friday, they kicked off the super regional with a 12-2 victory over Little Rock. Boroff, living up to his nickname “Jave Ruth,” hit two home runs during the game, including a grand slam that landed in a cool bounce house in the stands.
Can College Sports Be Revived?
I’ve been a vocal advocate for college baseball. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get as much respect as it should. ESPN might have the rights, but so few games are shown until well into the season—that just seems like a missed opportunity to me.
Things took an exciting turn during the first 10 days of the tournament. In a surprising twist, we witnessed a notable upset, which seems rare in today’s football and basketball scenes. There was a moment when the Mountaineers from West Virginia sang “Country Roads” together after a regional championship—it was iconic.
What’s more impressive is how teams like the Trojans have not only been winning important games but hosting them as well. They entered the tournament, stunned the Florida Gators twice, and are just one win away from Omaha.
And let’s not forget about Boroff’s incredible transformation over just a few weeks. He started the season with a .114 batting average and one home run, but fast-forward to today, and he’s hitting .270 with 11 home runs. In the tournament alone, he has six home runs and 18 RBIs in just six games. That’s a pretty dramatic turnaround, don’t you think?
This is why college baseball holds a special place in my heart. It embodies everything we cherished about college sports—upsets, unforgettable moments, and compelling players, including those like Boroff, who may have come from lesser-known backgrounds.
In just the first week of this tournament, college baseball has shown us it’s still very much alive. Places that many hadn’t heard of until now, like West Virginia, are making their mark. Did anyone even know that Troy had a baseball team before all of this? Probably not.
Ultimately, that’s exactly why college baseball is so captivating. It has a way of surprising us, drawing us in, and making us care about “our school” once again.
