On June 1, Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) and Randolph-Macon College baseball teams competed in the NCAA Division III World Series. With BSC having closed its doors as an institution on May 31, the importance of the game – to many of the school’s former students, alumni and the Birmingham community – was not lost on the team.

Through seven innings, the Panthers and the Yellow Jackets were tied 4-4. BSC had jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but two-run innings in the fifth and seventh for Randolph-Macon equalized the game. In the eighth inning, both teams added three runs in their respective sides.

The Panthers and the Yellow Jackets headed to the ninth, with both teams tied once again.

In the bottom of the ninth, with both teams still tied 7-7, BSC second baseman Andrew Dutton drew a leadoff, four-pitch walk. With the winning runner on first base, Panthers first baseman Jackson Webster smacked a two-run, walk-off home run to win the game and advance BSC to the next round.

“I told some alumni and old coaches ‘I’m going to win this ball game’ while I was on deck,” Webster said. “When I hit it, I didn’t know if it was going to be a home run. I knew we had won the game but once it went out, I just filled with joy.”

Webster stepping up to the plate in the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship. (Image courtesy of Birmingham-Southern Athletics)

Birmingham-Southern officially closed its doors the day prior, having fought for nearly 18 months to keep the college open. After nearly 170 years in existence, the institution’s closing left athletes, coaches, professors, alumni and the community emotional.

Emotions filled Webster and his teammates as they lived another day in the World Series tournament – meaning that his school was also still alive through at minimum the next round.

“This game meant a lot to me,” Webster said. “It is every little kid’s dream to hit a walk-off let alone in the College World Series, but most importantly, it meant I got to play one more game with my best friends.”

Webster was a junior at BSC before it closed. This was the only time the Panthers made it to the College World Series while he attended.

“In my first two years we made it to either a Super Regional or a Regional,” Webster said. “This year we made it to the biggest stage in college baseball – the College World Series – and I think that experience is what makes this season so memorable.

“This game meant a lot simply because we were playing for the students, faculty, alumni and community.”

BSC experienced declining enrollment and financial difficulties caused by overbuilding, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of financial difficulties, the college was unable to secure the necessary funding to remain open.

“It still doesn’t feel like Birmingham-Southern is officially closed,” Webster said, recalling how he first received the news. “We were all called into a team meeting around mid-March, and he talked us through the situation and what we were going to do and how we are not just going to give in. It was an emotional moment for a lot of us – everyone really – but after we found out the news we got back to work. We all went to the cages to hit to let out our emotions.”

Birmingham-Southern College closed after nearly 170 years. (Image courtesy of Birmingham-Southern College)

With the official closing of the college, many BSC athletes were left with a tough decision: Keep playing or end their baseball careers. Most could not anticipate this happening, so there is a time crunch to find their new, perfect fit.

Life-long friendships and memories have been made at BSC, like any college. For now, Webster is faced with tough decisions ahead – just like many of his teammates. With his baseball career taking off, Webster is still searching for his perfect fit after BSC.

“Every team that has gone through Birmingham-Southern is special,” Webster said. “The amount of work that each team had to put in to build the legacy that Birmingham-Southern has had is so much.

“I plan to keep on playing. I have been talking to coaches from all levels of college baseball but am still undecided,” he said.

To learn more about BSC’s historic timeline in sports and academics, visit its website here.