But dont tell their baseball team that.
The BSC Panthers just might be the team that could.
The schools financial problems and closure have dominated local news headlines in Birmingham for the last few years.
Credit:BSC
The closure of BSC impacts nearly all ofBirminghamin some way.
But amongst this sad news, a glimmer of hope that is almost too fantastical to be real.
Without financial help, there was no future.
Credit:BSCB
City and state officials raised money to prevent the closure but an opposing political force blocked the deal.
Despite this, Coach Jan Weisberg and assistant coach JD Hulse kept the baseball program competitive and strong.
AsJoseph Goodman forAL.comreported,their struggle became how to recruit players to a school on the verge of closing.
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The team even made it to number 1 in their division last year.
Then, things turned around and the Panthers managed to win 17 of 21 games.
This helped them earn an at-large bid to the NCAA D-III playoffs.
They won a regional tournament and then moved on to play in a super regional.
That is where this story took yet another cinematic turn.
With players hooked up to IV fluids on the sidelines, the Panthers still pulled out a 7-6 victory.
And with that hard-fought win, the team earned their spot in the D-III College World Series.
They will play their first game on Friday, the very day their school will shutter for good.
The entire BSC community and the greater Birmingham community has continued to rally around this against-all-odds team.
It means a lot for BSC Baseball to be the last thing that the BSC community can remember.
We hold that with a lot of pride… its an honor," Tyus said.
He added, it doesnt change our mission.
Were winning as a team and were working for each other.
Either at UAB or Samford.
And that would be a chance to walk on there maybe.
But yeah I am going to stay in the Birmingham area.
For Adams, a double major in computer science and philosophy, things are a little different.
The games BSC competes in during the World Series will be the last ones Adams plays.
And so Im just playing for myself and my teammates.
Tyus said that the challenges hes faced this year taught him a lot about togetherness and selflessness.
He explained, Just to play for the person in front of you instead of yourself.
Adams reflected on a similar lesson.
I think the biggest thing that Ive learned is just being somebody for someone.
Whether thats BSC being somebody for the community.
And I think the professors being someone for us.
The Panthers play their next game on Sunday June 2, against University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 5p.m.
As your Birmingham neighbors, we are rooting for yall.
