The Arizona Wildcats beat Florida State 10-2 on June 9, 1986, delivering the program’s third College World Series championship.

 Bruce McClelland, Arizona Daily Star 1986

The championship game of the 1986 College World Series was a bit daunting for Arizona fans. The Wildcats were to play No. 1 Florida State, which had won a national-record 61 games. The Seminoles starting pitcher on that night in Omaha, Nebraska, was All-American Mike Loynd. His record: 20-2.

Yet the Wildcats, winners of 48 games, spoke not in terms of awe, but in terms of possibilities.

β€œBeating Florida State would put us on the map as far as Arizona baseball history is concerned,” said leadoff batter and second baseman Tommy Hinzo. β€œWe would be remembered.”

Now, 36 years later, the β€˜86 Wildcats are definitely remembered.

Arizona beat the No. 1 Seminoles that night, 10-2, taking a 10-0 lead on two-run homers by Gar Millay and Mike Senne, and adding an exclamation point when Hinzo stole home.

β€œThe hitting this season has at times been awesome,” said UA coach Jerry Kindall, who earlier coached Arizona to College World Series championships in 1976 and 1980. β€œBut these young men also learned from and overcame adversity.”

The β€˜86 World Series is remembered more for Arizona’s Game 1 victory over Maine than two victories over the Seminoles. That was the night the Maine Black Bears took a 7-0 lead over Arizona’s record-setting pitcher Gilbert Heredia, who entered the game 15-3, tied for the most victories in school history.

It was the β€œRemember the Maine” game, and it triggered a memorable run to the national championship.

Arizona cut Maine’s lead to 7-5, and Hinzo walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He went to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Senne’s single. Kindall then summoned pinch-hitter Dave Shermet, a sophomore who had lost his starting job two months earlier, getting just seven at-bats down the stretch.

Shermet hit a walk-off, two-run homer, capping the comeback, 8-7.

β€œIt is one of the greatest comebacks I have ever been part of,” said Kindall, who had helped Minnesota win the 1956 College World Series and then played nine years in the major leagues.

Gar Millay celebrates following the Wildcats’ championship win.

Said Shermet: β€œI couldn’t have walked that ball to the plate any better. It was right down the middle.”

The 1986 Wildcats were one of the most formidable hitting teams in school history. They had a team batting average of .327, then the second-highest figure in school history. It covered up for a team ERA of 5.12. The Wildcats scored 652 runs, second only to the 1974 UA team that scored exactly 700.

The batting order was stocked with future major leaguers: Heredia, Hinzo, shortstop Dave Rohde and third baseman Chip Hale, now the UA’s head coach, Beyond that, the Wildcats had a lineup of terrific college ballplayers such as catcher Steve Strong of Sabino High School, who hit .396 despite breaking his finger in the NCAA Regionals; Senne, an outfielder who was the World Series MVP and drove in 80 runs in the season, a total previously reached only by Arizona All-Americans Terry Francona and Ron Hassey; and first baseman Todd β€œSluggo” Trafton, who hit 15 home runs and went on to play for the Triple-A Tucson Toros and 15 years in the minors.

β€œWe put this team together for the short-term,” said Kindall. β€œWe had to fill some holes and we went more heavily on the junior-college system more than we normally do.”

Arizona Wildcats players salute the fans after beating Florida State to win the 1986 College World Series.

The β€˜86 Wildcats started two players from the Bay Area’s Laney Community College: Center fielder Chuck Johnson and pitcher/DH Gary Alexander, who was the winning pitcher in the CWS championship game. They landed Rohde from SoCal’s Saddleback College, Senne from Orange Coast JC and Hinzo from Southwestern College near San Diego.

Arizona finished second in the Pac-10, 18-12 overall, but had to beat ASU in the final series of the regular season to feel secure about getting one of just 40 berths in the postseason. The Wildcats swept the Sun Devils in three games β€” 9-4, 18-2 and 22-11 β€” triggering an 8-1 run in what would become an emotional postseason.

Players celebrate Arizona’s win over Florida State in 1986.

Kindall’s wife, Georgia, had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 1985 and would die in 1987. She attended the β€˜86 College World Series in Omaha, even though she had a difficult time with her mobility.

β€œIt was pretty emotional,” said Hale, then a junior. β€œWe all knew Coach Kindall was going through a really bad time. We won it for him.”

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports columnist Greg Hansen at 520-573-4362 or ghansen@tucson.com. On Twitter: @ghansen711