Infielder Joe Cronin ’16 (jersey #4) and teammates after beating Tulane on June 5. Photograph: Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

It’s no secret that Boston College’s high-profile “water cooler” sports teams have disappointed this year, notwithstanding the business-as-usual successes of men’s and women’s hockey. That’s why, on a Sunday evening in early June—well after Eagles fans had expected to withdraw into varsity sports hibernation for the summer—the Heights Twitterverse erupted in over-the-moon jubilation. The most unlikely of saviors, Boston College baseball, had swept through the southern regional rounds of the NCAA tournament and into the Super Regionals. Out of nearly 300 Division-1 programs nationally, the Eagles (31–19 in the regular season) were among baseball’s Sweet Sixteen.

It’s hard to overstate how improbable this postseason run was. The Eagles last advanced in the 64-team NCAA tournament in 1967, as the Beatles were releasing Sgt. Pepper. With conference realignments shifting the college sports landscape, the achievement seemed impossible to repeat. What accounted for this boon year? To appreciate success, we must first give due to the obstacles.

Success in college sports is all about recruiting. And with most Boston College baseball players coming from the Northeast, the Eagles are disadvantaged. The best players are raised in the South, where the climate allows for a 12-month season. Now, try to lure those athletes into playing home games on a defrosted football tailgating lot (Shea Field) with most fans watching from the top of a parking garage; it’s easy to see why the Eagles would have trouble enlisting talent.

Still, Boston College made the trip to Omaha, host of the College World Series (CWS), four times in the 1950s and 1960s. In no small part, this was because, prior to 1975, teams qualified for the CWS by winning their geographic district. In all four CWS appearances, the Eagles’ district consisted exclusively of New England schools. The teams who ended their seasons? They hailed from Texas, California, Oklahoma, and, inexplicably, Pennsylvania. Now, the Eagles compete in the regular season within the heavily southern Atlantic Coast Conference.

This year’s Boston College team, led by sixth-year head coach Mike Gambino ’99, found the means to overcome that impediment. Among the many northern recruits on the Eagles roster was pitcher Justin Dunn ’17. Originally from New York, he played prep ball in Connecticut and was drafted after high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 37th round. Dunn is the bread-and-butter type of athlete that the Eagles are able to recruit—talented, with a desire to stay in the northeast at a top academic school. Rather than sign with the Dodgers, he opted to get an education and work on developing his arsenal of pitches until he was next eligible for the draft, after his junior year.

This season, Dunn put together a 3–1 record with a 1.34 ERA as a starter through the NCAA Regionals. Scouts, flocked to his games, and the New York Mets got him, as the 19th pick overall.

Boston College had a handful of aces this season. The team’s second lead hurler, Mike King ’17, would be chosen in the 12th round by the Marlins; senior pitcher Jesse Adams went in the 14th round to the Reds; and freshman thrower Jacob Stevens posted an ERA in the low 2s. The Eagles rode their pitching far, falling on June 12th to the Miami Hurricanes and their power hitters, one game short of the NCAA’s eight-team championship bracket. They finished ranked 16th in the nation.

Boston College supporters who jumped on the baseball bandwagon steered clear of the social media fury that sometimes consumes sports fans after a disappointment. They mostly expressed appreciation—in messages such as, “represented @BostonCollege with class and a never say die attitude” and “you will be back!” The former was tweeted by team alumnus Pete Frates ’07, who inspired the ice-bucket challenge to support ALS research; and the latter by a fan with the nom de plume @rpbird4321. For a few weekends in June, the Northern Team That Could brought cheer to Eagles fans. And for that, we were all grateful.

Grant Salzano ’10 works in banking and also writes for BC Interruption, an online site devoted to Boston College sports.