Remember That Team That Rallied From 11-2 In The 9th To Win? THEY'RE BACK

Down 11-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning of a double-elimination tournament, Indiana Southeast assistant coach Ben Reel was literally thinking, "Two and Barbecue," which is baseball code for losing your first two in a tournament and going home.

And after a visit to the bathroom with his team still batting in the ninth after two outs, he couldn't resist the barbecue he smelled rounding third on the way back to the dugout.

"I mean, when we got two outs and no one on in the ninth, I was turning around and ready to grab all my stuff," Indiana Southeast first-year head coach Brett Neffendorf told OutKick.com in a phone interview Thursday night.

"And Ben was out at the food truck grabbing some barbecue ribs," Neffendorf said.

A loss would have meant Indiana Southeast would have had to win five straight games to advance out of the losers' bracket.

"But the next thing you know, we turn around, and we're standing in the dugout, and we're like, ‘Jesus! The game’s tied,'" Neffendorf said. "We were all in shock."

Good thing, Reel got those ribs to go.

RALLY KINGS: How Indiana Southeast Came Back To Beat Indiana Tech

Then the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers broke the 11-11 tie and beat Indiana Tech, 14-11, on a three-run, walk-off home run by Trevor Goodwin to win their opener of an NAIA regional tournament that Monday, May 13, in Upland, Indiana. '

Indiana University Southeast players celebrate a 14-11 win over Indiana Tech on May 13 in an NAIA opening round tournament in Upland, Indiana, after they trailed 11-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. (Photo Courtesy of Indiana Southeast Athletic Department) 

The Grenadiers - named after grenade-toting front line soldiers - soldiered on to win again that Monday night, 4-0, over Missouri Baptist, then beat Taylor University, 3-2, and Missouri Baptist, 14-10, that week to advance to the NAIA World Series, which began with 10 teams Friday in Lewiston, Idaho.

Indiana Southeast did not go two and barbecue and return home to Albany, but they did need two commercial flights with multiple connections to get to Lewiston.

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The Grenadiers don't fly charter like some of the other Indiana teams - such as the 0-5 Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, who flew charter to Los Angeles for a game against the Sparks tonight (10 p.m., ION TV).

"One group had one connection," Neffendorf said. "Another had two with some difficulty. That poor group traveled all day. But it wasn't terrible."

And they're still batting, so to speak.

Four players who did not make the 26-man postseason roster paid their own way just to be a part of it.

And the No. 10 seed Grenadiers won again late Friday night, 6-5, over No. 7 seed William Carey of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in their World Series opener at Harris Field. Indiana Southeast (37-18) will next play No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett (51-7) Saturday at 9:35 p.m. William Carey (37-15) plays University of the Cumberlands of Williamsburg, Kentucky (51-7) Saturday at 2:35 p.m.

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Indiana Southeast never trailed Friday night and has only trailed for exactly one inning by one run since the uncanny comeback. The Grenadiers fell behind Missouri Baptist, 8-7, after six on May 16, but rallied for a 10-8 lead in the seventh and won 14-10. If the Grenadiers do fall behind this weekend, Neffendorf will likely not need the Knute Rockne speech he considered when down 11-2 to Indiana Tech.

Indiana Southeast Coach Had Just About Given Up

"I was sitting there thinking to myself, ‘Man, this is going to be a tough post-game speech trying to motivate these guys,'" Neffendorf said. "Like, ‘Hey, we can do this - win five straight.’"

No, they took the easier path - 12 runs after two outs. 

"That was something hard to explain and obviously exciting, exhilarating," he said. "It gave us a lot of momentum. Coach Reel may have been our lucky charm."

It was a stroke of luck or genius by Neffendorf that Reel is his assistant coach. In a rare coaching carousel move, Reel went from head coach to assistant at the same place. He was the Grenadiers' head coach the previous 15 seasons and is the program's all-time winningest coach at 548-264-1. Reel took the school to its first NAIA World Series in 2021 when he was named national NAIA coach of the year. He also recruited most of this season's veteran and never-say-die team.

But with a second baby in a short time, he got out of coaching after last season to devote more time to his family and got a regular job in business, you know, with more regular meal times. But he still helped broadcast the games.

"If you're going to be at the games in the broadcast booth anyway," Neffendorf, who left an associate head coach position at Union College in Kentucky, told him, "you might as well be in the dugout with me."

Or at the food truck.

"I don't think he meant to leave the game to eat," Neffendorf said. "He had to go to the bathroom, and when he walked by that food truck, he was like, ‘Man, I’m going to have to get a few of these in case they run out before the game's over.' But he has been great for me in the transition. He's been a sounding board. He's just been a great presence. When I have a question, he's been awesome."

Like, "How do you come back from down 11-2 with two outs in the ninth?"

Grenadiers Sent 14 To The Plate In All

Reel's impulsive food order was the right call as Indiana Southeast extended the inning, you might say, as 14 batters came to the plate in all and scored 12 runs on seven hits, three walks and two errors.  

A Grenadier assistant coach who remained in the dugout was Glendon Rusch, who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1997-2009 for six teams, including the New York Mets from 2000-02 and pitched in the Subway (World) Series loss to the New York Yankees in 2000.

"I've never seen a comeback like that in my life," Rusch told Neffendorf.

One of the greatest ninth-inning comebacks in MLB history saw Philadelphia beat Los Angeles, 12-11, on Aug. 22, 1990, after trailing 11-3 entering the top of the ninth at Dodger Stadium. But that one was one run short of Indiana Southeast's deficit. 

"It was something special," Neffendorf said. "We rode that wave of that emotional high and excitement for the rest of the tournament. It lasted."

But can it last through this World Series, particularly if Indiana Southeast falls behind by nine again?

"I do believe it created a lot of belief," Neffendorf said. "That right there sealed the deal for belief for us. They're still excited about it, and it's something they're proud of. But at this point, with this tournament ahead of us, that's their main focus. They've done a really good job on the present. After this season, it'll be a story they'll be able to reminisce on and talk about and be proud of for many years."

And don't forget the ribs.