Former Wilson High third baseman Zach Wilson made a splash at the College World Series, and reflected on his move from Long Beach to Tempe.  Wilson was three outs away from being a hero on Friday night when the Arizona State freshman tripled to right field with two outs off Texas lefty Austin Wood to give the Sun Devils a 3-2 lead over the Longhorns in the top of the ninth inning.  Wood had just made history in the regional by throwing 13 scoreless innings in a 25-inning win over Boston College.

Texas, however, hit two solo home runs off ASU freshman lefty Mitchell Lambson in the bottom of the ninth to eliminate the Sun Devils in heartbreaking fashion and ruin Wilson’s magical moment.

Wilson is a humble, quiet kid who continues to exhibit the class his mother, Lori, should get much of the credit for after raising this special young man by herself.

With Texas celebrating on the field to advance to the title game against LSU, many of the ASU players had their heads down or were leaving the field.

But while the ESPN cameras caught reactions from both dugouts, the first player to console Lambson was the same Zach Wilson, who seems to epitomize what is right about collegiate athletics.

Wilson hit .275 this season with 22 hits and nine RBI’s for the Pac-10 champions.

While having just 80 at bats was a major drop off from being in a starring role for Bruins’ coach Andy Hall in a CIF championship in 2007 and a runner-up spot in 2008, Wilson took it all in stride.

“I didn’t play as much as I’d like, but I am playing for a great program with a lot of really talented players,” Wilson said. “I really like Tempe and have made some really great friends on this team.”

Wilson said Pac-10 Player of the Year, Jason Kipnis, is his closest friend on the team, so it made it even more fitting when Wilson drove in Kipnis from second base on Friday night.

Wilson got just three at bats in Omaha at the CWS, and as he usually does, made something positive out of each plate appearance.

He was hit by a pitch in his first at bat, moved a runner from second base to third in his second, and saved his most dramatic for last.

For a guy who is incredibly humble and quiet, it was pretty moving to watch Wilson’s emotion when he bounced up from his slide into third base.

It is his class that had so many in the Long Beach area texting each other in excitement after Wilson tripled in such a huge situation.

“I was so pumped when I saw Zach get that hit,” former Wilson High teammate Tanner Perkins said. “It’s like watching a brother succeed, and no one works harder or deserves it more then he does. He is one of the most clutch players I have ever seen.”

Wilson thoroughly enjoyed his time in Omaha that saw each of the eight teams staying at different hotels, but sharing one dream.

He said his teammates spent a lot of time signing autographs for young fans and the environment was something he wishes every local player was able to experience.

Wilson is majoring in Kinesiology and enjoys the Arizona heat, and despite being away from his mother and friends, the hectic college lifestyle of an athlete has helped deal with the distance.

“They keep us so busy with classes, workouts, practice and everything that goes with being a player here, that I don’t have much time to just sit around,” Wilson said.

It’s not often that the quality of one’s character matches that of his physical talents, but Wilson is one of those rare kids that anyone can identify with and root for.

With a solid end to his freshman year on one of the nation’s elite college baseball programs, Zach Wilson will be a name worth following, and someone we can all be proud to say we know.