(Editors Note: This is the first of a four part series on former “Southern Six” prep baseball products that made a name for themselves at the College World Series)

By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

With former Pascagoula High product Sean Smith set to play a vital role for West Virginia in the 2026 College World Series that starts on Friday, we took some time to go back and take a look at some past performances by some other players from the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the annual affair.

First up, yet another Panther in Blair Varnes…

Blair Varnes, a red-shirt freshman All-American pitcher for Florida State in 1999, started for the Seminoles on the mound against arch-rival Miami in the National Championship game in Omaha that season.

Varnes found out at 11 p.m. Friday that he would get the chance to pitch for FSU in the title tilt, that was set for Saturday afternoon. That’s because after an outstanding season, he was injured just after the Seminoles won the Super Regional a week earlier, and he didn’t see any action earlier in the CWS.

The Hurricanes slipped past 6-5 to take the national crown in the one game showdown.

Playing in their fourth game in 64 hours, and one day after a 13-inning, 14-11 victory over Stanford Friday night, the Seminoles literally limped into the championship game. Especially Varnes, who was wearing a reconfigured knee brace when he climbed the hill that was visible under his uniform.

“I broke the brace on the plane ride out here,” Varnes told a reporter just after the game. “I really didn’t think I’d need it because I didn’t think I’d pitch. I threw off the mound once since we’ve been here, but all week I’ve been saying, ‘If you need me, I’ll pitch.”‘

Varnes, his plant leg bound up by braces and supported by a handful of aspirin substitutes (Aleeve), lasted six innings and threw 100 pitches. He walked four and struck out one, and allowed eight hits.

The Seminoles, who finished the season at 57-14 overall, used seven pitchers in Friday’s extra-innings victory over Stanford and had no fresh arms available for Saturday.

“I’m 21 years old and I’ve been playing baseball for about 15 of those years, and that’s the gutsiest performance I’ve ever seen,” FSU junior third baseman Kevin Cash, said of Varnes. Cash is currently the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“He won’t tell you this, but I know Blair was hurting on every pitch,” FSU outfielder Matt Diaz said.

After FSU team doctor Steve Jordan answered some medical questions for pitching coach Jamey Shouppe and Seminoles head coach Mike Martin, Varnes was set to start.

“I’m sure I could have torn cartilage or something,” Varnes added afterward. “But I’m having surgery next week anyway, and I didn’t want to be old and gray and regret that I didn’t pitch for the national championship.”

It marked the sixth time that Miami beat FSU in seven total match-ups between the two in-state rivals that season. Varnes went a solid 11-2, with both losses that season coming at the hands of the Hurricanes.

That season, Varnes was honored as Collegiate Baseball Freshman of the year and earned First Team Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball

Then, in the 2000 campaign, one year after that disheartening loss to Miami in the national championship game, the Florida State baseball team eliminated Miami in the super regionals and earned a trip back to the College World Series for another shot at the title.

And, in the game one victory of the best-of-three series, Varnes pitched seven-plus solid innings for the win.