Pretty good story on Arkansas catcher James McCann

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Arkansas captain James McCann said he beat the odds just to play college baseball. He was a strong tower for the Hogs with a walk-off home run in a 4-3 victory over LSU, then stood strong in his talk to an FCA group afterwards.

James McCann sat in the Arkansas dugout as the ninth inning unfolded Saturday night against LSU. He knew if he got a chance to hit, it might be something special.

"I'd never had a walk-off hit, much less a walk-off home run," McCann said. "But I knew when I started looking at the lineup card and counting, I'd have a chance for it. I was thinking to myself, 'You are going to be the winning run.' "

If ever he was going to hit one, the junior catcher wanted it to be Saturday night - just before he walked into the left field corner to speak to a group of high school students at Baum Stadium for FCA Game Day. McCann knew he was the scheduled lead speaker for the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes event.

You guessed it. LSU reliever Kevin Berry served up one too many fat sliders in a six-pitch at bat. McCann hammered it far over the left field fence, well inside the foul pole. It was a three-run, walk-off blast that sent a record Baum crowd of 11,103 into orbit for a 4-3 Razorback victory over the Tigers.

"I knew I was going to give my testimony of my faith after the game," McCann said. "So as I sat in the dugout as the inning came together, I said a prayer that God's will "I knew I was going to give my testimony of my faith after the game," McCann said. "So as I sat in the dugout as the inning came together, I said a prayer that God's will would be done. I knew that to hit a home run in that situation would make my testimony even more powerful. To be able to hit it, then go down and try to be an influence to kids was important."

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"He would be a strong speaker if he struck out the rest of his career," McMahan said. "He'd always stand up here and say, 'To God be the glory.' That's James."

McCann, junior catcher and team captain, did just that when he got his turn in front of the group of several hundred students and fans well after the game. They had to wait while he handled interview requests both on the radio and in the press box afterward. Most didn't know they were waiting on McCann, the junior from Santa Barbara, Calif., who always signs autographs with a scripture and points to the sky when he hits home plate after home runs. He could be pointing to his "older brother." He said his "guardian angel" is already there "with my Lord and savior."

It's a story that has left teammates, coaches and support personnel around the Arkansas baseball team misty eyed many times. He stepped to the plate and delivered his message to the FCA group Saturday night.

"To God be the glory," McCann said. "First thing, let me tell you, I'm not supposed to be here tonight. The odds were against me ever making it here, much less hitting a walk-off home run. My parents weren't supposed to have me."

Jim and Carla McCann's first child, Timothy, was still born. Things started badly for Carla's next pregnancy just a few months later. A leak developed in the amniotic sac. Doctors encouraged an abortion almost immediately. That wasn't happening, so doctors prescribed total bed rest for the last six months of the difficult pregnancy.

"They told my parents that there was only a one in four chance that I would be normal," James told the students. "But they didn't want to abort the pregnancy. I'm telling you, I shouldn't be here.

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