The Cortland State baseball team fought hard to earn a trip to their 15th D-III World Series this past weekend, and its reward is a 14.5-hour long bus ride to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Red Dragons (31-7) had to work extra hard to win their regional bracket out in Auburn after losing their first game, 21-17 to Tufts University last Thursday. That forced Cortland to win four straight elimination games, the last two of them over Tufts, to become one of the final eight teams still alive for the championship this week.

Head coach Joe Brown sounds like he never had a doubt.

"Of the 28 regionals we've been in, 22 times we've made it to the regional finals," said Brown during the team's bus ride Tuesday afternoon. "Never in the history of going to the NCAA regionals had Cortland baseball ever been 'out' in two. So, I think we have staying power, I think we have tough kids, and we're going to go compete."

Just like they did in 2015 when they won it all, the Red Dragons are traveling by bus to the World Series instead of flying. Brown says the only options for going by plane include splitting the team up into two or three groups. So in order to keep the team all together, he chose the bus route.

"Us taking this bus has nothing to do with whether we hit, run, throw, or catch," he said. "Put up all the excuses. 'It's 13 hours,' so what? These kids are enjoying being together, some of them maybe for the last time with each other, and I think they'll cherish the bus ride."

Cortland won its only series title in 2015 and followed that up with a third-place finish in 2016, when they also bussed their way to the Midwest. This is the Red Dragons' first appearance at the World Series since then, even though Brown says it's something they shoot for every season.

"I mean, that's why you come play for us," said the eight-time SUNYAC coach of the year. "Yes, we have those expectations, and if you come to Cortland I certainly hope you have them. The faces change every year but the expectations don't, and so that remains the goal every year."

The Red Dragons take on Salisbury in their series opener Friday night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The tournament consists of two, four-team pods with the winners of each pod meeting in a best-of-three series for the title. The World Series is scheduled to conclude next Wednesday.