Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Omaha Memories
June 15, 2018 | Baseball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Some Diamond Heel veterans offer advice to the 2018 team about how to experience Omaha.
By Adam Lucas
When members of the last Carolina baseball team to face Oregon State in Omaha are asked for advice for the 2018 version of the Diamond Heels, they don't talk about moving runners over or throwing strikes. Instead, their advice is a little more simple: enjoy it.
Eleven and twelve years later, the members of the teams that faced the Beavers in 2006 and 2007 think about the experience a little differently than those who lived it mostly by buying a ticket or watching on television. They wish the final outcome had been different, of course. But while the details of certain games might require some refreshing for them, the atmosphere and camaraderie is something they instantly recall.
"The atmosphere in Omaha is something I will never forget," says reliever Jonathan Hovis, who led the nation in ERA in 2006 and earned the win in game one of the series against Oregon State. "The overall true love for college baseball, the locals who gravitated to UNC as we continued to win, team hotels with little league teams paired with us, the streets full of vendors and fans as we pulled into the ballpark before each game."
It might seem strange, but every player mentioned something that might seem simple—the time hanging out at the team hotel with teammates and family. There are no academic requirements and none of the players have a car to go explore Omaha. There will be some scheduled activities, but there will also be some down time, and sometimes those unscheduled moments end up being the most memorable.
"We had such a good time as a group those three years I was a part of it," says pitcher Rob Wooten, who was on the 2006, 2007 and 2008 teams that advanced to the College World Series. "All the dinners as a team and with our families. All the time at the hotel with everyone. You can't take that away from us. I loved going to the Drover, and even when I have visited Omaha as a professional player in Triple A, I always found time to go grab a steak from there, which brought back some great memories."
"I consider myself lucky to have shared the field with my teammates and to know their families and our fans on a personal level," said Chad Flack, who plans to make the trip to Omaha to support the 2018 team. "We all played for the name on the front of the jersey and each other, not the name on the back."
While no one on the playing roster has made an Omaha trip prior to this year, the 2018 Diamond Heels will also have the benefit of a coaching staff with plenty of College World Series experience. Coaches watch endless innings of baseball in Omaha, whether live or on film. There's always the thought that maybe watching that one more hour of video might reveal the information that provides that one critical edge in games that are certain to be close.
But that doesn't mean they're completely oblivious to the other merits of the College World Series. Associate head coach Scott Forbes has made six trips to Omaha with the Tar Heels. His travel recommendations include:
"You have to eat at the Drover," he said. "You can go to the Omaha Zoo. You should visit the old stadium and get a milkshake at the original Zesto, if it is still there. And it would be fun to sit in the outfield at a game for a couple innings and take in the atmosphere while hitting a beach ball and crushing some mini doughnuts."
No matter what they choose to do off the field this weekend, the Tar Heels are certain to leave Omaha with moments they'll recall fondly even a decade from now.
"My greatest sports memory came in Omaha and speaks to the atmosphere," Hovis said. "It was the bottom of the ninth against Cal State Fullerton and I had a full count on the hitter with a runner in scoring position and two outs. I came set and everyone in the ballpark was on their feet cheering, because it was an action play. I remember at that point feeling like the mound was shaking with all the noise. I had to step off to refocus before getting the hitter to pop out to Josh Horton. How amazing was that feeling with 23,000 people on their feet cheering for great baseball?"
"Omaha will always hold a special place in my heart," Wooten said. "I'm so glad this team will have the chance to experience what we did. We are pulling for them to finish what we started."
When members of the last Carolina baseball team to face Oregon State in Omaha are asked for advice for the 2018 version of the Diamond Heels, they don't talk about moving runners over or throwing strikes. Instead, their advice is a little more simple: enjoy it.
Eleven and twelve years later, the members of the teams that faced the Beavers in 2006 and 2007 think about the experience a little differently than those who lived it mostly by buying a ticket or watching on television. They wish the final outcome had been different, of course. But while the details of certain games might require some refreshing for them, the atmosphere and camaraderie is something they instantly recall.
"The atmosphere in Omaha is something I will never forget," says reliever Jonathan Hovis, who led the nation in ERA in 2006 and earned the win in game one of the series against Oregon State. "The overall true love for college baseball, the locals who gravitated to UNC as we continued to win, team hotels with little league teams paired with us, the streets full of vendors and fans as we pulled into the ballpark before each game."
It might seem strange, but every player mentioned something that might seem simple—the time hanging out at the team hotel with teammates and family. There are no academic requirements and none of the players have a car to go explore Omaha. There will be some scheduled activities, but there will also be some down time, and sometimes those unscheduled moments end up being the most memorable.
"We had such a good time as a group those three years I was a part of it," says pitcher Rob Wooten, who was on the 2006, 2007 and 2008 teams that advanced to the College World Series. "All the dinners as a team and with our families. All the time at the hotel with everyone. You can't take that away from us. I loved going to the Drover, and even when I have visited Omaha as a professional player in Triple A, I always found time to go grab a steak from there, which brought back some great memories."
"I consider myself lucky to have shared the field with my teammates and to know their families and our fans on a personal level," said Chad Flack, who plans to make the trip to Omaha to support the 2018 team. "We all played for the name on the front of the jersey and each other, not the name on the back."
While no one on the playing roster has made an Omaha trip prior to this year, the 2018 Diamond Heels will also have the benefit of a coaching staff with plenty of College World Series experience. Coaches watch endless innings of baseball in Omaha, whether live or on film. There's always the thought that maybe watching that one more hour of video might reveal the information that provides that one critical edge in games that are certain to be close.
But that doesn't mean they're completely oblivious to the other merits of the College World Series. Associate head coach Scott Forbes has made six trips to Omaha with the Tar Heels. His travel recommendations include:
"You have to eat at the Drover," he said. "You can go to the Omaha Zoo. You should visit the old stadium and get a milkshake at the original Zesto, if it is still there. And it would be fun to sit in the outfield at a game for a couple innings and take in the atmosphere while hitting a beach ball and crushing some mini doughnuts."
No matter what they choose to do off the field this weekend, the Tar Heels are certain to leave Omaha with moments they'll recall fondly even a decade from now.
"My greatest sports memory came in Omaha and speaks to the atmosphere," Hovis said. "It was the bottom of the ninth against Cal State Fullerton and I had a full count on the hitter with a runner in scoring position and two outs. I came set and everyone in the ballpark was on their feet cheering, because it was an action play. I remember at that point feeling like the mound was shaking with all the noise. I had to step off to refocus before getting the hitter to pop out to Josh Horton. How amazing was that feeling with 23,000 people on their feet cheering for great baseball?"
"Omaha will always hold a special place in my heart," Wooten said. "I'm so glad this team will have the chance to experience what we did. We are pulling for them to finish what we started."