Arkansas Razorbacks (SEC) vs Oregon State Beavers (Pac 12)2018 National Championship Series
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Game 1 – ARKANSAS 4 OREGON STATE 1
(Razorbacks lead 1-0)
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Game 2 – OREGON STATE 5 ARKANSAS 3
(Series tied 1-1)
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Game 3 – OREGON STATE 5 ARKANSAS 0
A kid named Clemens occupies the third spot the lineup for the first game of this Fathers Day twin-bill. He serves as a reminder of what this game is all about. He serves as a reminder of things that transcend baseball, even amidst the glamour of a stage like Omaha.
Every other day Kody Clemens is a solid college baseball player, a golden spikes candidate with a smooth fielding style and powerful stroke at the plate. On this day, he is a son following in the footsteps of his father.
His dad, whom you may have heard of somewhere along the way, is left to roam the concourse in faithful support of his youngest son. This is just the latest story which brings the impact of the game of baseball on father’s and their sons into focus.
Accomplished in all aspects valued highly by the culture to which he became an icon, Roger Clemens today simply looks on with the nervous anticipation of a father. A Hall of Fame caliber talent turned parental spectator, the Rocket’s approach today is no different than that of everyone else across the heartland of America.
Eyes may be watching baseball, but all hearts are zeroed squarely in on the family relationships that stand as the essence of who we are.
Family ties run strong in the Texas dugout on this particular Sunday. Just a glance that direction reveals the trademark #16 of Augie Garrido on the top step. The legendary Longhorn and Titan skipper who passed away earlier this season was for decades a steady and consistent father figure to everyone wearing burnt orange.
In many ways, the veteran coach was that and much more to his peers gathered here in Omaha, even to countless others across the college game. The uniform he helped make famous is being proudly worn by David Pierce during the ‘Horns current CWS run, a tribute from the man responsible for his legacy. It remains Augie’s team, through them his legacy truly lives on.
The Father’s Day connections extend well beyond the ball club from deep in the heart of the Lone Star State.
Tim Tadlock’s crew hails from a little further west in the dusty panhandle town of Lubbock, yet his opening statement in the pre-series press conference echoed these very same sentiments.
He started with a heartfelt thank you to the players families, detailing their commitment and pointing specifically in that direction when attempting to answer the question of how his team has been transformed into a consistent force on the college landscape.
Tadlock also remembered the former Head Coach of his rival from Austin with these words, “no matter the situation it seemed as if he was always there in the background, in many ways I believe he still is.”
Such is the case all across this country and around the world for those whose father’s cannot be physically present with them on this day. Their presence is always there, always will be.
This is mindful of a much sadder note. UNC head coach Mike Fox informed the baseball world last night following his team’s win to open the College World Series that a former Tarheel and his father passed away just this week in a tragic automobile accident back home.
Everyone in Omaha will play on with somewhat heavy hearts as thoughts remain with the Carolina family. Tragedies like these place things completely in perspective. Baseball is baseball, Life is life.
It is important, on this day of all days, to pause long enough and be reminded that life is precious. It is often more fleeting than realized. This knowledge puts a premium on opportunities to seize each new day.
Embracing this unique moment is exactly what one father-son combo has been looking forward to since childhood. Across years of development and preparation the potential for a baseball dream now realized was surely in mind.
Ponder for a bit the yet unwritten chapter of their time together in Omaha.
Few images provide a vintage baseball feel like “Casey at the bat.” If Joe Casey work his way there at some point during this trip to the midwest he will do so for his father. The elder Casey will share his son’s pride and his uniform, looking on from the prime perch of the Oregon State dugout.
Whatever the outcome of a plate appearance destined to be far bigger than the game itself, the joy in Mudville, at least Mudville northwest, will be unspeakable.
Though not in the everyday lineup, Joe Casey sees regular playing time for Pat Casey’s club. What a thrill it must be to stand shoulder to shoulder with the man who raised you on college baseball’s biggest stage, if only for a moment in time.
On this Father’s Day weekend, such storylines, varied as they may be, come together as a solid reminder to make the most of each moment. Much like the distinct nature of each game to be played across the next couple of weeks, these moments which build a life will never return quite like this again.
What a tool this game, our national pastime, has been across multiple generations for cultivating those things which really matter in life. For many, it remains a valuable resource to build relationships, communicate values, to strengthen the foundational bonds of family that connect us with one another for all of time. What a catalyst this game can be for memories yet made, future memories, which will last a lifetime.
In America, where a game of catch in the backyard or a glance up in the stands for approval provide lasting connections with the man many proudly call daddy, a day like today in Omaha is priceless.
Baseball has always been about the connection between father’s and their children. So here’s to our dads, a day like today in Omaha is for you. Embrace and Enjoy!
Notes
(Roger and Kody Clemens became the thirteenth father/son combination to appear in the College World Series. Roger’s name appears on the list twice, his son Kacey also played in Omaha for Texas in 2014. The Rocket made his CWS debut in 1982, pitching for Texas in back to back seasons at historic Rosenblatt Stadium)
(Augie Garrido brought fifteen teams to Omaha during his legendary career marked by extended coaching tenures at Cal Sate Fullerton and Texas. Garrido won five National Championships. He was College Baseball’s all-time winningest coach at the time of his passing in March of this year. Augie ended his career with 1,975 coaching victories and countless lives impacted through the game of baseball)
>The field is set
This year’s grouping features half of the top eight seeds selected prior to the NCAA Tournament. Six of the eight schools were #1 seeds, hosting regionals as one of sixteen squads seeded nationally. Just one #2 seed and one #3 seed made it through the regional and super regional rounds on the road to reach the College World Series.
Remaining national seeds: (1) Florida (3) Oregon State (5) Arkansas (6) UNC (9) Texas Tech (13) Texas
>The teams are high-profile
All eight schools come from Power 5 conferences. The fact that Washington and Mississippi State are considered this season’s Cinderella clubs speaks to the major programs on hand in Omaha.
The conference breakdown: SEC (3) Big 12 (2) Pac 12 (2) ACC (1)
>The champs are back
Florida earned the right to defend its title. The Gators are hoping to become the first team since South Carolina in 2010-2011 to repeat. (Ironically, it was the Gators who the Gamecocks defeated in ’11 for the second title in the first season the series was played at TD Ameritrade Park). Accomplishing the feat would make Florida just the eighth team all-time to go back to back.
>The ‘Horns have returned
What a season it has been in Austin. Texas’ return to glory saw to it that every recruiting class signed by their legendary late head coach, Augie Garrido, made the journey to baseball’s promised land. This marks the thirty-sixth trip for the Longhorns, by far the most for any school in the country. A familiar name in the Lone Star State, Clemens, in this case Kody, has been the major catalyst. The irony, it is the offense of this particular Clemens which has led the way.
>The field is short on prior winners
Only Texas (six time champs), Oregon State (two time champs) and Florida (last year’s champs) have won a CWS. While teams like Arkansas, Missisiippi State and North Carolina are perennial contenders, they all fall into the “close but no cigar” category to this point. Texas Tech may be an upstart, but Tim Tadlock’s team has been a consistent arrival across the last several seasons. This leaves Washington as the lone team experiencing Omaha for the very first time.
>The weather could be a major factor
As if the new downtown ballpark doesn’t already place a premium on power, historically hot temperatures and high winds from the south are expected for the start of the championship tournament. How this affects the uptick in homers across the last couple of seasons since the NCAA’s movement to a tighter seemed baseball is a storyline everyone is watching. This will be especially impactful when considering the offensive prowess of the teams on hand for 2018.
>The first round matchups are full of engaging storylines
Whether you prefer championship series rematches, historic old conference rivals, or teams that have squared off in Omaha in recent editions of the tournament; the opening weekend is right up your alley. It’s always hard to know what further storylines will develop, yet just a glance at the first four games on the bracket reveals more than enough to whet the appetite of any college baseball fan.
>The trip itself is the prize
Yes, everyone is focused on winning a championship, as they should be, yet every year baseball fans are reminded how difficult it has become just to survive the early rounds of the tournament and advance to Omaha. It is “lifetime special.” So if your team made the trip, enjoy what his already been accomplished and brace yourself for the ride that follows. As one coach put it in the pre-series press conferences, “Once you get here, anything can happen.”
Photo courtesy: Leah Carmen / Patterson Communications
