Omaha – The Sports Fan Project

No Hitter? No Way! The Men’s College World Series, Vol. II

July 28, 2025July 25, 2025DouglasTHill1 Comment

2025 Men's College World Series - Arkansas vs. Murray State — **^{Our view for Monday afternoon’s action thanks to the benevolence of Kevin Thompson.}**

During our first day at the Men’s College World Series, my father and I had a chance meeting with Kevin Thompson and his father, Jim. Kevin was attending his 48th MCWS, while his father has been in the stands for each Championship since 1955 (that’s 70 years for the non-math majors like me out there!).

Kevin had asked where my father and I would be sitting for our Monday doubleheader (Arkansas-Murray State elimination game in the afternoon and UCLA-LSU winner’s brack in the evening). I let him know we had seats in the outfield for both games and he said he’d “see what he could do.” We exchanged numbers and proceeded to watch Louisville beat Arizona. He and his father from the air-conditioned comfort of their suite; my father and I from the breezy sweat box that was Section 323.

I honestly didn’t give our exchange much thought until about the time I was in my hotel room witnessing J. J. Spaun sink an improbable 72nd hold birdie putt from 64 feet to clinch the U.S. Open Championship and I received a text message from the 402 area code. It read:

Hi - here are your tickets for Game 7 - Arkansas vs Murray State. ... Kevin Thompson from this morning. These seats are much better than the outfield tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy and have fun in Omaha!

As I cross-referenced the section and row, I realized this upgrade would put us behind home plate about nine rows back to witness the Cinderella Story of the tournament: the Murray State Racers.

Little did I know …

Witnessing History

^{Clockwise from upper right, the Arkansas dugout is ready pre-game; Murray Head Coach Dan Skirka and Arkansas Head Coach Dave Van Horn meet with the umpires; Racers’ lead-off hitter Jonathan Hogart preps for his first at bat; who was this LSU rooting for; Racers players sign autgraphs pre-game.}

Unless you were wearing a red ballcap with a white A atop the bill, if you happened to be at Charles Schwab Field Monday afternoon there was a pretty good chance you were rooting for the Racers.

I mean, come on, the Murray State Racers from Murray, KY!?! Enrollment of about 10,000 (undergraduate and graduate students), playing out of the Missouri Valley Conference, needed to win four-straight MVC Tournament Games just to make the field of 64, won of three of four against Ole Miss and Georgia Tech during the Regionals to advance, then beat Duke in two straight elimination games to qualify for Omaha.

Yeah, pretty much anyone who was anyone from Murray, KY, was in their seats well in advance of this win-or-go-home showdown with the third-ranked Razorbacks.

All I can say is that Arkansas starting pitcher Gage Wood was unphased.

Following the first inning when Wood disposed of Dustin Mercer and Carson Garner on strikeouts featuring filthy mid-90s heat, I turned to the fella next to me and said, “I don’t think Murray’s sees that sort of stuff on the regular in The Valley.”

He concurred

And Wood just kept dealing … and dealing … and dealing.

After he’d set down the first 15 Racers’ batters in order, my antennae was fully raised.

And by the time Wood finished the seventh inning still perfect with 13 strikeouts, I think everyone in the park was fully aware of what was occurring.

A two balls, two strikes pitch got away from Wood against eighth inning lead-off batter, Dom Decker. That hit-by-pitch only seemed to steel the Razorback’s will as he went on to fan the final six Racers and complete a 119-pitch, 19 strikeout, no-hitter.

^{A compilation of all of Gage Wood’s pitches to the final two Murray State batters.}

The 19 whiffs were the most in a 9-inning game in MCWS history (the previous mark of 17 was shared by LSU’s Ty Bane [2023] and Arizona State’s Ed Bane [1972]. Ohio State’s Steve Arlin struck out 20 during a 15-inning outing in 1965.

And the no-hitter?

Well, it hadn’t occurred in Omaha since 1960 when Oklahoma State’s Jim Wixson no-hit North Carolina en route to a 7-0 Cowboys’ victory. Before that, it had occurred only one other time, back in 1950 when the MCWS first arrived in Omaha from Kalamazoo, MI, and Wichita, KS. Texas Longhorn Jim Ehler no-hit Tufts, also in a 7-0 victory. (Read about both here.)

Aside from some high school baseball and softball no-hitters I’d covered during my time as a sports writer, this was the first no-hitter of consequence I’d witnessed in person. My dad, interestingly enough, was in Wrigley Field on August 19, 1969, with his younger brother (Uncle Paul’s first-ever MLB game!) for Ken Holtzman‘s 3-0 no-no against the Atlanta Braves. Holtzman struck out none!

Postscript – About a month after this gem, the Philadelphia Phillies made Wood the 26th pick of the first round and signed him to a $3 million bonus on July 22. He’s off to Clearwater to begin his professional career.

Arkansas Razorbacks Mob Scence — **^{The Arkansas Razorbacks mob starting pitcher Gage Wood following his MCWS no hitter.}**

Mother Knows Best (or Something Like That)

Our hotel in neighboring Council Bluff, IA, was crazy busy with youth baseball players, their families, and coaches participating in greater Omaha’s annual Slumpbuster Tournament that attracts over 8,400 players annually.

Because of this, it came as no surprise that the Best Western Crossroads of the Bluffs-provided breakfast was, shall we say, teeming with activity when I arrived on Monday morning. Rather than take what meager offerings I could scrounge together back to my room, I sat on some soft seating directly in front of the front desk. My father wandered by after refilling his coffee and we were chatting when a woman sat in another seat.

As one does, we began engaging in small talk and shared what we were up to. She offered that she was also in town for the MCWS and was, in fact, the mother of Oregon State Beaver centerfielder, Canon Reeder. Sadly, Danielle noted, Canon had made the final out in OSU’s game the night before (a 6-2 Coastal Carolina win). With teammates on first and second and two out, Reeder struck out on five pitches. She was hopeful for a more positive experience for Canon and his teammates the next day against Louisville in an elimination game. OSU scored three in the top of the ninth to tie the game only to lose, 7-6, it in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly to – you guessed it – centerfielder Canon Reeder.

My dad and I listened to that back-and-forth game on the radio as we made our way across Iowa the next afternoon, wondering how Danielle, her husband Craig, and Canon’s brother, Carson (both of whom we also briefly met) were holding up.

Postscript – We must’ve visited with Danielle for over thirty minutes and she wasn’t sure what was going to happen once the Beavers’ season ended. Canon had another year of eligibility but was also eligible for the MLB Entry Draft. He wound up being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th Round and, like Gage Wood, signed recently. Reeder is off to Bradenton and the Pirates’ Florida Complex League entry.

The Rosenblatt Stadium Tribute

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Arch — **^{The archway above the old scoreboard of Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium has been preserved.}**

One of the reasons the Men’s College World Series made the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events list is because of my memories of players such as Pete Incaviglia, Will Clark, Robin Ventura, and Mike Mussina playing in Omaha each June.

When those fellas played it was not at Charles Schwab Field, but rather at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Named for former the former Omaha Mayor – himself a semi-pro player who played against Satchel Paige and Babe Ruth – who was instrumental in bringing both minor league affiliates (Cardinals, Dodgers, and Royals) and the MCWS to what was once known as Omaha Municipal Stadium, Rosenblatt Stadium hosted the Series for 60 years (1950-2010) before the current venue was open for business.

City leaders have done an admirable job preserving part of that half century plus history by maintaining what amounts to a memorial of Rosenblatt at its former site which is now part of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and its parking lot known as “Johnny Rosenblatt’s Infield at the Zoo.”

Dad and I paid it a visit Monday morning before heading off to the day’s games. It’s effectively a Wiffle Ball field in the outer reaches of the Zoo’s parking lot. They’ve kept markers to note where the actual 90-foot bases would be, have honored the past champions who played there, and have even kept the foul poles out in the parking lot.

^{Clockwise from upper left, a list of MCWS champions is displayed; the view from behind home plate; a list of professional winners who played at Rosenblatt; the signage notes where you’re at; this Rosenblatt informational sign is displayed at Charles Schwab Field; the original foul poles still stand in the parking lot; markers indicate where the bases would have been.}

A Nightcap

Doug & Jerry at Charles Schwab Field — **^{Dad and I hanging in the shade prior to the LSU-UCLA start.}**

Have I mentioned it was hot while we were in Omaha?

The afternoon feels like temperatures that Monday again reached the mid-90s and, as nice those seats that Kevin Thompson provided us with were, they did not come with the steady breeze of the third deck from Sunday or any hope of midday shade.

That said, after finding some shelter from the swelter at Hook & Lime around the block between games, we returned to check out Louisiana State University and UCLA in the Bracket 2 winner’s finale.

We bided our time under the shade of the upper grandstand down the right field line until the rightful occupants of our seats arrived and then moved to our ticketed spot in the left center bleachers.

If there’s a bad seat at Schwab, I’m not sure where it is. It’s big enough to provide the electric atmosphere one seeks from an event such as the MCWS, but small enough to provide good sightlines and enough of an up-close feel no matter where you’re at.

That was true in the outfield as well. Yes, the seats were benches, but they were benches with backs and that was good news for the two of us. Sadly, however, we didn’t have those same seats from the afternoon for this evening’s game. If we had, we’d have only been eight rows behind LSU baseball legend Paul Skenes and his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne.

I’d looked forward to seeing these two juggernauts face off and, early on, it lived up to the hype. The Bruins plated three in the top of the first but LSU countered with four of its own – including a 3-run homer by Jared Jones.

The Tigers added another in the third and two more in the fourth and then I saw what was looming in the sky over the backstop and decided it might be best to get a head start on our trip to the parking garage.

Good thing too, because as we drove by Schwab 15 minutes later many fans were doing the same as the game had officially been suspended due to lightning in the area. It wound up not resuming until the next morning. We listened to the finish on our way to Dyersville, IA, and not even a good night’s sleep did UCLA any good. It lost to the eventual champions, 9-5.

^{Our view from the outfield at Charles Schwab Field as the game began and again as storm clouds began to build.}

Embracing its History

**^{This sculpture of celebrating MCWS players in front of Charles Schwab Field}**
**^{originally stood at Rosenblatt Stadium before making the move.}**

I’ll say this about Charles Schwab Field, though not the original Omaha home of the Men’s College World Series (see note about Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium above), the folks who operate the Schwab fully embrace the history of the MCWS in Omaha.

Outside the stadium, plaque after plaque commemorate past champions and inside the concourse features banners of past stars along with past champions.

Granted this facility is used almost exclusively for college baseball (the Creighton Blue Jays call it home during the season), but it still seems as much shrine as stadium.

^{Clockwise from upper left, a series of plaques hang outside Charles Schwab Field listing the MCWS winners by decade; similarly, in the concourse hang banners with images of notable past players along with the logos of the winning teams; and in the concourse behind homeplate is a plaque that features the name of the John D. Diesing Sr. Most Outstanding Players.}

Previously: Batter Up for the Men’s College World Series, Vol. I

Batter Up for the Men’s College World Series, Vol. I

July 14, 2025July 25, 2025DouglasTHill1 Comment

Doug and Jerry from the Men's College World Series — **^{Greetings from out front of Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field.}**

On my list of 80-ish events for my Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project I count four World Series among it: They are the Major League Baseball World Series, the Men’s College World Series, the Women’s College World Series, and the Boys’ Little League World Series. And, if you’d like to get clever, you can combine the quadrennial World Baseball Classic and the annual Caribbean Series and, voila, you’d have another World Series.

After another epic road trip with my father, Jerry, I’m delighted to say another World Series has been checked off the list.

Dad and I had previously enjoyed the LLWS (Part 1 & Part 2) in South Williamsport, PA, nearly a year ago and this time we headed west to the banks of the Missouri River at Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field to enjoy some of college baseball’s finest.

Like many of our trips together, the getting there (and back) was at least half the fun and I’ll chronicle much of that at my Middle-Aged Male Musings blog in the near future. What follows here are some reflections on the first day on site at the 2025 Men’s CWS.

A Festival of Fans

Coastal Carolina Car — **^{I’ve no idea if this Coastal Carolina fan drove from Conway, SC, with the helmet on top, but made respect if they did!}**

When attempting to determine the best time to attend the MCWS, I was interested in being on site when all eight schools who’d advanced to Omaha were still around. I’m not entirely sure why, but I felt like it might be more like attending the opening round of the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament when there’s a menagerie of fans from all schools attending.

I wasn’t wrong.

We had tickets for Games 5, 7, and 8, which meant that we’d be able to see a pair of elimination games as well as one that decided a Bracket 2 Finalist.

Like most NCAA championships these days, there was a free Fan Fest set up nearby. It included a Ferris Wheel, booths featuring corporate sponsors, activities for fans of all ages, DJs, live performances, as well as a cooling pavilion (misters attached to fans under a tent with some televisions allowed fans to beat a bit of the heat).

It was enjoyable to walk through, but there was nothing revelatory about visiting. Unlike my visit earlier this year to the Rose Bowl, there was no trophy to be photographed with or anything like that.

^{Sites from around the Fan Fest, clockwise from upper left, the back of the Charles Schwab Field scoreboard proudly proclaims it as home to the MCWS; the bracket upon our arrival; Great Clips is a NCAA corporate sponsor and they had stylists coloring hair in team colors; much like the WCWS, the MCWS leans into the “dirty” aspect of the games; the logos of all eight qualifiers adorn banners; the city of Omaha embraces this annual influx of visitors; a wiffle ball home run derby was available for willing participants; this map shows the distance each team needed to travel to arrive in Omaha; the Ferris Wheel had a steady stream of riders throughout the day.}

What there was, however, were fans sporting the colors of all eight participants and a good many more colleges. And that was true once we got inside the stadium as well. Nebraska, Creighton, and Iowa colors were common, but I also spotted Minnesota, Michigan, Florida State, Stanford, Kentucky, Texas, and Alabama while walking around. Not to mention a plethora of old MCWS t-shirts that were being sported by returning fans.

What was clear is that there is a core group of attendees at the MCWS who are regulars. It is something families and/or friends do annually, which is both endearing and, if I’m being honest, a bit surprising because Omaha well … you get the picture.

About that Elevator

Charles Schwab Field — **^{The view from our seats in the third deck down the leftfield line.}**

Our tickets to that afternoon’s game were on the third level so I did what any considerate son of an octogenarian would do: I proceeded to the accessible entrance where an elevator would take us upstairs.

"Sorry, the elevator's out of order," the kindly fella told me.

"Seriously, this is where the elevator is, right?" I replied, not willing to concede he was being truthful.

"Seriously, sir, the elevator is out of order. We hope to have it repaired by tonight's game."

After I realized this was, indeed, accurate, the fella told us we could use the elevator to the suite level where we’d receive an escort over to our section. As it turned out, another son and father were awaiting a golf cart to drive the father around to the suite elevator entrance. My dad hitched a ride on the cart and I walked along with the son who introduced himself as Kevin.

I quickly realized I was walking with MCWS royalty. Kevin’s father, he shared, had attended every College World Series Championship dating back to 1955. He and his dad were part of a feature story about Omahans’ support of the event in the program I held in my hand.

As we chatted a bit more, he learned where our seats were for the next day (outfield for both the afternoon and evening sessions) and promised to see what he could do for us. I passed along my phone number and didn’t think much of it after we reached the elevator.

Upon reaching the suite level – what an air-conditioned paradise that was! – a lovely Schwab Field employee did escort us through the expansive dining and lounging areas to the other side where a door opened that let us back into the inferno that was mid-June in eastern Nebraska. Our escort told us if my father got too hot that he could come back to this door and there’d be a seat inside where he could cool off.

The Game

^{Clockwise from upper left, the Arizona (left) and Louisville stand for the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner;” the view from the concourse behind homeplate; the view from left field; the view from the last row of stadium; the Cardinals gather as a team one final time prior to the game.}

Arizona and Louisville squared off in Game 5. Both lost their openers Friday (Arizona to Coastal Carolina, 7-4, and Louisville to Oregon State, 4-3), so this was a win or head home scenario for the two teams.

Arizona scored a pair of runs in the top of the first, added another in the third, and led 3-1 for the majority of the game. Louisville scratched out a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 3-2 and buoy hopes of a fantastic finish.

The Wildcats had a pair of 2-out singles in the top of the eighth, but neither runner scored. Louisville opened the home half reaching base on a fielding error, followed by a single. Arizona brought in its All-America stopper, Tony Pluta (14 saves and a 1.25 ERA), to try and shut the door. Four hits and another fielding error (by Pluta) later and the Cardinals had scored six runs to seize a commanding 8-3 lead. That wound up as the final score.

Bringing the Heat

Weather Channel App Screenshot — **^{Two hours ahead of schedule … 90 degrees!}**

In the Great Lakes Region where dad and I call home, it’d been a fairly mild start to the summer season, so it was – shall we say – a shock to our systems when we the gametime temperature for Game 5 was forecasted to hit 90 degrees.

Wouldn’t you know the weather person was correct.

We roasted under mostly sunny skies in our seats in the third deck of Schwab as the thermometer kept inching upward until it topped that magical (or cursed?) mark of 90.

There were two saving graces in this hotbox:

As a longtime MCWS volunteer had told me earlier in the day, there is a constant breeze in the upper reaches of the stadium. He wasn’t lying! And while at times it felt like a blast furnace, it was nice to have steady air moving about us.
Schwab seemed to understand both the guests it would be welcoming and its assignment. With a diverse crowd of attendees from around the country of all ages, this eastern Nebraska venue had multiple water bottle refilling stations available throughout the stadium. Sure, after 20 minutes under the broiling sun, the once cold beverage was more akin to bath water (temperature wise), it was nonetheless wet and provided hydration. (Kudos as well to Schwab for allowing guests to bring in an empty water bottle for refilling purposes.)

Tired Baby — **^{I think we all felt a bit like this kid as we watched the Arizona-Louisville game in the sweltering heat.}**

Next Time: No Hitter? No Way! The Men’s College World Series, Vol. II

The Great Ballpark Chase: Back to School Time

August 24, 2022July 31, 2023timothynrussell3 Comments

(This is the second in a series of submissions from The Sports Fan Project contributor, Tim Russell, who embarked on a seven baseball stadium tour earlier this summer. You’re able to see his first two installments here and here.)

Charles Schwab Stadium — Schwab Stadium pregame.

“Let’s Go Braves!”

No, I did not see the Atlanta Braves play at any of the stops on my recent bus tour with Diamond Baseball Tours.

But it was a frequent theme.

That was thanks to our tour director, Zac Tucker. He is a high school teacher from the Nashville, TN area, who had taken several tours with Diamond, and had stepped up to become a group leader. It just so happens that he was also a big Atlanta Braves fan as well.

“Let’s Go Braves!”

Tucker is a baseball coach and had just taken his team to the state final. As a fan, he’s been to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. He’s also a University of Auburn graduate. On the tour, he brought his 11-year old daughter, Taylor, something he does once a year.

Our second stop on “The Rockies plus College World Series” tour just happened to be the Men’s College World Series. Obviously, with eight teams playing in a double-elimination bracket format, we had tickets for a specific game number, based on who had won or lost previous games.

Well, it just so happened that Auburn was scheduled to play Stanford in an elimination game. Both had been ranked in the Top 10 in the most recent rankings. The other CWS participants this year were: Arkansas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas, and Texas A&M.

“Let’s Go Braves!”

And it didn’t look good for Tucker and his Tigers early. Auburn fell behind, 2-0, after the second inning. But Auburn scored six runs in the sixth and seventh. Cole Foster had the big hit, a three-run double for a 4-2 Tiger lead in the sixth. That scoring went unanswered by the Cardinal.

Tucker returned to the bus a bit hoarse, but still able to take the lead to the next stop on the tour.

But the sore throat didn’t stop Tucker from crowing about the Atlanta Braves. The tour brings fans a lot of different teams together, so it’s only natural to do a bit of boasting when your team wins.

So at each stop, after detailing where to meet or attractions around each park, he’d throw in a “Let’s Go Braves,” either at the end of the announcement or via a group text after seeing they had won that night.

But while the Braves were fairly successful during the trip, Auburn was not. Arkansas knocked out the the Tigers the following day with an 11-1 decision. Mississippi eventually was crowned the national champion.

While the stadium atmosphere isn’t quite as raucous as the former home of the CWS, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, it can still be quite loud. But that is one of the things that make college athletics unique – a fun, party-like atmosphere.

The NCAA looked for a replacement to Rosenblatt and TD Ameritrade Park was the result. It opened in 2011 and is used primarily for the College World Series. The Creighton Bluejays also use the park as the home field.

The Big Ten has used the stadium for its conference baseball tournament several times, including this past season.

In 2019, the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals used the stadium for a regular-season game. The Royals won, 7-3, before 25,454 people.

The field was renamed Charles Schwab Field after Charles Schwab completed a merger with TD Ameritrade, which was based in Omaha.

Part of Rosenblatt Stadium was brought to Ameritrade/Schwab. the original Hammond Organ from Rosenblatt was restored and is used today. The organist, Lambert Bartak, was not part of the deal, though. He retired in 2010 and died in 2013.

Capacity is 24,505, but can easily be expanded to 35,000. Dimensions are as follows: Left field line, 335 feet; Left-center, 375 feet; Center field: 408 feet; Right-Center, 375 feet; and right field line, 335 feet.

Sight lines are good from any point of the stadium, even in the bleacher sections in the top corners down each foul line. If it’s a sunny day, which is likely since it is summer in Omaha, you will likely bake in the upper deck.

But the concourses are fairly shady and you may be able to move around the ballpark to some shadier seats, if the game is not filled to capacity. Food options are plentiful and tasty around the ballpark. There are also plenty of souvenir vendors around the outfield concourse.

Outside the stadium, the NCAA has set up a fan zone with interactive games, as well as food tents and beer service. Parking can be tough at times, so be prepared for a possible walk. Shuttles are available, but can be tough to snag one.

It is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience, even if you don’t have a rooting interest in any of the games.