Whit Merrifield's family is in Omaha to see their him compete in the College World Series and I had a chance to talk with his father Bill about watching Whit in Rosenblatt Stadium. Bill was an All-American and ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest, but is at Rosenblatt for the first time.
What's it feel like to finally experience Omaha for the first time?
This is a special place - you watch it, you read about it, you hear all the stories and it's just a thrill to be here as a parent and as part of it. Whit is beside himself, but all these kids are. That's the joy of baseball - they finally get to have fun here. Not that they didn't have fun earlier, but it's a grind all year. Now it's true baseball. That's why you see such great competition and great plays here because they're all just having fun.
What do you hope Whit gets out of this experience?
Just to have the experience. Sure, everyone wants to come here and win. But you've got the best eight teams in the country that are playing right now. Winning is just the cherry. It's a big-league atmosphere and they get to do everything they dreamed about. That's priceless. I'm happy everyone gets to experience that.
What's it been like to be out here?
Getting out here and seeing the fans and seeing the atmosphere around the stadium - that's special. It's a memory you'll never forget. No matter how much money you have or what you do, you can't ever replace memories. So it didn't matter how much money it cost or how much work I had to miss, I had to be here and my family had to be here. We want to share it with Whit and share it with Coach Tanner who gave Whit that opportunity to be here.
What kind of emotions do you expect to feel when Whit runs on the field for the first time?
Proud. Proud of the organization, proud of what Coach Tanner's been able to do, proud of Whit for working so hard to get here. I know my wife will be so nervous she won't be able to see straight. I'm proud that Whit was able to help them get here. That's always been important to him. If you look back in the interviews earlier in the season, he always said "I want to help this team get to Omaha and that's what I came here for". There's not many kids that can say that and live their dream.
What's it feel like to finally experience Omaha for the first time?
This is a special place - you watch it, you read about it, you hear all the stories and it's just a thrill to be here as a parent and as part of it. Whit is beside himself, but all these kids are. That's the joy of baseball - they finally get to have fun here. Not that they didn't have fun earlier, but it's a grind all year. Now it's true baseball. That's why you see such great competition and great plays here because they're all just having fun.
What do you hope Whit gets out of this experience?
Just to have the experience. Sure, everyone wants to come here and win. But you've got the best eight teams in the country that are playing right now. Winning is just the cherry. It's a big-league atmosphere and they get to do everything they dreamed about. That's priceless. I'm happy everyone gets to experience that.
What's it been like to be out here?
Getting out here and seeing the fans and seeing the atmosphere around the stadium - that's special. It's a memory you'll never forget. No matter how much money you have or what you do, you can't ever replace memories. So it didn't matter how much money it cost or how much work I had to miss, I had to be here and my family had to be here. We want to share it with Whit and share it with Coach Tanner who gave Whit that opportunity to be here.
What kind of emotions do you expect to feel when Whit runs on the field for the first time?
Proud. Proud of the organization, proud of what Coach Tanner's been able to do, proud of Whit for working so hard to get here. I know my wife will be so nervous she won't be able to see straight. I'm proud that Whit was able to help them get here. That's always been important to him. If you look back in the interviews earlier in the season, he always said "I want to help this team get to Omaha and that's what I came here for". There's not many kids that can say that and live their dream.
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