University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: A Family Gathering
January 29, 2018 | Baseball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
They gathered Saturday night, like they've done each of the past 10 years, to celebrate the start of the North Carolina baseball season.
Over 500 current and former players, coaches, staff, fans and donors met inside the George Watts Hill Alumni Center at the Carolina Club for UNC's annual First Pitch Dinner. And after an MVP Reception, meet-and-greet and silent auction earlier in the day, the 6:30 p.m. dinner program offered a time for reflection.
Among those who made up the crowd were members of the 1978 and 2008 College World Series (CWS) teams. That included coach Mike Fox.
Fox, a senior second baseman on the 1978 team, was the first Tar Heel ever named to the CWS All-Tournament team. Before joining his teammates and being recognized individually, he shared a few words about that historic season.
"I feel like this is the most pressure I've ever been under in my life because I'm speaking for 22 guys who have not been back here in a while," Fox said. "Some of them have said, 'Wow, this is pretty awesome. I had no idea this banquet was like this.' I'm like, 'Well, you started it. You don't know that, but you started it.'"
After being introduced to the crowd, Fox's teammates Clay Johnson and Matt Wilson, the recipient of the 1978 S.H. Basnight MVP Award, joined emcee Jones Angell on stage for a short Q&A.
Angell at one point asked Johnson what Fox was like as a teammate and player.
"He was the most organized college student I've ever been around," Johnson said. "From the beginning, he's always done things with excellence. As a teammate, he was excellent. As a friend, he's excellent. As a caring person, he's excellent.
"He's carried it on his whole life. He has never bent or sacrificed or wavered on what he thinks is important."
That's played a large part in Fox establishing UNC as one of the nation's top college baseball programs. Even then, few teams under his watch compare to the 2008 squad.
Led by the first All-America quartet in school history (Alex White, Kyle Seager, Dustin Ackley and Tim Fedroff), the Tar Heels went 54-14 that season. They reached the CWS for the third straight year and placed third, despite playing their home games in Cary as Boshamer Stadium was under construction.
White, Fedroff, Matt Harvey, Chad Flack, Rob Wooten and Tyler Trice were among the players from the 2008 team in attendance Saturday. Wooten and Trice also answered a few questions about their UNC experience after being introduced.
"We were so close as a group," said Trice of the 2008 team. "We literally did everything together. From the van rides to Cary to eating dinner together, it didn't matter what we were doing, we were all together.
"So when we have an opportunity to come back and something as special as this can get us all together, whether it's for one day or an entire weekend, it's amazing."
B.J. Surhoff, a two-time All-American at UNC, also tries to capitalize on that opportunity. A 19-year MLB veteran and former No. 1 overall draft pick, he concluded the night's festivities by speaking directly to the current players about cherishing their time in Chapel Hill.
"I was very fortunate to play professional baseball for 21 years, two years in the minors and 19 years in the big leagues," Surhoff said. "But my lifelong relationships started here and they're still here. It's not that I don't have great friends through pro ball. But it's a different entity. Nothing will ever replace your college experience."
But nights like Saturday can revive those memories.
