University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Getting Back
June 7, 2009 | Baseball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
June 7, 2009
By Adam Lucas
When Mike Cavasinni, Garrett Gore, Adam Warren and Mike McKee arrived at Carolina, Omaha was a fantasyland. It was a place the Tar Heels talked about and other programs visited.
It seemed like such a distant goal that when Robert Woodard committed to UNC, he thumb-tacked an index card to his dorm room bulletin board. That card had the word "Omaha" printed on it. It was something to strive for and more importantly, something to dream of.
Now, as the Cavasinni/Gore/Warren/McKee quartet enter the final two weeks of their college baseball careers, it's almost commonplace. Almost.
This was an actual conversation that took place on the Boshamer Stadium field minutes after the Tar Heels closed out the 9-3 College World Series-clinching win over East Carolina.
"Where's the hotel this year?"
"It's downtown."
"That's good, so we can just go right down 13th Street to the stadium."
Yes, Omaha has become such a familiar destination that there's no longer any need to consult maps or travel guides before making plans.
Of course you're going to eat at The Drover. Of course you're going to get a shake at Zesto's. Of course you're going to make it a point to catch the opening ceremonies.
Isn't that what you always do in Omaha?
Considering that Carolina is now 18-1 at home in the postseason over the last four years and that the Tar Heels have disposed of 2009 NCAA Tournament foes by an average score of 10.0-2.4, you can understand why it might all start to seem a little routine. But then you watch Mike Fox wrap Warren in a bear hug after Sunday's win or Gore and McKee share a moment in the postgame and it becomes obvious what a thrill it is to advance to the College World Series at any time--much less four times.
"We've learned to enjoy every single second of it," Fox said. "I really try to do that. I want to be respectful to the other team and not act like a kid, but I felt like a kid today when it was over. You can't ever take this for granted."
All four trips have been unique. 2006 was the unexpected, the thrill of Chad Flack's monumental home run in Tuscaloosa. 2007 was about getting back and about getting to host a super-regional for the first time, in the process exorcising all the South Carolina demons from earlier in the decade--if you're a new Diamond Heel fan, you might be surprised to know that there once was a time when it seemed Columbia, South Carolina, was the farthest the Tar Heels could ever get. 2008 was the favorite, a team that played the entire season as one of the acknowledged best teams in the nation.
And now there is 2009, which might be the most unlikely trip of the four. The first three teams had stars we knew, like Josh Horton and Flack and Andrew Carignan and Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard. This team, well, it has Alex White and Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager, of course, and in that breath you've just named three of the top players in the country.
But beyond them are some new(er) faces. There is Ben Bunting at the top of the order and Ryan Graepel at shortstop and Mark Fleury behind the plate and--always--Brian Moran in the bullpen. For Carolina to advance even further, you'll almost certainly have to get acquainted with Patrick Johnson and Colin Bates, two pitchers who weren't used at all during the super-regional but who will be essential during the grueling CWS format.
It's impressive that the Tar Heels have made four straight trips to college baseball's biggest event. It's even more impressive that they've done it while almost completely turning over the entire cast of characters. Miller and Bard are in the major leagues, and some people thought that getting two once-in-a-lifetime starters like that duo might be Carolina's only chance on the national stage. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are in Omaha. Again.
Some of the faces are the same, of course. Warren was terrific against his eastern North Carolina brethren; the senior has been Carolina's most consistent pitcher over the last month. Gore has transitioned to the outfield and become one of the Tar Heels' best hitters in clutch situations. Cavasinni has worked his way back from a series of devastating injuries and is right back to playing the same role he played in 2006, running down everything in the outfield while providing a pesky offensive presence.
"I've experienced every aspect of Omaha," Cavasinni said. "I was a starter my first year, then I was a role player my second year, and then I was in the stands last year. I'm really looking forward to getting back there."
How could he not? After all, he already knows how good it feels to come over the hill on the team bus and see Rosenblatt for the first time, and he knows the thrill of watching Omaha residents line up around the concourse to get Tar Heel autographs at the meet the teams day.
Do it once, and it's the thrill of a lifetime. Do it four times...and it's still the thrill of a lifetime.
"I said it after the first, second and third year: we may never go back," Fox said. "And we might not. The journey we have been on is pretty amazing. We'll go out there and we'll do everything we can to soak it all in and play as hard as we can."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
