University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: More Than A First Pitch
February 28, 2019 | Baseball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Chut Techalertavornkul stood on the Boshamer Stadium pitcher's mound Tuesday afternoon, about 9,000 miles from home and understandably nervous.
Up until a few months ago, Chut had never thrown a ball of any kind, let alone a baseball. Those are hard to come by in Bangkok, where the sport is far from popular. Yet, there he stood, a ball in his right throwing hand and his favorite North Carolina baseball player, Michael Busch, awaiting the first pitch of the Tar Heels' game against UNC Wilmington.
As Chut toed the rubber in his Carolina Blue Air Jordans, the crowd stood and cheered. He then rocked back and fired. His pitch took one hop before reaching Busch. That didn't matter to anyone, though, as the applause only grew louder.
After Busch delivered him the ball and shook his hand, Chut returned to his wife and friends by the third-base dugout. That's when a reporter asked how he thought he did.
"Not as expected," said Chut, his right hand still trembling as he clutched the ball.
But that didn't take anything away from a day that Chut, his wife Pong and their friends Terry Collins and Seth will surely remember for the rest of their lives.
From 2008-14, Collins lived and worked in Thailand. He said Chut started working for the same company around the same time. And in March 2012, both traveled to Collins' hometown of Kansas City, Mo.; Collins went to visit family, and Chut was attending job-related training.
The week that they arrived marked the start of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. So on a whim, Collins, a lifelong UNC fan, bought tickets for the first-round games in Greensboro. They flew to Raleigh and stayed in Chapel Hill. In between visiting campus and Sutton's, Chut watched the Tar Heels beat Vermont and Lehigh upset Duke.
Because college sports don't exist in Thailand, the spectacle of Carolina playing in the NCAA Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum resonated with Chut.
"The experience in the stadium," he said, "I just felt it, liked it, loved it."
And he couldn't get enough.
The college basketball season had ended when Chut and Collins returned to Thailand. But baseball was in full swing. Although he'd never watched baseball, Chut learned the nuances of the sport by listening to the radio broadcasts online.
"By the end of the season, he could talk baseball about as well as I could," Collins said. "It's just been a love affair for him and North Carolina since then."
When Chut and Pong got married a few years later, they chose Carolina Blue as their wedding color. Chut said he watches as many baseball games as he can online. He still streams the radio broadcasts, but he predominantly follows games by checking live stats and talking with Collins.
A Diamond Heels Club member, he occasionally corresponds with Mike Fox. He even sent Fox a card after he was named ACC Coach of the Year for the first time last season.
"I never expected he'd write back," Chut said. "But that card really made my day. I love it."
Fox said he saved Chut's card and the envelope it came in. And although he'd sent Chut some UNC gear over the last four or five years, he'd never met him before Tuesday.
Since Chut's inaugural journey to Chapel Hill, he'd saved money for a return trip. This time, he planned to bring Pong, with hopes of attending their first baseball game and home men's basketball game. Tuesday worked perfectly; the baseball team hosted UNCW and Syracuse visited the Smith Center. Chut, Pong and Seth also stopped at Disneyland along the way.
Collins bought tickets for the men's basketball game in December. He then contacted Joan Holt, the baseball program's administrative assistant, about purchasing tickets for the UNCW game. In his email, Collins told Holt about Chut. But she already knew all about him, the leader of the team's Thai Fan Club. Holt said Chut and Pong were welcome as the team's special guests. Not only that, but Chut was also asked to throw out the first pitch.
He'd need to practice before then. But first, he had to find a baseball.
Chut searched all over Bangkok for a baseball, but his efforts were fruitless. Eventually, one of his friends went on vacation to Japan and bought Chut a ball. It wasn't until he and Pong started practicing that they realized Pong would also need something more protective than an oven mitt to catch. They subsequently bought a used glove online.
Over the next few months, Chut practiced throwing as often as he could and watched YouTube videos for advice. Finally, the big day arrived.
For lunch, Collins took Chut, Pong and Seth to Bojangles'. Chut had long rooted for biscuits, but he'd never had them before. Then it was off to Boshamer Stadium, where Holt met them and provided a tour. After interviews with reporters and getting some new gear, Chut attempted about 10 warmup pitches in the batting cage. Two were right down the middle.
From there, he went out to the field, where Fox was among the first of many people to greet him before his first pitch.
"Are you nervous?" the head coach asked. "Sure," said Chut, seemingly in awe of Fox's presence.
Moments later, almost every player walked by and shook Chut's hand. Although none of them had ever interacted with him, they knew exactly who he was; Fox had hung a picture he'd received of Chut and Pong wearing UNC baseball T-shirts on the bulletin board.
Because of all this, it's no surprise Chut felt anxious standing on the mound. But those nerves subsided after his first pitch. He then enjoyed the game from his seat beside the Tar Heel dugout.
Chut's day became even more special when Dylan Enwiller hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, handing Carolina a 4-3 win. Later that night, Chut watched Coby White score 34 points and lead the men's basketball team to a 93-85 win.
Just like that, though, the day was over, and Chut began preparing for his 9,000-mile trip back home. But he'll return with memories he'll never forget.
