Beavers Partake In CWS Festivities
Play begins in the eight-team event on Friday, but
On a warm, sunny afternoon, the Beavers went through an hour of batting practice in front of several thousand fans and a host of reporters, including ESPN broadcaster and
At the opening ceremonies, the teams were introduced and came onto the field squad-by-squad with highlight footage of each team playing on the video board above the leftfield bleachers. There were welcoming remarks from Kevin Kugler, the radio voice of the CWS, and
The player with the highest grade point average on each squad was honored, and for the Beavers it was infielder Cory Ellis with his 3.76 GPA. The ceremony closed with an terrific display of fireworks, including a massive pyrotechnic finish.
Many of the Beavers were in
“Being here for the first time, I never imagined it would be like this – it gave me the chills,” Kahalehoe said. “Walking on that field and knowing that in the past all those pro players played there and sent hits through there. It’s just a great thing for me and for our club.”
Some of Kahalehoe’s teammates had given him a bit of an idea what to expect.
“And none of them were exaggerating about anything, that’s for sure,” Kahalehoe said.
For OSU pitcher Jonah Nickerson, the day’s events brought home the fact that the Beavers had returned to the College World Series for a second straight season.
“It does give you chills,” Nickerson said. “It makes you want to be out on the field playing right now. It’s just something we’ve been playing for all year and we’ve been waiting for all year.
“I think it set in today, all the fans that are out here and all the attention we’ve been getting. It feels good to finally get here, and we’re ready to go.”
