South Carolina Gamecocks: National Champions

How do you put into words, the crowning of a champion, when it is your own school?  How do you put into words the ending of a curse?  How do you put into words the end of an era and the beginning of one that involves winning?

I am not sure, but I’ll start by saying, the South Carolina Gamecocks are college baseball’s 2010 National Champions.

As the Gamecocks’ Scott Wingo crossed the plate to clinch the championship, years of frustration, years of suffering was erased from the minds of many fans.

The Gamecocks won six straight at the College World Series, including the two in a row to defeat the UCLA Bruins to win the National Championship.  It is the first championship for the school in baseball, and only the second in the school’s history.

There were many different ways of celebrating, some were in 5 Points, some were watching with friends, and some people were in the comfort of their own home.

The common theme, however, was the elation felt at 3 minutes until midnight on Tuesday, as the Gamecocks beat the Bruins 2-1 in 11 innings.

For a student at South Carolina, time has seemed to stop, even if everything else is going on in the world.  Oil is still gushing into the Gulf, the economy is still down, and a hurricane struck Mexico.

But the thought in Gamecock Nation right now still remains:  The Gamecocks are National Champions.

So how do you explain everything that has happened in the last 72 to 96 hours.  Tears have flown, cheers shouted, and immense joy have all been a part of it for sure.

One thing is for certain on this championship; Yes, there may be a new champion next year, but no one will ever be able to take away the fact that the Gamecocks are the last team to ever win a championship in the 61-year history of Rosenblatt Stadium.

The famous home of the College World Series ended its run this year, and the series will move to a new home across town in Omaha, Nebraska.

Nevertheless, there are two things that I will for certain remember in the Gamecocks run in Omaha:

First, Michael Roth.

The left-handed specialist all season for Gamecocks Head Coach Ray Tanner was called onto pitch in a starter’s role.  Entering the College World Series, Roth had two career starts.

In the first game against Clemson, Roth was only expected to go two to three innings, getting through the first time through the order against a lineup filled with left-handed hitters.

Roth only provided the biggest pitching performance of the season, and the outing that will by far define his career as a Gamecock.  Roth pitched a complete game 3-hitter, only giving up one run in the process.

Then Roth came out again in the second game against UCLA, for his fourth career start.  The same thing was expected of him, get through the lineup the first time through.

Yet again, Roth battled through five innings, holding the Bruins to one run.

Roth’s performances were an example of what defined this Gamecock’s team.

The second person to highlight is Bayler Teal.

Bayler was a six-year old who was battling cancer, and had become a friend of this baseball team.

One of Bayler’s dying wishes were to see his Gamecocks win a national championship.  I never knew Bayler except for seeing him throw out a first pitch, but by the end of the run, everybody knew Bayler.

It causes me to break down when I think of Bayler and him not being able to see what happened on Tuesday night.  Bayler passed away during the first Clemson game.

Regardless, congratulations Bayler, this championship was for you.

In the end, how do you describe the feelings of this championship from the point of a student, fan, and radio host?  It personally chokes me up to see the game-winning play and sometimes just to hear the words:  South Carolina Gamecocks, National Champions.

The Gamecocks are known for choking in big game situations, creating storylines for messing up, not for being the team everybody wants to be.

So my answer to that:  It just doesn’t happen to us.  This just does not happen to us.