Letter to College Baseball

Mike Rooney

College Top 25: Moving Forward | College Top 25: On the Cusp

Dear College Baseball,

I wish I knew what to say right now. The health and safety of mankind come first. That goes without saying.

That said, this hurts. I’m heartbroken for those players who will never play college baseball again. I’m crushed for those coaches who worked tirelessly and then succeeded in assembling really good teams for the 2020 season. It’s not easy to do and those coaches won’t get to see the fruits of their labor. And as a big college baseball fan myself, I’m really bummed for all of our incredible fan bases out there.

Beyond those feelings, I also feel out of sorts regarding the future of our sport. There are so many unanswerable questions right now. And that makes it nearly impossible to find good solutions. That is disconcerting.

The College World Series has gone on every year since 1947. College baseball has been part of my life since the early ‘80s. That’s when my father and I began watching the CWS on ESPN. This year, there will be no “Omaha.” It hurts to type that.

Apologies for being overly dramatic here but sorting through all of this did help me find the one critical positive that I believe will get me through this: I’m struggling because I love college baseball that much. For many of you, it’s the same.

I first loved college baseball as a fan who shared it with his dad. Then I loved college baseball as a player. A player who walked on at a program that was way above his skis. I checked my locker every day for four years. The privilege of that experience was never lost on the college-aged version of myself.

From there, I loved college baseball as a coach. First I was a high school coach; then a Division I coach; then a junior college coach. I didn’t know it was possible, but coaching helped me love this sport even deeper.

Which is strange because college baseball broke my heart in ways I didn’t realize were possible. Three different times, I was one win from Omaha – once as a player and twice as a coach. And yet my passion continued to grow.

What I didn’t realize is that someone was trying to tell me something: my future in college baseball wasn’t in coaching. So on to broadcasting it was. And as the game had introduced me to heartbreak that I didn’t believe existed, it then showed me highs that were beyond my wildest dreams.

Because of that career change, I’ve now been to Omaha every year since 2014. Six straight years I’ve had the great fortune of going to the Promised Land of college baseball. All six trips were glorious and I am forever grateful.

So where am I going with all of this? It leads me to ask one final question: why do I love college baseball so much?

Here’s the answer: it’s the people and their personalities. It’s the moments they create. It’s the history they make. And it is the stories that we then get to tell. All of those things fill my heart.

So even though the future of our sport is uncertain, we still have our most important ingredient: a special brand of people. And I know that someday, those people will get back to creating incredible moments. And making unforgettable history.

Some of that will take place in Omaha. Some of it will take place in Regionals and Super Regionals. Some of it will take place off the field.

And even though my heart hurts today, I know that I can wait for those future moments.

It’s going to be hard to spend a 2020 with no Bases Loaded and no Quad Boxes. But I suppose it will make those future moments even sweeter. So here’s to everyone’s safety and the next wave of college baseball getting here as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, let’s stay in touch. I’ve got a bunch of stories I want to tell you.

PERFECTGAME.TV

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