Hurray! It is here. It is time for the 2018 College World Series and another interview with College World Series of Omaha, Inc.
Thank you to Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director, College World Series of Omaha, Inc. for the interview for CWS 2018 update.
Please tell us a little about the teams who are “on the road to Omaha.”
Well, right now we don’t know what teams will be here.
We are just getting ready to start the regional competition and the super-regional competition will follow that.
It’s an interesting field. There are some of the teams that we expect to see year after year that will be coming and then there are some new ones.
There’s some really good teams on the horizon that we haven’t heard so much before in the past like the Hatters. Those and other groups, we have heard from before and eager to see them if they make it that long.
How do upset teams happen?
I think there is a lot of parity in college baseball.
It used to be that especially some of the southern states almost had a collar around all of those big championship teams.
And any more some of the northern seats, Northern teams from northwest coast have made some in roads as well.
Just recently we saw in Omaha Minnesota do a really good job.
That would be a great fan base to bring to Omaha again.
I know the fans are really supportive. Do you have any fun stories?
We have fun stories from the past. It is always interesting to see who comes and what is on their bucket list. So toward that cause I am hoping that we will have some really good ones.
For example, now this goes back a ways…Mississippi, the state of Mississippi when we had Southern Mississippi participate a few years back, it felt like the entire state closed up shop and moved to Omaha for few days because they were so excited to be included in our activities.
So it’s hard to know what stories will come out this year.
Coastal Carolina is doing very well this year.
They were kind of a sweetheart, a Cinderella team from a few years back that went all the way.
Every year has its special story.
What is a good one from last year?
I am trying to think of one. The fact that we had the Florida team win after so many appearances was something that was a lot of the fans from the SEC were very pleased to see that activity.
There is always going to be those good stories. I’ll be eager to see if we have some new Cinderella teams coming in this year.
Or if we have a team like Florida State. Mike Martin has been to the College World Series so many times. He is the current number one winning- has more wins under his belt as a Division One baseball coach than anyone in history, but yet he has never won the College World Series.
He is a quite a gentleman. He has wonderful teams, but to use an old phrase, he’s kind of always been a bridesmaid and not the bride. So we are waiting to see if his team makes it this year.
Any new stories about the fan or vendor side last year or ahead for this year?
We are always eager to here from Levy, the restaurateurs that manage the food preparation at TD Ameritrade Park always come up with some really great offerings for fans during the College World Series. Things like the “South Omaha Taquito” in the past and they have had some that probably can feed families let alone an individual. So we are really eager to see what they will come up with across the street.
I remember last year there were quite a few members of your family that could eat after some of those.
Last year, I think we had our first fruit kebab, a new offering. I don’t know if those will be back this year.
What was the attendance last year?
Last year’s attendance was a record. It was 357,646 which was really great.
Our average attendance per game was 22,352.
Has there been any equipment or facility or rule changes this year?
We have extended the netting. We follow major league baseball’s lead in that respect and have extended it beyond where it has ended in the past.
Anything new with the facility or equipment? I remember one year the bats were changed.
No. It’s been a while since any of the equipment or facilities have been changed in terms of the balls and bats.
It was amazing there for a while when the stadium was new that-the first year we had issues at that time – we thought with a lack of home runs that happened to coincide with the first year of TD Ameritrade Park which was 2011 coincided with the first year that the bat had been deadened.
What transpired after that was that the baseball itself was made a little bit more lively and now we regularly see home runs. So I think there have been the appropriate adjustments and we should be all good now.
Are there any new security measures or changes that the fans might need to be aware of ahead of time?
I am really glad that you about asked that. This will be the first year that we will have had the clear bag policy in effect. Now that has been in effect at the Century Link Center starting this winter with Creighton basketball season. It has been ineffect Creighton baseball season at TD Ameritrade. And it was in effect last weekend with the Big Ten baseball tournament. It will be the first time we require clear bags for the College World Series.
We’ve ordered 25,000 of them to be distributed for free in the area. They have already been delivered to our season ticket holders to our club seat holders our suite holders as part of an advanced mailing. We are in the process right now of distributing them to various hotels, convention and visitors bureaus in the area.
For example, Council Bluffs and Sarpy County are involved in that in addition to the greater Omaha area. So we think we are going to be doing a good job in making them available. Now that enough clearly for everybody who is attending the College World Series. And, I want to make the point that you do not have to have the special clear bag that is branded with the College World Series. If you went to the grocery store and bought a Ziploc type bag- those gallon sized bags-those are equally as acceptable those with the College World Series logo on it. And similarly for a clutch size. 4 1/2 by 6 [inches] does not need to be clear.
Water bottles will need to be empty and clear as well. We have had that in effect. It’s kind of a nice fan amenity we have a great number of water stations in addition to water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains.
They do need to be 20 ounces or smaller and clear and empty when you go into the ballpark.
There are lots of free places to fill it up, before, during and after the games.
What about camera equipment?
We do have a media entrance, if you have media credentials but for the casual fan. They can bring in a small camera, a shorter lens. They can bring in their smart phones. Any larger equipment that might interfere with another fan’s enjoyment will not be allowed in. That is not a new rule.
So purses would have to be clutch size?
Purses would have to be 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch size or we have these larger clear bags, kind of a standard size now.
Any other changes this year?
We will be celebrating a great attendance milestone this year. Since 1950 we will now have a cumulative attendance of 10,000,000 fans. Which is quite an accomplishment. We should be reaching that on game number 3 on Sunday at 1 o’clock.
That is also Father’s Day. So bring your dad and be part of that 10 million day fan crowd.
How many games are scheduled?
The maximum number that we always have available are 17, but that includes several games that are tie breakers.
So this year, our tie breaker days would be Saturday June 23rd.
Those are days we may be playing no game, one game or two games depending on how the brackets play out and similarly finals number 3 which would be if necessary played on June 27.
Otherwise we got 14 games that we know will be played.
We are eager to get fans in there to enjoy themselves.
What are the nearest gifts shops or restaurants that might have promotions or items?
That’s a really good question. I think that North Downtown, here we got a lot of vendors who during this time of year kind of change up maybe their business plan a lot bit to to capture the excitement and activities that the fans bring to the area. I know there are lots that open their doors in creative ways…trying to capture some of that economic impact that comes every year through the College World Series.
Thank you very much.
Click here to read–Omaha Interview: College World Series of Omaha, Inc from 2017
What’s new in food for 2018
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-media-tasting-2018-great-food-meets-the-greatest-show-on-dirt
2018 Interview with Kathryn Morrissey, Executive Director of CWS Omaha Inc.
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/cws-interview
2018 Interview with Chef Chris Myers
https://www.omahanebraska.com/blog/omaha-interview-chris-myers-with-levy-restaurants-at-td-ameritrade-park-for-college-world-series
