It would be difficult to expect week two of the Mens College World Series to live up to what transpired the week before, but it did. As a few teams were eliminated, the crowds dipped a little, but more and more of youth baseball teams began showing up as there were many local tournaments drawing people from all over to witness one of the best CWS ever.
Many teams had off days when not playing and stopped down to check out many vendors and spirit at the Omaha Baseball Village. It was amazing to see these young athletes in person and how much bigger they are versus when one sees them on television. Many were there to check out the many options for bats and other gear. Many were just happy to be walking among the crowds and doing something different as Im sure their routines became Groundhog Day-like.
As teams began to lose their second games and go home, the crowds began to dwindle, but the enthusiasm remained strong. Teams still riding their dreams of a national championship. Many youth teams were in town from out of town for one of the many local youth tournaments which supplemented those there for the CWS.
The games continued to be some of the most entertaining in recent memory whether it being college, the Majors or insert here. One run games with late inning heroics catapulted many young men to household names. Walk-off homers and dominant pitching became the norm as the teams and the days left until the National Championship series become less and less.
In the end, LSU was our national champion with arguably two of the best college players seen in quite a long time being large reasons for the win. Congrats to the LSU Tigers and all of the teams and fans who made the 2023 CWS one to remember.
For Pine Tar, we got the chance to hang with some amazing people, tell our story, and sell some product. Made some new friends in the industry whom we have followed and admired from afar for quite some time. All in all it was an amazing experience we hope to continue to do every year.