OMAHA, Neb. -- It was a strange yet great feeling to walk in and around TD Ameritrade Park, the new bustling and sparkling home to the College World Series.
For years, I covered the CWS when it was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. I'll always remember walking up the hill to go to the stadium, the smell of the stadium food walking through the Rosenblatt gates, and of course, the always exciting first walk out of the tunnel, the trademark multi-colored seats staring me in the face.
For years, Rosenblatt Stadium was college baseball. Now, every light in the stadium is off except for a couple of maintenance lights, grass already is growing out of the parking lot cracks and the grass hasn't been touched in months.
Rosenblatt Stadium is what college baseball was. TD Ameritrade, which had a price tag of $130 million, is what college baseball is today -- a growing sport that only is increasing in popularity.
Still, Rosenblatt remains in all hearts. Upon arriving in Omaha, Texas A&M coach Rob Childress, who went to Omaha with Nebraska as an assistant, drove his Aggies team up the hill on 13th street to the old ballpark. Even empty and dark, he said, the feeling was still the same.
"We drove by Rosenblatt on the way back to the hotel last night and driving up that hill still gives you goosebumps."
When the decision was made to build a new downtown ballpark, traditionalists scoffed at the idea while others had an open mind about the new project, taking a wait-and-see approach as opposed to getting overly emotional about it.
Though Rosenblatt will be missed, a quick tour of TD Ameritrade Park revealed two things to me. The first is there's no doubt it's a crown jewel and well worth every penny spent. The second? The feeling from coaches and players alike upon entering the stadium was the same of those that ventured to Rosenblatt Stadium.
Excitement. Nervousness. A sense of accomplishment.
"You just notice the fact it's a brand spanking new stadium. The fact that every seat is a chair back seat and the vantage points to watch the game are spectacular. It's great," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "There's a lot of foul ball territory, which is a little different. But this is a tremendous place for fans to be able to enjoy the College World Series for two weeks."
I agree.
Walking into the stadium, the first thing you notice coming in from the outfield is the big league-like seating structure with the immaculate field that, as NCAA Director of Baseball Dennis Poppe noted, almost looks like an artificial surface.
Behind the walls surrounding the playing field, things get even more impressive. The new press and suite levels are plush with more amenities than one would ever need the next two weeks. The clubhouses are big-league material, and the concourses are a major plus for those that ever had to trudge through the narrow Rosenblatt Stadium concourses.
Around the stadium, every vendor I remembered from Rosenblatt and 13th street were present somewhere around the stadium, while some bars, restaurants and the The Dugout, a famous t-shirt and souvenir shop had a fantastic location behind home plate. Contrary to what seemed to be a popular belief, the NCAA apparently didn't force vendors to pay top dollar to be in and around the stadium.
There's no doubt TD Ameritrade passed our eyeball test. Plenty of others, including media and coaches alike, also were buzzing Friday.
"I think our players were a bit overwhelmed, in a good way," Texas coach Augie Garrido said. "I think this facility is just a great endorsement for the future of college baseball."
"Our players were just in awe seeing it for the first time. The pictures of this place didn't do it justice," North Carolina coach Mike Fox said. "I can't imagine being a college player and getting to play on this type of stage."
"The cool thing about it [the stadium], it's completely sacred to college baseball," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "The only way you can get here is by being one of the final eight college baseball teams, you can't get here as a Triple-A player anymore."
"They [his players] thought the stadium was awesome. It's more than I expected and more," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "We have a beautiful setting in our hotel and got to see the lights on the first night."
A new era officially was ushered in Friday. TD Ameritrade passed the test.
Notables: Around the CWS field
California: Perhaps no coach is happier to be in the College World Series than Cal skipper Dave Esquer. The Golden Bears were told last fall the university was doing away with the baseball program. However, donors made sure the program was kept and now the Bears are living a real-life dream. Esquer called the season very unusual but such a special ride with how the players have stuck together ... A bit of potential bad news for Cal is the status of starting pitcher Justin Jones. The talented left-hander is still sidelined with a bicep strain and Esquer said Friday his status is still day-to-day, meaning someone like veteran Dixon Anderson must rise to the occasion should Jones not pitch in Omaha.
Florida: UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan had a positive report on two-way star Austin Maddox for the second-straight day. O'Sullivan said Friday chances are good Maddox pitches and hits in the Gators' CWS opener against Texas. O'Sullivan said Maddox had a successful batting practice and should be good to go. The Gators also have good news on left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson, who was cleared Thursday to play this weekend ... Well before the first pitch of the season was thrown, Florida was expected to do big things. We had the Gators ranked No. 1 overall entering the season and the Gators haven't disappointed. O'Sullivan said Friday he's pleasantly surprised with how his team has handled expectations this season. He added the sophomores really came back this season with a plan and haven't deviated from it.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels have put together an incredible campaign this season, but competing for the national title wasn't expected before the season. The Tar Heels, though, have risen to the occasion in a huge way. Fox pointed to the leadership of some young players as a chief reason why UNC has exceeded expectations. He added his team has worked extremely hard this season and he hopes they get handsomely rewarded at the College World Series. The Tar Heels will be an interesting team to watch this weekend. They played exceptionally well down the stretch and have a relatively easy postseason run as a result.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have been bruised up for much of the season and that hasn't changed here in Omaha. There's some good and bad news for the Gamecocks. Junior outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who has missed a significant amount of time because of a hand injury, took part in batting practice again Friday. Bradley looked smooth and solid in the cage and is on the CWS roster. However, it'll be interesting to see how much he played this weekend ... On another note, fellow outfielder Evan Marzilli tweaked his hamstring and is day-to-day with the injury. Tanner said Marzilli was encouraged by the fact he didn't think the injury was serious. Interestingly, Tanner added that Marzilli was hurt earlier this season but no one figured it out because he kept playing through it. Marzilli, though, was healthy before tweaking his hamstring.
Texas: Not much in the game of baseball surprises UT skipper Augie Garrido, but has changed somewhat this season. UT has one of the nation's premier closers in freshman right-hander Corey Knebel, and he said Friday the freshman class as a whole has been the biggest surprise. Garrido said the UT freshmen have made huge contributions in a variety of ways, and that the key five freshmen really have added something when you combined them with the veterans on the team. Garrido said the UT veterans have provided outstanding leadership and the team as a whole really has come together.
Texas A&M: The Aggies got some tough news a few weeks ago when ace starting pitcher John Stilson went down with an injury. However, they've played exceptionally well since his removal from the starting rotation. A&M coach Rob Childress said his team is very confident and got tangible evidence they would be fine without Stilson when his team rolled through the Big 12 tournament. Childress added the offense has been much better the past month, especially his 7-8-9 hitters ... Don't expect any big surprises when it comes to the A&M rotation. The Aggies will start Ross Stripling in the opener against South Carolina. The righty has a 2.29 ERA in 117 2/3 innings and teams are hitting him at just a .200 clip.
Vanderbilt: Though many teams have experienced serious adversity at times this season, Vandy coach Tim Corbin believes his squad has fared well throughout the spring. He said the Commodores have experienced adversity in small quantities, but for the most part have stayed the course. Corbin added that the strength of the three SEC teams in the College World Series is just something he hasn't seen since he began coaching in the conference ... Lastly, Corbin discussed getting over the hump and finally reaching the CWS. Corbin said there's a big difference between regular season and postseason success. He admitted he thought (before the season) this year's team could be the one to take the ultimate step forward. He said getting to Omaha definitely is a relief to some.
Virginia: As you might imagine with their 54-10 overall record, the Cavaliers haven't had many hiccups this season. Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said his team played their best brand of baseball in the Charlottesville Regional, and they're ultra confident centering the College World Series. O'Connor touched on his offense and described his unit as very opportunistic with a multitude of hitters that can rise to the occasion in clutch situations. He described his team as having a balanced offensive attack ... The Cavaliers announced no surprises as part of their starting rotation in the tournament. As expected, ace left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen will start the opener against California. However, the Cavaliers aren't sure if Tyler Wilson or Will Roberts starts Game 2. Either way, both pitchers have been very solid this season with Wilson having a 2.29 ERA and Roberts possessing a very solid 1.58 ERA.
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org