**#BeUncommon With the Bat Cats**
2012 NCAA Baseball Regionals
U.S. Steel Yard - Gary, IN
June 1-3
While 2012 was the year of very few Backstreet events, my University of Kentucky events were plentiful. Not only were there many of them, but there were new University of Kentucky experiences. In 2012, I developed a greater University of Kentucky love...for their baseball team.
When I became a fan of the University of Kentucky, it was because of their basketball team. Then, I fell in love with the school in general...which included ALL athletics that come with it, including the not so great football season we have had this year. The UK baseball team was no different in getting my attention but this year my attention was on it a little more than in past years. I mean, I've always been a baseball fan, having grown up going to White Sox games, practicing with my brother's Little League, and playing softball myself. It was only obvious that I be a fan of the baseball team at the University of Kentucky, also referred to as the Bat Cats. However, there was one thing that drew me closer to following the team a little more closely and that was the fact that they had a player with the same last name as my favorite Backstreet Boy....Littrell. I did my research and discovered that Corey Littrell was from Louisville, Kentucky and I began to really wonder whether the two were related or not. This past year, Corey was a sophomore and I had seen him on the roster as a freshman. With me not being on Twitter yet during his freshman year, it was harder for me to follow the program as a whole, as well as the individual players. The more I followed the team, the more I began to wonder whether there was any relation at all. So I did what any rational person would do....I tweeted Corey to ask him and told him that it would be a pretty cool thing if they were since they were both from Kentucky and Brian is a Wildcats fan. I really didn't expect to get a response back because I was a complete stranger asking a college student a strange question (I was joking about the "rational person" in the previous sentence).
His response to me was when I made the discovery that the baseball team was much more accessible to their fans than in other Kentucky sports and that they try to interact with them often. Corey tweeted me back stating that he wasn't sure whether or not they were related but he believed that they had to be somewhere down the line since they were both from Kentucky. We then actually had a mini conversation about it after I asked him if he'd ever been asked that question before. I wasn't sure if he had since he was born in 1992. That would put him in elementary school when they were at the height of their careers. I had actually been afraid that he didn't even know who the Backstreet Boys were. He told me that he had been asked that question but he'd never done research into it. It was really at that moment that I was completely hooked on University of Kentucky baseball....because one person took the time out of his life to respond to me. I fangirled a lot that day and even told him that Robin Ventura (my favorite baseball player growing up and my first ever celebrity crush) better watch out for the running of my favorite ball player. Corey had a good laugh and told me that Robin had a few years on him. So now I had discussed two of my favorite guys with Corey, Brian and Robin. How could he not become my favorite Bat Cat at that moment?
I continued to follow the season through the many online resources I had...and what an amazing season it was for them. When it came time to announce the hosts for the 2012 NCAA Regionals, the Big Blue Nation became very upset when the Wildcats didn't get selected to host at a regional site even though they should have with the season they had. I had discovered, though, that Purdue University would be hosting a regional in Gary, Indiana...just a short 35-40 minute drive from me. I had not been able to make it down to Lexington for a baseball game so I hoped I would be lucky enough that UK would get selected to be in the Gary Regional. In fact, I was so excited about this prospect that I actually watched the selection show online so that I could hear the news as it was announced. I don't know about you but I don't know of anyone else personally that does something like that. I mean other than the players and their families, who watches a selection show for the NCAA Regionals? Me, apparently. I literally jumped out of the bed I was laying on when it was announced that the University of Kentucky Wildcats would be playing in the Gary Regionals. I was so excited! I was finally going to get to see the team I had fallen more in love with quickly play in person...and hopefully meet Corey if I got lucky.
I bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale, two tickets for each of the games. The tickets were cheap and I knew I could find someone to go with me for the games, especially since I was going to be right behind the dugout. Well, I was wrong on that account, once again, as everyone I knew that might have wanted to go had other commitments. Seriously though....I need to find more Wildcat fans in my area that want to travel to this stuff with me. I also made sure to let every single Bat Cat I followed on Twitter know that I was going to be there to cheer them on!
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| Me at the UK v. Kent State game |
The first game was on a Friday night, a pretty cold Friday night considering it was June 1st. Kentucky was going to be playing Kent State and was the first game of the evening....and what a game it was! This game ended up going 21 innings....you read that right TWENTY ONE! This marathon of a game was the second longest game in the history of NCAA tournament play and the longest game in Southeastern Conference history. This game was equivalent to playing two complete games, plus some and lasted 6 hours and 37 minutes, seeing a total of 38 hits with 43 runners left on base.
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| AJ Reed |
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| Michael Williams after catching a ball in the throat |
21 of the 27 Wildcats on the roster saw playing time in this game (the other six were pitchers that needed to be saved for the rest of the weekend), as both teams tried everything in their power to come out ahead in the end. And while the Bat Cats were battling to go into the winners bracket, they still seemed to be having fun. We got some dancing outside the dugout by the gusy and they tried every rally cap imaginable....
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| Original Rally Cap - hat on inside out |
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| Hat backwards...and my favorite photo of the entire weekend (some even say he looks like a young Brian Littrell from this angle) |
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| Whatever this is... |
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| My favorite of the rally caps...although I'm still trying to figure out who it is |
The Wildcats ended up falling to Kent State, 7-6...but it wasn't for a lack of trying and fighting. I fell even more in love with this team on that night because of their hard work and determination, while still understanding that it is a game and one is supposed to have fun while playing it. I tweeted Corey that night to tell him this and he thanked me, as well as complimented me on the photos I took during the game.
Now mind you, there was still another game to be played that evening between Purdue University and Valparaiso University (both based here in Indiana). Needless to say, their game did not start on time and, yes, I did stay to see Valparaiso lose to Purdue. I did not leave the ball park until 1am. Now, I'm not sure how familiar my readers are with Gary, Indiana but when the team uses #SurviveGary (as in survive the city, as well as the tournament) as one of its hashtags for the weekend on Twitter, you know its not the best place to be (it was ranked the 10th most dangerous city in the U.S. in 2006). This is especially true at the hour that we were all leaving the ball park. You better believe I was on high alert as I left the ball park with everyone else.
I returned to the ball park the next day to see the Wildcats play against Valparaiso University. It was a pretty uneventful game, especially compared to the previous evening. Kentucky ended up winning 8-1, thanks to the help of Austin Cousino's three hit, three RBI day. With that particular win, the Bat Cats tied the school record for 44 wins (reached in both 2006 and 2008). The Wildcats were moving on in the tournament, facing the loser of the Purdue v. Kent State game that was held after their game against Valpo (Purdue ended up losing).
I was particularly looking forward to Sunday's game against Purdue because Corey would be pitching. I was excited to finally get to see a great pitcher in action and was hoping that he would play exceptionally well, much like everyone wishes of their favorite player. Corey knew I was a fan of his and I wanted to make sure that I showed my support of him at the game on Sunday. So, I went home to make a t-shirt with his name and number. I wanted to make sure everyone knew who I was supporting out there. I was also hoping that I would maybe get to finally meet Corey either before or after the game on Sunday because he had been exceptionally nice to me any time I had chatted with him through Twitter. I got an 8x10 printed of my favorite photo I had taken of him on Friday night (see above), hoping that he would sign it for me. He had complimented me on my photography and I hoped to have something personal...something that I took. If it didn't happen, at least I had a great photo out of it.
I arrived to the ball park and had to wait for the gates to open. I had on my shirt and had my photo ready. I found my seat and watched batting practice, where I saw that Corey was sitting by himself in the bull pen. I really didn't want to bother him before the game in case he needed that time for himself. However, I was also worried that I wouldn't get a chance to see him after the game. When I saw a father and son approach him, I decided that I would take a chance. I headed over to the bull pen with a big smile on my face. I had him sign and personalize my photo, which he once again complimented. I honestly didn't even think of grabbing a photo with him until the father asked if he could get a photo with his son. The father was then nice enough to snap my picture with Corey.
I was, once again, doing some major fangirling inside. I was perfectly happy with that moment and my weekend was totally made at that point. Little did I know that something would happen later that evening that would make it even better.
Corey ended up pitching 7.1 innings, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs, walking 2, and striking out 7. I think his most interesting play of the game was when a line drive came flying right at his head. He was a little shaken up but afterwards he still had a smile on his face.
The Wildcats ended up winning this game 6-3... another win in the book and now setting a school record of a 45 win season. They would now be going on to face Kent State...again. If they lost their next game, their season would be done. If they won, they would have to face Kent State once again on Monday (remember that this was a double elimination tournament and they were in the losers bracket). I was totally ready to attend another game on Monday but I knew they had to get through this one first. I had some time between games and had to charge my camera battery to get ready for the new game because I had forgotten my spare...only I would run down my battery during a baseball game.
As I was walking to my car, I heard someone behind me compliment me on my shirt. I turned around and the guy introduced himself as Corey's dad. I shook his hand and told him that his son was my favorite player and was a genuine good guy. He thanked me for my kind words and I continued onto my car. I thought it was so cool to have met his dad while I was there (who also played a little baseball himself within the Dodgers and Expos organizations) and be able to tell him what a great guy he had raised. I used the time in between games to charge my battery as much as I could and went back into the ball park where I took my seat right behind the Kentucky dugout once again.
I knew from the experience of the 21 inning game on Friday night that this team was going to be tough to beat. My prediciton was proven right when we sat through seven innings of scoreless baseball. There were some not so right calls by the umps against Kentucky throughout the evening. Then in the top of the eighth inning, Kent State hit a three-run homer. However, according to some video taken that was viewed later, the ball had actually hit the metal railing below the yellow mark in right field before bouncing back into play. It was immediately ruled a homerun by the first base ump, but Kentucky's outfielders had something else to say about that ruling. Kentucky coaches thought that the ball had hit off the seats and, therefore, did not argue the call. They thought the umps had it right and couldn't have possibly missed a third call. Coach Henderson was later quoted as saying, "That's obviously on me at that point. No doubt about that. I should have been out there jumping up and down and hollering but I actually thought he got it right." Kentucky then scored two runs in the 8th. Neither team was able to score in the 9th. Kentucky had lost by one run...a run that maybe should not have even been there in the first place due to the supposed wrong home run call. Kentucky's season was over and they all looked extremely dejected. Those boys had so much to be proud of though with the record-setting season they had, winning 45 games. While I know they were disappointed not to move on in the tournament, they have played their hearts out and had provided a great team for us all to watch.
I had felt a little dissappointed myself as I started to walk toward my car. I stopped when I saw many of the families/fans lining up to wait for the guys to go to their bus. I decided that I was going to join them and congratulate the guys on their amazing season. As I was standing there waiting, someone asked me where I had gotten my shirt. This time, it was Corey's step-father that introduced himself. Corey's mom eventually joined us and as I went to shake her hand, she embraced me into a big hug instead and commented on how I was Corey's biggest fan that she knew from Twitter (I didn't know whether to be proud of that or embarrassed). As the guys came out I sat back and gave them all a chance to meet with their families. Some of them had tears in their eyes as they embraced their families and it was so interesting to be able to witness their interactions. I wasn't even worried about talking to any of them because I was fine with people watching. However, the next thing I knew, Corey's mom was elbowing him in the side and then pointing at me. All I could think was "what is happening?" Corey walked over to me and gave me a hug, I was on cloud nine. I thanked him for the autograph and photo he had done earlier in the day and he told me how great it was to finally meet me. After some chit chat he had to leave and I thanked him again. He truly was a very sweet guy and I am proud to be a fan of his. I hope he realizes how much it meant to me that he treated me so nicely and will gladly follow him in his baseball career (luckily, we have this season with him at Kentucky still).
I think the most exciting thing that came out of these regional games were the people I have met and talked to since then because of it. I had taken a lot of photos (hence the recharge of the battery between games on Sunday) and wanted to be able to share them with the players and their families. I had begun by posting several of the photos on Twitter, where many of the guys retweeted and favorited them. However, that was just taking way to long to do....I had A LOT of pictures. Corey had accepted my friend request on Facebook so I wondered if I could get lucky enough to add as many other players on the team as I could. I got out the roster and began searching for each player, sending them a friend request when I found them. Slowly, I started to get notifications of them accepting my friend requests. As my requests were accepted, I started tagging them in the appropriate photos. Soon, I started to get messages in my inbox from friends and families of the players thanking me for sharing all of the photos I had taken. This truly made me feel special. I have even started chatting with some of these people, as we discuss the upcoming season. I'm always so happy to be able to share my memories with others (hence this blog) and it felt good to be appreciated. I still get a little giddy when I get the notification that someone has liked one of those photos and I even get an occasional notification that one of the players themselves have made one of my photos their profile picture. Some of the guys that were drafted into the minor leagues have remained friends with me via Facebook and some players on the team have deleted their pages. I am friends with more of the baseball team on Facebook than follow me on Twitter and I'm okay with that. I just think that no matter what way I can share my experiences, I'm grateful that they decide to share their lives with fans like myself.
I was a fan of the Bat Cats before this regionals experience but my love has grown exponentially with this experience. I never thought I would say this, but I love UK Baseball more than I love UK Basketball....GASP! The players are able to make themselves much more accesible than the basketball team. Also, I have now met two basketball players and the four baseball players I have met and talked to were much more warm and friendly than the basketball players. For all of those reasons, I have a great new love for this program. I am VERY excited for what this upcoming season has in store for them and for us, as fans.
Title Credit - "Spanish Eyes" - Millennium - Backstreet Boys
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| Me at the UK v. Valpo game |
I was particularly looking forward to Sunday's game against Purdue because Corey would be pitching. I was excited to finally get to see a great pitcher in action and was hoping that he would play exceptionally well, much like everyone wishes of their favorite player. Corey knew I was a fan of his and I wanted to make sure that I showed my support of him at the game on Sunday. So, I went home to make a t-shirt with his name and number. I wanted to make sure everyone knew who I was supporting out there. I was also hoping that I would maybe get to finally meet Corey either before or after the game on Sunday because he had been exceptionally nice to me any time I had chatted with him through Twitter. I got an 8x10 printed of my favorite photo I had taken of him on Friday night (see above), hoping that he would sign it for me. He had complimented me on my photography and I hoped to have something personal...something that I took. If it didn't happen, at least I had a great photo out of it.
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| My t-shirt and signed C. Littrell photo |
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| Me and Corey Littrell |
I was, once again, doing some major fangirling inside. I was perfectly happy with that moment and my weekend was totally made at that point. Little did I know that something would happen later that evening that would make it even better.
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| Corey after a close call on the mound |
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| Walking back to the dugout after their win over Purdue... |
As I was walking to my car, I heard someone behind me compliment me on my shirt. I turned around and the guy introduced himself as Corey's dad. I shook his hand and told him that his son was my favorite player and was a genuine good guy. He thanked me for my kind words and I continued onto my car. I thought it was so cool to have met his dad while I was there (who also played a little baseball himself within the Dodgers and Expos organizations) and be able to tell him what a great guy he had raised. I used the time in between games to charge my battery as much as I could and went back into the ball park where I took my seat right behind the Kentucky dugout once again.
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| Hustling after a foul ball... |
I had felt a little dissappointed myself as I started to walk toward my car. I stopped when I saw many of the families/fans lining up to wait for the guys to go to their bus. I decided that I was going to join them and congratulate the guys on their amazing season. As I was standing there waiting, someone asked me where I had gotten my shirt. This time, it was Corey's step-father that introduced himself. Corey's mom eventually joined us and as I went to shake her hand, she embraced me into a big hug instead and commented on how I was Corey's biggest fan that she knew from Twitter (I didn't know whether to be proud of that or embarrassed). As the guys came out I sat back and gave them all a chance to meet with their families. Some of them had tears in their eyes as they embraced their families and it was so interesting to be able to witness their interactions. I wasn't even worried about talking to any of them because I was fine with people watching. However, the next thing I knew, Corey's mom was elbowing him in the side and then pointing at me. All I could think was "what is happening?" Corey walked over to me and gave me a hug, I was on cloud nine. I thanked him for the autograph and photo he had done earlier in the day and he told me how great it was to finally meet me. After some chit chat he had to leave and I thanked him again. He truly was a very sweet guy and I am proud to be a fan of his. I hope he realizes how much it meant to me that he treated me so nicely and will gladly follow him in his baseball career (luckily, we have this season with him at Kentucky still).
I think the most exciting thing that came out of these regional games were the people I have met and talked to since then because of it. I had taken a lot of photos (hence the recharge of the battery between games on Sunday) and wanted to be able to share them with the players and their families. I had begun by posting several of the photos on Twitter, where many of the guys retweeted and favorited them. However, that was just taking way to long to do....I had A LOT of pictures. Corey had accepted my friend request on Facebook so I wondered if I could get lucky enough to add as many other players on the team as I could. I got out the roster and began searching for each player, sending them a friend request when I found them. Slowly, I started to get notifications of them accepting my friend requests. As my requests were accepted, I started tagging them in the appropriate photos. Soon, I started to get messages in my inbox from friends and families of the players thanking me for sharing all of the photos I had taken. This truly made me feel special. I have even started chatting with some of these people, as we discuss the upcoming season. I'm always so happy to be able to share my memories with others (hence this blog) and it felt good to be appreciated. I still get a little giddy when I get the notification that someone has liked one of those photos and I even get an occasional notification that one of the players themselves have made one of my photos their profile picture. Some of the guys that were drafted into the minor leagues have remained friends with me via Facebook and some players on the team have deleted their pages. I am friends with more of the baseball team on Facebook than follow me on Twitter and I'm okay with that. I just think that no matter what way I can share my experiences, I'm grateful that they decide to share their lives with fans like myself.
I was a fan of the Bat Cats before this regionals experience but my love has grown exponentially with this experience. I never thought I would say this, but I love UK Baseball more than I love UK Basketball....GASP! The players are able to make themselves much more accesible than the basketball team. Also, I have now met two basketball players and the four baseball players I have met and talked to were much more warm and friendly than the basketball players. For all of those reasons, I have a great new love for this program. I am VERY excited for what this upcoming season has in store for them and for us, as fans.
Title Credit - "Spanish Eyes" - Millennium - Backstreet Boys
awww seems like you had an amazing time!! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally did. Now I have to figure out when to make it down to Lexington for a game or two this season. I don't think I want to wait for another regionals round this time.
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