Of Interest: Omaha Extras
The Handshake:
ESPN cameras caught the intricately choreographed handshake performed by CCU players Seth Lancaster and Josh Crump.
G.K. Young:
- All-American
- HERO Sports
- ABCA 1st team
- NCBWA 1st team
- Rawlings/ABCA All-Atlantic Region 1st team
Rafiki, aka Fiki:
Purchased at a gas station in May after the team lost three straight games to Georgia Tech, the stuffed monkey became the team’s constant talisman for the rest of the season. Fiki, dressed in Coastal gear, got almost as much prime airtime as the players themselves. Retired after the championship game, he is now honorably ensconced in the trophy cabinet.
On a Dare:
Chicago Cubs pitcher and TCU alum Jake Arrieta lost a bet to Cubs teammate and CCU alum Tommy LaStella about whose team would get eliminated in the series. The payment: Arrieta had to get a Chanticleer tattoo.
Flag Day:
The governor best known for taking flags down, Nikki Haley ordered the Chanticleer flag to be raised over the S.C. State House and declared July 1 “Chanticleer Baseball National Champions Day.”
Mike Morrison:
- All-American
- Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball 1st team
- NCBWA 3rd team
- PerfectGame.org 3rd team
- All-NCAA Raleigh Regional Team
Lucky Number 6:
CCU played in six elimination games in the 2016 NCAA tourney, winning all six.
Gilley's Silent Chorus:
Every time Coach Gilmore did an on-camera interview, the team had his back—literally. Armed with Rafiki, the shark and/or a giant Gilley cardboard cutout, a group of stone-faced players gathered behind their coach to show respect—with attitude.
Rafiki, aka Fiki:
Purchased at a gas station in May after the team lost three straight games to Georgia Tech, the stuffed monkey became the team’s constant talisman for the rest of the season. Fiki, dressed in Coastal gear, got almost as much prime airtime as the players themselves. Retired after the championship game, he is now honorably ensconced in the trophy cabinet.
Bobby Holmes:
Recognized at the CWS for his team-high 3.77 GPA.
Bruce The Shark:
An inflatable beach shark named Bruce joined Rafiki as a good luck charm during the College World Series. He was one of dozens of beach balls and other inflatables that fans threw onto the field.
1,315:
The distance in miles from Conway to Omaha, Nebraska.
Stare-down Sammy:
Ten-year-old Sammy Didonato became an internet super-star after staring down an automated ESPN camera during the Saturday night game against TCU. The freckled-face Omahan’s eye-locking, brow-twitching performance racked up more than 50 million views.
Chauncey Arrives!
Millions of Americans got multiple lessons on the definition of our mascot and how to pronounce it, via national media. The New York Times described Chauncey as CCU’s “elegant, Chaucer-inspired nickname.”
The Chant Ball:
Also known as the Chanticleer (pronounced SHON-ti-clear), the Chant ball is one of the most unique pitches in college baseball. The Chant ball starts with a low, determined delivery, then rises to a height and velocity that take the opposition by surprise.
Anthony Marks:
College World Series All-Tournament Team
Andrew Beckwith:
- Greg Olson National Breakout Player of the Year
- CWS Most Outstanding Player
- CWS All-Tournament Team
- All-American
- HERO Sports
- Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball 2nd team
Last Call:
CCU Director of Athletics Matt Hogue, formerly the longtime “Voice of the Chanticleers,” stepped back into his announcer shoes for a nostalgic turn at the microphone during the last half of the extremely memorable last inning of the College World Series.
