Michigan baseball's road to Omaha: Meet the characters who sparked the run

Free Press sports writer Anthony Fenech is logging a diary during Michigan baseball's run to the College World Series. This is his first installment: 

OMAHA – The Road To Omaha was three hours and 18 minutes long, from the media parking lot at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to a cramped parking garage in downtown Omaha, where a row of spots was reserved for Texas Tech.

It took an hour longer than usual — I-29 between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Loveland, Iowa, is still flooded after torrential rains – but I made it 13 minutes faster than Matthew Boyd.

[ College World Series predictions: Here's who will win in Omaha ]

I came here to cover Michigan baseball, who will play in their first College World Series since 1984 this weekend, and also the Tigers, who lost to the Royals on Thursday night in a College World Series kickoff game. There’s a joke in there, and now that I cover college baseball, I’m not beneath making it.

I spent much of Thursday’s game sitting in the second-to-last row of Section 106 at TD Ameritrade Park, talking to wide-eyed college kids on U-M’s Team 153, who practiced in below-freezing temperatures for much of the early season, came within a strike of missing the NCAA tournament and sat – many of them Tigers fans – watching the Tigers play on the same field they’re going to play Texas Tech at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

There’s Jordan Nwogu, the sophomore outfielder who grew up across the street from me and was the last man out as a freshman. Senior left-hander Ben Keizer, who was smiling on the pitcher’s mound in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 3 of a Super Regional against No. 1 UCLA. U-M was up by two runs and there were runners on second and third base with two outs.

“I just went out there and saw how many fans we had, how much Michigan faithful we had, all our families, everyone in the dugout and I just looked over and I was like, ‘Wow, this is probably the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life,’ ” Keizer said. “There’s no point in getting uptight, getting serious, putting pressure, just go out and have the time of my life and whatever happens, happens.”

There is head coach Erik Bakich, who spoke of taking the Wolverines to the College World Series when he was hired seven years ago. Bakich, 41, is a former Independent League player who has loosened up and let it happen instead of making it happen.

On Thursday morning, as U-M left the field at a local Omaha high school, he shared some words with legendary FSU coach Mike Martin, who is retiring after the season. On Friday, Bakich was on the podium with Martin for the final of his 16 College World Series introductory news conferences, which went more than 50 minutes and was one of the more fun news conferences I’ve covered.

Asked what it was like to be up on that stage, Bakich said, “Waiting to hear what Coach Martin says next is really what's going through my head."

There is Jordan Brewer, the football player-turned-Astros third-round pick, who was named Big Ten Player of the Year. There is Ako Thomas, the second baseman with lightning-quick tags. Behind me is assistant head coach Nick Schnabel, one of Bakich’s best friends, who played with him in college at East Carolina. In front, pitching coach Chris Fetter, a Michigan man who developed two Day 1 picks.

But naturally, I start with Jimmy Kerr, who was the Tigers’ 33rd-round draft pick. He is a third-generation U-M player. His grandfather, John, played in the 1962 College World Series and his dad played in 1984, when the Wolverines last made it this far. It's plausible they are the first family to have three generations play in the College World Series, especially for the same team.

“It’s crazy, just to be able to leave our own page, Team 153 in the Michigan history book,” Kerr said. “That’s so similar the one that my grandpa left in ’62 and my dad left in ‘’83 and ’84.

“It’s always our goal to be here, but it’s such a different reality to actually make it happen and be here with the team, with all the hard work we’ve put into. It’s just so special.”

It was the calm before the proverbial storm. Working out at high schools and the Tigers-Royals game on Thursday, some quick batting practice on an unseasonably cool Friday morning. Some chill time and then it’s the opening ceremonies. They have a game tomorrow.  

Contact Anthony Fenech at afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.