A special moment to savor for Cavs and Sooners alike

Sunny Golloway had one of those coaching “moments” when his Oklahoma baseball team practiced at Virginia’s Davenport Field on Friday, one of those stop-and-smell-the-roses kind of deals that poets write about.

Not every coach gets to feel, breathe, taste the rareified air that accompanies winning an NCAA baseball regional like Oklahoma did on its own field last weekend, like Brian O’Connor’s Virginia team did by beating St. John’s in a drama-filled rematch. So Golloway has learned to appreciate it, to enjoy the ride.

That’s what his moment was about Friday, the day before his Sooners and O’Connor’s Cavaliers begin to slug it out in the Charlottesville Super Regional with a trip to Omaha’s College World Series at stake for both teams.

It never gets old

“Sometimes you step back as a coach and I always walk out behind second base and let the assistants run practice and I just take it all in,” said Golloway, who has won more than 200 games in five years as OU’s head coach. “That’s what I felt today, working out here at Davenport, enjoying it, taking it all in before we get into the battles tomorrow.”

Golloway enjoyed several of those moments as an assistant and as a head coach, but he never tires of the feeling.

That’s why when the Sooners defeated North Carolina in Norman last weekend and when the Cavaliers outlasted the Red Storm, there was reason to celebrate. Oklahoma’s regional was a little wilder than Virginia’s. Both meant something special.

“There’s something great about winning a regional at your place,” O’Connor said of his 50-12 Cavaliers. “Our guys were ecstatic. They only get this opportunity once in their life to be a college baseball player. It’s so important to enjoy victory, because victory doesn’t happen enough.”

Making memories at Davenport

O’Connor admitted that after last Monday night’s triumph over St. John’s, the first time Virginia had ever won a regional on its own turf, that he didn’t want to go home.

“I can tell you, I didn’t want to leave the ballpark,” O’Connor grinned. “There were many fans that were standing around here for a long while. They enjoyed it, and I’m happy they enjoyed it.”

The UVa fan base has been a big part of UVa’s success, growing by leaps and bounds as O’Connor steadily improved the program. Now Davenport’s capacity is nearly 5,000, and who knows what that will lead to down the road? For now, though, it’s time to enjoy the ride and extend it as long as possible.

Golloway knows all about that. He was an OU assistant when the Sooners made three visits to Omaha, and that taste never leaves a coach. That’s why when big victories come, guys like Golloway know how to savor every bit.

While the Sooners dogpiled when they advanced to the super regional, Virginia didn’t. There were some chest-bumping and high fives, but not too much. Perhaps the Cavs figured they had more work to do, with the best celebrations to come.

Golloway said that no matter, the Wahoos will never forget those moments.

“In 2006, it was the first time that our student-athletes had dogpiled [in its new ballpark] at Oklahoma,” Golloway remembered. “That was my first year. We went on to the super regional and lost game three at Rice.

“But to see our guys dog-pile and then being asked [by media] to rate the dog-pile [Golloway thought it was a little off-center from the mound over toward third base], it was a special moment,” he recalled.

“I always ask our guys, how many times do you really think you’re going to walk up and grab Mike Bell, our pitching coach, and hug him and squeeze him like you’re never going to see him again?” the Sooners head coach said. “That’s what you do when you win a championship. You hug your players and they hug you in a way like you embrace your children ... and that’s special.”

He could relate to O’Connor speaking about not wanting to go home. Coaches never want that feeling to end.

That’s why two days after winning the regional, Golloway already had celebratory photographs framed and presented to his coaching staff, a mini-reward for their efforts.

And, a reminder to never forget to stop and smell the roses along the way.