Of the eight teams that earned a spot in the College World Series, the Florida Gators had to travel the farthest, with Omaha, Nebraska, sitting over 1,300 miles away from Gainesville.
That did not stop many Gator fans from making the lengthy trip.
Florida natives and lifelong Gator fans Jake and Zach said their reasoning for coming to Omaha is as simple as it gets: Their favorite team is here.
“The Gators are here. They made it to the final stage, and we just wanted to come cheer them on,” Jake said.
Jake said that being a Gator fan means far more than just rooting for the baseball team.
“It means that I get to root for my state, my team, and the school that my mom went to,” he said.
Some fans even fantasize about making it onto the field one day. Jaxson Vassalo, a high school baseball player from Bradenton, says that Florida is his dream school.
“It’s a great atmosphere, there’s a lot of great players there, and a lot of good major league players come out of Florida,” Vassalo said.
Florida fans had many different reasons to travel to Omaha for the College World Series. But every fan has one thing in common: They are proudly cheering for a Gator squad looking for its second NCAA Championship.
