CWS 2019: Loyal fans help fuel the College World Series spectacle

It takes more than ballplayers to make the College World Series the spectacle that it is and as teams gradually bow out, the fans fuel the fires that help keep the CWS aglow.

A popular tailgating area has thinned out since last week but local college baseball fans are keeping the drumbeat going even as series visitors have headed home.

For some, this is a tradition that dates back years.

Lot D is full of camaraderie. Tent after tent has a fan with a different story to tell.

For Tom Owens, the story started decades ago when the College World Series first moved to Omaha. His dad first bought the tickets in 1950. Owens remembers coming down to the stadium with his parents and nine siblings and he hasn't missed a game since.

And their seats help add to the experience. “Nine rows behind home plate,” Owens said. “My dad did it right. We owe it to him. Girls have always said grandma and grandpa, they built this."

Owens tells us he takes off only for the College World Series. You can find him here in that lot every single day through the rest of the CWS.