A homecoming for Arkansas’ Cam Kozeal at the College World Series

OMAHA, NE. (KNWA/KFTA) – Omaha, the mecca of college baseball, the greatest show on dirt, but to Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal, it goes by another name: home.

“When we touched down at Eppley yesterday I had to put my glasses on, I didn’t want my teammates to see me,” Kozeal said.

It was even more emotional for him today as the team went out to his old stomping grounds, practicing at Millard South High School.

“They were like ‘where the heck are we going?’ They thought it was a far drive out here but it was really cool. It’s a full circle feeling to have your old teammates and your current team together it’s really cool,” Kozeal said.

Kozeal not just surrounded by his former teammates and coaches, but his family as well.

As soon as he got off the bus to hit the practice field, his siblings rushed to him. His mom describing it the only way she knows how.

“Surreal. Matt started working at the College World Series, I think I was pregnant with Camden the summer he started, to be here now, when they were playing whiffle ball in the backyard, that’s what they were pretending they were doing, being at the College World Series,” Cam’s mom Rachel Kozeal said.

The College World Series much more than just an event in their hometown as Cam’s dad, Matt, worked as part of the grounds crew at both Rosenblatt Stadium and now Charles Schwab Field.

“We would go sneak on their when the stadium was empty a few times and do that, but most of the time I’d go up there a couple innings when someone would bring him and talk to him and he just spent basically his whole childhood in a Triple-A clubhouse and a Triple-A ballpark and those times were precious for me and him,” his dad Matt Kozeal said.

So how will he balance working while also being a dad this week?

“I’ll probably watch games a little closer than I have in the past,” Kozeal said.

The Kozeal’s are so excited to watch Cam play in the stadium he’s grown up in, but they can’t help but think about the possibility of Cam fulfilling a lifelong dream: winning it all.

“I would just be really proud of him since he’s been around college baseball since he was 4 years old and it would be very cool to see him win, since I’ve watched him since I was a little kid and looked up to him for such a long time,” Drew Kozeal, Cam’s brother said.

For Cam, he’s not thinking ahead to the championship series just yet. He’s stopping and taking in the moment one game at a time.

“I’m just trying to take it all in. Take this week or two weeks, I wanna be here for two weeks, take it as slow as possible. Write stuff down, take it slow. Take deep breaths, soak in the memories and live in the moment,” Kozeal said.