June 27, 2019 at 02:07AM
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- To get to the College World Series championship, it takes a lifetime of practice and a whole lot of support to get to a night like this.
For most, baseball is a fan affair; but for Michigan shortstop Jack Blomgren, it's a family affair.
"I really love him, and he played really good the other times," said Joe, Jack's first cousin.
Jack's family came to Omaha in droves, cheering on their guy.
"Jack, you got this! We love you one base at a time," cheered Aunt Becca.
It's his mom who is especially proud.
"It's a tremendous feeling," Barb Bortner Blomgren said. "We take one game at a time. It's just an outstanding event, it's an outstanding event. It feels great to have everyone here, to have the whole family here."
Jack's siblings — and even the family dog — all helped him prepare for college baseball's biggest stage.
"They would just play, play, play," Blomgren said. "Their dad has a construction company, so they would play into the night and plug the lights in. It was cool to watch: The golden retriever would play outfield, and our daughter would be cheerleading on the side. It was just really really fun."
That fun could continue if Jack's younger brother, Dan, joins the Michigan team one day.
"Our youngest son will be going to Michigan in a couple of years, and we're just really excited. And hopefully, they'll be able to play together," Blomgren said.
This week, the family focus is on Jack. As his family hugged and kissed him during the team send-off, they had one resounding message:
"Love you! Good luck! Go get 'em! We'll see you after, boy."
Barb told us when her boys — there's three of them — first started in Little League, they were just thinking week-to-week.
She said never in her wildest dreams did she think they'd end up playing here.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- To get to the College World Series championship, it takes a lifetime of practice and a whole lot of support to get to a night like this.
For most, baseball is a fan affair; but for Michigan shortstop Jack Blomgren, it's a family affair.
"I really love him, and he played really good the other times," said Joe, Jack's first cousin.
Jack's family came to Omaha in droves, cheering on their guy.
"Jack, you got this! We love you one base at a time," cheered Aunt Becca.
It's his mom who is especially proud.
"It's a tremendous feeling," Barb Bortner Blomgren said. "We take one game at a time. It's just an outstanding event, it's an outstanding event. It feels great to have everyone here, to have the whole family here."
Jack's siblings — and even the family dog — all helped him prepare for college baseball's biggest stage.
"They would just play, play, play," Blomgren said. "Their dad has a construction company, so they would play into the night and plug the lights in. It was cool to watch: The golden retriever would play outfield, and our daughter would be cheerleading on the side. It was just really really fun."
That fun could continue if Jack's younger brother, Dan, joins the Michigan team one day.
"Our youngest son will be going to Michigan in a couple of years, and we're just really excited. And hopefully, they'll be able to play together," Blomgren said.
This week, the family focus is on Jack. As his family hugged and kissed him during the team send-off, they had one resounding message:
"Love you! Good luck! Go get 'em! We'll see you after, boy."
Barb told us when her boys — there's three of them — first started in Little League, they were just thinking week-to-week.
She said never in her wildest dreams did she think they'd end up playing here.