Nine-year-old Matson Fyfe of Clarksdale, Miss., had the experience of his young lifetime in Omaha, Neb. at the College World Series as he watched his favorite team, the Ole Miss Rebels, win their first ever baseball national championship.
Parents Jerrie Marie and Charlie Fyfe of Clarksdale, Miss., have been Ole Miss fans for years. Charlie attended Ole Miss, so it was only natural that Matson would grow up as a Rebel fan.
And what do die hard Ole Miss fans do in anticipation of their beloved team making history?
What else — get in the car and drive straight to Omaha!
And that’s just what they did.
It was a spontaneous decision for the Fyfes to attend the CWS. They wanted to go but had no hotel room or game tickets. But they headed out west anyway.
They left Mississippi at 10:30 pm and arrived in Omaha eleven hours later. And fortune had smiled on them as they obtained both a hotel room and tickets while on the drive over. They were there in plenty of time to watch Ole Miss defeat Arkansas and advance to the finals.
Watching Matson watch the games was heart-warming for his parents.
“It was incredible to see his passion and undivided attention as he watched the games. He has a natural love of baseball,” said Jerrie.
But, as exciting as the games were, nothing compared to the excitement of Matson meeting the Ole Miss players after they were crowned national champions.
Every. Single. Player. And Head Coach Bianco too!
Jerrie was overwhelmed by the way everyone treated her son.
“Everyone was beyond kind and patient with him and loved his support and love for baseball.”
It’s unlikely that Matson will ever forget this experience.
“It was so awesome meeting the players. Everybody was so nice to me and signed my ball and hat. I loved meeting Tim Elko because I’m a first baseman too,” said Matson.
He thinks his parents are “really cool” for taking him to the CWS, and says when they told him they were going he “freaked out and helped pack his bag.”
It comes as no surprise that Matson’s favorite sport is baseball. He hopes to one day attend Ole Miss like his father did and to play baseball like his favorite players.
