Family, friends enjoy Dean's ride to CWS title

By ADAM PRUIETT

Northwest Florida Daily News
315-4421 | adamp@nwfdailynews.com

Crestview baseball coach Tim Gillis had always wanted to attend the College World Series but really needed a "there's no way I'm missing this" situation to arise to make it happen.

Former Bulldog star Blake Dean and LSU provided that scenario when the Tigers advanced to the winner's bracket finals of the CWS.

So Gillis, his wife and two kids along with Crestview assistant coach Rhett McSween and his wife piled into a Nissan Armada and made the 20-hour trek to Omaha, Neb. They watched a single CWS game and made the exhausting trip back home the next day.

And the six of them couldn't have been happier. Not only did LSU whip Arkansas 14-5 to advance to the CWS finals, but Dean walloped a homer and a double.

 "It was worth every minute of it," said Gillis, who noted that Dean's dinger landed within 30 feet of where he was seated.

Dean, who traveled home with his CWS-winning team Thursday and couldn't be reached for comment, had no shortage of personal fan support. His dad, Mike, counted 18 total friends and family who made their way to Omaha to watch at least part of the Tigers' run to the title, which ended Wednesday with an 11-4 thrashing of Texas.

The Dean family also made the interminable drive to Omaha. Upon arrival, Mike had a succinct message for his son.

"I said I didn't drive 1,200 miles to watch you all lose," Mike said.

Of course, LSU did lose once: The Tigers were beaten in the second game of the CWS finals. But Mike wasn't worried after watching his son's club consistently rebound from losses with resounding victories during the season. The Tigers held true to form and celebrated their sixth national title.

Families couldn't join in the pandemonium on the field, but Dean waved Mike and wife Georgina down to a fence in the stands for hugs.

As far as the after party, Mike said he felt sorry for anybody staying at the Embassy Suites that wasn't an LSU fan. The Tigers didn't get back to their hotel until after midnight, and they were serenaded by LSU supporters with a raucous version of their fight song upon arrival.

"They rocked the house," Mike said.

As for Dean, Gillis compared his storied career at LSU to former Fort Walton Beach quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who won a Heisman Trophy and national title at Florida.

"As far as baseball," Gillis said, "this is pretty much as good as it gets."