Gamecock Encore

The Gamecocks baseball team's surprising, heart-pounding run to the 2010 College World Series title seemed to many as if it could not be paralleled, in its excitement or its overall meaning to the school and the state of South Carolina. In 2011, though, they topped what they had already done, returning home champions and parading in style to the State House steps. In 2010, they honored the life of 7-year-old Bayler Teal, a cancer victim who died during the College World Series. In 2011, they celebrated the life of Omaha native Charlie Peters, a 13-year-old cancer survivor who served as a batboy for the team. The Gamecocks celebrated with a traditional dogpile near the pitcher's mound, Peters jumped on top of the mass of players and coaches.