Brian O'Connor chokes up explaining why reaching Omaha means so much to him this year

Sports have a way of mending us, a fabric that ties society together and gives us all teams and players to root for, storylines to follow. When Virginia coach Brian O’Connor arrives at the College World Series this year, it’ll be unlike any other visit he has made.

O’Connor, an Omaha native, frequently meets with his parents when he arrives.

The last time he was at the College World Series, in 2021, he took a picture with his parents in front of the ‘Road to Omaha’ statue. It’s a statue that depicts O’Connor celebrating in Omaha during his playing days at Creighton back in the early ’90s.

He won’t be able to take the same picture this year.

“I am looking forward to seeing my mom,” O’Connor said after the team’s Super Regional win, tears welling. “This will be the first time that I’ve either played in that event or coached in the event that my father hasn’t been there. I’m just looking forward to seeing my mom and giving her a big kiss and just excited about that.”

O’Connor, choked up on stage discussing the upcoming visit, is something of a local legend. He grew up in Omaha, and he has returned several times thanks to the sport of baseball.

He was a key starter on the mound in Creighton’s 1991 College World Series trip.

He has since been there as a coach, both at Notre Dame and at Virginia, which hadn’t been prior to his arrival. He won a national championship there with the Cavaliers in 2015.

Still, this one will hit a little differently with his father now gone.

O’Connor’s father, John O’Connor, died on Nov. 7 at age 82 after a battle with Alzheimer’s.

But O’Connor will have his players there to comfort him, as they both embark on a journey to do more than simply making it to Omaha and the College World Series. That will be a tall task, with a meeting with No. 2 seed Florida on tap for Friday.

“Listen, a lot of teams Omaha is the goal,” O’Connor said. “A lot of teams have it on their hats. They have T-shirts. They say it in the huddle. Certainly that’s a goal of ours, but I’ve learned over our trips there that you’re not satisfied with just being in Omaha. It’s about an opportunity to compete, eight teams competing for a national championship. And that’s what these guys’ focus will be when we go out there.”

First, though, there’s another order of business to take care of.

“Well the first thing I’m looking forward to is Ed Scott, who’s signing the Visa bill when we have a team dinner at Sullivan’s (Steakhouse),” O’Connor said with a laugh, easing the tension a bit. “That’s our annual thing. We rent the basement of Sullivan’s and have a nice dinner there every time that we’ve went. No, just kidding.”

Trip to Sullivan’s or not, surely Virginia players will get a chance to check out the statue their coach helped make famous. Maybe even take a picture or two.