OMAHA, Neb. - From the first to the last press conference at the 2005 College World Series, the media's favorite question was about experience.
Texas had it, others didn't.
The last time any team in the 2005 CWS field besides Texas made it to Omaha was in 2002 when Nebraska went two-and-out.
Baylor, Nebraska and Oregon State didn't even make the 64-team tournament in 2004.
The Longhorns journeyed to Omaha for the fourth consecutive year and won their second title in that span. Sounds like quite a resume.
"When I was walking over to take batting practice, one of the [Baylor] guys asked, 'Is it really your fourth year to be here?'" Texas senior shortstop Seth Johnston said during the first days of the tournament. "When I said it was, he responded, 'That must be nice.'"
"I could definitely tell he was taken back by the whole Omaha experience."
All week, coaches downplayed the importance of Texas' past appearances in Omaha, but the Longhorns players and coaches said otherwise. They learned a lesson from a year ago, something they could build off.
The No. 1 Longhorns had not lost a game going into the three-game set with unseeded Cal State Fullerton in 2004 but quickly found out how little that matters. The underdog Titans took two consecutive games and the national championship from the Longhorns.
This time in Omaha, the Longhorns entered the series against Florida with a much different approach. They were relaxed. Before Sunday's championship game, about 10 Texas players were in the outfield playing games and having a good time.
Florida took quite the opposite approach.
The Gators were tense. It was the school's first appearance in baseball's national championship series, and they didn't want anything to go wrong. During Friday's off-day, Florida practiced their pre-game introductions. Injured pitched Alan Horne hobbled out to the line like he would on Saturday. Coach Pat McMahon believed he owed it to his team to be as prepared as possible.
When it came to championship time, the jitters showed. The Gators made four errors in two games including a crucial dropped fly ball by left fielder Gavin Dickey in the fourth inning of Sunday's contest. Dickey's miscue cost Florida a run and any sort of momentum.
Texas had its share of butterflies. The team that committed only one error in its first three CWS games made two mistakes early Saturday against Florida. But that wouldn't last. Texas played another errorless game Sunday.
Teams talk about raising their level of play on the big stage, but when they try to achieve a level they haven't played at, there's no experience to build off.
"You have to play at the level that you can play at," senior pitcher Buck Cody said earlier in the week. "You play like you did when you won games to make it here."
So with the experienced Texas squad against the inexperienced Gators this weekend, Texas had the leg up.
The team had been through five elimination games in the NCAA tournament and prevailed in every one but didn't face a single elimination game in the World Series. The Longhorns only trailed during one inning the entire week.
"We all knew coming in that this was a team with experience," Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. "It's one thing to have experience, it's another to be able to use it to enrich your performances, and that's what the players did."
And that experience meant another championship.
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