KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several local athletes are playing in the College World Series running June 16-27 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Six guys from the Kansas City metro area are on the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team:
- Brady Slavens (Olathe Northwest High School)
- Robert Moore (Shawnee Mission East High School)
- Jude Putz (Bishop Miege High School)
- Kendall Diggs (Saint Thomas Aquinas High School)
- Mark Adamiak (Shawnee Mission Northwest High School)
- Zebulon Vermillion (Shawnee Mission East High School)
“It's pretty special to be able to experience this with him,” Ryan Slavens said of his son Brady.
Many young baseball players dream of playing in the College World Series.
“We're just going in to just try to take it all in and really enjoy every moment,” said Jennifer Slavens, Brady's mom.
Brady Slavens took the field Saturday afternoon in hopes of getting his team closer to becoming national champions.
"When they are little, you are thinking, 'This is cool. I hope they make their high school team,'" Ryan Slavens said. "And then it goes from that and then thinking, 'I guess it would be cool if you could get some money for college out of this,' when everything starts happening. I still am not used to it. It's still so strange to me."
One KC native on the team includes Robert Moore, son of Royals President of Baseball Operations Dayton Moore.
"He's getting to do something he loves to do, and you know that's, as we all know, so rewarding as parents when your children are doing things that they love to do. So it's great to be able to support their dreams,” Dayton Moore said.
Both Brady Slavens and Robert Moore are making a difference for the Razorbacks.
Brady Slavens sealed the deal for Arkansas last week to make it to the College World Series and continues to shine. Robert Moore is the first Razorback in program history to earn Freshman All-America status in multiple seasons.
His dad said this year's team reminds him of the 2014 Royals.
“None of them were viewed as perennial all-stars, and they weren't having necessarily MVP-type years, but they came together as a team," Dayton Moore said. "Especially at the right time, and because of that, they were rewarded and went deep in the playoffs and took the World Series to seven games."
The 2022 College World Series will be the end of Brady’s collegiate career. His parents told KSHB 41 this is the best way to close this chapter.
“Will it be stressful? Maybe. But it's going to be a lot of fun because it's like, 'Here we are,'” Ryan Slavens said.
No matter the outcome, both families are overjoyed with what their sons have done with their talents.
"We're just really, really proud of him and the team and the University of Arkansas and know what a great place, you know, for your son and the other sons to really be able to play baseball,” Dayton Moore said.
The Slavens are equally proud of their Razorback.
"We've seen him work really hard to fulfill them, and we've seen his character grow and being around all these boys and just living the dream,” Jennifer Slavens said.
Arkansas beat Stanford 17-2 on Saturday in Omaha.
The Razorbacks will face the winner of the Ole Miss-Auburn game at 6 p.m. Monday.
