Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Some offices around Columbia emptied out for a couple of hours Tuesday, as their employees headed to Carolina Stadium to wish the Gamecocks luck in the College World Series.
News19 was there and caught up with some fans that couldn't stay away.
"I'm a little bit superstitious," explains Jack Haynes, "I sit certain ways when Carolina's batting and when the visitor's batting in my chair."
Haynes may not be a USC graduate, but he's spent a lifetime cheering the school on. His father took him to his first football game when he was 6 years old.
And this weekend, the streak continues in Omaha. "Never been before, but I'm leaving on Saturday. It's going to be fun, I hear it's the trip of a lifetime," he says.
Michelle Lockhart just became a Gamecock alum, and she's celebrating at Carolina Stadium too as the team heads to her home turf.
"I'm originally from Nebraska and so them going to my home state is just fantastic," she says, adding of her dad, "He lives a couple miles from TD Ameritrade, so my dad is a huge gamecock fan. He was just out here in May. He called me after we won the last game and was like, 'they're coming! They're coming!"
Lockhart and her friend Katie Bauld work for USC in the office of special events and got to take a few minutes off to see the team. "I tell everybody I'm a professional gamecock,"says Bauld, "Our boss came to us and asked if we wanted to go, so it was great! That never happens! But, today - special occasion for our baseball team!"
There is a lot for Haynes to look forward to on his trip. When you ask him what his first activity will be, he replies, "Find a good steak!"
But nothing could compare to the 3-peat - another national champion title for his favorite team and another chance to pass the pride down to his grandsons.
"I guess in the last 3 or 4 years, we've been doing really well in all sports, especially against Clemson. And I love it and they love it," says Haynes.