Adam Link remembered sitting in the Hammons Field stands down the first-base line when he was a pitcher at Kickapoo High while watching the Bears host the 2015 Regional.
The eventual Ozark Conference Pitcher of the Year saw the crowd and how much it loved the Bears. From then on, he knew he always wanted to play for Missouri State and have a chance to pitch on the biggest stage.
On Sunday evening, Link stood on Hammons Field and fought back tears as his teammates celebrated around him.
After years of pitching at the juco level before pitching at Middle Tennessee and finally winding up at Missouri State, Link stood in the Hammons Field grass as the Bears' winning pitcher in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship.