Rob Childress is back at the College World Series. In an alternate reality, maybe it would have been with Nebraska.
The actual storyline for Childress — in his 12th year as Texas A&M’s head coach — and the Aggies this week will be as an underdog, a No. 3 seed in their regional that overcame a slow start in the SEC to be one of the last teams included in the NCAA tournament. As their pitching goes, so will be their fortunes in Omaha.
But Childress’ return to the Good Life renews one of the great what-ifs in Nebraska baseball history: What would have happened if the Cornhuskers decided to make the native Texan and then-hot coaching prospect their head man in the early 2000s?