It’s been 10 years since that remarkable run, but vivid images remain of Steven Feehan stealing home against Clemson, and of Rick Haydel leaping to his feet after scoring the winning run in that game.

Those Cajuns weren’t content to just reach the World Series. They were there to play.

"It was what we expected, and so much more," said Feehan, who works for the Lafayette Fire Department. "You watch it on TV, then you get there and the stands are packed. I remember the way it looked, the blue skies, the way the ball traveled.
"It was almost like a cathedral."

"It is a unique atmosphere," Haydel said. "None of us had ever been. It’s like an amusement park, with so much going on. It’s like Disneyworld when you go there for the first time. I remember taking batting practice. You couldn’t wipe the smiles off of anyone’s face.
"There is no other time in our life like it. It was nice to be here, but we wanted to show the world what we could do."

Feehan, a senior outfielder, and junior shortstop Haydel helped the squad make the trip a memorable one as they each played in all 69 games of that once-in-a-lifetime campaign.

The 2000 Cajuns roared out of the gate with a 17-game winning streak to a 22-1 record, and at one time they were 29-2. Much of that start was a carryover from the 1999 Cajuns, who had lost to Rice in NCAA Super Regional action.

"The year prior we made a late run," Haydel said. "We were pretty good. We came real close. And, we had a good core coming back. Coming back, we had that confidence level that we were up there with the elite. We played like that out of the gate.

"That was the most senior leadership I’d seen. We didn’t feel second to anyone. We were so close-knit. We did everything together, practiced hard. We weren’t cocky, just confident."
"We knew the quality of team we had, the quality of guys," Feehan said. "The coaches told us, in baseball, you win 20, you lose 20. It’s what you do with the third 20 that makes a difference.

"We were really comfortable with everybody we had there. We knew the character of the guys. They didn’t care so much about averages. Everybody was there to win. Somebody was going to come up with the big hit or stolen base when we needed it."

Those Cajuns defeated old rival McNeese and East Carolina twice in NCAA Regional action at Tigue Moore Field, then headed to No. 2-ranked South Carolina for Super Regional competition. They dropped the Friday opener, 6-3, then stunned the Gamecocks 7-1 and 3-2 to reach the CWS.
This time, the Super Regional results were super.

"The atmosphere was electric," Feehan recalled. "There was a big crowd, and just about everybody was pulling against us. But we knew we’d be able to compete. If we played the best we could, we had a chance to win.

"The year before we had played Rice in the Astrodome, and we’d played at (LSU’s) Alex Box (Stadium). We had experience against good teams, and over time you get more experience in postseason."

"We dropped the Friday game," Haydel said. "The East Carolina coaches had told us we couldn’t beat South Carolina. At practice, they mocked us. We didn’t feel like we got much respect. Then Saturday at lunch, I’ll never forget, we decided we had nothing to lose.

"We decided to just show up and play – not take batting practice, just play looser. We beat them 7-1 and that got us back on track. Then Sunday’s game could have gone either way. We said we’ve been here before, and if we don’t beat ourselves we’d give ourselves a chance."

The Cajuns who beat South Carolina were the Cajuns who had put together those streaks, the ones who would hit a school-record 83 home runs, the ones who would finish 49-20.

"The personality of the team, as a whole, was rambunctious," Feehan said. "We were free-spirited, excited to be outside and playing the game of baseball. Coach (Wade) Simoneaux at third rarely put up a stop sign. Everybody knew their roles, and when a situation came up you knew what to do. We flowed with the game.

"We had great comraderie. We really got along and pulled for one another."
A 6-4 loss to Stanford opened the CWS for the Cajuns.
"We were tight for that first game." Haydel said. "But it was a close game, in front of 25,000 people against a talented team. It was another wakeup call. We said we belong here. We just need to get our nose back in the dirt, and think about playing baseball again."

Then came a 6-3 victory over San Jose State that put the Cajuns back in business. Then came the Clemson game, an unforgettable 5-4 victory.

"There were so many ups and downs in that game," Feehan said. "We had the lead, lost the lead, the weather the day before stopped us from playing, the wind shifted and the ball started to fly out to right field. We had been in a lot of close games, and felt there was no situation where we couldn’t come back from a couple of runs."

Feehan will always remember stealing home against Clemson, with catcher Danny Massiatte swinging at the pitch to give him a chance.
"To be honest, as soon as I took off, it was not the prettiest (attempt) and Massiatte didn’t have the best swing," Feehan said. "I slid feet first. I thought I’d be out. The catcher caught the ball early, but he stayed back just long enough. It all worked just enough to get it done.
"We had done it a couple of times early in the year, but to pull it off in that atmosphere, in that stadium, and then to win the game, was special."

It was also Feehan who executed a perfect bunt that scored two runs that ended up edging the Tigers, including Haydel with the game-winner.
"The winning run is what everyone remembers, and that’s nice," Haydel said. "We pulled together in the ninth. It’s what represented the season."
For Haydel personally, though, his home run in the opener against Stanford stands out.
"I was like a kid," he said. "I remember thinking I just wanted to get a base hit on this field. Then once I hit the ball, and it scored our first two runs in the World Series, I didn’t even feel it. I dropped the bat. I’d just hit a home run in the College World Series.
"I think about that often."

The Cajuns lost 19-9 to Stanford the next day to end their remarkable run short of a championship matchup against LSU, but got a heroes’ welcome back home.