Homcoming in Omaha: Fay Returns to Home State for CWS Run With Alabama

OMAHA, Neb. - Tyler Fay grew up 148 miles from Charles Schwab field. His last time in the ball park came after being knocked out of regionals last postseason.

Now, Fay, a native of Doniphan, Nebraska and attendee of Grand Island Senior High School, is playing in his first career College World Series just hours away from his hometown.

The redshirt junior for the Alabama Crimson Tide, who has turned into the team's Friday night starter, has been nothing short of impressive all season. Doing so has led the Crimson Tide to Omaha for the first time since 1999.

For Fay, this moment is nothing but special. He'll have a wide net of support when he hits Charles Schwab Field on Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners with the script A on his chest.

"The whole vibe of Omaha and coming back here is really special," Fay told Bama On SI. "All the people who've reached out to me that are excited to see me and stuff like that, it's just been surreal. I don't even know if it's set in yet."

The exact number of Fay's family and friends who will be in attendance isn't 100 percent certain, but it's not all that important. They're all going to be there to support the former Grand Island Islander, an occasion that's been rare during his Alabama tenure.

"I've had hundreds of family members and friends and everyone texting me saying they're going to come to the game and they're going to come support," Fay said. "So it's kind of just surreal to be back here. Full-circle moment for me."

Just because Fay may have a larger fan contingent than other players or teams, even, doesn't mean there isn't business for him to handle. He still has to go out and execute on the biggest stage and at the highest level.

There will be a certain level of calmness that Fay will attempt to maintain when 2 p.m. Saturday rolls around. According to Fay, there will be a little more adrenaline and excitement while playing. He'll have to figure out how to manage that adrenaline early on.

"I think every game is really the same. I mean, you go out there and you pitch. You try to execute each pitch," Fay said. "I think it will just be a little bit more exciting. Might have a little bit more adrenaline than normal. But I've been going about it trying to stay the same."

Fay will see some friends whom he hasn't seen in quite some time. There will be high school friends and teammates that he hasn't pitched in front of or with since his high school days.

He'll have all of the motivation in the world cheering him on from the stands. Again, there won't be any pressure.

Fay will simply be having fun.

"It's going to be really exciting. I haven't thrown in front of a lot of my friends since high school," Fay said. "So a lot of my old teammates and stuff, being able to see all of them and have them supporting me and the boys in the crowd will be really fun."

Even with plenty of family and friends in attendance to watch him pitch against the Sooners, it won't distract him or add any extra pressure.

"I think it'll add to the moment," Fay said. "It'll be more exciting, give me a little more adrenaline. Hopefully, it'll just feed into all of the positive things for me."

Fay became a starter as a junior for the Crimson Tide under head coach Rob Vaughn. He impressed Vaughn during that time, but his character and willingness to stick out tough situations impressed the head coach even more.

"The thing about him that makes him so special is, regardless of whether Tyler's a 20-year Big Leaguer or not, that guy's going to be a smashing success in life, because when things get hard, he doesn't cut and run," Vaughn told reporters Thursday "He's not sticking his hand out looking for the next easy way and who is going to pay me more and who is going to do that. It's I'm going to put my head down. I'm going to work and I'm going to get better."

The Grand Island native and Crimson Tide ace will get his chance to shine at 2 p.m. Saturday at Charles Schwab Field against the intra-conference Oklahoma Sooners.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Homcoming in Omaha: Fay Returns to Home State for CWS Run With Alabama.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM.