As a former contributing player for the championship teams, and a trained videographer by the School of Journalism at USC, Jake Williams decided that he, himself would make a film, telling the story of one of the greatest college baseball eras of all-time! Others had already approached USC with similar ideas, but failed as they lacked the resources and connections that Jake has to bring the story to life. He knew he could tell it in a way that no one else could and after years went by, he decided to do just that. He has done over 25 interviews at this point, with more coming soon!
Jake put together a small crew and started traveling the country tracking down old teammates, coaches and more! He and his crew visited Reno, New Orleans, Boston, Tennessee, Atlanta, Florida and USC numerous times to shoot on-camera interviews. They shot on the field at Fenway Park, they caught Michael Roth playing against Christian Walker in a AAA game in Reno, shot Whit Merrifield in his childhood home and made the stops USC fans would surely demand!
After a couple years of working on the project, some real progress has been made. Jake connected with the Teal family, the Peters family and the Tanners to get the real details from the amazing stories that surrounded these stories. The spirit of the Gamecocks, the spirit of Bayler Teal surrounds this production. One wild morning, Jake went outside after a long week of shooting to find a wild Gamecock roaming in his yard in the middle of downtown Atlanta! What a sign!
Throughout this journey some amazing things have happened. One thing the crew got a kick out of, was that at every stop for those still playing professionally, after Jake interviewed them, they went on an absolute tear in their seasons. JackieBradley Jr. raised his average by 40 points. Christian Walker led the entire minor leagues in hitting. Evan Marzilli got called up to AAA , where he and very close friend Christian Walker, finished the season in Reno together again on the same squad. Peter Mooney started killing the ball in AAA and Roth continued to thrive.
Jake is attempting to create a sports documentary unlike anyone has ever seen. He has the vision, the resources, and the drive to create a piece that not only USC fans will be drawn to, but an audience of all dimensions, as he is telling a story of the human condition and using baseball and this team to explore themes that go well beyond the game. Jake is tapping into the spiritual and emotional sides of it all and exploring personal evolutions along with the program as a whole.
This project is unique to documentaries in that, an ex-player is directing and conducting interviews, not a random journalist. This has allowed for the guys to open up, relax, get emotional, tell wild stories and to share in ways that not many could allow for. These are two humans with close relations talking and exchanging details from some of the greatest moments in college baseball history! Instinctually, throughout the seasons, Jake (and other teammates) took cell phone videos and photos which have provided an incredible inside perspective and look at these National Champions that you would not be able to find ANYWHERE else.
Jake created this website and has described in the first person his experiences with each guy he interviewed. He is creating something very special, in a completely unique way, that will excite everyone who watches! He learned many things along the way about these teams, some he didn't even know about during the seasons. He heard countless stories of how lives were touched and dear relationships formed. He learned just how truly much it meant to the Teals and the Peters to have their families directly linked to to these championships. He learned how much this all really meant to the city, to USC fans and to those who helped bring the first championships to Columbia! This sports story is wrapped with such genuine feelings and triumph! Expect to be brought right back into these emotions and to see these teams in a light that you have not yet known!!
