CWS no-hitter wasn't Wood's first historic moment this week

A few days after the episode's release, the cameras were on the unlikely history maker once again. The sun was again warm, leaving his arm feeling nice and loose.

It was familiar territory. Here he was again on a hill with Kozeal yards away looking on from second base as the Batesville native made history all over again while the cameras recorded it for all to see.

When all was said and done, Wood had the world watching as he threw a no-hitter in an elimination game against Murray State, the first at the College World Series in 65 years, while striking out a school record 19 hitters. He also broke the CWS record by sitting down the first 21 batters he faced.

In fact, had the Racers' Dom Decker moved the bottom of his shoe just an inch in pretty much any direction, Wood would also have been celebrating a perfect game. Instead, the ball clipped Decker's cleat in the bottom of the 8th inning, allowing the only runner to reach base.

Still, there was a lot to celebrate, but despite ESPN's efforts, he didn't want to make the moment about himself. There had been a hint this might be the case during Kozeal's fishing show.

Paddling furiously to get turned around and land the best camera shot for his moment, Kozeal urged Wood multiple times to let him come weigh the historic catch. Mutiple times his gesture was rebuffed.

This was Kozeal's show. He may have caught the first fish, but if one was going to get weighed for the first time, it wasn't going to be Wood's hanging on the clip.

That was a bigger moment reserved for the man of the hour. The one who brought them there and made the show possible — Kozeal.

So, as he was interviewed down on Charles Schwab Field, there would be no baiting Wood into celebrating what he had just done.

"You just threw the third no-hitter in the history of this event," a reporter said. "How do you describe your emotions?"

"I shouldn't have hit the guy," Wood responded, voicing frustration he hadn't performed perfectly for his team. "That's it. That's all I got to say."

Of course, immediately after the game, instead of soaking in minutes of adoration over what he had just done, he, instead, went over to the Murray State dugout and found fellow Batesville native Conner Cunningham, a shortstop who came around shortly after Wood's legendary high school career in the small Northeast Arkansas town.

Cunningham had gone 0-for-3 against Wood, striking out swinging each time, including the next to the last out before Arkansas officially ended the Racers' Cinderella run. As pumped as Wood was for what he'd accomplished, he was more concerned for his offseason workout buddy and what he was feeling in the moment.

"I didn't expect to see him here [in the College World Series]," Wood said. "... He's a grinder. He works his tail off every day, and he's my scramble buddy too. And I mean, I'm looking forward to working with him every off season going forward, you know. He's gonna be, he's gonna get drafted one day ... Of course, I'm gonna go over there and talk to my guy. I mean, I'm on cloud nine, and their season ended, but I've gotta go tell him I love him, great job, and keep working."

Wood even shouted out his Batesville High School strength and conditioning coach, thanking him for the effort he put into building him over the years and for making the trip out to Omaha to see the game. Then, he closed by reminding everyone how little he thought of his accomplishment in comparison to the real reason the team's there.

He remembered whose show it is, the man who brought him to Omaha, and who deserves the high moment of glory once this story is told in finality.

"[Getting Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn his first national championship is] everything," Wood said. "You know, everybody says that there's one thing missing in that trophy room of his. He's going to go down as one of baseball's legends. And every day we're working to get that [national championship] for him."

Wood is already 2-for-2 on historic firsts this week with this Razorbacks teammates. If he's going to pull off that third, he's likely going to need to pull out another once in a lifetime performance.

He probably won't let anyone make it about him then either if he eventually does. Still, Arkansas fans will always remember.