With LSU not making the trip to Omaha for the College World Series this year, the door was open for a new contender to step through and claim the 2024 tournament for their own team.
We’re not talking about baseball, by the way. We’re talking about the other key tournament that happens in Omaha – the Rocco’s Jello Shot Challenge.
If you’re not inside of Charles Schwab Stadium watching baseball, Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina will happily host you and your friends for an exciting game-watching atmosphere with good food and some alcohol for those above the legal age… emphasis on the alcohol.
What’s made Rocco’s famous with the college baseball community despite it being an Omaha pizzeria is the famous Jello Shot Challenge, where Rocco’s will sell you a jello shot and in return give your team a tally on the chalkboard. Yup, one shot equals one tally.
What more needs to be said? Competition, jello shots, southern fanbases, and college baseball. Sounds like the summer.
LSU fans took things to the extreme in 2023. Leave it to the Baton Rouge folks, right? The Tigers brought the party to Omaha and tallied 68,888 Jello shots at Rocco’s during their championship run. LSU had the longevity and the tenacity that it took to win it all, both on the field and with the jello.
The Tigers’ fanbase also truly obliterated the previous record set by Ole Miss in 2022, who had 18,777.
Heroes get remembered but legends never die. This year will be talked about for ages. Thanks to the @LSUbaseball faithful and all the fans that made it fun. Thanks to @getjevo for making an absolutely absurd amount of delicious shots. Thank y’all for following along. pic.twitter.com/SmhKubGp7l
— CWS Jello Shot Challenge (@CWSShotBoard) June 27, 2023
More from RTI: Inside The Recruitments Of The Transfer Class That Propelled Tennessee Baseball Back To Omaha
But with Ole Miss and LSU out of the field this year, the door is open for a new challenger to step up and claim the throne.
Enter the rough n’ rowdy Volunteers fanbase.
Tennessee did not have a great showing in 2023, finishing 6th out of the eight teams with 2,207 shots purchased. Part of that was due to the Vols only being in the tournament for three days with a 1-2 record.
This time, though, things are different.
According to the CWS Jello Shot Challenge account on X, the field has set an all-time day-one record with 1,621 jello shots on Thursday, before the games even begin on Friday.
Tennessee is leading the pack by a good margin with 348 total shots on Thursday. The next closest is North Carolina with 284 jello shots followed by Kentucky with 279 jello shots.
An All Time Day One Record! Tennessee goes for 348. The whole field goes for 1621! The SEC goes for 869 and the ACC goes for 752! We are just getting started y’all. #roadtoroccos pic.twitter.com/3X7gZGUmAr
— CWS Jello Shot Challenge (@CWSShotBoard) June 14, 2024
If you’re asking me, it looks like a potential two-team rivalry race in the making between Kentucky and Tennessee. The Vols and the Wildcats are two of the top contenders in the field and both could make it a long way in the tournament. Both also have fanbases that don’t mind a little alcohol – especially if it’s consumed in the name of their team.
Tennessee’s fans made the trek to Nebraska with the unwavering belief that they have the best team in the tournament, the best coach, and will be there for an extended period of time. The Vols fans have felt cheated out of long runs with good teams in the past but have a sneaky suspicion that this could be the year the tide turns for the Vols. And they’ll happily show that optimism with a five-dollar shot.
Stay tuned to RTI for more crazy updates for the CWS Jello Shot Challenge.
From X: “Proceeds from every shot sold goes to the Food Banks for all 8 teams and Heartland Food Bank.”
