OMAHA, Neb. -- Lt. Ken Kanger commands the Omaha Police Department's gang unit. On May 20, one of his officers, 29-year-old Kerrie Orozco, was fatally shot while attempting to serve a warrant one day before she was scheduled to take maternity leave to care for her daughter, Olivia Ruth, born prematurely in February.
The incident attracted national headlines and drew the attention of the Virginia baseball team. Kanger served last year as the Cavaliers' dugout security detail -- each team has one -- at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha during their run to the championship game of the College World Series.
"We enjoyed being around him and really got to know him," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said.
Back in Omaha this year, the Cavaliers, early on Tuesday morning after their 1-0 win over Florida, presented Kanger with an engraved bat in honor of Orozco, signed by the entire team.
"It's just incredible to have that kind of support," Kanger said, clutching the bat. "Not for me, but for the unit, for the Omaha Police Department and, more importantly, for Kerrie Orozco and what she stood for, because the University of Virginia stands for the same thing."
Orozco coached youth baseball in inner-city Omaha. Last year, Kanger collected baseballs from the Cavaliers and delivered them to Orozco for her team.
O'Connor, born in Omaha and a graduate of Creighton University, the CWS host institution, learned of Orozco's death before the postseason began. Seeded third out of four teams at its regional in California, Virginia remains unbeaten in seven postseason games, needing one win Friday or Saturday to return to the championship series next week.
When the Cavs earned a postseason berth, Kanger shipped T-shirts to Virginia that were printed with a message to honor Orozco. The shirts hang in the Virginia dugout this week.
"I told them to wear them proud," Kanger said, "because I want everybody in the country to know about her legacy."
#virginiabaseball #SupportBlue #KerrieOn #OPD #CWS2015 Hoos supporting Ofc Orozco go #Hoos pic.twitter.com/NBkE2S90GX
— ken kanger (@OPDLtKanger) June 13, 2015After the Cavaliers' CWS-opening win over Arkansas, equipment manager Chris Moore met with Rawlings officials. Moore asked the company's on-site bat engraver to customize four bats with the same words from the T-shirts.
Besides the bat given to Kanger, two more will be presented to the members of the police department, and another will be donated for an upcoming benefit auction to assist Orozco's husband, two stepchildren and infant daughter.
"We adopted him as our own family," Moore said. "They bend over backwards. The whole town bends over backwards for you.
"Coach O'Connor is big on family. You treat people how you want to be treated."
Other CWS teams have pledged items for the auction. Miami offered a pair of game-worn helmets.
The Virginia gesture, though, includes a personal connection.
"It's obviously a sad and tragic story," O'Connor said. "But when you have things like that, you hope that people will come together and do as much as they can. And we're just trying to do a little part to assist."