By Brian Robin
The Ghost of Seasons Past made an appearance last spring at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field, courtesy of the Ghost of Seasons Future. This illustrated clearly where Cal State Fullerton had been and where it was going.
Goodwin Field was undergoing construction last spring. So was the next-door Anderson Family Field, home of the softball team — construction that will further stamp the Titans' baseball and softball teams deeper on the national conscience in their respective sports. And construction that further announces Cal State Fullerton's commitment to investing in its marquee programs.
In the meantime, however, the construction deprived the Titans' baseball players of a place to change before games. Enter Steve DiTolla, who spearheaded the construction projects as his farewell gift to the university he served for 35 years. As the just-retired senior associate athletic director and lieutenant to seven athletic directors, DiTolla has been-there, done-that, solved-this and fixed-that for generations of Titan athletes, coaches and staff.
This latest problem had an easy fix, one that allowed DiTolla to call upon the past as he pointed to the future.
"When the construction was going on, the kids didn't have a place to change. We thought about putting trailers there, but during the pandemic, it didn't make much sense," he said. "We didn't have any fans; there was nobody around. So, we used it to our advantage. Back in the day when home plate was in left field, the players used to change in the parking lot.
"So, they changed in the parking lot while the construction was going on last spring. They learned what it meant to be a Titan and what it means to be an underdog."
When the $15.1 million renovation is complete early next year, what it means to be a Titan baseball or softball player won't change. But the surroundings will. The four-plus-year project will significantly upgrade the baseball and softball facilities with more space and better amenities.