BY MEL FRANKS
CAL STATE FULLERTON SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS
DIRECTOR
1975
Fullerton's first trip to Omaha is short. So short, that in the
old double-elimination format, the Titans are eliminated before two
teams even played their first games. They lost to Arizona State,
5-3, and, the next day, Oklahoma State, 11-4.
Off the field: an Omaha resident hands his car
keys to a group of unknown Titan players looking for transportation
and says, "Here, bring it back when you're done with it."
How they got there: It was the regional
tournament that broke USC's hold on the CWS. Fullerton beat the
Trojans in the first round at Dedeaux Field and, after Pepperdine
eliminated the Trojans, the Titans knocked off the Waves in a
winner-take-all final.
1979
The Titans' second trip is far more successful. After losing the
opener to Mississippi State, the Titans fight their way back
through the losers' bracket. Righthander Dave Weatherman, who gets
knocked out early in an eventual 8-5 win over Pepperdine, comes
back to pitch the championship game and beats Arkansas, 2-1, with a
complete game 4-hitter. Starter Tony Hudson is converted to a
reliever and wins the Most Valuable Player Award, not national
player of the year Tim Wallach.
Off the field: Coach Garrido heads off
second-guessing by allowing sportswriters to help make out the
lineup cards each day. For the Pepperdine game, Mickey Palmer
starts in rightfield because of his defensive prowess over better
hitter Matt Vejar. Palmer responds with five unexpected hits in the
win over Pepperdine. In the hotel lounge that night, Los Angeles
Times writer Tom Hamilton edits the marquee that read: "Now
Appearing, Frankie and the Four Hits" by adding the words, "Palmer
had Five."
How they got there: Testing the formula before
they used it successfully in Omaha, the Titans lost their opener to
UCLA before coming back through the losers' bracket at Fresno. They
had to beat UCLA twice including a win over future major leaguer
Tim Leary.
1982
Anticlimactic is not a word frequently used with the College World
Series, but that's the best way to describe the Titans' third
appearance. After partying hard after an emotional regional win at
Arizona State, the Titans accomplished a feat still unmatched --
going "two and 'que" without even scoring a run. Wichita State's
Bryan Oelkers (7-0) and Maine's Joe Johnson (6-0) blanked the
Titans, who averaged more than 8 runs in the regional.
Off the field: After losing twice, the Titans had
to scramble to get home. A United Airlines strike was in effect,
further disrupting limited air service out of Omaha. Friendly
travel agents finally routed the team home via Minneapolis.
How they got there: Two dramatic CSF wins in
Tempe handed the Sun Devils their first home regional loss ever. On
Saturday, Mike Vanderburg hit a 2-run homer to tie the game in the
bottom of the ninth and freshman John Fishel won it, 10-9, with a
2-out single. Then on Sunday Bob Bathe and Mark Pirruccello hit
eighth-inning homers for an 8-7 lead and regional MVP Scott Wright
won it in relief.
1984
In the most offensive World Series to date, the Titans showed that
pitching and defense could still prevail. After a second game loss
to Texas, the Titans prevailed through the losers' bracket with
wins over Miami (13-5), Oddibe McDowell and Arizona State (6-1) and
Pete Incaviglia and Oklahoma State (10-2) to earn a rematch with
Texas. Reliever Eddie Delzer got the starting call about one hour
before game time and responded with seven courageous innings,
leaving due to leg cramps with a 3-1 lead thanks to a key triple by
John Bryant. Scott Wright logged save No. 22 to secure the
trophy.
Off the field: The post-championship party back
at the hotel far exceeded the budget of the sponsoring local
organization and the excess had to be taken out of the 1985
baseball budget.
How they got there: Fullerton finally prevailed
on a scorching weekend in Fresno. After beating Mark McGwire's USC
team and San Diego State, the Titans missed a chance to close it
out on Sunday when SDSU took a 9-5 decision. On Memorial Day, in
109-degree heat, the Titans blew a 7-0 lead, but John Bryant
singled home Bob Caffrey from second base with two out in the
bottom of the eleventh inning.
1988
Adapting quickly to the new double-bracket formula in Omaha, the
Titans jumped out to a 2-0 record behind starters Longo Garcia and
Mark Beck, who beat Miami, 9-3, and Stanford and Mike Mussina, 5-3,
respectively. But the second time around neither could beat
Stanford on three days rest, losing by the scores of 4-1 and 9-5
for first-year Coach Larry Cochell.
Off the field: Cochell had a dramatically
different style than predecessor Augie Garrido, who had departed
for what turned into a 3-year stay at Illinois. The players called
him "Chuck" because of his physical resemblance to famed test pilot
Chuck Yeager.
How they got there: In one of the most dramatic
moments in Titan history, Mike Ross hit a 3-run home run with two
out in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 6-3 win over Texas
A&M and the championship of a 6-team regional in Starkville,
Mississippi. Fullerton earlier beat the host Bulldogs twice with
reliever Paul Johnson working 7.1 innings for the second win over
MSU and 5 innings to beat the Aggies.
1990
For the third time, the Titans went "0-2 and barbecue" in Omaha,
but it could have been worse. In the opening game against Oklahoma
State, left fielder Rich Gonzales crashed head-first into the solid
wall of Rosenblatt Stadium chasing a fly ball. He had the ball in
his glove but because he was lying unconscious and "not in control"
of the ball, the Cowboy hitter was credited with an inside-the-park
3-run homer to cap a 7-run second inning. Gonzales was taken off
the field on a stretcher and was not permanently injured. His
stunned teammates lost that game, 14-4, for CSF's worst Omaha
defeat, and then lost to the The Citadel, 8-7, in 12 innings. The
Citadel catcher, Gettys Glaze, moved to the mound for 3.1 innings
of relief before returning behind the plate.
Off the field: Cochell got an offer he couldn't
refuse later in the summer to take the head job at Oklahoma. With
construction on a new stadium about to begin, Garrido was lured
back to Fullerton after a controversial tenure at Illinois.
How they got there: Righthander James Popoff was
the star as Fullerton went 4-0 in a 6-team regional at Austin,
Texas. Popoff easily beat Old Dominion, 16-3, and then came back to
hand Texas its second loss with a 4-hit shutout after Sam Colaruso
had beaten the Longhorns, 5-2.
1992
Long debated strategy and key plays by the Pepperdine double-play
combination denied Fullerton its third national title. Fullerton
fought back from a second-game loss to Miami to gain the
championship contest with a win over Florida State and two over
Miami, the last one in pouring rain. Playing about 12 hours after
that conclusion at noon for CBS TV, the Titans lost to the Waves,
3-2. Shortstop Erik Ekdahl's first home run of the season produced
the decisive run. Strategists disected the Fullerton eighth when
the Titans sacrificed two runners into scoring position with
eventual CWS MVP Phil Nevin coming up. Pepperdine Coach Andy Lopez
leaped at the chance to intentionally walk Nevin, putting the
go-ahead run on. The strategy worked -- barely. Jason Moler's drive
into right center was turned into a sacrifice fly by a stiff
incoming wind. Then second baseman Steve Rodriguez robbed Tony
Banks of a game-tying single to right field.
Off the field: Nevin was the first player taken
in the professional draft, conducted early in the CWS, going No. 1
to Houston. He spent an entire day doing interviews for Baseball
America as its national player of the year and was the focus of
attention everywhere he went. Yet he hit better than .500 for the
series. And many questioned the decision to continue the Friday
night win over Miami, made to ensure the CBS payday would come
through on Saturday.
How they got there: The road to Omaha went
through Baton Rouge, where Coach Skip Bertman's dynasty was still
developing. Freshman Mike Parisi pitched most of an 11-0 shutout of
the Tigers in the decisive winners' bracket game and then the
Titans got a break when LSU was eliminated by Ohio State. The
Titans routed the Buckeyes, 13-1, for the regional crown.
1994
The last two teams to qualify for the CWS had to meet in the
opening game and the hitters weren't sharp. Georgia Tech's Brad
Rigby tossed a 3-hit shutout for a 2-0 win over Mike Parisi and the
Titans, who had shut out Georgia Tech earlier in the year in
Fullerton. Rested, the Titans hitters exploded for a 20-6 win over
LSU and a 10-3 romp over Florida State to earn another shot at the
Yellowjackets and Rigby. Parisi was his match this time. The score
was 2-2 in the fourth and it didn't change until the 12th inning,
when Nomar Garciaparra led off with a home run off Chad Rolish.
Dante Powell reached third with no outs in the bottom half but the
Titans couldn't score.
Off the field: Another "Fullerton" rule change.
In the future, the last team to qualify would be placed in the
bracket that begins play on Saturday.
How they got there: By capturing perhaps the most
difficult regional tournament victory of them all. In the decisive
winners' bracket game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Fullerton took an
11-8 lead over host Oklahoma State into the bottom of the ninth.
Jake Benz hit a 2-out, 3-run walk-off home run for a 13-11 OSU win.
The Titans came back the next morning to beat Memphis, 12-5, to get
another chance at OSU in stifling heat and humidity with no fresh
pitchers. Five hurlers including Dan Ricabal, who worked five
innings in the morning, held the Cowboys to five runs. But it's 5-4
OSU in the ninth, two out and the bases loaded. Brian King singles
to center to score the tying run but pinch runner Tony Fetchel was
thrown out trying to score the winning run. Fullerton put a
patchwork defense on the field in the tenth including lightly used
shortstop Chris Remala and third baseman Steve Rath, who caught a
line drive for his only fielding chance of the season. In the
bottom of the tenth, OSU relief ace Rob Gaiko entered with the
bases loaded and one out and hit pinch-hitter Robert Matos in the
wrist with his second pitch to force in the winning run.
1995
Possibly the greatest college baseball team ever roared through
Omaha, becoming the first No. 1 seed to live up to the hype. After
a nervous 6-5 win over Stanford -- those guys again -- in the
opener, the Titans rolled elevens to twice rout Tennessee and Todd
Helton (11-1 and 11-0) and then beat USC, 11-5, behind Mark
Kotsay's two home runs and close-out relief pitching. The Titans
won everything that season -- the Anaheim Hilton and Towers
Classic, the conference title, the post-season tournament and the
regional before adding the ultimate trophy.
Off the field: The Titans earned themselves a
September trip to the White House as the guests of President Bill
Clinton.
How they got there: Baton Rouge proved a popular
spot again for the Titans, who went 4-0 for the second time at LSU.
Rice, with Jose Cruz, Jr., and Lance Berkman, stood in the way in
the final two games, going easily by a 17-7 score but then hanging
tough in an 8-7 finale. Freshman Mike Lamb drove in the winning run
in the top of the ninth with a sacrifice fly.
1999
A three-year absence, equalling the longest void in the Titans'
Roads to Omaha, came to an end but the Stanford jinx was renewed as
the Cardinal beat the Titans in the opening round, 9-2. Kirk
Saarloos saved Matt Sorensen's 4-2 win over Texas A&M but
Florida State sent the Titans home 1-2 with a 7-2 victory.
Off the field: Kevin Costner's visit turned into
a Hollywood event. The Cal State Fullerton alum rented a local
cineplex on Sunday morning and invited all the teams and CWS
officials to an uncut showing of his latest baseball film, "For
Love of the Game." Sorensen jumped up on stage at the Opening
Ceremonies and played "air guitar" with country group Sawyer
Brown.
How they got there: The first year of the Super
Regional format created all kinds of controversy. Fullerton went
3-0 to win a regional at Notre Dame, but after the final victory,
four Titan players were cited in a gravel-throwing incident that
got them banned from the Super Regionals, held at Ohio State.
Fullerton thought it would be the host of the new 2-out-of-3 format
because of its higher seeding but the Buckeyes and their bigger
stadium and following got the nod (the rule would be changed the
next year). Minus stars Adam Johnson and David Bacani, the Titans
overcame an opening loss to pound the Buckeyes, 11-5 and 13-2.
2001
Beloved University of Nebraska made its first Omaha appearance and
the normally neutral fans turned a bright shade of red for the
opening game vs. Fullerton on a weekend that President George W.
Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Jon Smith got a 5-4 win
with help form Mike Nunez and Chad Cordero. David Bacani's solo
home run in the fifth broke a 4-4 tie. But Stanford reared its ugly
head for a 5-2 win in 10 innings as Cordero was beaten after
escaping a ninth-inning jam. Fullerton beat Tulane but lost again
to Stanford, 4-1, as Jeremy Guthrie got 20 of 21 outs on strikeouts
or ground balls.
Off the field: Baseball SID Ryan Ermeling missed
what would have been his first College World Series, staying at
home to await the birth of his first child. Alexis was born on June
15, two days after the Titans were eliminated.
How they got there: Fullerton qualified for Omaha
on its home field for the first time. The Titans won their first
home regional (they finished second to USC in 2000) by winning a
Game No. 7 over Texas Tech behind Jon Smith. That earned them a
Super Regional hosting role for the first time and they overpowered
Mississippi State. Mike Rouse had three home runs in a 13-2 win and
then Aaron Rifkin hit three in a 9-3 decision.
2003
In another revision of the format, the Titans came within a run of
meeting Rice in a best 2-out-of-3 series for the national
championship. After beating LSU (8-2) and Stanford (6-5), the
Titans needed only one more win to advance. But Stanford stayed
alive with a 5-3 victory and then became the first team all season
to overcome a 3-run deficit against Fullerton with a 7-5 win in 10
innings. Jonny Ash's first career home run off Chad Cordero tied
the game in the seventh and Danny Putnam hit a 2-run game winner in
the tenth off Darric Merrill. Justin Turner survived a beaning in
the face but the Titans could not overcome 15 runners left on base
including three in the eighth inning.
Off the field: The blue and orange got plenty of
exposure. Lead singer of the rock group Smashmouth wore a Titans'
warmup shirt during their performance at the Opening Ceremonies.
The CSF Alumni Association rented a house across the street from
the stadium for hospitality and it became a mecca for fans before
and after games, including some local converts.
How they got there: Fullerton stayed home at
Goodwin Field again with great success. The Titans went 3-0 in a
home regional for the first time by beating San Diego and then
Notre Dame twice. In possibly the tourney's toughest Super Regional
matchup, the Titans won two of three from Arizona State behind the
outstanding starting pitching of Jason Windsor and Dustin
Miller.
2004
The number 13 proved extremely lucky for the Titans as they won
their fourth national title by sweeping the championship series in
two games over heavily favored and No. 1-seeded Texas with former
Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido. Making their 13th consecutive trip
to the NCAA playoffs and their 13th trip to Omaha, the Titans spent
13 nights in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is 13 miles from
Rosenblatt Stadium, which is located on 13th street. Ricky Romero
put the Titans in the driver's seat in their bracket as he logged
win No. 13 in beating No. 1-ranked Miami in Coach George Horton's
13th game in the CWS. Jason Windsor logged his 13th win with a 3-2
complete-game victory over the Longhorns in the final game.
Off the field: The matchup of the mentor
(Garrido) and pupil (Horton) took center stage despite efforts by
both coaches to downplay their roles. A medical problem prevented
Kevin Costner from attending and having to show allegiance publicly
to either his good friend Garrido or his alma mater, Fullerton. The
"Return of Titan House," a pre and post-game Fullerton fan
headquarters across the street from the stadium, reached new
heights. The fans cheered the team bus in and out of the stadium
each day and the players showed up en masse by foot for the
post-title celebration.
How they got there: After a 15-16 start, just
qualifying for the post-season seemed an optimistic goal. But a
32-6 finish that included a record-breaking 19-2 run to the Big
West Conference title gained the Titans a host role for the
regionals, albeit as a No. 2 seed to No. 1-seeded and apparently
snake-bitten Arizona State. A stunning extra-inning loss to
Pepperdine forced the Titans to win three elimination games to
qualify for the Super Regionals, where they drew a break by drawing
another hosting role after No. 3-seeded Tulane won the regional at
No. 1-seeded Mississippi. Fullerton dispatched the Green Wave in
two games behind Windsor and Romero.
2006
The starting pitching that carried the Titans through a tremendous
season and helped lead the nation in earned run average didn't
perform with the same efficiency in Omaha. The Titans held the lead
for only six innings the entire College World Series and they
finally ran out of rallies. A 13-inning loss to North Carolina put
them in the losers' bracket. They were one strike away from
elimination before a 3-run ninth inning eliminated Georgia Tech and
a 4-run rally erased a 6-3 deficit to eliminate No. 1-seeded
Clemson. Down by the same score to North Carolina, the Titans
scored twice and then saw the potential tying run first cut down at
the plate on a squeeze play in the eighth and then caught against
the left-field wall in the ninth.
Off the field: The Titans maximized their rare
shot at national TV exposure. Their opening game vs. North Carolina
went 4:53, making it the second longest game in CWS history. And
their win over Clemson took 4:05, making it the third longest
9-inning game ever at the CWS. "Titan House" again proved extremely
popular and the team even ate its post-game meals there three out
of four times.
How they got there: A suspect starting rotation
in January turned magnificent as Wes Roemer, Lauren Gagnier and
Dustin Miller combined for a 39-6 record before the CWS. The Titans
were ranked No. 1 or 2 nationally most of April and May, went 6-0
vs. Long Beach State and won the Big West title by six games. They
got to host in the post-season again, sweeping a Regional against
Fresno State, San Diego and Saint Louis by a combined score of
25-6, and sweeping the Super Regional against Missouri, 7-1 and
9-1, behind Roemer and Gagnier.
2007
The Titans picked up where they left off in 2006, playing dramatic
games down to the final pitch but with less success. In the opener
against Oregon State, Wes Roemer gave up two more home runs and
made a throwing error that was decisive in a 3-2 loss. A two-out
rally in the ninth inning ended with Titans on the corners. In an
elimination game, Fullerton and UC Irvine went toe-to-toe for a CWS
record 5:40 before the Anteaters won their first game ever in
Omaha, 5-4, in 13 heart-stopping innings.
Off the field: The Left Coast, Left Bracket
bunched a maximum of four West Coast teams -- two from the Big West
Conference and two from the Pac-10 -- into Bracket No. 2. The
Pac-10 won the openers to leave the Titans and Anteaters in a
battle for survival that took on epic proportions. Coach George
Horton, matched as pupil against mentor Augie Garrido in 2004, had
to battle protege Dave Serrano in an elimination game. UCI copied
the Titan practice of renting hospitality headquarters across the
street from Rosenblatt Stadium as Cal State Omaha battled Eater
Nation in consumption of food and beverage.
How they got there: The Titans found out what
life on the bubble was like. They lost 11 of their final 17
regular-season games including the final four Big West series to
finish in fifth place with a 10-11 record. But given new life with
an at-large berth into the regionals, they played like Titans of
old. They avoided host University of San Diego (0-2) and easily
handled Minnesota (7-1) and Fresno State twice (6-4 and 13-2) to
advance to a Super Regional, which they got to host when UCLA
upended Long Beach State in the Blair Field Regional. Wes Roemer
easily avenged a loss to Tyson Brummett by a 12-2 count and then a
home run by Clark Hardman and a seventh-inning single by Matt
Wallach were enough to beat the Bruins, 2-1, behind the pitching of
Jeff Kaplan, winner Adam Jorgenson and Bryan Harris, who got the
save.
2009
This was probably the second most disappointing performance of the
Titans' 16 trips to Omaha, "topped" only by a pair of shutout
losses in 1982 after dethroning defending national champion Arizona
State in Tempe in the Regional. Seeded No. 2 nationally and on a
roll to end the season, the Titans played out of character -- or
were forced to by Arkansas and Virginia. The young pitchers had
trouble throwing strikes and the offense wasted several
opportunities to add to a respectable showing of 11 runs in two
games. The reckless aggressiveness on the basepaths never
materialized as the Titans never led at the end of a single inning.
And yet, in each game, the Titans staged aborted rallies, falling a
big hit shy of tying the scores -- 10-6 to Arkansa and 7-5 to
Virginia.
Off the field: The head coaches were the big
news. Four had brought multiple schools to Omaha. One was here for
the fourth year in a row. One grew up across the river, played at
Creighton and coached alongside his opening day opponent. Another
announced his retirement and then brought his school to Omaha for
the first time. A former Nebraska coach got his first win after
three 0-2 and cues. And the sport's winningest coach picked up wins
with a walk-off walk and a 10-run rally to overcome a 6-run
deficit. Jared Clark made news when his practice day home run broke
the windshield of a passing motorist, an LSU fan who had Jared
autograph the ball.
How they got there: Titans cruise through
Regionals and Super Regionals unbeaten for third time but easily by
biggest margin of victory, outscoring foes 64-11. Titans led for 43
innings and trailed for only one. Only close game was 7-4 win over
Gonzaga after 4-4 tie through five innings. Dustin Garneau edges
Khris Davis for Regional MVP honors as Titans hit .476 and
Christian Coilon is LOW man among regulars at .429. Titans hit .394
to .129 for Louisville in Super Regional routs, 12-0 and
11-2.