COLLEGE BASEBALL : Long Beach Hopes for Long Stay in Omaha

Cal State Long Beach is participating in the College World Series for the second time in three years, and this time the 49ers plan to stick around Omaha longer than they did in 1989, when they were quickly eliminated after consecutive losses to Texas and Louisiana State.

Long Beach, under third-year Coach Dave Snow, is seeded sixth in the eight-team double-elimination tournament that begins today at Rosenblatt Stadium with top-seeded Florida State playing No. 8 Fresno State and No. 4 Louisiana State meeting No. 5 Florida.

Long Beach will face No. 3 Wichita State Saturday after a nationally televised game between No. 2 Clemson and No. 7 Creighton.

Four Long Beach players--pitchers Andy Croghan, Dennis Gray and Ed Lopez and outfielder Alan Burke--played on the ’89 team that swept through a regional at Tucson and advanced to its first World Series appearance with a 50-13 record.

It was a magical season that surpassed the expectations of everyone associated with the Long Beach program. The whirlwind success, however, fizzled abruptly at Omaha, where the 49ers never got on track.

This year, Long Beach was a preseason favorite to reach the World Series. The 49ers finished third in the Big West Conference, received an at-large bid to the playoffs and won a tough regional at Austin, Tex., last weekend. The 49ers are not surprised to be among the final eight teams.

“We have people in the program now that came here believing that this could happen,” Snow said from Omaha. “A couple years ago, it was just such an upset and such a big deal to win the regional at Arizona that I don’t think we ever got our feet back on the ground when it came to playing baseball here.

“This team is a little more mature in that regard. I sense a little different feeling. Hopefully, we can regain the focus that we took into Texas and maintained for a few days there.”

Junior right-hander Steve Trachsel, who is 11-5 with a 2.64 earned-run average, is expected to start for the 49ers (44-22) against Wichita State.

Left-hander Steve Whitaker (11-3, 2.67), right-hander Croghan (9-2, 3.67) and right-hander Todd Taylor (7-2, 2.70) are the 49ers’ other top starters. Jason Giambi is batting .400; Scott Talanoa is hitting .394 with a team-high 75 runs batted in, and Brent Cookson is hitting .368 with a team-leading 15 home runs.

Wichita State (63-12), the 1989 national champion, also has a deep pitching staff, led by sophomore right-hander Kennie Steenstra (15-0, 1.98) and junior right-hander Tyler Green (11-1). Chris Wimmer is batting .408, and Jim Audley has a team-high 76 RBIs.

Here is a capsule look at the other teams in the World Series.

Florida State (57-12)--The Seminoles are making their 11th World Series appearance, the fifth under Coach Mike Martin. Eduardo Perez, son of former major leaguer Tony Perez, is batting .377 with 11 homers and 58 RBIs. Pedro Grifol is batting .347 with 16 homers and 80 RBIs. Tim Davis (9-1), Roger Bailey (11-2) and Bryan Harris (7-2) anchor a pitching staff that has a 3.31 ERA.

Clemson (60-8)--The Tigers are making their sixth World Series appearance under Coach Bill Wilhelm. Clemson set a school record for wins and is averaging 10.3 runs a game. Chad Phillips is batting .397, and Eric Macrina is batting .329 with 23 homers and 79 RBIs. Jason Angel is 14-1 with a 2.00 ERA, and Mike Kimbrell is 11-0.

Louisiana State (51-18)--LSU is making its third consecutive World Series appearance and its fifth in six years, but the Tigers are still searching for their first NCAA title. Lyle Mouton is batting .352, and Gary Hymel has 21 homers. Mike Sirotka (10-0, 2.79) and Chad Ogea (11-5, 3.03) are the Tigers’ top pitchers.

Florida (49-19)--Mario Linares has a team-high .345 average for the Gators and is the top power hitter with 12 homers. John Burke (8-4, 2.11), who has 125 strikeouts in 94 innings, is the ace of a staff that also includes Marc Valdes (12-4) and Ron Scott (10-2).

Creighton (49-20)--After 41 years as host of the World Series, hometown Creighton makes its first appearance. The Bluejays won the West I regional at USC last weekend and displayed the offense that helped them lead the nation in batting this season. Scott Stahoviak, most valuable player of that regional, is batting .456. Mike Heathcott (14-3) and Alan Benes (11-3) are the team’s top pitchers.

Fresno State (41-21)--The Bulldogs, making their third World Series appearance under Coach Bob Bennett, tied Cal State Fullerton for the Big West Conference championship and advanced to Omaha by defeating Cal State Northridge for the championship of the West II regional at Fresno. Junior right-hander Bobby Jones is 15-1 with a 1.81 ERA, has 154 strikeouts in 154 innings and has pitched 16 complete games. Jason Wood leads the Bulldogs with a .343 batting average.

Information please: Big West Conference members Long Beach and Fresno State are in the World Series. Cal State Fullerton, which finished 34-22 and tied Fresno State for the Big West championship, did not even make the 48-team playoffs. Neither did Notre Dame, which finished 45-16.

This year, representatives from Mississippi State (40-19), California (34-25), Missouri (39-18), St. John’s (33-12-1), and Rider (32-14-1) were on the eight-member tournament selection committee. Each received an at-large bid.

“We’ve got to come up with a committee of people that are not involved with teams under consideration for at-large berths,” Notre Dame Coach Pat Murphy said.

Said Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido: “As coaches, we hear about strength of schedule, RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) and all that, but no one will say exactly why certain teams were picked and others weren’t.

“The complaint here is lack of explanation from the committee about specifics, which leaves it open to speculation about motive . . . .

“Maybe the system is as good as it can be. I just want to know that.”

Good move: College baseball fans viewing the World Series on television will not be seeing the advertising billboards that have adorned the outfield wall for years.

As part of a four-year, 8-million renovation of the stadium, which is also home to the triple-A Omaha Royals, thick padding has been installed on the wall.

Last year, Cal State Fullerton outfielder Rich Gonzales suffered a concussion when he ran into the wall attempting to catch a fly ball.

Rebuilding job: USC’s opportunity to win a regional at home for the first time since 1978 ended when the Trojans lost, 7-3, to Hawaii last Sunday at Dedeaux Field.

But the fatal blow was delivered earlier that same day when Creighton rallied to beat USC, 8-7, in 10 innings.

“That’s the one that haunts us,” Trojan Coach Mike Gillespie said. “We were hugely, monumentally, disappointed by having let it get away from us.

“We could not deliver the knockout punch when we had a chance to do it.”

USC will probably have to wait a few years to get a similar opportunity.

Next season, the Trojans will be without senior third baseman Jeff Cirillo and senior outfielders Murph Proctor and Corey Aurand. They also are expected to lose All-American outfielder Mark Smith, second baseman Brett Jenkins and first baseman Mike Robertson--all juniors--to professional baseball.

Postseason player: Cal State Northridge fell short of reaching the World Series in its first season at the Division I level, but the Matadors commanded respect--and a spot among the top 25--throughout the season.

Last weekend in the West II regional at Fresno, Northridge second baseman Scott Richardson was the center of attention. The sophomore from Eisenhower High in Rialto had 10 hits in 22 at-bats, including five homers.

Richardson, 6 feet 1 and 175 pounds, had only four home runs in 486 previous at-bats.

Reprieve: UC Irvine’s baseball program is still in business after surviving budget cuts that threatened to make it a casualty.

“I’m recruiting freshmen,” Irvine Coach Mike Gerakos said. “I plan on being here through their graduation.”

Gerakos, however, has already lost two recruits who signed letters of intent with the Anteaters, including Rolling Hills High pitcher Kirt Kishita.

“Just the fact that a Division I school was thinking of dropping baseball, it shook me up,” Kishita told Rob Fernas of The Times. “It showed me that the school is not supportive of the baseball team. It didn’t seem like a place that has a stable program.”

Said Gerakos: “I’m back on the recruiting trail and trying to assess the damage,” he said. “The program will survive.”

The Southern California Connection

Southern California schools in the Division I College World Series since 1981:

Year School Coach NCAA Champion 1991 Cal State Long Beach Dave Snow -- 1990 Cal State Fullerton Larry Cochell Georgia 1989 Cal State Long Beach Dave Snow Wichita State 1988 Cal State Fullerton Larry Cochell Stanford 1987 None Stanford 1986 Loyola Marymout Dave Snow Arizona 1985 None Miami 1984 Cal State Fullerton Augie Garrido Cal State Fullerton 1983 None Texas 1982 Cal State Fullerton Augie Garrido Miami 1981 None Arizona State

Total World Series Appearances USC: 17 (11 NCAA titles) Fullerton: 6 (2 NCAA titles Long Beach: 2 Pepperdine: 1 UCLA: 1 Loyola: 1 Cal State Los Angeles: 1