Encore Season With Fullerton Draws Rave Reviews for Sisco

Steve Sisco did not plan to visit Rosenblatt Stadium again until he was playing professionally in the triple-A American Assn.

Sisco, a senior second baseman for Cal State Fullerton, had played here in 1990 when the Titans won two games in the College World Series then lost their next two and were eliminated.

When Fullerton did not receive a bid to the NCAA playoffs last season, Sisco thought his college career was over. After batting .350 and putting together a 19-game hitting streak, he was sure that a major league team would draft him.

So much for sure things.

Sisco, a former standout baseball and football player at Thousand Oaks High who transferred to Fullerton after one season at Moorpark College, is back in the World Series with a Fullerton team that is one victory from advancing to Saturday’s championship game. The winner of today’s game between the Titans and Miami will play Pepperdine for the national title.

“It’s great to be back here with a chance to win a national championship,” Sisco said. “When nobody drafted me, I was very, very disappointed. But I also decided that I really needed to turn some things around in terms of my attitude.

“When I look at it now, not getting drafted was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Sisco has eight hits in 18 at-bats (.444) and has driven in six runs through four games of the World Series. Fullerton won its opener against Florida State, lost its next game to Miami, beat Florida State and defeated Miami to force today’s elimination game.

Sisco, who is studying sports psychology, is Fullerton’s most experienced and one of its most intensely competitive players.

“He’s a throwback,” said George Horton, Fullerton’s associate head coach. “He’s a well-rounded player that does everything well and he plays harder than anyone.”

After leading Thousand Oaks to a Southern Section football championship as a quarterback his senior year, Sisco gave up the sport to concentrate on baseball.

He batted .410 with six home runs at Moorpark and developed an appreciation for the game from then-Coach Ron Stillwell, father of San Diego Padre infielder Kurt Stillwell. “I owe a lot to him,” Sisco said. “He taught me a lot of things.”

Sisco batted .294 with seven doubles in 58 games as a sophomore at Fullerton.

Last season, Sisco increased his batting average by more than 50 points. But he also was one of several Titan players who let fits of anger impact what could have been an even better performance.

Like Fullerton third baseman Phil Nevin, the No. 1 pick in the draft, Sisco has his emotions under control this season. He entered the World Series batting .322 with three home runs, a career-high 50 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases. Sisco was named to the South I Regional all-tournament team after driving in six runs during the Titans’ 13-1 victory over Ohio State in the championship game.

“I’m channeling my aggressiveness better,” Sisco said. “There’s a difference between playing hard like I did last year and the way I’m doing things now. The way I was going, if I had signed (professionally) last year, I would have been weeded out pretty quickly.”

On Monday, Sisco was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 16th round of the draft. Coincidentally, Rosenblatt Stadium is the home of the Omaha Royals, Kansas City’s triple-A affiliate.

“It would be nice to play here again in a few years,” Sisco said. “Right now, I just want to play two more games here before I sign.”