Titans Count on Cast of Characters in Regional

That big thing sticking up down there by first base? D.C. Olsen’s derriere.

“That’s the way he takes ground balls,” said Cal State Fullerton second baseman Jeremy Carr, laughing. “His butt is in the air. He doesn’t get it down.”

All season, Titan coaches have been reminding Olsen, Fullerton’s first baseman, of a key fielding rule. The lower your center of gravity, the better chance you have of fielding the baseball.

Of course, Carr doesn’t have much room to talk. His teammates call him “Bitter” because he’s never happy--with umpires, teammates or himself.

And those are just two members of this Titan cast that today opens a run at a second consecutive trip to the NCAA College World Series. Fullerton, seeded second in the Central II Regional, plays fifth-seeded Maine at 10 a.m. (PDT) today.

Around the horn it goes. Shortstop Nate Rodriquez never misses a Raider game. The Titans call third baseman Jeff Ferguson “Wayne” because of his resemblance to the Kings’ Gretzky.

In the outfield, right fielder Jim Betzsold’s greatest thrill is slamming into the Louisiana State catcher in last season’s regional. It knocked the Tiger catcher out of the game, but it also disabled Betzsold for the College World Series.

Dante Powell, the center fielder, is a baseball cap freak, owning models representing dozens of colleges. And left fielder Tony Banks says he is related to Richard Street and Melvin Franklin of The Temptations.

Catcher Bret Hemphill also claims a highly successful relative, albeit in a different field: His cousin is Brent Jones, a tight end with the San Francisco 49ers.

Designated hitter Adam Millan? He has a tough-guy persona. Likes to intimidate. The scouting report, though, says that beneath all that is a somewhat softer demeanor.

Six of these guys had at least a few at-bats in last season’s College World Series.

And all of them would like to be able to be able to talk about this season’s College World Series from personal experience.

They know that, to reach that level, they must be successful this weekend on the field in the same areas in which they like to razz each other off of the field: Little things.

They must bunt for hits and bunt for sacrifices. They must squeeze bunt. They must steal a base here and hit and run there.

This is a team that makes its living off of making others miserable.

“That’s what wins big ballgames--the little game,” Powell said. “A lot of times, you think a team wins by having guys hit 25 home runs. But the little game works almost all of the time. It’s difficult to stop.”

Said Banks: “You can set up a whole lot of things, then, if you’re looking for something big to happen while they’re looking for something little, bam! Then the big game happens.”

Powell and Carr were one-two in the Big West in steals, with 40 and 36. It was only the second time in school history that two players each stole more than 30 bases.

Maine Coach John Winkin is well aware of Fullerton’s penchant for being pesky.

“We’ve got to be concerned with their speed,” said Winkin, whose team committed 101 errors in 58 games. “That is going to be a real test for us.”

Fullerton’s approach to this year’s NCAA tournament is totally different than last year’s even though last year’s team went all the way to the championship game of the College World Series before losing to Pepperdine.

“Last year’s team had a confidence and cockiness that this year’s team doesn’t,” Coach Augie Garrido said.

But this year’s team is more unified, and Garrido thinks that is what banded the team together through the difficulties of a 7-8 record in its last 15 games.

“If it hadn’t been for that, it probably would have been pretty ugly,” Garrido admitted.

Now, as they prepare for their first game in two weeks, the Titans (33-17) will face a Maine team that will start a bald, 6-foot-3, 240-pound pitcher--right-hander Mark Ballard (8-2, 2.51 ERA)--and a freshman (Matt Gladu) at shortstop because its regular (Shannon Knox) has a broken bone in his hand.

Otherwise, the Black Bears (33-25) are just happy to have arrived. They got bad information early Monday from a tournament official and were in the process of booking a flight to Tallahassee, Fla., for the regional hosted by Florida State when they discovered they were going to Austin.

Winkin, though, wasn’t displeased.

“The fact that four of the six teams have at least 20 losses--one (Fullerton) has 17 and one (Texas) has 14--indicates that there’s pretty good parity in this tournament,” he said.

Notes

Right-hander Mike Parisi (9-3, 4.81) will start for Fullerton today with right-hander Dan Ricabal (11-2, 3.39) going on Saturday. If the Titans win today, they play the winner of the Kentucky-USC game on Saturday at 6 p.m. (PDT). If the Titans lose, they play the McNeese State-Texas loser at 10 a.m. (PDT).

The Central II Field

CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS

Coach: Augie Garrido (1,001-481-7 career record).

1993 Record: 33-17.

How They Got Here: At-large berth (second place Big West Conference).

Key Players: Center fielder Dante Powell (.344, 12 home runs, 57 RBIs, 40 stolen bases), second baseman Jeremy Carr (.352, 36 stolen bases), right-handed pitcher Dan Ricabal (11-2, 3.39 ERA), right-handed pitcher Mike Parisi (9-3, 4.81 ERA).

Notes: Of 17 losses, only two came to teams unranked at time of game. . . . Fifteen trips to Regionals in 19 years, 12 consecutive Regional victories, 17-3 in Regionals dating back to 1984. . . . Designated hitter Adam Millan leads team with 18 doubles. . . . Against USC this season, Titans are 2-0.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Coach: Keith Madison (470-333-2 career).

1993 Record: 38-21-1.

How They Got Here: At-large berth (third place Southeastern Conference Eastern Division).

Key Players: Designated hitter Brad Hindersman (.361, 55 RBIs), shortstop Jeff Michael (.346, 28 stolen bases), second baseman Eddie Brooks (.345, 14 home runs, 49 RBIs), left fielder Matt Bragga (.333, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs).

Notes: First NCAA tournament appearance since 1988 and only fourth overall appearance. . . . Only 14-14-1 in conference play but 17-5-1 in last 23 games. . . . Bragga and Hindersman each collected three homers in SEC tournament.

MAINE BLACK BEARS

Coach: John Winkin (875-562-11 career).

1993 Record: 33-25.

How They Got Here: North Atlantic Conference champions.

Key Players: RHP Mark Ballard (8-2, nine earned runs in last 59 innings), center fielder Chad White (.360, 35 SBs), first baseman Gabe Duross (.341, 46 RBIs), catcher Shawn Tobin (.325).

Notes: Winkin’s career record, covering 38 years, ranks 14th among active Division I coaches. . . . Under Winkin, Maine has played in six College World Series and finished third nationally twice. . . . Maine, 1-1 against Fullerton, knocked the Titans out of the 1982 College World Series with a 6-0 victory. . . . Third baseman Justin Tomberlin missed part of Maine’s early-season schedule while playing on the Black Bears’ NCAA champion hockey team.

McNEESE STATE COWBOYS

Coach: Tony Robichaux (202-130 career).

1993 Record: 37-21.

How They Got Here: Southland Conference champions.

Key Players: Left fielder Deron Hofstetter (.347), first baseman Clint Gould (.336, 10 home runs, 52 RBIs), third baseman Grier Jones (.301, 53 RBIs), LHP Greg Garner (9-5, 3.48 ERA).

Notes: McNeese State, which has a .962 fielding percentage, turned a school-record 56 double plays this season. . . . Cowboys’ 37 victories is also a school record. . . . In past four games, team has allowed only five runs, 25 hits and an 0.99 ERA. . . . Hofstetter was the national junior college batting champion last year at Barton (Kans.) Community College. . . . Jones’ father, Grier Sr., is a PGA golf pro.

TEXAS LONGHORNS

Coach: Cliff Gustafson (1,296-307-2 career).

1993 Record: 46-14.

How They Got Here: At-large berth (tied for second in Southwest Conference).

Key Players: First baseman Braxton Hickman (.404, 73 RBIs), designated hitter and RHP Brooks Kieschnick (.376, 19 HRs, 76 RBIs, 14-3 on the mound, 3.08 ERA).

Notes: The rap on the Longhorns is that when Kieschnick pitches, they are No. 1 in the nation--but when he isn’t, they aren’t even close. . . . Kieschnick, who was named Collegiate Baseball’s 1993 player of the year, holds Texas’ school record with 43 career homers . . . Texas has made more tournament appearances (26) than any other school in NCAA history. . . . Gustafson is second all-time among Division I coaches behind former USC Coach Rod Dedeaux. . . . Texas has hosted 15 consecutive NCAA Regionals.

SOUTHERN CAL TROJANS

Coach: Mike Gillespie (255-171-1 career).

1993 Record: 32-27.

How They Got Here: At-large berth (fourth place Pac 10 Southern Division).

Key Players: RHP Mike Collatt (8-4, 4.32 ERA), catcher Casey Burrill (.414, 13 home runs, 52 RBIs), shortstop Gabe Alvarez (.333, 51 RBIs), right fielder Geoff Jenkins (.331, 48 RBIs).

Notes: Won three consecutive games in Carolina Invitational at season’s end, including a 14-1 drubbing of North Carolina State--seeded No. 1 in Midwest Regional. . . . Won five of last seven games. . . . Won most championship titles in NCAA (11). . . . Jenkins and Alvarez are freshmen.