Event Isn’t Exactly a Bonanza

Cal State Fullerton, like every other school in the California State University system, has budget problems. And just because the Titan baseball team will make its 13th appearance in the College World Series on Saturday doesn’t mean the Fullerton athletic program will be in any better shape.

Among “major” college sports, this is an undeniable truth when it comes to baseball:

It’s not football or basketball.

In football, bowl championship series teams each earned about $14 million to be divided, in most cases, among the schools in their conference.

In basketball, multibillion-dollar television contracts have resulted in lucrative paydays for every member of the 65-team tournament field. Pacific, which won a game before being eliminated in the second round, earned $290,000 for the Big West Conference.

But the Big West won’t get any kind of check from Fullerton earning a place among college baseball’s final eight teams. The Titans won’t, either -- except to cover some of their expenses.

The reason: The financial rewards from baseball are modest -- a profit of about $2 million in each of the last two years -- and relatively recent.

Only since 1998, the first season the NCAA expanded its baseball playoffs to the current three-tier format -- 16 four-team regionals, eight best-of-three super regionals, then an eight-team final -- have the playoffs made money.

What profit there is, the NCAA says, is divided evenly among all Division I member schools. That check, by all accounts, isn’t nearly big enough to help a financially strapped college athletic program.

“We just hope the sport continues to grow in popularity so that some day it will command a major television contract,” Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said.

The television following does seem to be growing -- ESPN said that last year’s national championship game between Rice and Stanford was the most-watched college baseball game in the history of the network -- but progress has come in baby steps.

Last year was the first time ESPN affiliates televised each of the super regionals as part of an 11-year, $100-million deal to broadcast 21 NCAA championships. In contrast, CBS and ESPN paid the NCAA $6.2 billion to broadcast the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

George Horton, Fullerton’s baseball coach, said he would like to see baseball teams rewarded on their performance in a way similar to that of football and basketball teams -- even if the bonuses are much smaller.

“It’s unfortunate for us, being a state institution here under a budget crunch, that there isn’t some positive revenue coming back from this environment,” Horton said. “There are some people that are part of our staff and we cannot afford to take them.”

Schools that generate money from big-time football and basketball programs, “their per diem is better and the university buys tickets for the players’ families,” Horton said. “Because we don’t have the resources, we sometimes incur a deficit when we go to Omaha.”

Funding isn’t a problem for the other schools in the College World Series.

In football this year, Miami and Louisiana State were in BCS games and Georgia, Arkansas and Texas were in other major bowl games. South Carolina and Arizona didn’t play in the postseason but still enjoyed the financial shares from conference rivals who did.

In basketball, Arizona, South Carolina and Texas were tournament teams.

Fullerton had a losing record and was bounced from the Big West tournament in the first round.

Farrell said revenue from the baseball tournament wasn’t missed because it had never been expected. But the Big West commissioner, who is also chair of the Division I baseball issues committee, said that may change as the sport continues to grow nationally.

Whether schools might someday receive revenue based on their performance in the NCAA playoffs may depend on baseball gaining a larger foothold in northern cities, Farrell said.

“I don’t think we’ve come anywhere close to peaking in terms of interest,” he said. “We have to continue to grow interest in the Northeast and Midwest. There are huge population centers in those markets and in cities like New York, Chicago or Boston, we have to try to give those teams some opportunity to really compete for the national championship.

“That’s where TV ratings have the greatest impact. With ratings comes revenue.”

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Capsules

A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series. Note: Coaches’ records at current schools through super regionals:

*--* No. 1 TEXAS (55-13)

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* Coach: Augie Garrido (275-160-1, eighth year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Austin regional: beat Youngstown State, 10-3; beat Oral Roberts, 7-5; beat Oral Roberts, 7-3. Won Austin super regional: beat Vanderbilt, 15-3; beat Vanderbilt, 10-2.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 2-0 (vs. Cal State Fullerton).

* Players to watch: RHP J. Brent Cox (1.65, 5-1, five saves), LHP J.P. Howell (14-2, 2.26 ERA), 2B Seth Johnston (.290, 6 HRs, 45 RBIs, 15 SBs), OF Carson Kainer (.351, 21 RBIs), RHP Sam LeCure (9-3, 2.40), LHP Justin Simmons (10-3, 4.21), RHP Huston Street (5-1, 1.46, 12 saves), OF Drew Stubbs (.311, 8, 44, 27 SBs), C Taylor Teagarden (.286, 9, 49), 1B Curtis Thigpen (.369, 7, 48).

*--* No. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA (50-15)

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* Coach: Ray Tanner (369-150, eighth year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Columbia regional: beat the Citadel, 12-4; beat North Carolina, 5-2; beat North Carolina, 7-6. Won Columbia super regional: beat East Carolina, 4-2; beat East Carolina, 5-3.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 4-6 (1-2 vs. Georgia; 1-2 vs. LSU; 2-2 vs. Arkansas).

* Players to watch: RHP Chad Blackwell (4-3, 2.79, 19 saves), RHP Billy Buckner (6-2, 3.16), LHP Matt Campbell (10-4, 2.88), OF Michael Campbell (.315, 14, 50), RHP Cliff Donald (2-0, 1.85), 2B Kevin Melillo (.304, 9, 35), 1B Steve Pearce (.327, 20, 65), C Landon Powell (.332, 19, 65), RHP Aaron Rawl (12-4, 4.29), SS Steven Tolleson (.320, 3, 23), OF Brendan Winn (.310, 18, 64).

*--* No. 3 MIAMI (49-11)

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* Coach: Jim Morris (521-176-2, 11th year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Coral Gables regional: beat St. Bonaventure, 6-3; beat North Carolina State, 19-5; beat Florida Atlantic, 19-6. Won Coral Gables super regional: beat Florida, 8-7; beat Florida, 3-1.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.

* Players to watch: OF Brian Barton (.365, 6, 45), SS-DH Ryan Braun (.347, 9, 43, 20 SBs), 1B Jim Burt (.373, 14, 72), LHP Brandon Camardese (6-2, 3.86), RHP Cesar Carrillo (11-0, 2.73), LHP J.D. Cockroft (9-4, 3.41), RHP Danny Gil (8-0, 3.11, five saves), OF Jon Jay (.364, 5, 49, 19 SBs), 2B Adam Ricks (.336, 10, 48), C Erick San Pedro (.330, 12, 52).

*--* No. 4 GEORGIA (43-21)

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* Coach: David Perno (104-76, third year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Athens regional: beat Middle Tennessee, 16-2; beat Clemson, 6-3; lost to Clemson, 10-9; beat Clemson, 7-6, in 10 innings. Won Atlanta super regional: beat Georgia Tech, 7-5; beat Georgia Tech, 5-3.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 4-3 (2-1 vs. South Carolina; 2-2 vs. LSU).

* Players to watch: OF Bobby Felmy (.295, 9, 45), SS Justin Holmes (.328, 8, 54, 17 SBs), RHP Michael Hyle (7-2, 3.10), OF Kyle Keen (.291, 4, 30, 15 SBs), RHP Bo Lanier (4-1, 2.61, two saves), 1B Josh Morris (.319, 16, 68), RHP Sean Ruthven (7-1, 2.94), 3B Josh Smith (.320, 3, 38), LHP Will Startup (7-2, 2.34, 10 saves), 2B Marshall Szabo (.306, 6, 36).

*--* No. 5 ARIZONA (35-25-1)

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* Coach: Andy Lopez (101-72-1, third year).

* Road to Omaha: Won South Bend regional: beat UC Irvine, 7-3; beat Kent State, 7-4; beat Notre Dame, 7-6. Won Long Beach super regional: beat Long Beach State, 6-5; lost to Long Beach State, 9-4; beat Long Beach State, 4-3,in 11 innings.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1 (vs. Cal State Fullerton).

* Players to watch: 1B Jordan Brown (.306, 11, 53), OF Trevor Crowe (.339, 5, 33, 25 SBs), SS Jason Donald (.321, 8, 43), 2B Moises Duran (.312, 6, 47), C Nick Hundley (.311, 4, 26), RHP Koley Kolberg (9-6, 4.56), RHP Mark Melancon (6-4, 4.63), RHP John Meloan (9-0, 4.80), DH Richard Mercado (.337, 4, 30), RHP Derek Rodriguez (1-3, 4.74, seven saves), OF Jeff Van Houten (.325, 3, 39).

*--* No. 6 LOUISIANA STATE (46-17)

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* Coach: Smoke Laval (135-61, third year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge regional: beat Army, 9-0; beat Southern Mississippi, 6-2; beat College of Charleston, 11-3. Won Baton Rouge super regional: beat Texas A&M;, 11-8; beat Texas A&M;, 4-0.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 4-6 (2-1 vs. South Carolina; 2-2 vs. Georgia; 0-3 vs. Arkansas).

* Players to watch: RHP Nate Bumstead (10-3, 3.59), LHP Clay Dirks (8-2, 3.35), SS Blake Gill (.344, 5, 41), 3B Clay Harris (.295, 7, 51), OF J.C. Holt (.390, 6, 51, 20 SBs), C Matt Liuzza (.330, 9, 45), RHP Justin Meier (6-2, 3.75), LHP Lane Mestepey (7-3, 3.43), OF Ryan Patterson (.340, 14, 64), DH Nick Stavinoha (.335, 8, 42), OF Jon Zeringue (.387, 12, 55).

*--* No. 7 CAL STATE FULLERTON (42-21)

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* Coach: George Horton (351-153-1, eighth year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Fullerton regional: beat Minnesota, 7-1; lost to Pepperdine, 7-6, in 10 innings; beat Arizona State, 5-0; beat Pepperdine, 15-1; beat Pepperdine, 16-3. Won Fullerton super regional: beat Tulane, 9-0; beat Tulane, 10-7.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 1-4 (0-2 vs. Texas; 1-2 vs. Arizona).

* Players to watch: OF Danny Dorn (.329, 4, 56), OF Clark Hardman (.363, 31 RBIs), DH Felipe Garcia (.342, 6, 43), RHP Mike Martinez (8-2, 4.06), OF Sergio Pedroza (.340, 7, 39), 1B P.J. Pilittere (.354, 4, 49), 3B Ronnie Prettyman (.329, 34 RBIs, 12 SBs), LHP Ricky Romero (12-4, 3.36), C Kurt Suzuki (.437, 16, 86), RHP Jason Windsor (11-4, 1.84).

*--* No. 8 ARKANSAS (45-22)

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* Coach: Dave Van Horn (80-44, second year).

* Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville regional: beat LeMoyne, 4-1; lost to Wichita State, 4-3, in 11 innings; beat Missouri, 10-7; beat Wichita State, 11-9; beat Wichita State, 4-3. Won Fayetteville super regional: beat Florida State, 7-5; beat Florida State, 4-2.

* 2004 record vs. CWS teams: 5-2 (2-2 vs. South Carolina; 3-0 vs. LSU).

* Players to watch: RHP Charley Boyce (10-2, 3.10), LHP Clint Brannon (4-3, 3.53), OF Jake Dugger (.299, 8, 44), 3B Clay Goodwin (.327, 4, 32), DH Danny Hamblin (.309, 8, 41), SS Scott Hode (.293, 7, 53), 1B Haas Pratt (.317, 8, 52), OF Casey Rowlett (.298, 3, 21, 22 SBs), LHP Jay Sawatski (10-3, 3.32, seven saves).