Just call it Hollywood stars night

The rivalry between the UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton baseball teams was intense enough -- both made the College World Series in Omaha last season -- but some red-carpet escalation could be in the wind.

Fullerton already has its mega-star in actor-fan Kevin Costner, who attended the university and has been a supporter of the baseball team for years. Irvine may now have a counterbalance to match that star power through second baseman Tyler Hoechlin.

Hoechlin, a second baseman and actor, played the child of Tom Hanks in the movie “Road to Perdition.” The two have remained friends.

“We keep in touch a bit and catch up with each other once in a while,” said Hoechlin, who also had a role on the TV show “7th Heaven.” “We’ve talked about him coming to a game and he mentioned he might.”

One can only hope it’s against Fullerton. Costner vs. Hanks? “Dances with Wolves” vs. “Saving Private Ryan”? Wyatt Earp vs. Forrest Gump?

The Oscar scoreboard? Hanks 2 (best actor twice), Costner 2 (best director, best picture).

Hoechlin has his own scorecard. Asked which movie was better, “Bull Durham” or “A League of Their Own,” he remained loyal, saying, “ ‘League of Their Own,’ because of Tom.’ ”

Trivia time

What was the name of the team Tom Hanks’ character managed in “A League of Their Own?”

A field of dreams

Hoechlin, who played at Corona Santiago High, is juggling his acting career and baseball, as he is considering a couple of opportunities for his off-season.

“Both are very difficult, baseball is more physical and acting more mental,” said Hoechlin, who won a game this season for the Anteaters with an RBI double.

Still, he said his focus was on baseball right now, saying, “The ‘Road to Perdition’ was a great time and a great memory. Right now, I’m looking to the future and the Road to Omaha.”

Kid, unless the College World Series is the destination, any road to Omaha can be considered a trip to perdition.

Road to redemption

Irvine has done the unthinkable, at least in the aluminum-bat and diluted-pitching world of college baseball: four consecutive shutouts heading into tonight’s game at Tulane.

Anteaters Coach Mike Gillespie credits part of that success to pitching coach Ted Silva. The irony? Silva was the Fullerton pitcher who beat Gillespie’s USC team in the 1995 national title game.

“I made it crystal clear when I hired him that he was going to be on probation for a long time,” Gillespie said, though he added that “he has made a lot of inroads the last four games.”

City slicker

The reality show “Toughest Cowboy” concludes this weekend on Fox Sports Net.

The safe bet: The winner won’t be Tony Romo sipping mimosas with Jessica Simpson in Cabo.

Food for thought

Philippe, a Chinese restaurant in New York, has been secretly videotaping celebrity customers in a private dining room, the New York Post reported, including New England quarterback Tom Brady and pal Gisele Bundchen.

While a representative of the restaurant said the cameras were for security, it does raise a few questions about the New York eatery’s motives.

Did the tape catch Brady crying in his moo goo gai pan about his offensive line’s inability to protect him? Was he diagraming Patriots plays on the tablecloth? And, of course, when does Sen. Arlen Specter subpoena the footage?

Trivia answer

The Rockford Peaches.

And finally

Both “A League of Their Own” and “Bull Durham” did offer sage advice for baseball players.

Jimmy Dugan (Hanks): “There’s no crying in baseball.”

Crash Davis (Costner): “The rose goes in front, big guy.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com