June 15, 2007

Titans fans have new company

BY JANIS CARR

OMAHA, Neb.Watch out Titans fans, Eater Nation has moved into the neighborhood.

For several years, Cal State Fullerton's alumni have rented a house on 13 {+t}{+h}Street, across from Rosenblatt Stadium, where Titan faithful – and those without tickets – can cheer on their team. The barbeque always is fired up and the drinks cold.

This year, though, Titans fans have company. Craig Holiday, father of Irvine first baseman Taylor Holiday, rented a house – actually the side yard – four houses up from the well-known Fullerton house. The lights were strung, tents and tables set up and a 60-inch plasma television blaring an hour before Thursday's opening ceremonies.

"If I wanted to do better than the Titan House, I knew I had to go overboard," said Craig Holiday, who expects about 250 Anteaters fans who have traveled to Omaha to stop by.

Holiday said he secured the house with the help of Jim Vernudo, an Omaha resident and friend of Anteaters coach Dave Serrano. Serrano befriended Vernudo while he was an assistant at Fullerton.

SMELLS LIKE … OMAHA

Fullerton assistant Bill Kernen hasn't been to the College World Series since 1982, when he was an assistant under Augie Garrido. He said even though the event has grown in size and excitement, some things haven't changed.

"It smells the same," Kernen said. "It's a lot better than back then. Back then you could walk without crowds, and the only TV station showing it was some small station in Arkansas. But it still has the same feel, same aroma. It's Omaha.

"You could be blindfolded and still know you're here."

FIELD OF DREAMS

For the thousands of college baseball players, Rosenblatt Stadium represents something of a Mecca. It's where they all want to play someday.

Serrano knows how special the College World Series can be and wanted to maximize the experience for his players. So when the team arrived Tuesday from Wichita, he ordered the bus driver to take a detour to the stadium.

"We came down 13 {+t}{+h}Street and I told the players to put their heads down and close their eyes," Serrano said. "Then when they opened their eyes, I told them their dream had come true."

Only, it didn't quite work out the way Serrano envisioned. When the players opened their eyes they didn't whoop it up. They were silent.

"I was speechless," Irvine second baseman Cody Cipriano said. "Coach was upset because we didn't get all excited, but it was breath-taking. It's an unbelievable feeling to get here."

Said freshman Sean Madigan: "When you think of all the college players out there who never get here, and I made it my first year … it's a big deal."

Everything is a big deal for Madigan right now. The former Servite standout was named to the 2007 Ping! All-Freshman Team after his two-out single in the eighth inning drove in Cipriano for the lone run in Irvine's 1-0 victory against Wichita State in the first game of the NCAA super regional last weekend.