Fresno State Athletics
Hello Omaha
6/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 12, 2008
OMAHA - While the biggest baseball news coming out of Omaha today was that Bulldog head coach Mike Batesole was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Coach of the Year, the Bulldogs had a full day of activities and some hard work after a long trip to the Midwest.
While the severe thunderstorms that rocked eastern Nebraska have subsided, Omaha is mourning the loss of four children who were killed by a tornado at a Boy Scout Leadership Camp on the outskirts of the city.
That storm closed the Omaha airport Wednesday night, forcing the Fresno State team plane to land in Lincoln, Nebr. The team bussed the final hour of the trip, arriving at the team hotel well after midnight.
The plane went through some serious turbulence for 20 minutes prior to landing, and no one on board knew the severity of the storm until arriving in Lincoln to hear the news that three tornados touched down in Omaha just moments before.
Fresno State took advantage of terrific weather on Thursday to have a spirited two-hour workout at Bellevue East High School. Media members from across the nation attended the practice, many of whom got their first chance to see the Bulldogs up close. The Georgia Bulldogs practiced right after Batesole's club finished its workout on the same field.
"Our guys like to work hard," said Batesole. "When they are ground down, they are at their best. We did that before the Long Beach Regional and the Super Regional. We started to ease up earlier in the year and the results weren't as good, so we got back to having tougher practices. The guys like it."
While the Bulldog went back to business on the practice field, the significance of reaching the College World Series was not lost on the team. There were reminders everywhere, including gift bags for the players that had College World Series memorabilia, including a wood bat with the CWS logo and words: "2008 College World Series Participant" engraved.
Signage on billboards, busses, hotels and restaurants welcomed the Fresno State Bulldogs to town in grand style.
"This is why you play college baseball," said senior outfielder Steve Susdorf. "This is amazing. It's what you see on TV and what you dream of playing in as a kid. We are here and we had a good practice today and we are here to take care of business and try to win a national championship, but at the same time, we are going to soak it in a little bit first."
Fresno State will have a big day Friday, full of activities at Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the College World Series since 1950.
The Bulldogs will take a team photo at 11 a.m. PT and then selected players and Batesole will meet with the ESPN announcers and production teams. ESPN will televise every game from CWS.
After that, the Dogs will hold a practice at Rosenblatt Stadium at Noon. The public is invited to attend the practice. The Bulldogs will hold an autograph session at 1:30 p.m. and then after a short break, will return to Rosenblatt in the evening for a barbeque and opening ceremonies.
The Bulldogs open the College World Series on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT against Rice at Rosenblatt Stadium. Fresno State's second game will be Tuesday when the Dogs will play either No. 2 seed North Carolina or No. 7 LSU.
The College World Series begins Saturday with two games, Florida State plays Stanford at 11 a.m. PT and Miami (Fla.), the No. 1 seed in the tournament, plays Georgia
BULLDOG SHOP HAS COLLEGE WORLD SERIES APPARREL
The Bulldog Shop, located on the corner of Barstow and Cedar, has official Fresno State baseball and College World Series merchandise. According to Bulldog Shop Manager Diane Brock, sales have been swift the last 48 hours and more merchandise is arriving daily.
Join the State - Fresno State! The Bulldog baseball team will play in the College World Series beginning Sunday at 11 a.m. PT against Rice University. The game can be heard in the Valley on KMJ Radio and seen nationally on ESPN.
