Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Ready to Face No. 6 Rice
6/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 13, 2008
OMAHA - All eight teams showcased their amazing talents to thousands of fans Friday as the College World Series took center stage at Rosenblatt Stadium. Fresno State took its place among the eight remaining Division I programs vying to become the 2008 national baseball champion.
In addition to a practice at the stadium, the team was greeted by fans during the autograph session, and coaches and student-athletes were introduced to the media.
Head coach Mike Batesole, who on Thursday was named the National Coach of the Year, held a press conference alongside the other seven head coaches. Batesole praised his counterparts, especially Rice head coach Wayne Graham, Fresno State's opening round opponent.
"I've had a lot to do with the success of most of the guys up here," Batesole joked. "A lot them have been beating our brains out for years. Seriously, I have great respect for each program. Rice is a program that we aspired to beat when we they were in the WAC. They had so many great players and it was always a challenge. There were many years that they beat us six times in a season. They are a very well coached club."
The Bulldogs and Owls will play Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. The game will be televised on ESPN and heard live in the Valley on KMJ Radio with Bill Woodward and former Bulldog Ray O'Canto calling the action.
Karl Ravech, Robin Ventura, Kyle Peterson and Erin Andrews will announce the game for ESPN.
Speaking of ESPN, Batesole, senior outfielder Steve Susdorf and junior second baseman Erik Wetzel spent time with the television production team in preparation for Sunday's broadcast. Being Father's Day, the Dogs also participated in an ESPN promotion for fathers.
A record number of media members were issued credentials for the 2008 CWS. According to J.D. Hamilton, the media coordinator for the event, nearly 1,000 media members will cover this year's College World Series. That figure ranks second behind the men's Final Four for media coverage for an NCAA championship event.
During the opening ceremonies, it was announced the City of Omaha and the NCAA have agreed to a 25-year contract extension that will keep the College World Series in Nebraska through the year 2035. The CWS has been played in Omaha since 1950. A new downtown ballpark will open in two years.
Nearly 20,000 fans attended the opening ceremonies, which was preceded by a free concert featuring the band Candlebox.
With Saturday off, the Bulldogs will hold a light workout at a local high school field while the first two games of the CWS are held. Florida State plays Stanford and No. 1 Miami (Fla.) will take on Georgia.
In addition to the Fresno State vs. Rice game, LSU plays North Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
About Rice
Rice Owls (47-14): The Rice Owls are making their third consecutive trip to the College World Series and seventh since their first appearance in 1997. The Owls are 5-0 in the NCAA tournament this season, sweeping through the Regional with wins over Sam Houston State, St. John's and Texas and the Super Regional, defeating Texas A&M. This was the 14th-straight NCAA appearance for the Owls, the fourth longest streak in the country. They were 21-3 in C-USA play winning the regular season conference championship. Head coach Wayne Graham is in his 17th season with Rice and has guided them 14-straight 40-win seasons. In the national polls, the Owls reached as high as No. 5 in the country. Graham is the four-time National Coach of the Year and his .726 winning percentage is the best in Rice history. Five Owls, Jimmy Comerota (2B), Rick Hague (SS), Chad Mozingo (OF), J.P. Padron (1B) and Adam Zornes (C) and were selected to the All-Regional Houston NCAA tournament team.
- The Owls are making their third-straight trip the CWS, and won the NCAA title in 2003
- Rick Hague, shortstop, was named a second team freshman All-American
- Wayne Graham has over 1,360 victories in 27 years of coaching
Tomlinson Honored
Bulldog pitcher Kris Tomlinson was honored during to the opening ceremonies at Rosenblatt Stadium Friday night on the eve of the College World Series. The student-athlete with the highest Grade Point Average from each of the eight CWS participating teams were presented an award by the Dennis Poppe, NCAA Vice President for Baseball and Football. Tomlinson had the second-high GPA among the eight student-athletes that were recognized. He is coming off a win in his last outing as the Bulldogs beat No. 3 Arizona State 12-9 to win the Tempe Super Regional and advance to the College World Series.
WAC at CWS
Since the WAC began in 1962, several programs have earned success in the College World Series. A WAC team has reached the championship game eight times, winning six NCAA titles. The last WAC team to win a College World Series title was Rice in 2003 with a 14-2 win over Stanford. Other WAC schools with College World Series crowns: Arizona State (1967, 1969, 1977), Arizona (1976). WAC schools are 54-36 in the College World Series. This is Fresno State's first CWS appearance as a member of the WAC.
Bulldogs in the NCAAs
Fresno State is 59-64 all-time in NCAA tournament action. In three seasons under Mike Batesole the Bulldogs are 9-6 in the NCAA tournament. Fresno State has beaten No. 1 seeds in the first round of the tournament for two years in a row (No. 4 ranked San Diego in 2007 and No. 11 Long Beach State in 2008). Batesole is 3-0 all-time in NCAA first round games. Fresno State is 19-12 all-time in the first round of the NCAA tournament. While heading to the College World Series is new territory for this team, this is the program's third CWS appearance in the last 20 years.
On A Roll
Fresno State enters the College World Series having won 11 of its last 13 games. The only losses during that time were to No. 6 San Diego and No. 3 Arizona State. Fresno State's hot streak helped them clinch the WAC regular season championship, win the WAC tournament with a perfect 4-0 record, the Long Beach Regional (3-1) and the Tempe Super Regional (2-1).
Fresno State's College World Series History
1959 (41-13): One of the greatest seasons in the Bulldog history culminated in Fresno State finishing third in its first College World Series appearance. The Dogs were led on the field by first baseman Augie Garrido, who hit .336 on the season.
1959 College World Series Results (2-2, Third Place)
Arizona 5, Fresno State 1
Fresno State 7, Western Michigan 2
Fresno State 2, Arizona 0
Oklahoma State 4, Fresno State 0
1988 (56-12): Ranked as high as No. 1 in the national and winners of a school-record 32 consecutive games, the Bulldogs won a school record 56 games. Bob Bennett was named the National Coach of Year, pitcher John Salles, first baseman Lance Shebelut and outfielder Tom Goodwin were selected All-Americans. The Bulldogs led the NCAA in attendance and had a 19-8 record against nationally-ranked teams during the year. Shebelut set Bulldog records for career homeruns (39) and Goodwin had 62 stolen bases on the season.
1988 College World Series Results (0-2, T-7th Place)
Stanford 10, Fresno State 2
Miami (Fla.) 8, Fresno State 4 (12 innings)
1991 (42-23): The Bulldogs won the Big West Conference and NCAA West Region II to make its second College World Series appearance in four years. The Bulldogs finished sixth in the national rankings and opened the CWS with a 6-3 win over top-seed Florida State. Bobby Jones (16-2, 1.88 ERA) was named the national player of the year, while shortstop Jason Wood was named All-America.
1991 College World Series Results (1-2, T-5th Place)
Fresno State 6, Florida State 3
LSU 15, Fresno State 3
Florida 2, Fresno State1
Fresno State vs. College World Series Opponents
Florida State (1-0)
in the NCAA Tournament (1-0)
in the College World Series (1-0)
Georgia (0-0)
LSU (0-2)
in the NCAA Tournament (0-2)
in the College World Series (0-1)
Miami (Fla.) (0-1) )
in the NCAA Tournament (0-1)
in the College World Series (0-1)
North Carolina (2-2)
in the NCAA Tournament (0-0)
Rice (16-29)
in the NCAA Tournament (0-0)
Stanford (48-78)
in the NCAA Tournament (3-6)
in the College World Series (0-1)
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. On Saturday, the Bulldog shop will he holding a special sale and head football coach Pat Hill will be on hand signing autographs from Noon to 1 p.m.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State baseball team opens play at the 2008 College World Series against No. 6 Rice. The Fresno State games will be broadcast live in the Valley on KMJ Radio 580 AM and televised on ESPN. Follow gobulldogs.com for further updates.
