Cal baseball, saved from budget ax, plays in College World Series today

The Kansas City Star

Dave Einsel

Cal’s trip to the College World Series included a comeback win over Baylor in an elimination game earlier this month.

OMAHA, Neb. | When California says it’s happy to have reached the College World Series, no team that’s played in Omaha has meant it more.

In September, the university identified baseball as one of five sports to cut for budget purposes. The 2011 season would be the last for the program.
Cal had sponsored baseball since 1892 and had won two College World Series, including the first in 1947. Now it would be gone, and alarms went off throughout college baseball.
“My big concern was if they could drop it, how many others would look at dropping baseball?” asked Dave Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association.
But like the team itself, which rallied from a three-run deficit in a regional elimination game to keep its season alive, fundraising efforts grew stronger.
“Some people wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Bears coach David Esquer said.
Especially San Francisco attorney Stu Gordon, a former Cal baseball player. He pledged $550,000 of his own money toward a goal of $10 million.
When the pledges totaled $9 million, chancellor Robert Birgeneau agreed to reinstate baseball.
More than 1,000 donors pledged help. Even arch-rival Stanford kicked in $50,000.
Still, when the NCAA tournament pairings were announced, the Bears were seeded third out of four in its regional, not exactly the favorite’s role.
But after losing its first game in the Houston Regional, Cal won five straight, including the big rally over Baylor. Then it swept upstart Dallas Baptist in the Super Regional played in Santa Clara, Calif., to qualify for the College World Series. The Bears will meet Virginia at 1 p.m. today.
When the team arrived in Omaha, Esquer asked the bus driver to let him know the moment just before TD Ameritrade Park would become visible. Then he asked his players to close their eyes. It’s corny, Esquer said, but indulge me.
Think about the entire year, the crushing news of the fall, the uncertainty of the season and the future. Think about how the coaches asked the players to commit to each other in these difficult times. Now, think about what you’ve dreamed since stepping on campus, playing on college baseball’s grandest stage.
Eyes remained closed as the bus pulled up to the park.
Now, open your eyes, Esquer told his team.
“To see their faces was pretty rewarding,” Esquer said.