College baseball players have Omaha in their sights

The dream of making the College World Series lives on for a handful of former area baseball standouts.

Before they can make plans to be in Omaha, Neb., on June 14 for the start of the CWS, however, there's still some work to be done in the NCAA Super Regionals this weekend.

UC Irvine (41-16), the darlings of last year's CWS, will take on Louisiana State (46-16-1) in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday afternoon in the start of a best-of-three series.

The Anteaters from Irvine feature junior shortstop Ben Orloff (Simi Valley High) and senior catcher Aaron Lowenstein (Calabasas). Shortstop Nick Farinacci (Agoura) is also on the roster but hasn't played this year because of a hand injury.

Orloff, who's started all 57 of the Anteaters' games, is second on the team with a .344 batting average and 19 stolen bases. Lowenstein has struggled at the plate with a .194 average and 18 RBI, but he continues to play solid defense while handling the team's pitching staff.

Louisiana State enters the Super Regionals ranked No. 5 in the nation by Baseball America.

The Anteaters must draw on their postseason experience, Orloff said.

"So many of us were there last year, playing in Texas, playing in Wichita, playing in the College World Series, that we know what to expect and what the environment is going to be like," Orloff said.

Based on its prior success, UC Irvine isn't sneaking up on anyone this time around.

"We're the guys with a bull'seye on our chests," Orloff said. "Everyone knows about us. It's definitely a different feeling this year, but it's fun."

Another familiar local name is University of Arizona sophomore right-handed fireballer Jason Stoffel, an Agoura grad.

As the team's closer- he already has a single-season school record 13 saves and a 3.25 ERA in 32 appearances- Stoffel could play a vital role in Arizona's bid to upset the nation's top-ranked team, the Miami Hurricanes (50-8).

Stoffel already has three postseason saves for the Wildcats and was named MVP of the Ann Arbor Regional.

"I don't know a whole lot about Miami, but I do know they've got a really good offense," Stoffel said. "It'll be a good test for us."

In recent weeks, Stoffel's been pitching with a mountain manesque beard. He promises the untamed facial hair has been scaled back for the Super Regionals.

"It's under control now," Stoffel said. "For a while there it got pretty gnarly, filthy."

Arizona (41-17) opens its best-of-three series Friday at 4 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla.

Sixthranked Cal State Fullerton (4120) features a trio of locals on its roster- Camarillo graduates Corey Jones and Erik Komatsu, as well as Agoura's Greg Gelber.

CSU Fullerton will host Stanford (37222) in a bestofthree series beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Komatsu, a junior outfielder who attended Oxnard College before transferring to Fullerton, leads the Titans with a .348 batting average, six triples and a .576 slugging percentage. He's second on the team with eight home runs, 18 stolen bases and 51 RBI.

Jones, a sophomore infielder, is hitting .306 with 33 RBI and 25 runs scored. Gelber transferred from Ventura College this season, but the left-handed pitcher has only one appearance for the Titans.

Fresno State (40-28) could be the surprise of the tournament.

The Bulldogs, featuring Moorpark grad Jason Breckley and Camarillo's Todd Sandell, pulled off a big upset in the Long Beach Regional by beating the University of San Diego- a top 10 team in the nation at the time- twice to advance to the Super Regionals.

Fresno State travels to fourthranked Arizona State (48-11) for its best-of-three series beginning Friday night at 6.

Sandell, a senior infielder, has started 19 games for Fresno State and is hitting .221. Breckley, also a senior, is 2-2 with a 7.65 ERA in 17 appearances.

Freshman Danny Muno is batting at a .329 clip and is one of the Bulldogs' top hitters. Muno's hometown is Thousand Oaks, but he attended Loyola High.

Many of the Super Regional games will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.