Opening Ceremonies

My first full day in Omaha concluded with the College World Series’ opening ceremonies.

Our Titans led off the program as the first team to enter Rosenblatt Stadium. They paraded in carrying an orange Cal State Fullerton flag, while highlights of their postseason run were playing on the jumbotron in the left field.

The seven other participating teams – Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon State and Rice – followed. Then one athlete who had the highest individual GPA on his respective team was honored for academic achievement. Freshman infielder Joe Scott was singled out during the ceremony as the top Titan. However, there was apparently some confusion, and that recognition should have gone to junior designated hitter Bryan Harris, who has earned a 3.57 average.

The festivities ended with a fireworks display that lasted roughly 15 minutes. Word of caution: Don’t ever try to use a digital camera that has a three-second delay to snap pictures of fireworks. It’s not gonna work. Fortunately, I was able to capture the last few minutes of the show with my video camera. Here’s a little taste of what we saw.

Now the real fun begins Friday when the tournament finally kicks off. The Titans will open play at 4 p.m. Pacific time against North Carolina. No worries here. This isn’t basketball we’re playing.

***UPDATE: This post has been edited to refelct that Bryan Harris should have been honored as the Titan player with the highest GPA on the team.