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The College Baseball World Series may
be the stage for Division I programs, but it still
has a Cerritos College feel to it. Cal State
Fullerton head coach
George Horton,
who is leading his team to the College World Series
in Omaha this weekend, is a former Falcon player and
head coach. The Titans, ranked #5 nationally,
defeated the University of Missouri twice this past
weekend to advance to the World Series and will face
the University of North Carolina on Friday. Back in
2004, Horton led Cal State Fullerton to the National
Championship and is now in his 10th year at the helm
of the Titans. His top assistant coach,
Rick Vanderhook,
is also a product of the Falcon program and played
under Horton.
Horton began his head coaching career
at Cerritos, where he guided the Falcons to three
state championships in six years. He compiled a
226-53 record and won the titles in 1985, 1987 and
1989, while in each year he was selected National
Junior College Coach of the Year. In addition, he
was named the South Coast Conference Coach of the
Year four times (1985, 1987, 1989, 1990) and coached
such notable Major League players as
Brian Hunter,
Mike
Benjamin,
Craig Worthington,
Ever
Magallanes,
Al Osuna,
Joel
Adamson,
Danny Patterson,
Luis
Medina,
Jeff Hearron
and Olympian
Bret Barberie.
As a player for the Falcons, he led
the team to the state championship in 1973 under the
guidance of legendary coach
Wally Kincaid.
In that year, Horton earned the team's Dallas Moon
Award.
Three other former Cerritos players
were involved in the playoffs, but did not advance
to the College World Series. UC Irvine head coach
Dave
Serrano and his assistant
Greg Bergeron
both played for the Falcons. Serrano was an
All-American pitcher in 1985 under Horton and led
the team to the state championship. He went on to
play at Cal State Fullerton and then returned to the
Falcons, where he was both an assistant coach
(1988-94) and head coach (1991), while earning the
conference's Coach of the Year honors.
Now in his second season at the helm
of the Anteaters, Serrano guided his team to a 36-24
record and were eliminated from the playoffs by
Missouri in the Pepperdine Regional. As for
Bergeron, he played for Serrano at Cerritos and was
a 1st Team All-SCC selection. He is also in his
second season with UC Irvine.
Also playing in the Pepperdine
Regional was UCLA, who boasts former Falcon
Anthony Norman,
a reserve outfielder. Also eliminated by Missouri,
the Bruins finished 33-25 on the season, while
Norman batted .270 (17-for-63) and drove in seven
runs. Back in 2003, Norman earned 2nd Team All-SCC
honors for the Falcons. |
