Kotsay Hits His Way Into the Record Book

OMAHA, Neb. —  He handled the game, the interview with ESPN and the postgame news conference with all the savvy of a veteran. Pretty cool character, that Mark Kotsay, Cal State Fullerton left fielder. Routine stuff, this College World Series.

Then Kotsay was informed that his seven runs batted in against Florida State Tuesday was a Series record, and one more than former Titan standout Phil Nevin had in a 1992 Series game against the Seminoles. Then the 19-year-old kid, a true freshman, emerged.

Kotsay’s eyebrows shot up. His eyes widened. His jaw dropped.

“Really?” Kotsay said, when told he tied a mark set by Arizona’s Carl Thomas against Oregon in 1954 and Arizona State’s Stan Holmes against Oklahoma State in 1981. “I didn’t know that at all. Wow! Oh my God, it hasn’t hit me yet. I’m very honored.”

Some great players have passed through Omaha on their way to the major leagues. Mike Schmidt, Barry Bonds, Will Clark, Paul Molitor and Fred Lynn played in the College World Series, but none had seven RBIs in one game.

That’s not to say Kotsay, who put Fullerton ahead, 4-3, with a two-run double in the seventh and broke the game open with a grand slam in the eighth, will become a major league all-star.

But they will have to rewrite the Series record book because of him. And the Titan sports information office also will have to rewrite Kotsay’s biography in next season’s media guide.

Kotsay’s most memorable sports thrill before Tuesday, according to the guide, was pitching the final out in the Mickey Mantle World Series title game for a summer league all-star team in 1992.

“But this beats that by far,” Kotsay said, smiling.

A few hours earlier, Kotsay was cowering with fear. He had walked with two outs in the third inning and took a big lead, leaning back toward first base.

This is known as a one-way lead, with the purpose of drawing a throw so the Titans could get a good look at Florida State left-hander Charlie Cruz’s pickoff move. Kotsay had no intention of stealing and every intention of going back to the bag the moment the pitcher started his motion.

And he still got caught off first.

“I was nervous, anxious and just froze,” said Kotsay, a former two-sport standout at Sante Fe Springs Santa Fe High who didn’t crack the Titans’ starting lineup until late March. “I was in no-man’s land. I was really scared what the coaches were going to say when I got into the dugout.”

All these thoughts ran through Kotsay’s mind during the ensuing rundown, which had a strange ending. One throw, two throws, three throws, four throws, and Kotsay was still hung up between first and second.

The last relay went to Seminole first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who swiped Kotsay with a tag but dropped the ball. Kotsay made it back to first and had this sudden feeling that this might be a good day, after all.

“I felt a big relief,” he said.

Kotsay’s next at-bat resulted in a sacrifice fly, which followed Jack Jones’ fifth-inning triple and pulled the Titans to within 3-2.

The Titans loaded the bases on two walks and Jeff Ferguson’s bloop single in the seventh, and Kotsay, a left-handed hitter, slapped a two-run double down the left-field line.

Adam Millan’s RBI single extended the lead to 5-3, but Kotsay gave the Titans plenty of breathing room in the eighth. Jones’ potential inning-ending grounder squirted under shortstop Link Jarrett’s glove, and Ferguson walked to load the bases.

Kotsay then turned on Mike Bell’s pitch, lining it over the right-field fence and off the light tower for a grand slam to make it 9-3. Game, set and match, Fullerton.

“I haven’t pulled the ball all series,” Kotsay said. “I was looking for something down the middle to drive. I couldn’t tell you what was in my head at the time. I wasn’t thinking. I just let it happen.”

Fullerton’s 7-year-old batboy, Marco Martelli, predicted it would happen. Martelli, the son of Titan volunteer assistant Joe Martelli, has become quite the media darling in Omaha, gaining his share of notoriety for his prognostications.

According to Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido, Marco predicted before Sunday’s game against Louisiana State that the Titans would win big. They did, 20-6. Fullerton center fielder Dante Powell said Marco predicted he would get a hit Tuesday. Powell did, a third-inning single that stopped an 0-for-22 skid in Omaha.

Marco was playing in the hotel pool Monday and told Kotsay’s father, Steve, that Mark was going to hit a home run Tuesday. Kotsay was skeptical.

“I shrugged my shoulders and said, ‘Yeah, sure,’ ” Kotsay said. “He’s a great kid, but I didn’t believe him. But I did have that in the back of my mind all day. When I crossed the plate after the grand slam, Marco was standing there and said, ‘I told you.’ ”