Cal State Fullerton's baseball team had sunk to 15-16 last year when coach George Horton was forced to tap a secret weapon in his bullpen.
Unlike in previous years, Horton had not called upon noted sports psychologist Ken Ravizza, a professor in the school's Kinesiology and Health Science Department, to chat with the Titans before the season started.
Sporting a losing record, Horton had seen enough. He met with the Fullerton coaches and players in a classroom near the team's clubhouse, then the Titans ripped their way to a championship in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
"We tried to do it without him," Horton said. "We felt like we could do it ourselves. Then, in trying to figure out what we were doing wrong, the only thing missing was that we hadn't brought Ken in.
"At that time, the players and staff were all sponges. We needed a knight in shining armor. It was an old friend coming to the rescue. He gave us some tools that we could use to be successful. That got contagious."
The defending national champs visit Earl Wilson Stadium on Friday for a three-game series against UNLV, and Rebels coach Buddy Gouldsmith might ask Horton to bring Ravizza on the Interstate 15 bus trip.
At 1-8, UNLV has had difficulty out of the gate this season. A rich source like Ravizza might be able to help the Rebels and their current mental gymnastics.
Problem is, they've already heard from the master of sports psychology who fine-tuned the Denver Broncos before they won a Super Bowl in the late 1990s.
When he was in town on other business Dec. 10, Ravizza, whom Gouldsmith has known for years, dropped by UNLV to speak with the baseball players.
"As Ken would say, when things are going bad it's really easy to be uncomfortable ... you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable," Gouldsmith said. "When you're 15-0, it's easy. It can be hard to play when it's not going well.
"Without Ken here in person, we try to employ a lot of his philosophies, techniques and tools to help the guys be better. That's why it's easy for me to sit here and be optimistic."
At a likely crucial point in the season. The Rebels were swept in a series at No. 1 Texas two weeks ago and were swept again last weekend at home against rival Nevada-Reno.
Now last season's best team visits Vegas.
"Baseball is such a game of failure," Gouldsmith said. "A year ago, George's team was suffering. It's what many teams do when they aren't performing well. They're uncomfortable and aren't feeling very confident. You really have to address the process.
"That's probably Ken's biggest point, addressing the process. We've tried to play the game, not the opponent."
So far, the opponent has overwhelmingly won.
"If we don't become comfortable in those uncomfortable situations," Gouldsmith said, "we won't win."
Ravizza, a noted author who could not be reached for comment, talks about breaking out of a slump, avoiding the "choke," improving team dynamics and boosting confidence as the host of a two-hour motivational video tape.
And, yes, Ravizza has received an '05 NCAA championship ring from Horton and his club. Horton gives an unabashed assessment of Ravizza's influence on last year's team.
"I'd be lying to you if I didn't say he put everything in order," Horton said. "Everyone was ready for a change. They were tired of losing, and he was the icing on the cake. It was the perfect time, and it worked tremendously."
Ravizza has also worked his mental magic with U.S. Olympic teams and individual athletes, the Nebraska football team, Long Beach State's baseball team and Titans in other sports.
When Horton rang, Ravizza asked the coach what one thing the Titans were doing well. Horton said the Titans were at least consistently playing above average on defense.
"There's something to build on," Ravizza told Horton.
When he had the attention of the entire team and coaching staff in that classroom, though, Ravizza raised his voice.
"You guys are shooting yourselves in the foot," he said. "You guys need to pull your heads out of your (rears). You have a chance at the best comeback in Fullerton history."
Among Ravizza's many pearls that day, Horton said the above line was a different way of saying what he wanted to say.
"It wasn't too late to turn this around," Horton said. "It gave us a target and a goal. Neither he nor anyone else thought we'd be national champions, but we were able to finish strong.
"He gave us a lot, to learn how to take blows, or negative things, in athletics. To quit pretending like those aren't going to happen. It's inevitable. Most important is how you deal with it. Egos went out the door and we worked together."
The Rebels have lost four one-run games and two by two runs, and Gouldsmith was most concerned with late breakdowns he saw in his squad in the second game of a doubleheader last Saturday and on Sunday.
"We dwelled more on what was happening and managing the results of everything rather than the process," Gouldsmith said. "But there's plenty of season left. We're sitting here with 47 games to go."
Horton believes UNLV is looking to turn its season around this weekend, just like Fullerton did at a critical juncture a year ago.
Regularly playing the best teams is the only way to improve, too.
"That darn near killed us last year," Horton said. "We scratched our heads. But we figured out how to be competitive and became a very good team. The teams we played early made us better. In the end, it's one of the reasons why we won a national championship.
"I respect coaches who take on all comers."
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