For Titan baseball fans there was always an empty feeling by the end of every June at season's end – even if that campaign concluded with a journey to Omaha for the College World Series. But from 2005 through 2010¸ the Fullerton / OC Flyers tried to fill that void, playing independent minor league baseball in Goodwin Field.

Per Sr. Associate A.D. emeritus, Steve DiTolla, in 2004, he was approached by David Kaval, president of the nascent Golden Baseball League, about the possibility of having a minor league team play at Cal State Fullerton. The original league investors included entrepreneur, Tim Draper, TV personality, Pat Sajak, and Fullerton baseball historian, David Jerome.

After an agreement was reached, which had to be approved by the city of Fullerton, a contact list of all Titan baseball season ticket holders and corporate sponsors was forwarded to the new team's front office. 

"We felt that having a minor league team on our campus was good for baseball in Fullerton," DiTolla said. "In an effort to help the Flyers generate revenue, the university allowed them to run concessions at a nominal 'buy out fee.'"

The Fullerton franchise became one of eight charter teams that began play in the summer of 2005. In addition to Fullerton, teams were located in Long Beach, San Diego, and Chico. Additionally, Arizona-based teams operated in Mesa, Surprise, and Yuma. The California teams played on college campuses, while the Arizona teams played at MLB spring training sites. Interestingly, the Japan Samurai Bears were part of the league that first year, playing all their games on the road.

Following a fan contest to select the team name, longtime Titan baseball fan and the owner of Past Times Collectibles, Tom Elliott, was awarded the $500 prize for the name, "Flyers."

Despite Fullerton's general aviation airport which has been in service since 1927, the Flyers name was railroad-related. According to Flyers G.M., Ed Hart (2005-07):  "The story behind the Flyers and the train stems from years ago when Fullerton was considered a whistle stop for the train going from Fullerton to San Diego. The train was called the Fullerton Flyer and it would only stop in Fullerton, kind of like a bus, for passengers that wanted to get off or on at the Fullerton train station. If there weren't any, the train would fly through Fullerton." 

Fullerton's train history is even older than the airport. The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe opened a Fullerton station in 1888, mainly for transporting citrus products.

In keeping with the Flyers railroad theme, Goodwin Field was nicknamed "The Station." In an homage to the critters that still occupy the nearby Fullerton hills, a cheerful-looking coyote was selected as a mascot. Dressed from head to toe in "Engineer Bill" railroad gear, "Coal Train" roamed the stadium, greeting fans and posing for pictures. 

In a wise move, the Flyers took the Cal State Fullerton colors of blue and orange, which also matched the Goodwin Field seats and bleachers. 

Entertaining, fan-friendly baseball was the ever-present theme thanks to Hart, who was perhaps more visible in the stands than "Coal Train." In addition to fun between-inning activities like dizzy bat races, and other contests, Flyers promotions included fireworks, train whistle and bobblehead giveaways, movie nights, a bounce house, and carnival-style games. 

At the time, the Big West Conference had banned beer sales at its sporting events following an on-campus incident at one of its member institutions. Not so, the Flyers, where an adult beverage could be responsibly consumed on a hot summer day or night. DiTolla even helped the Flyers secure their alcohol license. 

During their tenure, the Flyers lineup would be dotted with former and future major leaguers, including Mark Prior, Paul Abbott, and Scott Spiezio. Additionally, the Flyers teams would be helmed by notable ex-big leaguers, starting with Garry Templeton (2005-07). His three successors would all have prominent Fullerton ties: Gary Carter (2008) from Sunny Hills High School; Phil Nevin (2009) Cal State Fullerton's 1992 Golden Spikes winner; and Paul Abbott (2010) also from Sunny Hills High.

After two seasons, the Fullerton moniker was changed to Orange County, following the sale of the franchise to a new management group that included Alan Mintz, John Kobylt from KFI radio's John & Ken Show, and James Denton from the cast of Desperate Housewives, who enticed his popular costar, Teri Hatcher, to throw out a first pitch before a 2007 Flyers game.

Hart explained the reasoning behind the name change: "The thinking of the (new) ownership group, which included some Hollywood producers, was that changing the name to Orange County (OC) Flyers would give us a bigger reach and also more notoriety because everybody knew what the OC was. At first, I also agreed with that thought. We even went to an orange alternate home jersey to tie into the Orange County name. We spent a lot of money trying to market the team into other areas of Orange County. Still, no one from South Orange County would drive to Fullerton for an independent minor league game, so we ended up spending and wasting a lot of marketing dollars that never saw any kind of return on investment."

In addition to Nevin as manager, seven former Titans would don the Flyers blue & orange-trimmed uniforms. Among those who returned to Goodwin Field was a fan favorite, Dave Bacani, who played three seasons with the OC Flyers. He has nothing but good memories: "It really was a blessing to be able to come back home after spending many years with the Mets and Red Sox organizations, playing in various cities on the East Coast. I had the opportunity to return to the field where I had so many great memories. And, my friends and family could come out and watch me play.

"The game became fun again, and it didn't feel as much like a business as it did in affiliated pro ball. The (Flyers) ownership group and front office did everything they could to build a great team and culture, and I was proud to be a part of it."

When asked about some favorite memories, Bacani mentioned winning the 2008 GBL championship, playing with former Titan teammates, Adam Johnson and Bryan Harris, and returning to CSUF to complete his degree requirements. 

Bacani added, "Playing for Garry Templeton, Gary Carter, and Phil Nevin. It was pretty awesome to play for guys who had such amazing MLB careers."

Per Hart, "I always tried to find guys who had played for Cal State Fullerton because I knew the community (recognized) who they were. We had the late Ryan Owens play for us for a season. Ryan made it to AAA in affiliated ball. Certainly, Dave Bacani was a household name to Titan fans and became a legendary Fullerton Flyer, as well. I think each of the three seasons I was there we had at least one or two former Titans on the team. We tried to take advantage of the relationship with Cal State Fullerton and their baseball history as much as possible. I think if I was to do this whole thing over again, I would've really tried to bring in more former Titans onto the team."

Principal investor, Alan Mintz, assumed the helm of General Manager in 2008. He later admitted that changing the name from Fullerton to Orange County had backfired. Instead of expanding the fanbase to the entirety of the county, they alienated some fans, and attendance dipped, despite a GBL championship team in 2009.    

Like with so many good things, high operating costs made it untenable for the Flyers to continue playing at Goodwin Field. As DiTolla explained:  "Cal State Fullerton is a union-based campus. Therefore, work done for the Flyers on campus had to be performed by CSUF employees. This included field prep and maintenance, security, custodial, and parking. It was difficult for them to generate enough revenue to cover the cost of using the facility."

The Flyers briefly flirted with moving their games to Fullerton's Amerige Park. However, in the aftermath of the post-2008 recession, the city fathers were unwilling to fund a major upgrade to the long-used city baseball field. 

After opting to sit out the 2011 season, and a few fitful attempts to bring back the team, the Flyers quietly folded. 

Jerome, wrote this in the Orange County Register in 2015: "I wish the Flyers would have lasted longer, not just because I was involved, but because I felt that it was good for our community. It offered inexpensive family entertainment, part-time summer jobs for high school and college kids and rental income for CSUF on a baseball field that's too beautiful to be sitting vacant all summer."

Hart concluded, "It was some of the best years of my career, and definitely some of the most fun times I ever had. Looking back, I'm so blessed that I got to do that job for three seasons… To be the general manager of a professional baseball team in my hometown. Every night, people from the community would show up that I hadn't seen since high school, or who were friends of my parents or my wife, etc.

"Those were great times with a lot of amazing memories, and I was able to fulfill a childhood dream. If I could, I would go back and do it all over again!"

In the six-year history of the Fullerton / OC Flyers, over 250,000 baseball fans passed through the Goodwin Field entrances.
 
FLYERS & TITANS
Phil Nevin (Mgr., 2009) / CSUF 1990-1992
Ryan Owens (2005) / CSUF 1997-1999
John Hanley (2005) / CSUF 2002
Shane Waroff (2005) / CSUF 2001
David Bacani (2007-2009) / CSUF 1998-2001
Bryan Harris (2009) / CSUF 2006-2007
Adam Johnson (2009) / CSUF 1998-2001
Sergio Pedroza (2010) / CSUF 2003-2005
 
2008 Golden Baseball League Champions

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