Photo courtesy of Fresno State Moorpark High graduate Jason Breckley has overcome an elbow injury to be a reliable reliever for Fresno State.

For as long as he can remember, Jason Breckley made it a priority to watch the College World Series.

Breckley would sit in front of the television imagining how it would feel to stand on the mound or even just smell the fresh-cut grass at Rosenblatt Stadium.

In the last few years, the curiosity grew into urgency as Breckley's collegiate career began winding down.

But the senior saved the best for last, and will be a part of the ultimate underdog story this weekend when Fresno State (42-29) opens CWS play against Rice (47-13) on Sunday in Omaha, Neb.

Fresno State is the first regional No. 4 seed to reach the CWS since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999.

It's the equivalent of a No. 13 seed advancing to the Final Four in the NCAA basketball tournament.

"It is almost surreal," said Breckley, a Moorpark High graduate. "I am not even sure how I will feel until I step on the field at Rosenblatt knowing that is where champions are born."

Former Thousand Oaks resident Danny Muno didn't have to wait as long as his teammate to experience the feeling.

The Fresno State freshman traveled to Omaha as a 12-year-old to play in a tournament and watch the CWS.

"I thought all the players here were so cool and looked up to everyone and always dreamed of coming ever since," Muno said. "It is like a fantasy land. Everything here — the people, the environment — is amazing."

Muno has has played a big role in helping Fresno State make its first CWS appearance in 17 years.

He is batting .327 with 55 runs scored and 22 RBIs and was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.

"I just tried to work really hard to get into the starting lineup and once I got in, I started performing and went from there," said Muno, a Loyola High graduate. "It wasn't that big of a transition because I had faced pitching like this before college."

With Rice making its third straight trip to the CWS, the Bulldogs realize everyone has them pegged as underdogs. Everyone, that is, but the Bulldogs.

"It is kind of something we laugh about that nobody expects us to win," Breckley said. "But we don't go into a series with that attitude. We go in thinking we can beat these guys every time."

Fresno State's postseason Cinderella story started by winning the Long Beach Regional before upsetting Arizona State, the tournament's No. 3 seed, on ASU's home field.

Making the run even more remarkable is doing it without pitching ace Tanner Scheppers (2.93 ERA), a recent second-round draft pick who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.

"We have eight seniors on this team and they have really stepped up and led this team to where we are right now," Breckley said. "It just comes down to playing as a team and not as individuals and we have done that."

Breckley's individual performance mirrors that of his team in staging a late-season surge. Breckley struggled with a nagging elbow injury in his throwing arm early in the year, but has regained his comfort level on the mound.

The right-handed reliever has lowered his ERA from 18.90 to 7.66 by allowing only four earned runs in his last eight appearances.

"Just to be able to contribute and go out there during this run means a lot," said Breckley, who ranks fourth on Fresno State's all-time saves list with 11. "It's once in a lifetime and I am hoping to have the opportunity to do it in Omaha."

The Bulldogs have been on the road for more than a month, but even with all the weather-related bumps, the flight to Nebraska is one they didn't mind taking.

"When I was in high school I watched some guys come through Ventura County and make the World Series and it was awesome to see them there," Breckley said. "It's something everybody dreams about, and now I am here."