Dismissed from ASU, infielder Holiday shining at UC Irvine

OMAHA, Neb. - He was perhaps the most popular UC Irvine player during an autograph session Thursday on the Rosenblatt Stadium concourse, and Taylor Holiday seemed to savor every second.

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“Look at that,” a member of the Anteaters’ traveling party said of Holiday, a first baseman who signed countless baseballs and posters while doing at least three interviews during the hour-long session. “The way he’s playing, he’d be popular even if he didn’t have the hair thing going.”

The shoulder-length sandy brown hair has become a side story — more on that later — at the College World Series, but Holiday’s play this season, especially during a torrid NCAA tournament run, is what has made his star shine brightest.

Now, the junior is basking in the kind of adulation he expected to enjoy at Arizona State, where he attended in 2004 and part of ’05 before being dismissed by coach Pat Murphy.

“I left a great program at Arizona State and then got to watch them go to the World Series,” Holiday said. “It was bittersweet. To go to a new school and play a part in helping it reach Omaha for the first time is the best situation that I could be in.”

Holiday — who is third on the team with a .353 batting average, with four home runs, 41 RBIs and 18 stolen bases — faces his former school when UC Irvine meets the Sun Devils in a first-round game today.

“This isn’t about me, it’s about this team,” Holiday said. “(ASU) is behind me. That’s another chapter of my life.”

The team leader in hits (89), runs scored (66), doubles (24), triples (nine) and multi-hit games (27), Holiday last week was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 19th round (604th overall selection). He is hitting at a .407 clip during the postseason.

“He brings energy, enthusiasm and leadership,” Anteaters coach Dave Serrano said last month. “He’s a guy who wants to be in the fire when it gets going hot, and I’ll take those guys any day of the week. He wears all kinds of gloves and all kinds of hats for us. He’ll be a hard guy to replace.”

Serrano’s praise comes as no surprise to Murphy, who said he always knew of Holiday’s leadership abilities. However, he channeled those skills negatively while at ASU, Murphy said.

“I let him go because he was the leader of a group (of players) here that I felt like were pulling our team apart,” Murphy said. “He was smart enough to know the difference. I just had to make a decision in 2005 that was best for the team. I felt like his actions couldn’t continue.”

Asked to comment on his departure from ASU, Holiday was brief — “Different programs are for different people,” he said — but he was cognizant that the circumstances would follow him to a new school.

Holiday eagerly set out to prove his worth to new teammates. A .286 average in 60 games in 2006 eased concerns about his commitment, and this year’s heroics erased them.

In fact, Holiday earned extra trust from Serrano, who typically prohibits long hair. But Holiday won the coach over by scheduling a haircut appointment — at an Omaha salon, after the CWS ends.

“I came in here and told these guys that I wanted to help get this program where it had never been before,” Holiday said. “The way I left ASU might have created a sense that I was not wanted. But to come here and contribute and get to this stage is unimaginable.”