OMAHA, Neb. – I’m pretty sure that I have run out of superlatives to describe Fresno State.

Amazing? Miraculous? Tenacious? Undeniable?

They are all of those things, but they are something more. They are something that has to be seen to be really believed. They are ascending appropriate adjectives.

Scratch that. They have ascended all appropriate adjectives.

At what point does Fresno’s ‘Dogs shed the Cinderella title that they have been donned?

At what point are they no longer referred to as the Wonderdogs, but as the BULL-dogs?

I vote for now being a good time. They were a miracle when they first arrived in Omaha. They became Omaha’s underdog darlings with each passing day.

When they advanced past North Carolina they started drawing comparisons to the Colorado Rockies’ run to the World Series. After they blew game one, many -myself included- suspected that their miracle run had finally come to an end.

But after tonight, Fresno is no longer Cinderella. They are no longer the inferior opponent. They are for real and they will never go away. They are unrelenting.

“We are a loose ballclub,” said Fresno third baseman Tommy Mendonca. “We can’t play tense because that’s when errors come. We are a loose team and we can’t be angry about every little thing. It’s baseball – you’re gonna fail – so be loose, be calm, be easy.”

Georgia talked about not overlooking this team, and maybe they haven’t.

Maybe this is just how Georgia rolls, they like making things as difficult as possible, making sure that its fans need to be worried before taking care of business.

After scoring the second most postseason runs in its history (Fresno score 23 against Santa Clara in 1959) last night I believe that Fresno has not only shed the underdog tag, they have gained a new one.

The favorite. They have the momentum and while they may have a depleted bullpen and only 24 able-bodied players on a 25 man roster; they have the one thing all successful teams need.

The heart and the desire to be the very best. If you need proof, look at Mendonca, who is playing with several dislocated fingers on his throwing hand. Yet he makes every throw, and still has the power to go yard at any time.

They are the fan-favorite here in Omaha, and in my book, the overall favorite.

And I can’t use a more befitting superlative than that.

- Michael Fitzpatrick is The Red & Black’s Sports Editor