Seventeen years ago, Chris Lemonis had to stay behind when The Citadel's baseball team made its fairy-tale run to the College World Series.

That's why Lemonis' trip to Omaha this week with the surprising Louisville Cardinals is twice as sweet.

"It's always been a dream of mine to get back to Omaha," Lemonis said. "And now I'm going."

Lemonis and another ex-Bulldog, Dan McDonnell, are reprising The Citadel's 1990 Cinderella story with the baseball program at Louisville, where McDonnell is the first-year head coach and Lemonis his right-hand man as the Cardinals' hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.

Louisville, ranked eighth in the nation, had never won so much as an NCAA Tournament game before McDonnell and Lemonis took over this season, guiding the Cardinals to a 46-22 record and a CWS meeting with second-seeded Rice at 2 p.m. today at famed Rosenblatt Stadium.

Stepping on the field at Rosenblatt will hold added meaning for Lemonis, who was a freshman reserve on the 1990 Citadel team that shocked the college baseball world by advancing to the CWS and winning a game there over Cal State-Fullerton.

Lemonis, a hard-hitting first baseman from Myrtle Beach, had made the travel team that season. But after the Bulldogs defeated Miami in a regional to advance to the CWS, legendary coach Chal Port had to cut his roster to meet NCAA restrictions. He left Lemonis behind in favor of added pitching depth.

"That was a tough time," Lemonis said. "But as I look back on my career, I don't think I was really a player until that time. That motivated me to want to be part of the mix, and I was able to play for the other three years I was at The Citadel."

McDonnell, from Port Chester, N.Y., was a gritty second baseman who didn't hit for a high average. But Port batted him in the lead-off spot because McDonnell could get on base (he walked 62 times that season) and steal a base (38 that year).

"Dan was a continual ball of fire, in the dugout and on the field," Port recalled. "A lot of times when our pitchers had problems, he'd call time and talk with them, or at them. He was an inspirational player who got the most out of his skills and helped other people become good ball players, too."

When Port retired from The Citadel after the 1991 season, both McDonnell and Lemonis went on to play for Port's successor, Fred Jordan. Both also went on to work for Jordan as assistant coaches, McDonnell for eight years and Lemonis for 12. They both were members of Jordan's staff from 1995-2000, when the Bulldogs made the NCAA regionals three times.

McDonnell, 35, is regarded as one of the bright young head coaches in the game after serving as the top assistant at Ole Miss for six years before coming to Louisville. He's already seeing his named mentioned when jobs open up in power conferences such as the SEC.

"Dan is highly organized and very personable with the kids," Lemonis said. "He's very laid back, but on the flip side is very intense with his attention to detail. If you look at him, he's a little bit of Chal, a little bit of Fred, a little bit like (Ole Miss coach) Mike Bianco and a little bit of himself."

Reach Jeff Hartsell at jhartsell@postandcourier.com.