Fresno State head football coach Pat Hill stopped for lunch in Los Ba&#241;os on Wednesday at Espa&#241;a's as part of his week-long 'football caravan' trip across the valley.</p><p>"I want to spend time among the fans," Pat Hill said of visiting nearly eight cities in five days. "A majority of our players come from the valley and that's where our fan base is."</p><p>In addition to promoting season ticket sales and apparel, he also said being an active part of the communities he is visiting is important to generating support for the team and the school.</p><p>"If you're going to say you're a valley team, you need to be a part of the valley," he said.</p><p>Hill said one of the most recognized ways he represents the valley is the letter 'V' each of the football players have on their helmet.</p><p>"It symbolizes the agriculture we have in the valley," he said. "The 'V' is in its 12th season and every time we're on national television, it's talked about.</p><p>"Our community is not just Fresno; it's all the cities in between. So, it's important to represent where our players and fans come from," Hill said.</p><p>"The 'V' has gotten a lot of mileage."</p><p>Getting ready to start their season, Hill said the team is working well together. One of their strengths for the season rests in their offense, with 10 of 11 veterans to start the season. While defense sees some of the younger players, "we'll be ready by our first game," Hill said, which is set for Sept. 1 at Rutgers State University of New Jersey.</p><p>In his third day into the 'caravan,' Hill said season ticket sales are going well for the team; yet, there's always room to expand their fan base, he said.</p><p>"We'll probably have a full house at our first home game on Sept. 13 against Wisconsin, but we should have a full house at every home game," Hill said.</p><p>One of the questions Hill gets asked the most, he said, is 'where does he see the team in 10 years.' While faceing continued success, he hopes the team will establish a status of being "big time," something Hill says not only comes from the team's success, but from the support of the fans.</p><p>"If fans are willing to pay the UCLA prices for a football game, why aren't they ready to support Fresno in the same way," Hill said. "We're trying to build that status and traditions for Fresno so being charged a UCLA game price isn't a huge issue for fans.</p><p>"Hopefully the guy who replaces me will continue to build on this and our support will continue to grow. It's not going to happen over night, and it's not something we can accomplish without our fans," he said.</p><p>As far as visiting Los Ba&#241;os, Hill said he looked forward to trip because of the fans, as well as location.</p><p>"Los Ba&#241;os is a halfway point for many of our fans, and it's a great town our fans can travel through to get to games," he said. "And when that red wave comes rolling through, we really appreciate the support we get from Los Ba&#241;os."</p><p>On behalf of Los Ba&#241;os, Joe Souza, Mayor Pro Tem, issued a proclamation at Hill's visit to recognize July 9 as Los Ba&#241;os' Bulldog Day.</p><p>Souza said Hill's visit is not only important for the team, but also because "it promotes our town in the valley and what a great place it is."</p><p>Promoting the season's ticket sales is also a great item on Hill's itinerary, Souza said.</p><p>"It brings attention to the season and it's a great value. There's not a lot of family-based entertainment left these days. This supports that for sure."</p><p>Enterprise reporter Samantha Salas can be reached by phone at (209)388-6562 or by e-mail at ssalas@losbanosenterprise.com