GOODWIN FIELD
On April 18, 1992, Goodwin Field (then Titan Field) became the new home of Cal State Fullerton baseball. The occasion was marked with the Titans sweeping a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount, 8-2 and 11-3, setting the tone for the next two decades. Two-thousand twelve marked the 20-year anniversary of the home of the Titans.
Goodwin Field is the third on-campus diamond to serve as the Titans' home field. The team's first field was laid out to the west of Titan House, located to the southeast of the current stadium. Home plate was in the southeast corner of the field plowed out of the citrus groves. A new field was built around 1970 on today's site, but with home plate located where the current left field foul pole rises. The largest crowd to see a game at that field, with small portable bleachers and plenty of standing room, was estimated at 5,000 in 1979, when Fullerton hosted the University of Hawaii and heralded pitcher Derek Tatsuno.
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In the past, the Titans have also had to play "home" games at local parks, such as Fullerton's Amerige Park and Anaheim's Boysen Park, as well as borrowed junior college fields at Fullerton, Santa Ana, and Orange Coast Colleges during the installation of lights at Titan Field in 1983.
Since its inauguration, Goodwin Field has been an undeniable home field advantage for the Titans, as they have amassed a stunning 482-154 overall record and a .758 winning percentage thru the 2012 season. In fact, the Titans tallied their best home season ever in 2003 at Goodwin Field when they won their first 22 games at home before finishing with a 32-3 (.914) mark.
Thanks in part to the extensive renovations and a commitment by the university to transform the field into a state-of-the-art facility, the NCAA named Goodwin Field as a site for the Regionals for the first time in 2000, and again in nine of the ensuing 11 seasons and 12 total heading into the 2020 season. The field has also played host to the Super Regionals in eight of the first 11 seasons and 10 times total heading into the 2020 season, with the most recent host time being 2018. For the Titans' first 21 Regionals appearances, the team was on the road, qualifying for more College World Series appearances (10) by winning on the road than any other school in NCAA history. But that record got put on hold when Fullerton hosted Mississippi State in its first home Super Regionals in June of 2001 where Goodwin Field was the site of consecutive sellout (then) crowds of 3,412. They saw the Titans sweep the Bulldogs, clinching a College World Series berth in front of a home crowd for the very first time.
The home field has definitely been an advantage in the postseason as the Titans have gone 51-17 (.750) overall, having won 16 of the 22 postseason tournaments (Regional and Super Regionals) at Goodwin Field. The most recent postseason matchup was the 2018 Super Regional at Goodwin Field was against the Washington Huskies.
In 2005, Goodwin Field's attendance records toppled the previous record attendance (3,581 set on June 7, 2003) on five separate occasions, setting a new benchmark of 3,654. During the last few weeks of the 2005 Titan Baseball season, fans flocked to Goodwin Field, selling out (3,654) four times total, three of which were consecutive games, from June 6 to June 11. In fact, in 2005, Cal State Fullerton saw a record number of fans show up for a series at Goodwin Field. In three games with cross-town rival Long Beach State, Goodwin Field held 10,355, shattering the old record of 8,728 set back in 2003 between the same two teams.
Over the years, the Titans' home field has seen many changes in name, appearance and location. In an effort to always provide the best facilities for its players, Goodwin Field remains a work in progress.
In the spring of 2020, Cal State Fullerton Athletics is currently in the midst of a capital project that will benefit its student athletes. Titan Athletics is upgrading its clubhouse facilities for baseball and softball so that they can continue to recruit top level student-athletes in these nationally competitive sports. This project will be able to provide adequate locker room and shower space, rooms for meetings and video analysis, space for the players to get snacks, and most importantly, room for them to study.
The process started in November 2017 and is currently in the pre-construction phase. The coaches have submitted their "wish lists" which will hopefully fit within the $10-12 million that is being set aside with fees collected from the Student Success Initiative. An architect and a contractor have been selected and they are currently working together to create the blueprint for the project. Construction is slated to begin following the conclusion of the 2020 season with completion scheduled for the 2021 season. Click here for more details.
In the winter of 2011-12, the Doubek V.I.P Room received the facility's most significant update. The room had its garage-like doors replaced with windows that overlook both the baseball and softball fields and a standing bar encircles the entire room. New drywall and paint created more space to show off the program's storied history. The back deck that overlooks the softball facility has a new synthetic patio cover for a more pleasurable outdoor experience and, cosmetically, the structures all received an exterior brick facade. The 18-year-old "temporary" press box also got some love with a fresh coat of paint, a new floor as well as a sheetrocked back wall and brick facade.
In December of 2010, Goodwin Field's weathered wooden fence - installed prior to the 1999 season - was removed and replaced with a new padded chain-linked fence. The fence stands 10-feet tall all the way around except where it is notched below the scoreboard in left field. In the spring of 2011, a $200,000 digital message board replaced the ancient (in terms of technology) board that was installed in 1994. In 2009, the actual scoreboard was replaced with a new digital LED board that allows for brightness controls as well as the ability to customize team names which comes in handy during postseason tournaments. A new video board was added for the 2012 season.
In 2008, a slightly larger makeover included a new laser-graded infield, state-of-the-art synthetic turf around the home plate area, a new anti-dust Hilltopper warning track much like the one used down the freeway at Angel Stadium, and upgraded gates and fencing in and around the bullpen areas.
Over the holiday break in 2005-06, Goodwin Field received its first covered batting cage and bullpen facility. The lit structure, located adjacent to right field, between the coaches' offices and the Arboretum, covers batting tunnels equipped with pitching machines and pitching mounds for use at night and in inclement weather.
A larger-scale, $3 million project was completed just before opening day in 2001, when the stadium's seating capacity was expanded from 1,750 to nearly 3,500. Also, for the first time, the stadium included an on-site clubhouse-style building connecting to the adjoining softball stadium. The clubhouse includes locker rooms, coaches' offices, umpire quarters and an enclosed VIP viewing and entertainment area.
On April 14, 2000, the stadium's name was officially changed from Titan Field to Goodwin Field, in honor of benefactors Jerry and Merilyn Goodwin. The occasion was marked by a ceremony prior to the Titans' game against Long Beach State.
The beauty and durability of Goodwin Field have also attracted many outside organizations. Numerous high school baseball tournaments, camps, television commercials and, most recently, the Golden Baseball League's Orange County Flyers have utilized Goodwin Field. The Flyers, an independent minor league baseball organization managed by the likes of MLB Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, Gary Templeton and former Cal State Fullerton superstar Phil Nevin, played at Goodwin Field from 2005 to 2011.
*updated March 30, 2020*