OPENING WEEKEND CHALLENGE AT BRIGHT HOUSE FIELD: The 2015 baseball season officially gets underway Friday, Feb. 13 as the Titans take part in the Opening Weekend Challenge at Bright House Field hosted by South Florida. The Titans open the tournament against the host Bulls followed by Fullerton's first ever meeting against Alabama State on Saturday. The weekend concludes Sunday when the Titans take on No. 12 Louisville in a battle of top-25 teams.
CATCH ALL THE ACTION: Fans can follow the action for all three games of the Opening Weekend Challenge at Bright House Field with live stats, available on FullertonTitans.com. In addition, an audio broadcast will be available for all three Titans games from Clearwater, Fla. Sunday's audio broadcast for the Titans' game against Louisville requires a subscription.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @BaseballTitans on Twitter for daily updates during the 2015 season. Fullerton baseball is also now on Instagram, so make sure to follow the 2015 team all season @CSF_TitansBaseball.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY
CSF - RHP, Thomas Eshelman (2014: 8-3, 1.89 ERA) vs. USF - RHP, Jimmy Herget (2014: 8-6, 1.26 ERA)
SATURDAY
CSF - TBA vs. ALST - RHP, Joseph Camacho (2014: 10-1, 2.34 ERA)
SUNDAY
CSF - LHP, John Gavin (Freshman) vs. LOU - LHP, Josh Rogers (2014: 3-3, 3.63 ERA)
TUESDAY
CSF - TBA vs. USC - TBA
SEASON OPENERS: Cal State Fullerton is 22-18 all-time in season openers, but 4-12 when those come on the road. The Titans have opened the last two seasons at Goodwin Field, defeating USC 3-2 in 2013 followed by a 12-0 shellacking of Washington State in 2014. In their last season opener on the road, the Titans dropped a 7-3 decision to No. 1 Florida in 2012. The Titans last road win on the first day of the season came in 2008 when Fullerton upended Texas Christian 11-5.
2015 SEASON OUTLOOK: The Titans return 18 players from the 2014 squad that finished the year with a 34-24 record and advanced to the NCAA Postseason for the 36th time in school history and the 23rd straight season. It was also the 40th straight 30-win season for the Titans. Starting pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza headline a pitching staff that set a new school record with a collective 2.24 ERA. Along with the best ERA in school history, the 2014 Titans pitching staff ranked near the top of the school record book in the following categories: lowest opponent batting average (4th, .234), fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2nd, 1.52), most shutouts (T2nd, 9), fewest hits (7th, 471), fewest runs (2nd, 177), fewest earned runs allowed (2nd, 136), fewest walks (2nd, 92), and fewest home runs allowed (2nd, 12).
At the plate, the Titans will look to replace the production of Matt Chapman and J.D. Davis, who led the team in hitting last season. Both players were lost to the 2014 MLB Draft, with Chapman becoming the 13th player in school history to be taken in the first round. Overall, the Titans lost seven members of the 2014 squad to the MLB Draft. Junior Tanner Pinkston returns to the lineup after batting .298 in 2014 with a homer and 19 RBI while David Olmedo-Barrera will look to continue his momentum from last season after the current junior became a mainstay in the Titans lineup down the stretch, helping the Titans clinch their 23rd straight postseason berth.
POLL POSITION: The Titans were ranked in all five major preseason polls, earning a No. 17 mark from Collegiate Baseball in the first rankings that came out in December. The Titans are also ranked No. 18 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, No. 19 by both the USA Today Coaches' and D1Baseball.com polls and No. 23 by Baseball America.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: At the Opening Weekend Challenge, the Titans will take on South Florida and Alabama State for the first time in the program's history.
SOUTH FLORIDA NOTES: The Bulls come into the 2015 season with first-year head coach Mark Kingston, who was hired in June. In 2014, South Florida went 27-31 overall with a 10-14 conference record in the American Athletic Conference.
VERSUS THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Fullerton holds a 24-6 record all-time against teams currently in the American Athletic Conference. They have played 11 times against each Tulane and Houston and hold a 10-1 record over Tulane with a 9-2 mark against Houston. The Titans are an even 3-3 against East Carolina and 1-0 against Connecticut and Memphis.
ALABAMA STATE NOTES: The Hornets went 37-20 in 2014 and 21-3 in the Southwestern Atlantic Conference. The 37 victories were a new school record and the Hornets won their first division title in school history. Alabama State advanced to the SWAC Tournament championship game for the first time in its history but came up short of locking up the automatic NCAA postseason bid. They will play 50 games in 2015, with the SWAC Tournament slated for May 13-17 in New Orleans.
VERSUS THE SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: The Titans game against Alabama State will be only the second time Fullerton has faced a team from the SWAC and the first time in nearly 30 years. In 1987, the Titans dropped a 1-0 decision to Southern at the New Orleans Regional.
CSF vs. LOUISVILLE • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played: 2009
Overall Record: 2-0
Current Streak: Won 2
NCAA Super Regional Record: 2-0
Overall NCAA Postseason Record: 2-0
Home Record: 2-0
Road Record: 0-0
Neutral Record: 0-0
Longest Winning Streak: 2 games (6/5/09 to present)
Longest Losing Streak: NA
Extra Innings: 0-0
Most Runs Scored in a Game: 12 runs (6/5/09)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent: 2 runs (6/6/09)
Largest Margin of Victory: 12 runs (6/5/09)
Largest Margin of Defeat: NA
LOUISVILLE NOTES: Louisville comes into the 2015 season ranked No. 12 by Baseball America and as high as No. 7 in the five major preseason polls. The Cardinals finished the 2014 season with a 50-17 record, leading to an appearance in the College World Series. It was the Cardinals third trip to Omaha in the last eight seasons and second straight appearance in the College World Series. They eventually bowed out of the tournament with consecutive losses to Vanderbilt and Texas in Omaha.
The Cardinals are led by All-American right-handed pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who went 13-3 with a 1.94 ERA in 2014. So far this preseason, Funkhouser has received First Team All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game.
Funkhouser was also named to the 50-player preseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday afternoon along with Fullerton pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza. In his two collegiate seasons at Louisville, Funkhouser is 18-4 on the mound with a 2.01 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 175.0 innings and 24 total starts. Last summer, he was 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA (four earned runs in 28.1 innings) and a team-high 36 strikeouts in six appearances and five starts for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, where he was teammates with Eshelman and Garza.
VERSUS ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: Fullerton's meeting with Louisville on Sunday will mark the 50th time the Titans have tangled with a team from the ACC. The Titans hold a 29-20 record in those contests, recording 11 victories over Miami in 17 games against the Hurricanes while holding a 10-7 mark against Florida State. North Carolina is 3-0 against Fullerton and the Tar Heels are the only ACC opponent the Titans have faced that have an undefeated record against Fullerton.
CSF vs. USC • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played: 1975/2014
Overall Record: 49-38-1
Current Streak: Won 1
NCAA Regional Record: 2-4
NCAA College World Series Record: 1-0
Overall NCAA Postseason Record: 3-4
Home Record: 25-15
Road Record: 20-20
Neutral Record: 4-3-1
Longest Winning Streak: 6 games (2/23/82 to 5/29/84)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 games (2/7/89 to 2/5/91)
Extra Innings: 1-3
Most Runs Scored in a Game: 17 runs, 2 times (last on 5/20/14)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent: 14 runs (4/15/08)
Largest Margin of Victory: 14 runs, 2 times (last on 5/20/14)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 10 runs (4/15/08)
USC NOTES: On the heels of a successful 2014 season that saw USC finish with a winning record for the first time since 2005 and narrowly miss the NCAA Regionals, the 2015 Trojans enter the season with lofty standards and an expectation of a regional bid.
The team of 17 freshmen from two seasons ago has grown up, as this year's squad boasts 19 upperclassmen and returns seven starting position players and two starting pitchers. The 2015 squad is highlighted by senior catcher Garrett Stubbs, junior pitchers Kyle Davis and Kyle Twomey, and sophomore catcher/designated hitter Jeremy Martinez. Nine freshmen also join the fold this season, along with two impact junior college transfers in pitcher Tyler Gilbert and outfielder David Oppenheim.
The pitching staff is led by junior right-hander Davis, an All-Pac-12 selection in 2014. Davis was the team's closer in 2014, tallying nine saves in 56.1 innings of work, striking out 57 batters but also won his only start, which came against No. 1 Oregon State in the must-win final game of the season. He threw a complete game, allowing one unearned run on five hits, while striking out a career-high 14 batters. Twomey, a highly touted junior lefty who has both started and relieved during his career, will be another key piece. Last season he went 2-2 with a 3.11 ERA through 55.0 innings, striking out 50 batters in 19 appearances--four of them starts. Junior Brent Wheatley, the Trojans' Saturday starter for much of the 2014 season is also returning in 2015. He finished 4-3 through 18 appearances (14 starts).
VERSUS THE PAC-12: The Titans currently hold a 284-207-3 mark against teams from the Pacific-12 conference, with their most victories (65) coming against UCLA in 97 games. The Titans have also played Arizona 97 times, holding a 63-34 record. Fullerton has played Stanford on 96 (42-54) occasions and is one of just three teams in the conference to hold a winning record over the Titans all-time along with Arizona State (26-30) and Washington State (5-7).
REMEMBERING THE TITANS: Junior Justin Garza pitched five scoreless frames and Cal State Fullerton had consecutive big innings to defeat the Alumni 10-0 on Jan. 24 at Goodwin Field.
The Titans scored their sixth consecutive win over the Alumni since 2007. The game was cancelled due to inclement weather in 2008 and 2009. Garza went five innings and allowed two hits. He struck out four, including three straight at one point. Freshman John Gavin was equally brilliant as the first-year player out of St. Francis High School handled the workload for the Alumni squad. Gavin went five scoreless frames and struck out six of his fellow Titans. He recorded multiple strikeouts in two innings and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, a leadoff single to A.J. Kennedy.
The Titans got on the board in a big way in the sixth inning, plating four runs. Freshman Scott Hurst led off with a double that was aided by the fierce winds that plagued the outfielders all day at Goodwin Field. Tyler Stieb followed with a bunt single and then, with one out, freshman Chris Hudgins belted a double to plate Hurst with the first run of the game. David Olmedo-Barrera followed with a two-run double in his only at-bat of the game to give the Titans a 3-0 edge and Josh Vargas capped off the scoring with an RBI single to right to bring in Olmedo-Barrera. The Titans added a six-spot in the seventh to put the game away, getting RBI hits from Niko Pacheco, Turner Buis and Timmy Richards in the frame. Chad Hockin, Kyle Murray, Maxwell Gibbs and Shane Stillwagon all pitched one inning of scoreless relief for the Titans to shut the door on the Alumni.
The game featured many great Titans from the past including Justin Turner (2003-06), who served as the team's manager. Other former Titans that played in the game included Carlos Lopez (2010-13), Matt Chapman (2012-14), Greg Jacobs (1998), Richy Pedroza (2010-13), Corey Jones (2007-08, 10), Dustin Garneau (2006-09), Nick Ramirez (2009-11), Josh Fellhauer (2007-09), Erik Komatsu (2008), Chad Wallach (2011-13), Jared Deacon (2011-14), Austin Diemer (2012-14), Clay Williamson (2012-14), Joe Scott (2006-09), Anthony Hutting (2010-13), Keegan Dale (2011-14), Matt Orloff (2010-13), Longo Garcia (1987-88) and Wes Roemer (2005-07). Current undergraduate assistant Sergio Pedroza (2003-05) and volunteer assistant coach Ronnie Prettyman (2003-05) along with former undergraduate assistant Cory Vanderhook (2006) also made appearances as pinch-hitters during the game. Other alumni that were in attendance included Christian Colon (2008-10), Ryan Jara (1995), Robert Matos (1994-95), Tony Miranda (1994-95), Blake Davis (2004-06), Jeff Nichols (1975-78), Mike Rouse (2001), Dave Birosak (2012-13), Reed Johnson (1997-99), James Betzsold (1991-94), Ryan Owens (1997-99), Chris Robinson (1988-91), Rod Klopfer (1989), Shane Costa (2001-03), Kevin Rath (2008-10), Paul Canedo (2007), Jason Corapci (2000-03), Dave Chavez (1975), Koby Gauna (2012-14), Tyler Pill (2009-11), Chad Rolish (1993-94), Michael Lopez (2012-13), Noe Ramirez (2009-11), Frank Vilorio (1977-78), Adam Millan (1993-94), Vinnie Pestano (2004-06), Billy Marcoe (2007-10), Billy Pinkerton (2007), Dustin Birosak (2007), Grahamm Wiest (2012-14), Michael Lorenzen (2011-13) and Christian Coronado (2011-12, 14).
PICKED TO WIN IT: Cal State Fullerton was picked as the favorite to win the 2015 Big West title as selected by the nine conference head coaches that voted in the Big West Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Titans received five of the nine first-place votes and 74 points overall, edging 2014 Big West Conference champions Cal Poly, which received three first-place votes and 73 points overall. UC Santa Barbara claimed the third spot, receiving the final first-place vote and 62 points overall while UC Irvine (56 points) and Long Beach State (48 points) rounded out the top five spots.
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST: Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 709-249-1 (.739) conference record over 40 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 54-21 Big West Conference record in his three seasons at the helm and won consecutive conference titles in 2012 and 2013, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Augie Garrido (14). Larry Cochell (1), George Horton (7) and Dave Serrano (3). Overall, the Titans have won 27 conference titles.
A further breakdown has the Titans winning three PCAA conference championships (1975-76, 1987), eight straight SCBA titles (1977-84), and 16 while playing under the Big West name (1990-91, 94-95, 1997, 1999-2001, 2004-06, 2008, 2010-13). The Big West absorbed the PCAA records in 1990 upon its formation, giving the Titans 19 total Big West championships and a 533-203 (.724; 32 years) PCAA/Big West Conference record.
GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST: Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza were each named to the 50-man preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List this week, marking the second straight season the two pitchers were named to the initial list. In 2014, Garza only made the initial list but Eshelman made it all the way to the 30-man list one year after being named a semifinalist for the prestigious award as a freshman. Three players have won the Golden Spikes Award in Fullerton's history: Tim Wallach (1979), Phil Nevin (1992) and Mark Kotsay (1995).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: During the 2015 season, the Titans will take on 11 teams that finished 2014 with a top-50 RPI. Fullerton will face three teams that made it to the 2014 College World Series (Louisville, UC Irvine, Texas Tech) along with three other teams that advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals (Stanford, Maryland, Pepperdine) last season. Overall, the Titans will face 10 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2014; a list that also includes Cal Poly, Indiana, Nebraska and Long Beach State.
Furthermore, the Titans will take on four teams ranked in Baseball America's 2015 Preseason Top-25 rankings including No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 11 UCLA, No. 12 Louisville and No. 16 Maryland.
According to BoydsWorld.com, the Titans have the third toughest overall schedule in the nation, ranked only behind 2015 opponents Baylor and Stanford. Fullerton's non-conference schedule ranks as the second toughest behind only Stanford.
CONTINUED EXCELLENCE: The Titans have won 30-plus games in each of its 40 seasons at the Div. I level and are tied for third in the nation when it comes to most consecutive 30-win campaigns. The only Titan team to win as few as 30 games was the 1989 squad skippered by Larry Cochell. The Titans have never had a losing season at the Div. I level. Fullerton comes in tied for third with Clemson and behind Arizona State and Miami. Pepperdine, which was ranked No. 5, saw its 32-year streak ended in 2010.
Consecutive 30+ win seasons (active)
1. Arizona State 52
2. Miami, Fla. 44
3. Cal State Fullerton 40
Clemson 40
THE ROOKIES: Cal State Fullerton's 2014 class was ranked the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation, according to Collegiate Baseball newspaper's annual evaluation.
Fullerton's class ranks first among Big West Conference opponents, ahead of No. 18 Long Beach State. The Titans class also ranks third among Division I programs in the state of California behind No. 4 San Diego and No. 8 Stanford.
DRAFT DODGERS: Nine Titans on the current roster have been selected previously in the MLB First-Year Players draft. In 2014, newcomers Tristan Hildebrandt, John Gavin, Jordan Hand, Connor Seabold and Chris Hudgins were each selected in the MLB Draft but elected to attend Cal State Fullerton.
TITANS IN THE DRAFT (by round):
Tristan Hildebrandt 2014 16th round St. Louis Cardinals
Connor Seabold 2014 19th round Baltimore Orioles
Justin Garza 2012 26th round Cleveland Indians
Jordan Hand 2014 34th round New York Mets
Jake Jefferies 2012 34th round Washington Nationals
Chris Hudgins 2014 35th round New York Yankees
John Gavin 2014 39th round Milwaukee Brewers
Timmy Richards 2013 40th round Miami Marlins
David Olmedo-Barrera 2012 40th round Oakland Athletics
HIT THIS, I DARE YA: The Titans pitching staff was spectacular in 2014 and the unquestioned strength of the team. Fullerton accumulated a 2.24 team ERA, setting a new Cal State Fullerton single-season record, shattering the previous mark of 2.47 set in 2013. They also ranked second on the all-time list in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.52), shutouts (9), fewest walks (92) and fewest home runs allowed (12). The Titans led the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (1.52) in 2014 as well as strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.04). They were third in the country with a 1.03 WHIP and third in the nation with a 2.24 ERA. Overall, the weekend rotation of Thomas Eshelman (1.89), Justin Garza (3.22), and Grahamm Wiest (1.68) finished the season with a collective 2.13 ERA, allowing 73 earned runs in 309 innings pitched.
WORKING OVERTIME: In 2014, the Titans played 11 extra inning games, the most played by a Titans squad in recorded history and the most since the 2004 National Championship team played seven. They finished the year 5-6 in extra-inning games. In addition, the Titans played the longest game in the program's recorded history (19 innings on Feb. 21 vs. San Francisco). The Titans played 36 extra frames in 2014, the equivalent of four full games.
DINNER IS SERVED: The ninth annual Dinner With the Titans set new attendance and fundraising records for the baseball program as more than 500 guests gathered on Jan. 10 at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, Calif. to support the Cal State Fullerton baseball program.
The event raised more than $75,000 for the nationally renowned Titans baseball program thanks to donations, raffle drawings and proceeds from the silent auction. The night set a new record, eclipsing the previous mark of $46,700 raised in 2013.
College baseball and Titans legendary coach Augie Garrido headlined the event, serving as the keynote speaker.
Along with the many fans of the Titans, more than 85 former players and alumni came out for the event including Tim Wallach, Mark Kotsay, Phil Nevin, Justin Turner, Kurt Suzuki, Christian Colon, Matt Chapman, J.D. Davis and Jim Irvine, a member of the first NCAA Division I Titans squad in 1975.
SUMMER IN KOREA: The four-time national champion Cal State Fullerton baseball program has been selected to represent the United States at the 2015 World University games from July 3-14 in Gwangju City, South Korea.
The World University Games is the American term for "Universiade," an international multi-sport event organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The Universiade, which began in 1959, is an international sporting and cultural festival, staged every two years in a different city around the world, representing both winter and summer competitions.
The 2015 Summer Games in Gwangju City, South Korea will have U.S. representation in up to 21 sports by 550 people which will be, by far, the largest American team in the history of U.S. participation in the Games. By contrast, the 2013 American team had 400 athletes and staff in Kazan, Russia.
The U.S.A. won a total of 40 medals at the 2013 Kazan Summer Games, finishing sixth in the world. Many now-famous athletes have represented the U.S.A. in previous WUG competitions prior to gaining stardom in the Olympics and professional sports. These include such elite athletes as Michael Johnson (Track), Charles Barkley and Larry Bird (Men's Basketball), Matt Biondi and Michael Phelps (Swimming), and Lisa Leslie (Women's Basketball).
In addition, Cal State Fullerton will play an exhibition game against Korean team NC Dinos on Feb. 23 at Goodwin Field.
The Titans will host NC Dinos, a member of the Korean Professional Baseball League, following Fullerton's first weekend home series of the 2015 season against Stanford.
NC Dinos were founded in 2011 and played their first season in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2013. NC Dinos play their home games at Masan Baseball Stadium in the city of Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.
TITANS IN THE BIG LEAGUES: The Titans have had 55 former players ascend to the major leagues since their first products, Dan Whitmer and Tim Wallach, got there in 1980. Christian Colon and Gary Brown became the 54th and 55th former Titans to break into the Majors after making their debuts in 2014. Colon appeared in his first game with the Kansas City Royals on July 1 while Brown made his Giants debut on Sept. 3 in Colorado. Both players would go on to be picked up for each team's postseason roster and Colon propelled the Royals past the Oakland Athletics with an RBI single in the American League Wild Card Playoff game. Brown would have his lone postseason at-bat in the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals. Colon finished the regular season with a .333 batting average, playing in 21 games. He had five doubles, one triple and six RBI. Brown played in seven games and went 3-for-7 with a run scored and one RBI. Colon and Brown were two of seven former Titans that played in MLB during the 2014 season, joining Khris Davis (Milwaukee Brewers), Reed Johnson (Miami Marlins), Vinnie Pestano (Cleveland Indians/L.A. Angels), Kurt Suzuki (Minnesota Twins) and Justin Turner (L.A. Dodgers).