CATCH ALL THE ACTION: The Titans are headed west this weekend and fans can catch all the action for the three-game set at Hawai'i. Live stats, audio and video feeds will be available by following the links available on the baseball schedule page at FullertonTitans.com.
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.
OFF TO THE BIG ISLAND: Coming off a big conference series win against UC Santa Barbara, the Titans jump back into Big West play this weekend on the road against a surging Hawai'i team that has won its last six games and seven of the last eight. The series begins Friday from Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY
CSF - RHP, Thomas Eshelman (6-5, 1.78 ERA) at UH - RHP, LJ Brewster (6-4, 2.92 ERA)
SATURDAY
CSF - LHP, John Gavin (6-2, 3.84 ERA) at UH - RHP, Tyler Brashears (8-4, 1.83 ERA)
SUNDAY
CSF -TBA vs. UH - LHP, Jarrett Arakawa (3-3, 3.74 ERA)
RPI AND TOURNAMENT WATCH: The Titans are now at No. 33 in the NCAA RPI ratings as of May 13 after taking two of three from UC Santa Barbara last weekend. Currently, D1Baseball.com has the Titans projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Regionals.
LOGJAM AT THE TOP: With two weekends left in the regular season, the race for the Big West title is heating up as the Titans are tied atop the standings with UC Irvine, both holding a 13-5 conference record. UC Santa Barbara currently sits in third place, one game back. The Rainbow Warriors have used their current six-game conference winning streak to sneak into contention, trailing the Titans and Anteaters by 2.5 games in the standings with a 12-9 record. All four teams play each other this weekend as the Titans are in Hawai'i while the Anteaters head to UC Santa Barbara.
CSF vs. HAWAI'I • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played 1979/2014
Overall Record 13-5
Current Streak Won 5
Overall Conference Record 5-1
Home Record 6-1
Road Record 7-4
Neutral Record 0-0
Longest Winning Streak 5 games (4/27/13 to present)
Longest Losing Streak 2 games (3/25/82 to 3/26/82)
Extra Innings 1-0
Most Runs Scored in a Game 17 runs (4/26/14)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent 10 runs, 2 times (last on 3/28/10)
Largest Margin of Victory 13 runs (4/26/14)
Largest Margin of Defeat 3 runs, 2 times (last on 3/28/10)
HAWAI'I NOTES:
• The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (21-26, 12-9 Big West) baseball team has been simply hot the past two weeks, emerging from a two-week California road trip with a perfect 6-0 record, sweeping Big West series at Long Beach State and UC Riverside. The 'Bows return to Les Murakami Stadium for the final home stand of the 2015 season, hosting a crucial series with No. 21 Cal State Fullerton (28-21, 13-5 Big West) for senior weekend.
• Aided by the consecutive sweeps, Hawai'i has edged its way back into the Big West title race, but must capitalize on opportunities in this weekend's series. The Titans currently are tied for first in the league race with UC Irvine, while Hawai'i has moved into fourth behind UC Santa Barbara.
• The Rainbow Warriors have won seven of their last eight games, including six straight outings, producing the first back-to-back conference sweeps since 2006. Upped hitting from unexpected sources has been a huge factor in the recent successes, most notably from shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins. The Melbourne, Victoria junior was hitting .237 coming out of non-conference play, but has quietly been moving up the hitting ranks. This week, he took over the top batting average spot with a .297 average, after belting an .800 (8-for-10) average against UC Riverside and hitting .619 on the road trip. He has scored 22 runs and batted in 11 more.
• Alex Sawelson has remained sound as designated hitter, hitting .286 with 20 RBI and 15 runs, collecting eight (8) doubles and a triple. Catcher Chayce Ka'aua has been hot since the beginning of Big West play, hitting .333 in conference games. He now currently has 21 runs and 16 RBI, and leads the team with nine (9) doubles, batting .277 overall.
• The latest addition to the lineup has been freshman third baseman Jonathan Weeks, who took over the hot corner across the past two series. The move paid off, as Weeks hit .348 in the six road wins, logging three (3) RBI and two (2) runs, and holding down the left side with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Through 27 games, largely in reserve, Weeks has seven (7) RBI and eight (8) runs.
• At the core of the recent success has been the work of the starting pitchers and finding steady relievers to secure wins. Getting the 'Bows started each week, junior right-hander LJ Brewster is 6-4 with a 2.92 ERA, striking out 55 through 83 innings of work. Although his scoreless streak was snapped at 21 innings, Saturday right-hander Tyler Brashears registered his fifth consecutive game-winning start, moving his record to 8-4 with a Big West fourth-best 1.82 ERA, striking out 62 with just 17 walks in 88 innings pitched. Rounding out the rotation, Jarrett Arakawa met some challenges last Sunday, but he's been sturdy for the 'Bows, going 3-3 with a 3.74 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 43 innings.
• The rise of closer Quintin Torres-Costa has been an essential element lately, as his scoreless streak has extended to 13 games and 21 innings, accumulating eight (8) saves and 45 strikeouts in 34 total innings. As a reliever, the redshirt sophomore lefty's ERA is 0.83 and he's registered a 1-3 overall record this season.
• Relievers Andrew Jones and Kyle Von Ruden have aided the 'Bows in Big West games of late, registering ERAs of 1.83 and 1.54, respectively, in conference play. Jones has been a middle reliever in each of the last two series, while Von Ruden closed up Sunday's 9-2 win at UC Riverside, going 5.1 innings without a run, allowing three (3) hits and fanning three (3).
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST: Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 722-254-1 (.740) conference record over 40 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 67-26 Big West Conference record in his four 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 546-208 (.724; 32 years) PCAA/Big West Conference record.
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.
JUSTIN GARZA OUT FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON: Cal State Fullerton right-hander Justin Garza will miss the remainder of the season with a slight tear in his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), an MRI revealed Wednesday. Garza pitched for the Titans on May 9 against UC Santa Barbara and came out of the game in the fourth inning after feeling discomfort in his arm. Garza finishes the 2015 season with a 4-3 record and a 3.05 ERA. He tallied 53 strikeouts in 65 innings of work.
Garza issued the following statement regarding the injury:
"It's a tough thing to go through, obviously and I'm just glad for all the support I've already received from my family and friends; it means a lot. I'm thankful for all the support and time I have received from the Cal State Fullerton Athletic Training staff and everyone involved with Titan baseball. Once a Titan, always a Titan. On a positive note, I'll still be able to be around the team and my teammates. We have been playing well and hopefully they can make a great run through the rest of the season. I will be there cheering them on and hopefully be at the top of a dog pile at the end of the season whether my arm is in a sling or not."
ESHELMAN RACKS UP THE ACCOLADES: Cal State Fullerton right-hander Thomas Eshelman was named the Big West Conference pitcher of the week, the conference announced Monday. In addition, Eshelman earned the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's National Pitcher of the Week award on Tuesday. The Titans Friday-night ace was marvelous in the team's 3-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara and star ace Dillon Tate. Eshelman tossed eight scoreless innings and scattered three hits. He walked one, his first free pass in conference play, and struck out nine en route to earning his sixth victory of the season. He retired the last 10 batters he faced. He currently leads the Big West with 95 strikeouts and ranks third with a 1.78 ERA.
MORE ESHELMAN: The Carlsbad, Calif. native currently leads the nation with a 15.83 strikeout-to walk ratio. Eshelman has fanned 95 batters and allowed just six walks, only one of those coming in Big West action. The right hander also leads the country with a 0.56 walks allowed per nine innings average. He leads the Big West with a 0.84 WHIP, which also ranks seventh in the nation. Eshelman also ranks 20th in the country in strikeouts (95) and is 30th in the nation with a 1.78 ERA.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: The Titans have had a lot of plate discipline this season, drawing 200 walks collectively to lead the Big West Conference. That mark also ranks 82nd in the nation and Fullerton has done it as a team as no player has more than 25 walks. Josh Vargas and Timmy Richards lead the team with 25 with David Olmedo-Barrera drawing 21 free passes, the only other player on the team with more than 20 walks. Seven other players have drawn double-digit walks including Taylor Bryant, whose walk total (15) nearly equals his hit total (16) in 86 plate appearances.
ROGER DORN WOULD BE PROUD: The Titans currently lead the Big West in batters hit by a pitch. Fullerton hitters have been pelted 77 times this season, which also ranks seventh in the nation, 14 behind leader Alabama State.
OTHER TEAM RANKS: Fullerton ranks first in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with a 1.75 average. They are also first in the country with a 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition, the Titans lead the Big West in shutouts with seven, a mark that also ranks sixth in the country. The Titans also rank highly in the following categories: WHIP (1.18; 3rd BWC, 11th Nation), sacrifice bunts (52; 4th BWC, 21st Nation), strikeouts per nine innings (8.4; 1st BWC, 26th Nation) and triples (16, 2nd BWC, 41st Nation).
THE APPLAUSE GOES ON AND ON: Third baseman Jerrod Bravo has been living on the basepaths for the Titans. Bravo has reached base in 32 consecutive games he has played, a span that goes back to the first month of the season. During that stretch, Bravo has come up with pinch-hits and walks in his only appearance certain games to keep the streak alive. He has not had to worry about that lately as he's started the last 12 games.
STIEB SWINGING A HOT BAT: Outfielder Tyler Stieb has been swinging a hot bat for the Titans lately. In his last nine games, Stieb is batting .444 (16-for-36) with two doubles, six runs scored and six RBIs. He had a seven-game hitting streak during that stretch and has collected six multi-hit performance in the last nine games, including two three-hit games in two of the last three contests. The streak has helped Stieb lift his average by nearly 40 points as he is batting .314 on the year.
DOB LOOKING FOR A DOZEN: David Olmedo-Barrera comes into the weekend riding an 11-game hitting streak, the longest by a Titans player this season. During the streak, Olmedo-Barrera is batting .450 (18-for-40) with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. He has scored 11 runs and is slugging .675. The streak has helped shoot Olmedo-Barrera's batting average up by 36 points as he is currently batting .331 after starting the streak at .295 on April 24.
FREQUENT FLYERS: The Titans have had to make themselves comfortable in airplanes this season, but this weekend marks the final road trip of the regular season. The team has already traveled to Clearwater, Fla., Bloomington, Ind. and Lincoln, Neb., and College Park, Md., which was the team's longest road trip of the season (2,628 miles). Overall, the Titans will log more than 11,000 miles in the air this season after taking one more plane ride to Hawai'i (2,494 miles) this weekend.
