CATCH ALL THE ACTION: The Titans take on longtime rival Long Beach State this weekend in the final series of the regular season. Live stats and audio feeds will be available by following the links available on the baseball schedule page at FullertonTitans.com.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The first two games of the Titans series with the Dirtbags will be broadcast live on ESPNU with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. Both games will also be available on a live stream and on tablets and mobile devices with the WatchESPN app. In addition, Saturday's game will also be televised on Prime Ticket with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. Check your local listings for the channel in your area.
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.
THREE TO GO: The Titans return to Goodwin Field one last time this year as they host arch rival Long Beach State for the final weekend of the regular season.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY
CSF - RHP, Thomas Eshelman (7-5, 1.62 ERA) at LBST - RHP, Kyle Friedrichs (6-3, 2.68 ERA)
FRIDAY
CSF - LHP, John Gavin (6-2, 3.68 ERA) at LBST - RHP, Chris Mathewson (6-5, 1.75 ERA)
SATURDAY
CSF -RHP, Connor Seabold (3-3, 3.44) vs. LBST - TBA
CONTROLLING YOUR OWN DESTINY: With three games left in the regular season, the Titans lead UC Santa Barbara by one game in the Big West Conference standings. The Titans magic number to clinch the 20th Big West title in school history is two. Any combination of Titans wins or Gauchos losses equaling two will give Fullerton at least a share of the conference title. A sweep would guarantee the Titans the outright title.
RPI AND TOURNAMENT WATCH: The Titans are now at No. 28 in the NCAA RPI ratings as of May 20 after sweeping Hawai'i in Honolulu. Both Baseball America and D1Baseball.com have the Titans projected as a No. 2 seed in the upcoming regionals.
SENIOR NIGHT: The Titans will honor their two seniors, Tyler Peitzmeier and Willie Kuhl, in a pregame ceremony prior to Friday night's game. In addition, the Titans will also honor Nick Hurtado, who would have been a senior in 2015, with an honorary diploma.
BUFFALO WILD WINGS TICKET DEAL! Fans who purchase four reserved seats to any game against Long Beach State will receive a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. Only 25 gift cards are available so act fast! Applies to presale only, offer not valid the day of the game.
BASEBALL HAT GIVEAWAY: Be one of the first out to the park Saturday night for the Titans' regular-season finale versus the Dirtbags and receive a free pinwheel Titan hat – while supplies last – courtesy of Majestic Printing Systems.
CSF vs. LONG BEACH STATE • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played 1975/2015
Overall Record 134-65
Current Streak Lost 1
PCAA/Big West Conference Record 70-42
SBCA Conference Record 30-7
Overall Conference (PCAA/Big West) Record 100-49
Big West Tournament Record 4-2
NCAA Regional Record 0-1
Overall Postseason Record 0-1
Home Record 68-30
Road Record 65-34
Neutral Record 1-1
Longest Winning Streak 15 games (4/12/85 to 4/10/88)
Longest Losing Streak 5 games (5/24/02 to 3/28/03)
Extra Innings 4-3
Most Runs Scored in a Game 26 runs (5/2/80)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent 17 runs, 2 times (last on 5/19/01)
Largest Margin of Victory 17 runs (3/31/81)
Largest Margin of Defeat 12 runs, 2 times (last on 5/16/99)
LONG BEACH STATE NOTES:
-Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton meet for the second time this season with the Dirtbags taking the first series two games to one. The rivals split a pair of extra-inning games to open the series before the host Dirtbags took the finale 6-1.
-Cal State Fullerton has put together a hot streak to end the season, going 20-11 since the last time these two faced off at Blair Field. The Titans come into the series as the leaders in the Big West standings. Their magic number to clinch the conference is two.
-Last year, the teams split six games evenly with each team winning its home series. The Dirtbags have won the last two series in the rivalry
FRIEDRICHS AT THE CENTURY MARK
--Redshirt senior Kyle Friedrichs has had a breakout year as the Dirtbags Friday night starter. That breakout year can be capped with a milestone as he is just two strikeouts away from 100 on the year.
--The last time the Dirtbags had a pitcher reach 100 strikeouts was 2005 when current Major Leaguer Marco Estrada struck out 104 batters.
--With 98 strikeouts this season, Friedrichs has already doubled his career total. In his previous three years on the mound (used primarily as a reliever), he totaled 97 strikeouts with a season-high of 39 when he was an All-Big West reliever in 2012.
--He has four games of double digit strikeouts this season.
--Friedrichs also ranks 10th in the country in strikeout-to-walk ration. His opposing starter on Thursday, Thomas Eshelman, is the national leader in that category.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
--Freshman Chris Mathewson already has his name in the Dirtbags record book as the starter of the first no-hitter in program history, but has a chance to further write his name into history.
--With a 1.75 ERA going into his final start, Mathewson currently ranks ninth for best ERA in a season. Of the current single season top-10 ERA list, only two are starters.
--Jered Weaver posted a 1.62 ERA in 2004 as a junior and John Keisler owned a 1.53 ERA as a sophomore in 1970. As it stands now, Mathewson would have the third-best ERA of any starter in Long Beach State history.
--An argument can also be made that Mathewson has had one of the best freshman campaigns in Long Beach State history. His current 1.75 ERA is the best of any freshman starter. He has also tallied 72 strikeouts against just 20 walks and has limited opposing hitters to a .184 batting average, which is the lowest in the Big West.
YOUTH IN THE LINEUP
--As the lineup has solidified over the last couple of week, the Dirtbags have seen the youth emerge. The top half of the lineup has consisted of three freshmen and a sophomore.
--Those three freshmen (Tristan Mercadel, Brock Lundquist and Luke Rasmussen) and sophomore (Garrett Hampson) are leading the Dirtbags at the plate with the top four batting averages over the last 10 games and have combined to score 28 of the Dirtbags 50 runs in that span while driving in 18 more.
--Mercadel is hitting .333 over the last 10 games to lead the teams while Hampson is hitting .325 and Lundquist is hitting .324 with nine RBI.
--In Big West games, freshman Joey Sanchez has also proved to be a tough out while in the lineup. He owns a team-best .357 batting average as a part-time starter in Big West games.
FRESHMAN POWER
--Brock Lundquist and Luke Rasmussen have provided an offensive lift over the latter half of the season. The freshmen in the middle of the order have provided some needed power.
--Nearly half of Lundquist's hits (15 of 34) have gone for extras bases. He is tied for the team lead with 12 doubles while also smashing three home runs.
--Rasmussen has five home runs on the year -- the most by a Dirtbag since 2010. He is hitting .340 through his first 97 at-bats. With four double and two triples, Rasmussen is slugging .577. If he had five more at bats to reach the minimum for Big West stat rankings, he would rank second in the conference.
--The freshmen have also combined for 33 RBI and 35 runs scored.
PROVENCHER OUT OF THE PEN
--Junior Ty Provencher notched his sixth and seventh saves of the season last weekend with two scoreless outings in the ninth.
--His two scoreless outings lowered the closer's ERA to 1.90 through 23 and two-thirds innings. With his current ERA, Provencher would post his second consecutive sub-2.00 ERA season
HUTTING IN THE CLUTCH
--Eric Hutting ranks second on the team this season with 24 RBI, which has doubled his career total. His RBI outburst is thanks in large part to clutch hitting with the bases loaded.
--Hutting has come to the plate three times this season with the bases full and has come through all three times.
--At Arizona State, he hit a grand slam for the first home run of his career. The bases were full again for Hutting at Indiana and again he launched a grand slam over the left field wall. Last weekend, he delivered a two-run double with the bases loaded as part of the Dirtbags seven-run first.
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST: Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 725-254-1 (.740) conference record over 40 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 70-26 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 549-208-1 (.725; 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.
CONTINUED EXCELLENCE: The Titans won their 30th game of the season on Saturday with a 4-2 win at Hawai'i. Fullerton has won 30-plus games in each of its 41 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 clinched a winning season on Friday night and 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.
Consecutive 30+ win seasons (active)
1. Arizona State 53
2. Miami, Fla. 45
3. Cal State Fullerton 41
Clemson 41
ESHELMAN GOES BACK-TO-BACK: Cal State Fullerton right-hander Thomas Eshelman was named the Big West Conference pitcher of the week for the second-consecutive week, the conference announced Monday. Eshelman earned his third Big West Pitcher of the Week nod overall after he tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season as he dominated Hawaii in a 4-0 win on Friday night. The junior allowed just five hits and struck out 12, his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the year. It was also his fourth complete game of the season and he has now tossed 24 and 2/3 scoreless innings dating back to the ninth inning of his start against UC Irvine on April 24. The Carlsbad, Calif. native dropped his ERA to a Big West-leading 1.62 and maintains his conference lead in strikeouts on the season with 107.
MORE ESHELMAN: The Carlsbad, Calif. native currently leads the nation with a 17.83 strikeout-to walk ratio. Eshelman has fanned 107 batters and allowed just six walks, only one of those coming in Big West action. The right hander is second in the country with a 0.51 walks allowed per nine innings average, trailing only Sterling Koerner of FGCU (0.50). Eshelman leads the Big West with a 0.82 WHIP, which also ranks fifth in the nation. Eshelman also ranks sixth in the country in strikeouts (95), 16th in ERA (1.62) and 20th in complete games (4).
CLOSING TIME: Left-hander Tyler Peitzmeier racked up two more saves in the Titans three-game sweep at Hawai'i. He now has 15 on the season in as many opportunities. He ranks first in the Big West and second in the nation in saves and is also climbing up the Fullerton record books. His 15 saves rate as the fifth most by a Titans closer in a single season and the most since Michael Lorenzen shut the door 19 times in 2013. Peitzmeier has 16 saves overall in his career, which is tied for the ninth most in Titans history with Chris Robinson (1988-91).
WALKING ALONG: The Titans have had a lot of plate discipline this season, drawing 209 walks collectively to lead the Big West Conference. That mark also ranks 89th 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 (16) nearly equals his hit total (17) this season.
HAVE A DOS: The Titans currently lead the Big West in batters hit by a pitch. Fullerton hitters have been pelted 82 times this season, which also ranks eighth in the nation.
OTHER TEAM RANKS: Fullerton ranks first in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with a 1.72 average. They are also first in the country with a 4.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition, the Titans lead the Big West in shutouts with eight, a mark that also ranks sixth in the country. The Titans also rank highly in the following categories: WHIP (1.15; 2nd BWC, 7th Nation), sacrifice bunts (58; 4th BWC, 15th Nation), strikeouts per nine innings (8.5; 1st BWC, 22nd Nation) and triples (17, 2nd BWC, 42nd Nation).
THE BRAVE .300: The Titans have three players hitting .300 or better this season and one flirting with the mark. Josh Vargas leads the team with a .361 batting average and has 57 hits on the season. David Olmedo-Barrera follows Vargas with a .325 average with 53 hits and Tyler Stieb rounds out the .300 club with a .319 mark. He also leads the team with 59 hits. Jerrod Bravo briefly surged past .300 over the weekend at Hawai'i but his average dipped down to .294 by the end of the series. He has 32 hits in 109 at bats.
J-ROD: Third baseman Jerrod Bravo has been living on the basepaths for the Titans. Bravo has reached base in 35 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 15 games.
MONEY MAY: After being near .500 after the first three months of the season, the Titans have surged to the top of the Big West standings in May, winning eight of 10 games so far in the month. They are batting .297 as a team and have outscored opponents 67-17 in that stretch. Josh Vargas is batting .412 (14-for-34) with eight runs scored with Tyler Stieb (.410, 16-for-39, eight runs), David Olmedo-Barrera (.371, 13-for-35, 10 runs, two home runs, nine RBIs) and Jerrod Bravo (.303, 10-for-33, seven runs, eight RBIs) helping carry the load offensively. The pitching staff has been lights out, allowing 15 earned runs in 91 innings pitched (1.48 ERA). They have combined to strikeout 91 batters compared to just 12 walks and have tossed four shutouts.
BE BOLD YOUNG SEABOLD: Freshman Connor Seabold made his first career weekend start Sunday night at Hawai'i and it was stellar. The Newport Beach, Calif. native recorded his first career quality start, setting a career high with six innings pitched and nine strikeouts, allowing just two earned runs on three hits. He retired the last nine batters he faced and struck out the side in the fourth inning. This season, Seabold has a 3-3 record with a 3.44 ERA. He is second on the team with 58 strikeouts and has allowed just 11 walks in 49 and 2/3 innings pitched.
ONE IN THE CHAMBER: Right-hander Miles Chambers has emerged as a solid contributor out of the Titans bullpen this season. He has made 22 appearances and also made two starts. He has pitched in 53 and 2/3 innings, the most by any pitcher on the team with fewer than five starts. He has a 2.35 ERA this year and opponents are hitting .251 against him. He's gone more than one inning in relief 17 times this year.
FREQUENT FLYERS: The Titans wrapped up their road schedule over the weekend with a sweep of Hawai'i in Honolulu. The team 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), along with Honolulu (2,494 miles). Overall, the Titans logged more than 11,000 miles in the air this season and may add to that total by the time the NCAA Postseason is over.
