Game 54-56
Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State
Date: May 26-28
Time: Thursday and Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 1 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Blair Field
TV: Fox Sports Prime Ticket (Saturday)
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Audio: FullertonTitans.com
Series Record: 138-67
FULLERTON, Calif. – After 53 games, the Big West Conference title will be decided on the final weekend of the regular season as the first-place Titans travel to Blair Field to take on the Dirtbags.
CATCH ALL THE ACTION:
Fans can follow the action for all this week's games with live stats and live audio. All links can be found on FullertonTitans.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow @BaseballTitans on Twitter for daily updates during the 2016 season. Fullerton baseball is also on Instagram, so make sure to follow the 2016 team all season @CSF_TitansBaseball.
ON THE TICKET:
Saturday's series finale, a game that could be for the outright Big West title, will be broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. First pitch is set for 1:06 p.m. The game will also be available online and on mobile devices via FoxSportsGo.com and the FoxSportsGo app. A cable or satellite TV subscription is required.
WHAT'S THE SCENARIO?:
There are three possible outcomes this weekend as the Titans face the Dirtbags, nursing a one-game lead atop the conference standings. Fullerton needs just one victory in the three-game series to earn a share of the Big West title, which happened in 2008. Two Titans victories would clinch the title outright for Fullerton. If the Dirtbags sweep the series, they would earn the conference championship outright for their first Big West title since 2008 and first solo title since 2003. Two wins for the Dirtbags would also secure Long Beach State the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament since they would own the tiebreaker over the Titans by winning the head-to-head conference series.
POLL POSITION:
The Titans are ranked No. 23 in this week's Baseball America top-25 poll and No. 25 in D1Baseball.com's poll. Fullerton is ranked No. 20 in Collegiate Baseball's top-30 rankings while coming in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. The Titans are receiving votes in the NCBWA poll.
RPI WATCH:
The Titans checked in at No. 53 in Wednesday's NCAA RPI ratings after dropping a 2-1 decision to USC on Tuesday night and losing three of their last five contests..
CSF vs. LONG BEACH STATE • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played: 1975/2016
Overall Record: 138-67
Current Streak: Lost 1
PCAA/Big West Conference Record: 73-42
SCBA Conference Record: 30-7
Overall Conference (PCAA/Big West and SCBA): 103-49
Big West Conference Tournament Record: 4-2
NCAA Regional Record: 0-1
Overall NCAA Postseason Record: 0-1
Home Record: 72-32
Road Record: 65-34
Neutral Record: 1-1
Longest Winning Streak: 15 games (04/12/85 to 04/10/88)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 games (05/24/02 to 03/28/03)
Extra Innings: 5-4
Most Runs Scored in a Game: 26 runs (05/02/80)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent: 17 runs, 2 times (last on 05/19/01)
Largest Margin of Victory: 17 runs (03/31/81)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 12 runs, 2 times (last on 05/16/99)
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST:
Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 742-258-1 (.742) conference record over 42 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 87-30 Big West Conference record in his five seasons at the helm and won consecutive conference titles in 2012 and 2013. He helped lead the Titans to another title in 2015, 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 28 conference titles.
A further breakdown has the Titans winning three PCAA conference championships (1975-76, 1987), eight straight SCBA titles (1977-84), and 17 while playing under the Big West name (1990-91, 94-95, 1997, 1999-2001, 2004-06, 2008, 2010-13, 2015). The Big West absorbed the PCAA records in 1990 upon its formation, giving the Titans 20 total Big West championships and a 566-212-1 (.727; 34 years) PCAA/Big West Conference record.
LONG BEACH STATE NOTES:
The Dirtbags are on fire, having won nine straight games including a three-game sweep over UC Davis this past weekend in which they outscored the Aggies 31-5. Earlier this season, Long Beach State took two of three games from the Titans in the annual non-conference series between the teams. It was the 13th time the teams had met in a non-conference three-game set during the season and just the fourth time Fullerton dropped it to Long Beach State. The Titans lost the series in consecutive seasons in 2004-05 and also dropped the series last season.
In conference play, the Titans swept the series against Long Beach State last season after dropping two of three to the Dirtbags at Blair Field in 2014.
FEELING PRESIDENTIAL:
For the fourth straight presidential election year, the Titans and Dirtbags will square off in the final weekend of the season at Blair Field with the conference title on the line. In 2004, the Titans held a two-game lead over the Dirtbags with three to play. Fullerton proceeded to sweep the series and eventually roll along to its fourth NCAA national championship. In 2008, the teams faced an identical situation to this season. The Titans were 15-6 in conference and held a one-game lead over the 14-7 Dirtbags. Long Beach State dropped the first game but took the next two to grab a share of the title and secure the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, the 15-6 Titans again held a one-game lead over the 14-7 Dirtbags going into the final three games at Blair Field. The Titans shutout the Dirtbags, 4-0, in the first game and then won the third game by a score of 5-1 after dropping game two by the same score. The Titans won the conference title and Cal Poly leaped over Long Beach State for second place after sweeping UC Riverside on the final weekend to finish 16-8 in conference play. Fullerton secured the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, the only Big West team to advance to the postseason in 2012.
PICKED TO WIN IT:
Cal State Fullerton was selected as the favorite to win the 2016 Big West titles as selected by the nine conference head coaches in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The Titans received four first-place votes and 71 points overall. UC Irvine received one first-place vote and 65 points. Long Beach State garnered three first-place votes and 62 points overall to slot in at third while UC Santa Barbara was picked fourth with 60 points overall. CSUN (44), Cal Poly (43), Hawai'i (27), UC Riverside (17), and UC Davis (16) round out the poll.
2016 Coaches Poll Results
1. Cal State Fullerton (4) - 71
2. UC Irvine (1) - 65
3. Long Beach State (3) - 62
4. UC Santa Barbara (1) - 60
5. CSUN - 44
6. Cal Poly - 43
7. Hawai'i - 27
8. UC Riverside - 17
9. UC Davis – 16
( ) First Place Vote
HOMECOMING:
Timmy Richards went to Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif., which is located directly across the street from Blair Field. His childhood home was mere blocks away from the Long Beach State campus and the 6-foot shortstop could be a key in wiping out the Dirtbags' conference title hopes. Richards leads the Titans and is tied for the Big West lead with nine home runs on the season, a mark that has him ranked 148th in the nation. He is batting .292 on the season and leads Fullerton with a .503 slugging percentage. He is second on the team with 10 stolen bases and tied for second with 31 RBIs. Richards also ranks third on the team in runs (35), hits (57), doubles (12) and walks (22).
A THOUSAND TO ONE SHOT:
Titans assistant coach Chad Baum is in the midst of his 18th season as an assistant coach. Following Saturday's series finale, he will have coached in 1,000 games. He currently holds a 599-398 record as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level. He has coached more than half of those games as a member of the Titans coaching staff (2000-04, 2012-present), holding a 413-199 record as a member of the Titans coaching staff.
BLASER FEASTING ON THE BIG WEST:
Senior Dalton Blaser has wreaked havoc on Big West competition this season, batting .425 (31-for-73) in 21 conference games. He has posted a 1.116 OPS (.616 slg/.500 obp) in Big West play and has tallied at least one hit in 11 of the last 13 conference games, going hitless in both losses to Hawai'i over the weekend. He has 10 multi-hit games in conference play and has driven in three or more runs three times in conference.
PINKSTON SUFFERS ELBOW INJURY:
Titans first baseman Tanner Pinkston played in 52 games and had not missed a start for the team this season before suffering a dislocated elbow in the third inning on a play at first base. He missed his first game of the season Tuesday night against USC and is considered a game-time decision all weekend at Long Beach State.
HUDGINS RETURNS TO LINEUP:
Sophomore and Johnny Bench Award Watch List catcher Chris Hudgins made his return to the Titans lineup this week after missing 20 games with a finger injury. He entered Sunday night's game against Hawai'i as a pinch-hitter and got started at catcher Tuesday night against USC. It was Hudgins' first start since April 10 at Cal Poly.
PITCHING AIN'T EASY, UNLESS YOU'RE THESE GUYS:
This weekend's series will feature the top-two teams in the Big West Conference in terms of pitching. The Titans are first in strikeouts (461) and team ERA (2.27) while the Dirtbags are second in both categories (446 Ks; 3.19 ERA).
The Titans have four pitchers ranked in the top-100 in the nation with Colton Eastman (56th, 2.21), John Gavin (71st, 2.31), Blake Quinn (75th, 2.34) and Connor Seabold (76th, 2.35). Meanwhile, Seabold ranks second in the country with a 12.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio and fifth in the country with a 0.82 walks allowed per-nine innings average. He's also 11th in WHIP.
Not to be outdone, Long Beach State's Darren McCaughan is currently 33rd in the nation and first in the conference with a 2.04 ERA. He is also ranked fourth in the nation and leads the Big West with a 0.81 WHIP. Dirtbags closer Chris Rivera leads the conference with 13 saves, a mark which ranks ninth in the nation.
SMALL BALL COMING UP BIG:
The Titans currently rank 21st in the nation and second in the conference with 54 sacrifice bunts. They trail only the Dirtbags, who lead the conference with 64 and rank eighth in the country in the category. The Dirtbags have two players ranked in the top-50 in sacrifice bunts including Zach Domingues, who is second in the country with 19 sacrifice bunts.
LEADING THE WAY:
The Titans pitching staff is ranked first in the nation with a 2.27 ERA. They have allowed 122 earned runs in 482 and 2/3 innings pitched. This season, they allowed just one earned run in a three-game sweep of Wichita State and three earned in a sweep of UC Davis. In addition, the Titans are ranked first in the country in hits allowed per nine innings, allowing just 6.82 hits per game. Fullerton is also ranked first in the nation with a 1.04 WHIP, third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.44) and seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (2.50).
YOU DON'T SCORE UNTIL YOU SCORE:
This season, the Titans are just 3-13 when scoring two runs or less in a game. However, the Titans have lost nine times when holding opponents to score two runs or less including Tuesday's 2-1 loss to USC at Goodwin Field.