2016 SEASON RECAP (PDF)2016 HONOR ROLL
ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-AMERICAN
Dalton Blaser (Third Team)
ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL WEST-REGION
Dalton Blaser (First Team)
BASEBALL AMERICA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Colton Eastman (First Team)
D1BASEBALL.COM FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Colton Eastman (First Team)
BIG WEST ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
BIG WEST FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dalton Blaser
BIG WEST FRESHMAN PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Colton Eastman
BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Rick Vanderhook
BIG WEST ALL CONFERENCE TEAM
Tanner Pinkston (First Team)
Dalton Blaser (First Team)
Colton Eastman (First Team)
Timmy Richards (Second Team)
Jerrod Bravo (Second Team)
Connor Seabold (Second Team)
Scott Serigstad (Second Team)
John Gavin (Honorable Mention)
Dylan Prohoroff (Honorable Mention)
BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dalton Blaser (May 9)
Ruben Cardenas (May 2)
Tanner Pinkston (April 18)
BIG WEST CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Connor Seabold (March 14, May 9)
Colton Eastman (Feb. 23, May 30)
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER ALL-AMERICAN
Colton Eastman (Third Team)
LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FRESHMAN PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Colton Eastman
JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Chris Hudgins (Initial)
NCAA STARKVILLE ALL-REGIONAL TEAM
Jake Pavletich, Third Base
NCBWA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Colton Eastman (First Team)
NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Chad Hockin (Initial)
RECAPPING 2016:
Cal State Fullerton wrapped up the 2016 season with a 36-23 (.610) overall record, notching the 42nd consecutive winning season in the program's history. It was also the 42nd straight 30-win season for the Titans.
• In his fifth season at the helm of the Titans, head coach Rick Vanderhook led Fullerton to its 21st Big West Conference title and 29th conference championship overall. It was also the Titans' fourth conference title in his five years as head coach. He now holds a 197-103 overall record as coach of the Titans.
TITANS HISTORY IN THE POSTSEASON:
Fullerton made its 38th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016 in 42 seasons at the NCAA Division I level. It was the Titans 25th straight postseason berth, the third longest active streak behind Miami, FL. (44) and Florida State (39).
The Titans have won 21 Regional Titles, including a national best 11 on the road (two each in Fresno and Baton Rouge and one each at USC, Austin, Starkville, Stillwater, South Bend, Tempe and San Diego). Prior to 2000, the Titans had never hosted a regional. Of the eight programs (Texas, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma State, Clemson, Arizona State, Southern California, Cal State Fullerton) that have recorded 37-or-more Div. I baseball postseason appearances, the Titans are the only team to have never gone winless in Regional play. They have gone 0-2 only twice in a Super Regional (2008 & 2013) and six times in Omaha (1975, 1982, 1990, 2007, 2009 and 2015).
Cal State Fullerton's all-time NCAA record is 152-83 (.647) including Regional (100-43, .699); Super Regional (18-11, .620) play and 34-29 (.540) in Omaha.
PITCHING AIN'T EASY... YEAH RIGHT:
For the third time in the last four seasons, the Titans set a new program record for lowest earned run average in a single season. Fullerton posted a 2.22 ERA in 2016, leading the nation in the category and besting its previous school record (2.24) set in 2014. Prior to that, the 2013 Titans set the ERA record with a 2.47 mark in pitching coach's Jason Dietrich's first season with the Titans. This season, the Titans surrendered just 132 earned runs, the second fewest in program history behind the 1975 squad that allowed 131 earned runs. The 2014 squad that previously held the ERA record allowed 136 earned runs, now ranked the third fewest in program history.
• Along with setting a new ERA record, the Titans pitching staff set new program bests in opponents' batting average (.212), fewest runs allowed (166) and fewest hits allowed (403) in a single season.
MORE ON THE PITCHING STAFF:
The Titans ranked first in the country in hits allowed per nine innings, allowing just 6.78 hits per game. Fullerton is also ranked first in the nation with a 1.04 WHIP, third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.32) and seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (2.54).
John Gavin (2.09, 29th), Blake Quinn (2.16, 33rd), Colton Eastman (2.24, 41st), and Connor Seabold (2.48, 82nd) all ranked in the top-100 in the country in ERA. Quinn (7th, 5.40), Gavin (26th, 6.38) and Eastman (69th, 6.97) also ranked in the top-100 in hits allowed per nine innings.
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST:
Cal State Fullerton claimed it's 21st Big West Conference title in 2016, its second straight conference crown. The Titans have won six of the last seven Big West Championships. In the 2000s, Fullerton has won 12 of 17 Big West Conference titles. Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 745-261-1 (.740) conference record over 42 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 90-33 Big West Conference record in his five seasons at the helm and won consecutive conference titles during the 2015-16 and 2012-13 seasons. He has followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, Augie Garrido (14). Larry Cochell (1), George Horton (7) and Dave Serrano (3). Overall, the Titans have won 29 conference titles.
A further breakdown has the Titans winning three PCAA conference championships (1975-76, 1987), eight straight SCBA titles (1977-84), and 18 while playing under the Big West name (1990-91, 94-95, 1997, 1999-2001, 2004-06, 2008, 2010-13, 2015-16). The Big West absorbed the PCAA records in 1990 upon its formation, giving the Titans 21 total Big West championships and a 569-215-1 (.725; 34 years) PCAA/Big West Conference record.
ON THE ROAD TO OMAHA:
• The Titans hit the road for the NCAA Postseason, heading to the NCAA Starkville Regional hosted by Mississippi State, the No. 6 national seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. It marked the second time the Titans played a regional in Starkville. The 1988 Fullerton squad swept through the Starkville Regional, defeating Missouri (6-3), Mississippi State twice (5-1; 5-3 in 12 innings) and Texas A&M (6-3) en route to the NCAA College World Series. The Titans won their first two games in Omaha before falling to Stanford twice to end their season.
• Unfortunately, 2016 did not mark a repeat performance for Fullerton as the Titans bowed out of the NCAA Postseason in three games. After the No. 2 seeded Titans defeated No. 3 Louisiana Tech in the opening game, 1-0, Fullerton fell to the host Bulldogs 4-1 in game two and then lost the elimination game to Louisiana Tech, 6-2, to put an end to the Titans' season.
• The Titans have not won an NCAA Regional on the road since 2007 when Fullerton swept through the San Diego Regional in 2007. They have lost their last three regionals on the road, going 1-2 at the Eugene Regional in 2012 and 2-2 at the Stillwater in 2014 prior to Starkville.
CONTINUED EXCELLENCE:
The Titans beat UC Riverside on May 8 for their 30th win of the season. Fullerton has won 30-plus games in each of its 42 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 - 54
2. Miami, Fla. - 46
3. Cal State Fullerton - 42
3. Clemson - 42
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Seven Titans were named to the Big West All-Conference squad and two others were named Honorable Mention. The first team selections included Tanner Pinkston, Dalton Blaser and Colton Eastman while Timmy Richards, Jerrod Bravo, Connor Seabold and Scott Serigstad earned spots on the second team. Dylan Prohoroff and John Gavin were Honorable Mention.
• Senior Dalton Blaser earned the Big West Field Player of the Year award leading the team in hits (74), RBIs (38), slugging percentage (.485), on-base percentage (.439) and walks (30). Blaser also belted four home runs in 2016, the first round-trippers of his career. In conference play, Blaser batted .419 in 24 Big West contests. He earned the conference player of the week honors on May 9 after going 8-for-10 in the three-game set against the Highlanders, including a two-home run game in the series finale.
• Colton Eastman was named the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year after leading the team with eight wins in 2016. In his first season at Cal State Fullerton, Eastman tied the program's freshman record for strikeouts in a season set by Noe Ramirez in 2009. Eastman fanned 100 batters in 100 and 2/3 innings of work. He made 16 appearances including 15 starts, going 8-3 with a 2.24 ERA while opponents hit just .218 against him. In conference play, Eastman went undefeated in seven starts, going 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA. He allowed just 12 earned runs in 47 and 1/3 innings and struck out 48 batters compared to 11 walks, allowing opponents to hit .220.
• Head coach Rick Vanderhook earned the Big West Coach of the Year award after guiding the Titans to their second straight Big West Conference title and fourth in the last five seasons under his watch. The Titans went 17-7 in conference play to earn the program's 29th conference title overall and 21st Big West crown. He led the Titans to their 25th consecutive NCAA Postseason appearance and 38th overall in 42 seasons. The selection is Vanderhook's fourth coach of the year award and the program's 14th selection.
DRAFT DAY:
Cal State Fullerton had seven players selected in the 2016 MLB First Year Player Draft. The Chicago Cubs selected Chad Hockin in the sixth round on day two of the draft, the first Titans player selected. Dalton Blaser (8th round) was taken by the Yankees and then Dylan Prohoroff went to the Pittsburgh Pirates later in the 8th round. Blake Quinn (9th round) was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies to round out Fullerton's day-one selections.
On day two, Scott Serigstad (15th round, Milwaukee Brewers), Timmy Richards (18th round, Minnesota Twins), Miles Chambers (20th round, New York Yankees) were selected on the final day of the draft.
In addition, four members of the Titans' 2016 signing class were drafted. Dylan Carlson was a first-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals while D.J. Peters (4th round, Dodgers), Shane Carrier (8th round, Twins) and Dillon Persinger (17th round, Dodgers) were all selected in the 2016 MLB Draft.
MADE IN FULLERTON:
Titans head coach Rick Vanderhook collected his 1,100th win as a member of the Cal State Fullerton coaching staff on May 1 at UC Irvine, a 7-2 victory. He has recorded 1,109 victories in 26 seasons as a member of the Titans coaching staff. He was a part of 913 wins as an assistant coach with the Titans (1985-88, 1991-2007) and has recorded 196 victories in five seasons as head coach of the Titans. Overall, Vanderhook has posted a 1109-502-2 record as a member of the Titans coaching staff.
A THOUSAND TO ONE SHOT:
Titans assistant coach Chad Baum wrapped up his 17th season as an assistant in 2016. The regular season finale at Long Beach State on May 28 was the 1,000th game of his coaching career., He holds a 602-401 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 416-202 record as a member of the Titans coaching staff.
COLTON EASTMAN:
Right-hander Colton Eastman had an outstanding debut-season in 2016. He was named the 2016 Louisville Slugger Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, becoming the first Titans pitcher to earn the distinction from Collegiate Baseball and first to earn a National Freshman Pitcher of the Year award since Thomas Eshelman was named the NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2013. Right-hander Wes Roemer did earn Collegiate Baseball's co-National Player of the Year Award in 2006. Eastman also became the seventh Titans player to earn a National Player of the Year award in the program's history, joining Roemer, Eshelman, Tim Wallach (1979 Sporting News Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award winner), Phil Nevin (Baseball America Player of the Year, Golden Spikes Award), Mark Kotsay (Golden Spikes Award, Smith Award now known as the Brooks Wallace Award, Collegiate Baseball Co-Player) and Kurt Suzuki (Brooks Wallace, Johnny Bench Award).
In his first season at Cal State Fullerton, the Fresno, Calif. native tied the program's freshman record for strikeouts in a season set by Noe Ramirez in 2009. Eastman fanned 100 batters in 100 and 2/3 innings of work. He made 16 appearances including 15 starts, going 8-3 with a 2.24 ERA while opponents hit just .218 against him. Along with leading the team in wins, strikeouts and games started, Eastman ranked nationally in a number of categories. The 2016 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year was 23rd in the nation in WHIP (0.97), 38th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.00), 41st in ERA, 49th in the country in strikeouts, 50th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.37), 69th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.97), 87th in wins and 91st in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (1.79). In conference play, Eastman went undefeated in seven starts, going 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA. He allowed just 12 earned runs in 47 and 1/3 innings and struck out 48 batters compared to 11 walks, allowing opponents to hit .220. Eastman earned a number of selections to All-American and Freshman All-American Teams from D1Baseball.com, Baseball America, ABCA/Rawlings and the NCBWA in 2016.
DALTON BLASER:
Senior Dalton Blaser greatly improved in his senior season as he led the team in hits (74), RBIs (38), slugging percentage (.485), on-base percentage (.439) and walks (30). Blaser also belted four home runs in 2016, the first round-trippers of his career. He recorded a multi-homer game on May 8 against UC Riverside, hitting two against the Highlanders to help the Titans complete a three-game sweep at Goodwin Field. Blaser also drove in four runs twice during the season and tallied his first career four-hit game this season. Blaser was named the 2016 Big West Conference Field Player of the Year, the second straight season a Titans player earned the honor (David Olmedo-Barrera, 2015 co-Player). In conference play, Blaser batted .419 in 24 Big West contests. He earned the conference player of the week honors on May 9 after going 8-for-10 in the three-game set against the Highlanders, including a two-home run game in the series finale. Blaser would become the only Titans position player to earn All-American honors in 2016.
CONNOR SEABOLD:
Sophomore Connor Seabold had a solid season as the Titans' Friday-night starter for the majority of the season. He led the team with a 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings average and a 0.97 walks per nine innings mark. He struck out 96 batters while issuing just nine walks in 83 and 1/3 innings pitched. He was named to the Big West Conference Second Team and earned a pair of Big West Pitcher of the Week Awards during the season. He allowed more than two earned runs just three times in 16 appearances and fanned a career high 12 batters on May 6 against UC Riverside. Through his first two seasons at Fullerton, Seabold already ranks fourth in the all-time record book in walks per nine innings (1.24) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.16).
TIMMY RICHARDS:
Shortstop Timmy Richards entered the 2016 season with just one career home run under his belt. This year, Richards led the team with nine round-trippers. He batted .280 overall in 55 games played and had 12 doubles, one triple and 31 RBIs. He was second on the team with a .468 slugging percentage and third on the squad with 38 runs scored.
TANNER PINKSTON:
Titans first baseman Tanner Pinkston played in 57 games, making 56 starts. He hit .327 during the 2016 season for the Titans, leading the team with 16 doubles and 43 runs scored. He was second on the team with 31 RBIs and tallied 70 hits. He recorded 17 multi-hit games during the season including 10 three-hit games while tying for the team lead with eight multi-RBI games. He reached base in 19 straight games at one point, the best mark on the team during the season. He ended the year with a 10-game on-base streak.
WHY WAIT?:
Cal State Fullerton outscored its opponents 36-13 in the first inning of games this season and put up at least one run in the opening frame 23 times. They were 19-4 when scoring in the first inning this season.
FIRST BLOOD:
The Titans were 26-6 when scoring first in a game and 10-17 when the opponent scored first.
THOSE WHO FALL BEHIND, GET LEFT BEHIND:
The Titans were nearly unbeatable when holding a lead late in a game. Fullerton was 31-1 when leading after six innings, 32-2 when ahead after seven innings and 34-1 when leading after eight innings.
PLAYING ALL THE HITS:
Fullerton out-hit its opponent on 36 occasions this season and went 33-3 record. It was a much different story when the Titans were out-hit in a game as the team went winless this year on those occasions, holding an 0-18 record. The Titans were 3-2 this year when the hits were tied.
CLOSE CALLS:
Fullerton played 21 one-run games this year and went 9-12 in those contests.
GOING, GOING, GONE:
The Titans blasted 26 home runs in 59 games in 2016 after belting 20 in 64 games in 2015. They hit three home runs on May 8 against UC Riverside, marking the first time the Titans hit three in a game since 2013. Overall, Timmy Richards led the way this season with nine homers. Dalton Blaser hit four homers while Chris Hudgins, Josh Vargas and Ruben Cardenas went yard three times. Tanner Pinkston belted a pair of homers while Niko Pacheco and Jerrod Bravo each had one. Of the 26 homers, 19 were been hit at Goodwin Field. The Titans were 16-5 this year when hitting at least one home run in a game and 10-7 when the opponent hit at least one homer.
TITANS IN THE BIG LEAGUES:
The Titans have had 61 former players ascend to the major leagues since their first products, Dan Whitmer and Tim Wallach, got there in 1980. Dylan Floro became the latest to make his debut on July 7, one day after getting called up by the Tampa Bay Rays. He tossed one and 1/3 innings of relief in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed one run and struck out two. Floro was the second former Titan to make it to "The Show" after Chris Devenski became the 60th former Titans to play in MLB. He entered the game in relief for the Houston Astros in the fourth inning on April 8, allowing allow just one hit in four innings of work. He struck out four and made 38 pitches, 27 for strikes. Dustin Garneau, Noe Ramirez, Michael Lorenzen and Danny Dorn all made their debuts in 2015. Former Titans Christian Colon (Kansas City Royals), Justin Turner (Los Angeles Dodgers), Kurt Suzuki (Minnesota Twins), Noe Ramirez (Boston Red Sox) and Khris Davis (Oakland Athletics) were each on their respective team's roster when the 2016 got underway on April 3.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL:
The Titans honored seniors Josh Vargas, Dakota Wix, Dalton Blaser, Jerrod Bravo, Tyler Stieb, Tanner Pinkston, Shane Stillwagon and student managers Kyle Murray and Jesus Ramos in a pregame ceremony on senior night May 24 against USC.
ON THE SIX:
Freshman Ruben Cardenas set a new career high on May 14 at UC Santa Barbara, driving in six runs in the Titans 18-2 win. Cardenas was a triple short of hitting for the cycle as he went 4-for-6 with a double and a two-run home run while also scoring three runs.
BLASER AND SEABOLD SWEEP PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS:
Dalton Blaser and Connor Seabold garnered the weekly Big West Conference baseball awards on May 9 after a sweep of UC Riverside.
In four games, Blaser batted 9-for-14 (.643) with five runs scored and five RBIs on his way to Big West Player of the Week honors. In the series opener vs. UCR, Blaser batted 4-for-4 with a double and run scored to help the Titans to a 2-1 victory. Overall, he finished the UCR series batting 8-for-10 (.800), producing three consecutive multiple-hit games with four RBIs and five runs scored, including hitting two home runs in the series finale, a 9-2 victory. For Blaser, this is his first Big West Player of the Week Award in 2016 and the third for the Titans as a team. He is also in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak heading into this weekend and leads the team with a .372 batting average.
Seabold tossed seven shutout innings and scattered four hits to pick up his sixth win of the season. He struck out a career-high 12 batters while issuing just one walk and allowed just two batters to advance to second base. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced including nine straight. For Seabold, it was his second Pitcher of the Week award and the third this year for the Titans.
CARDENAS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Cal State Fullerton outfielder Ruben Cardenas was named the Big West Conference Field Player of the Week on May 2. He became the second Titans player to earn the nod this season after Tanner Pinkston earned the award on April 18. Connor Seabold and Colton Eastman have each been named the conference's pitcher of the week this season.
Cardenas had a role in more than half of the Titans run total in the four games as he scored four runs and drove in eight. He had a 1.182 slugging percentage in the UC Irvine series. He also nabbed a runner at the plate in the team's game two win, preserving a three-run lead for Fullerton.
Of his eight hits during the week, six went for extra bases. The right fielder produced four doubles and two triples, hitting .500 (8-for-16) with a 1.000 slugging percentage to help lead the team to three wins.
Cardenas delivered a career-high four RBIs in a 10-7 non-conference win over UCLA on April 29. He had a bases-clearing three-run double that gave Fullerton a 10-3 lead and ultimately proved to be the game-winning runs. He clubbed a pair of run-scoring doubles in a 6-4 win over UC Irvine on April 30 including a two-run double in the fifth that proved to be the game-winning runs once again.
On May 1, Cardenas knocked in his third game-winning run of the week, belting a two-run triple in the Titans five-run third inning to put Fullerton up 3-0. The Titans would go on to win 7-2 as he finished the game 3-for-5 with a double, triple and two RBIs.
PINKSTON NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pinkston became the first Titans player to earn the conference's field player award this season, receiving the nod on April 18. The Titans first baseman reached base in all three games in the team's series against UC Davis. Pinkston batted .643 with four runs scored and five RBIs against the Aggies and slugged .929 with a double and a home run.
SEABOLD EARNS BIG WEST CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS:
Seabold earned conference pitcher of the week honors on March 14. He had an outstanding start on March 12 against Wichita State and set the tone right from the jump, tossing an immaculate inning in the first as he struck out the side on nine strikes. He would go on to toss five and 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball before Shockers second baseman Tanner Kirk singled through the left side to break up the no-hit bid. It would be the only hit Seabold allowed in six innings of work as he struck out six.
QUINN NOTCHES CAREER HIGH:
Junior right-hander Blake Quinn had a solid outing on March 4 against Texas Tech. Facing a team that entered the game with a .325 collective batting average and seven players with .300-plus batting averages, the Titans Friday-night starter allowed just one baserunner in the first five innings of play. He worked into the sixth inning and struck out 10 batters, setting a new career best.
HUDGINS NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST:
Sophomore catcher Chris Hudgins was named to the 2016 Johnny Bench Award Watch List presented by BaseballSavings.com, it was announced by The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission on March 8.
Seventy-four catchers were nominated for the award by their coaches. Because the award is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 3, 2016. Hudgins was one of two catchers from the Big West Conference on the initial list.
HOCKIN NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST:
Cal State Fullerton right-hander Chad Hockin was one of 70 players named to the initial Watch List for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the association announced on Feb. 15. In 2015, Hockin made 18 appearances and one start, tossing 18 and 1/3 innings. He was a part of three shutouts for the Titans last season and struck out 17 batters and issued just three walks, finishing the season with a 2.95 ERA. During the summer, Hockin pitched in the renowned Cape Cod League and was part of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox squad that scored its second straight Cape League Championship in 2015. Hockin appeared in nine games for the YD Red Sox and tallied two saves, including one in the Cape League playoffs. He posted a 2.08 ERA and struck out 19 batters in 13 innings pitched.