CSUN (40-13, 15-3 Big West) at Cal St. Fullerton (32-21, 10-8 Big West)
Friday, May 8, 2015 | 5:00 PM
Fullerton, Calif. • Anderson Family Field
Game Coverage: Live Stats | BigWest.TV | Audio | CSUN Release 
| CSF Release
Promotions: Sunglasses Giveaway & Youth Night!
CSUN at Cal St. Fullerton - (DH)
Saturday, May 9, 2015 | 12:00 PM/2:00 PM
Fullerton, Calif. • Anderson Family Field
Game 1 Coverage: Live Stats | BigWest.TV | Audio | CSUN Release
| CSF Release
Game 2 Coverage: Live Stats | BigWest.TV | Audio | CSUN Release
| CSF Release
Special Event: Senior Day ceremony following doubleheader.
A LOOK AT THE WEEK
The Cal State Fullerton softball team concludes the regular season hosting first-place CSUN for a three-game set this weekend at Anderson Family Field. The Titans and Matadors will play the series opener on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a doubleheader at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. A senior day ceremony will follow Saturday's doubleheader.
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
For details about softball tickets, fans may click here. Always keep in mind that there are special opportunities for groups and promotional activities at Anderson Family Field.
Cal State Fullerton students receive free admission to Titan home games with their Titan I.D. card.
SUNGLASSES GIVEAWAY/YOUTH NIGHT
Fans in attendance at Friday's game at 5 p.m. will receive a pair of sunglasses while supplies last and the first 300 youth (8th grade and under) in uniform will get in for free.
FAREWELL SENIORS: The Titans will be honoring their three departing seniors in a ceremony following Saturday's doubleheader. In recognition of their dedication and hardwork, listed below are some of our seniors' accolades and accomplishments over their special careers:
#8 ELIZA CRAWFORD
Eliza is in her fourth consecutive season as a Titan, and is one of only three Titans in program history to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with a minimum of 100 chances in a single-season (2014), with another unblemished season in the works for 2015. Selected on the All-Big West Second Team in 2013 followed by an honorable mention nod in 2014, she will conclude her career in Fullerton's top-15 all-time ranks for on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs. Demonstrating what it truly means to be 'Built Titan Tough,' Eliza will also finish in the top-5 with being hit with the most pitches, while always finding a way to suit up competing in over 200 games. Eliza is expected to graduate with a degree in human services this May.
#7 SAMANTHA GALARZA
Samantha is in her third consecutive year as a Titan and will forgo her senior season to graduate early. Starting all 53 games this season, she's collected five doubles and 19 RBIs. Selected on the All-Big West Second Team in 2014, Samantha broke a 7-7 tie against Big West foe UC Santa Barbara with the first grand slam of her career. Decorated with numerous off the field awards, Samantha was named on the 2014 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team while being Cal State Fullerton's Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year and a recipient of the conference's sportsmanship award in 2013. Samantha is expected to graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism and communications this May.
#29 EMILY VIZCARRA
Emily is in her third season as a Titan, and was the team's top addition offensively her freshman season boasting a .274 average in 43 games. Starting in 35 contests that season, she turned in six multi-hit games including a pair of three-hit performances. Emily led the Titans with a perfect 3-for-3 outing while scoring twice in a 9-1 victory against Santa Clara in her rookie campaign. Although Emily is sidelined indefinitely due to a career ending injury, she is expected to graduate with a degree in health science and sociology with an emphasis in health and social welfare next spring.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Cal State Fullerton athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), Instagram (FullertonTitans) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/CSFAthletics). In addition, the softball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/csufsoftball), Twitter (@CSUFSoftball), and Instagram (csufsoftball) accounts.
I NEED STATS, STAT!
Live stats will be provided for all games this weekend. To access live stats for the games, log onto www.FullertonTitans.com and go to the softball schedule then click live stats.
IN THE POLLS
In the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball Coaches polls, neither the Titans or Matadors are in the top 25, but CSUN continues to receive votes.
ARE YOU LISTENING? WATCH ME NOW! Cal State Fullerton home softball contests will be broadcast live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. The Titans also offer live streaming video for home softball contests over the Internet courtesy of Big West.TV. Fans can catch all the exclusive action from the comfort of their home computers. To access the links, click on the audio or live video link on the schedule page.
SIZING UP IN THE RPI
Sitting at 32-21 heading into the last weekend of conference play, the Titans are the Big West's third highest ranked team in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) at No. 58. RPI measures a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. Fullerton has competed with four teams currently ranked in the top 10 including No. 3 Michigan and against eight squads in the top 25.
MEET THE MATADORS
Last week, the Matadors picked up a victory over Hawai'i to earn at least a share of the Big West title and the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Zoe Conley returned to the circle for the first time in over two weeks by tossing a three-hit shutout to go with five strikeouts in the 2-0 victory over the Rainbow Wahine. At the plate, Taylor Glover blasted an inside-the-park home run and Katie Hooper added her team-leading 54th RBI of the season. The Matadors need one win or one Long Beach State loss to UC Santa Barbara this weekend to claim their first outright Big West Conference title since the 1998 season.
CHARGING THE MATADORS AT THE PLATE
Freshman Savannah Horvath earned USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors after the LBSU series and is currently batting .346 with 30 runs, a team-high 15 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. CSUN sophomore Katie Hooper's sports a .394 batting average with 33 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 54 RBIs in 2015 while her second-year teammate Taylor Glover adds a .387 batting average with 46 runs, 10 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 29 RBIs and a league leading 27 stolen bases.
IN THE CIRCLE
CSUN rookie Zoe Conley has had a strong start to her NCAA career, earning three Big West Pitcher of the Week honors. The right-hander owns 19-4 record with 1.34 ERA, 125 strikeouts, two saves and a .204 opponent batting average in 141 innings. Senior Brianna Elder is having another strong season in the circle for the Matadors, posting a 17-5 record with a 2.14 ERA, 179 strikeouts and a .200 opponent batting average.
SERIES HISTORY
The Titans own a 67-36-1 all-time record against the Matadors, posting an impressive mark of 37-16 at the friendly confines of Anderson Family Field. The conference meetings have been slightly more competitive at 33-20 (20-8 at home) in favor of the Titans. Fullerton has captured seven of the last 10 meetings including four consecutive after a three-game sweep at CSUN (10-1, 2-0 and 14-1) in the 2014 campaign. The last time Fullerton captured a home series against the Matadors was in 2013 when CSF clinched two of three with decisions of 8-2 and 4-0 from May 10-11.
LETHAL COMBINATION
A trio of Titans highlight the conference standings in highest batting average including frontrunner Sammie Vandiver with a clip of .463, while fellow CSF teammates and juniors Courtney Rodriguez (.406) and Missy Taukeiaho (.384) join the elite group in second and fifth, respectively. Rodriguez also leads the league with 76 hits, 187 at-bats and is 13th in the nation with six triples while utilizing her speed to swipe an efficient 13-of-15 bases. Taukeiaho posts impressive marks in the offensive categories of on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.728), runs (31), and walks (26).
MISSY MOVING ON UP
Reigning Big West Player of the Year and 2014 third-team All-American Missy Taukeiaho launched her team-high 11th home run of the season to steal a 3-2 victory over UC Riverside in a 12-inning marathon on April 12. Transferring from the University of Washington following her freshman campaign, the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native now has 30 career round-trippers at Fullerton, placing herself alone in fourth place in the program record books. Next up on the list is Ashley Van Boxmeer (2005-07) with 32 home runs in third place all-time.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
Cal State Fullerton hoists Big West Conference's best fielding percentage at .975, which is also the 13th best mark in the nation. The Titans have only surrendered a league-low 38 errors. The Fullerton pitching and defense has forced opponents to hit into 21 double plays through 53 games, while freshman Shianne Brannan and junior Missy Taukeiaho are also first and fifth in the league with the most assists, notching 131 and 103, respectively.
PREMIERE OFFENSE IN THE BIG WEST
The Cal State Fullerton offense is hitting at all cylinders in conference play, headlining the league in a whopping 11 categories including team batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.465), on-base percentage (.390), runs (93), hits (165), RBIs (86), doubles (30), total bases (241), plate appearances (607), at-bats (518) and hit by pitch (16). In addition, the Titans are second against Big West foes in home runs (12), walks (49) and stolen bases (16).
I WANT SOME MOORE
Mizzou transfer Sarah Moore continues to transition nicely into the Titans' offensive attack, hitting at a .333 clip (46-for-138) with 12 doubles, one home run, and 26 RBIs in 48 games. The Chino Hills, Calif., native is the only Titan to collect a four-hit game, accomplishing the feat twice and most recently with a 4-for-4 effort in a 12-0 shutout at UC Riverside on April 11. Hitting from the right-side, Moore has crushed conference opposition leading the league in average (.455), on-base percentage (.531), and doubles (8).
STREAKIN' TO THE TOP
Freshman Sammie Vandiver did wonders with her bat when being inserted into the starting lineup. Batting from the left-side, Vandiver torched opposing pitching from Feb. 26-April 8 with a base-hit in every contest to stretch her remarkable hitting-streak to 24 games which is the longest for any Titan since at least the 1989 season when complete box scores became available. Vandiver shattered Marci White's 18-game streak from April 3-May 3, 1993 and is back at it again with a 10-game streak heading into the weekend. At this juncture of the season, the left fielder has 18 multi-hit games and three multi-RBI outings on the season. In 47 games played (37 starts), the Huntington Beach, Calif. native turns in the 12th highest average in the nation with a clip of .463, while being one of the toughest batters to strikeout, fanning only once in every 30.8 at-bats which is good for 10th in the country. Vandiver is on pace to challenge the highest average for a freshman at Cal State Fullerton, held by Sue Lewis and her .408 clip in the 1981 campaign, while Jenny Topping's .472 average in 2002 is also in contention for the highest by any Titan in program history.
EPIC COMEBACK
Trailing 6-3 and down to their final three outs at UC Davis in the rubber match, Cal State Fullerton junior Courtney Rodriguez capped off a four-run seventh inning with a two-run single which led to scoring the go-ahead run on a three-base error to shock the Aggies and spoil Senior Day with a 7-6 decision last weekend. With a pair or runners in scoring position, Rodriguez roped a single to right field which was misplayed and made its way to the outfield fence. Rodriguez, the team leader with 13 stolen bases, used her speed to make the turn around second and eventually round third to capitalize on the rare three-base error and stretch a single into the game-winning run single-handedly.
LET IT BE THE THIRD
The Titans have dominated on both sides of the field in the third inning limiting opponents to a combined 24 runs while the Fullerton bats have managed to bring across 51 runs in the same frame. In contrast, the Titans have been outscored in the seventh frame 37-26, worst of any inning.
DRIVING WITH THE CLUTCH IN
Eleven different Titans have driven in the game-winning RBI among the 32 Fullerton victories thus far into the season. Eliza Crawford leads all contributors with six, followed by Courtney Rodriguez with five while Samantha Galarza and Missy Taukeiaho have three apiece, respectively.
THIEF! SHE STOLE MY BAG!
Courtney Rodriguez has used her speed on the base paths to disrupt opposing pitchers in swiping a team-high 13 bags thus far into the 2015 campaign. In an 8-4 victory over Buffalo on March 17, Rodriguez tied a program record by stealing three bases, joining Torrie Anderson (at UC Riverside, April 4, 2009) as the only Titans to accomplish such a feat in any single-game since complete box scores were available in 1989.
POWER SURGE!
A host of Titans have used conference play to implement the use of the long ball as a trio of student-athletes in Courtney Rodriguez, Melissa Sechrest and Missy Taukeiaho have gone yard on three occasions, respectively, while Eliza Crawford has muscled out another two home runs.
WILD WALK-OFFS
In a back-and-forth game versus No. 21 Notre Dame an unlikely hero emerged in Fullerton, Calif., native Gabby Rodas. While the heated contest was littered with five home runs, in the bottom of the seventh with the bases-loaded and the game tied 7-7, Rodas fouled off multiple pitches until she earned a walk to drive in the game-winning RBI in surprising fashion.
As if a bases-loaded walk was an unorthodox scenario to walk-off an opponent, the Titans once again manufactured a way to win in epic proportions against Oklahoma State on Feb. 22. With Missy Taukeiaho standing on second base and in scoring position, Sarah Moore stayed patient on a 3-1 count in the bottom of the seventh to draw a walk. The unique aspect of this is that the fourth ball of the at-bat was airmailed over the catcher for a wild pitch, and with heads up baserunning Taukeiaho rounded third to slide home safely and shock the Cowgirls and seal the 6-5 stunner.
The Titans continued their magical ways against CSU Bakersfield on March 25, erasing a three-run deficit with another odd walk-off. With its back against the wall trailing 3-0 after five frames, Fullerton chalked up three runs in the sixth before Sarah Moore was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to capture a 4-3 victory and tie the biggest comeback of the season with the Feb. 22 contest versus Oklahoma State at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
TITANS VERSUS RANKED TEAMS*
DATE - OPPONENT - LOCATION - RESULT
FEB. 7 - No. 21 Notre Dame - Fullerton, Calif. - W, 8-7
FEB. 8 - No. 21 Notre Dame - Fullerton, Calif. - L, 2-7
FEB. 19 - No. 18 Missouri - Palm Springs, Calif. - L, 2-10
FEB. 19 - No. 14 LSU - Palm Springs, Calif. - L, 0-8
FEB. 21 - No. 23 Texas A&M - Palm Springs, Calif. - L, 1-2
MAR. 4 - No. 3 Michigan - Fullerton, Calif. - L, 0-9
MAR. 5 - No. 22 Arizona State - Fullerton, Calif. - L, 3-10
MAR. 6 - No. 14 Auburn - Fullerton, Calif. - W, 3-2
APR. 8 - No. 9 UCLA - Los Angeles, Calif. - L, 1-9
*Ranking when game occurred
TITANS REACH 1,400 WINS
Following a sweep in day one of the SoCal Collegiate Challenge over No. 21 Notre Dame, 8-7, and Northwestern State, 6-4, Cal State Fullerton eclipsed the 1,400-win mark in program history with a record of 1,400-727-6 (.656). Over the 36-plus year history of the program, the Titans have captured one national championship (1986), eight conference championships (1986-87, 1993, 2000-03, 2006), 25 NCAA tournament appearances (1982-96, 1999-03, 2005-09), made six Women's College World Series appearances (1982-83, 1985-87, 1995), while producing 29 All-Americans for 38 selections.
TOURNAMENT RECORD
Over the prestigious Judi Garman Classic weekend, the Titans set a single-tournament record for attendance at Anderson Family Field with 2,286 fans attending day three's action on March 7 breaking the previous mark of 2,096 vs. Fresno State on March 21, 2008 also at the Judi Garman Classic.
TRY ME, I DARE YA!
Oregon State transfer Kylie Padilla has transitioned nicely as the everyday catcher, being fourth in the conference in runners thrown out with eight on the season. Opposing runners have tested the arm of Padilla making an attempt to steal on 28 occasions, but the Chino, Calif. native has limited the thieves to a 71% succession rate with accurate throws and good decisions.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Following a 3-0 decision over Nebraska on March 15, Cal State Fullerton captured three consecutive shutout victories for the first time since the 2002 campaign when the Titans swept a three-game set against Big West foe UC Riverside by a combined score of 31-0 from April 27-28. CSF pitching had posted 26 straight scoreless innings before surrendering a run to Charleston Southern in the sixth inning of a 5-1 victory also on March 15.
BUILT TITAN TOUGH
After finishing second in the Big West Conference for being hit with the most pitches (12) last season, opposing pitchers continue to tag senior Eliza Crawford as she's already eclipsed that total with 13 with at least three games left to go in 2015. The first baseman has also been superb defensively being one of six student-athletes (including field player and CSF teammate Delynn Rippy) across the league to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 156 put outs and two assists in 158 chances.
WON'T GET IT PASSED US
Heading into the final weekend of Big West competition, the Titans' batters have posted a conference low 151 strikeouts to opposing pitchers. Currently, Hawai'i (274), CSUN (207) and Long Beach State (198) have fanned on the most occasions.
TIMELY HITTING
Titan sophomore Gabrielle Rodas and junior Paige Kisling pinch hit their way to a combined 4-for-4 effort two weekends ago in a three-game sweep of Cal Poly. In game one of the series, each logged a hit and one run while Rodas came across with the game-winning run in the sixth frame on a wild pitch. Kisling added another base-hit and run scored in game two of the series, while Rodas collected her second hit in the series finale with one RBI.
TITANS INK TRIO TO 2016 SIGNING CLASS
Head softball coach Kelly Ford announced that three area prep athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play softball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Sydney Golden, Raeanne Martinez and Ariana Williams all hail from California and will begin their careers with the Titans at the beginning of the 2015-16 academic school year.
