Game Notes (PDF)
FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton (20-12) will head to Westwood, Calif. for a midweek game against No. 1 UCLA. First pitch at Easton Stadium will be at 5:00 p.m.
QUICK HITS
• With conference play starting this week, the Titans will look to defend their Big West crown once again as they look for their fourth straight championship.
• The Titans currently sport a 20-12 record with only 1 non-conference game remaining... at this time last year, they were 15-19 heading into BWC play.
• With the second official NCAA RPI rankings coming out this week, Cal State Fullerton finds themselves as the top team in the conference coming in at #59 overall. The next closest was Long Beach State at #81.
• The Titan pitching staff currently ranks second in the Big West with a 2.74 ERA, .227 opponent batting average, and 209.2 innings pitched. They also rank third with 170 strikeouts.
• The Titan defense currently ranks second in the conference with a .977 fielding percentage, a mark that also ranks 14th in the NCAA.
• Fullerton has been great at keeping the lead when they score first going a near perfect 13-1. Their first loss in this situation came in game one against LMU.
NEWS AND NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
The Titans went 2-2 last week defeating Dartmouth 9-1 in five innings after plating eight runs in the bottom of the fourth. They were then swept in a doubleheader at Loyola Marymount before salvaging a win in the series to close out the week.
EVERYONE LOVES A WALKOFF
Last year's Titans had a lot of late game magic as they had 11 walkoff victories including 4 walkoff home runs last season. That has continued in 2019 as they have recorded 6 walk-off victories thus far, two of which were run-rule walk-offs.
BOMB SQUAD
The Titans' have lacked power in recent years, but that is not the case this season. In 60 games last year, they hit just 19 home runs. They have already passed that mark with 24 home runs so far.
ALL-TIME RECORD HOLDER
Senior Ari Williams made history last season becoming the all-time stolen base leader and becoming the only Titan to ever steal 20+ bases in three seasons. She will be adding to said record all season long and currently sits at 82 steals for her career. She currently ranks 15th among the active career leaders.
LIFE IN THE CIRCLE IS FROSTY
Junior Sophie Frost established herself as the ace of the pitching staff last season and has only improved this season. She currently leads the team in innings pitched and appearances while posting a 2.70 ERA, .218 opponent average, and striking out 64 batters.
#TAYLORSTRONG
Sophomore Taylor Dockins is back on the field for her second season. After missing over a month of the 2018 campaign due to her battle against cancer, she returned in the Regional final striking out the PAC-12 Freshman of the Year. After being away from the game for several months throughout the offseason, she is back and ready for the 2019 season.
In her last five appearances, she has thrown 20 innings allowing just 2 earned runs on 12 hits. That's good for a microscopic 0.70 ERA and a .176 opponent batting average. For the season, she ranks 5th in the conference with a 2.16 ERA.
A WALK IS AS GOOD AS A HIT
Sophomore Janelle Rodriguez has shown a ton of patience at the plate this year. She currently leads the team and is tied for the most in the conference with 17 walks this season. Her .420 on-base percentage ranks third on the team despite hitting just .234 at the plate.
FRONT RUNNER FOR FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR?
Freshman Alexa Neil is having a phenomenal rookie campaign and claimed her second straight Big West Freshman of the Week award and third overall. Last week, she hit 9-14 (.643) with 2 doubles, 5 runs scored, 2 RBI, and a .786 slugging percentage.
For the season, Neil ranks fourth in average (.409), fifth in on-base percentage (.461), third in runs scored (28), fourth in hits (38), ninth in total bases (48), second in sac bunts (6), and second in stolen bases (9). All of those marks are tops among Big West freshmen.
DO YOUR JOB
A leadoff hitter's main job is to get on base and set the tone for the rest of the lineup. Alexa Neil has been doing just that currently hitting .409 this season with a .461 on-base percentage. Both marks lead the team.
DANI IS DOMINANT
Freshman Dani Martinez has been huge for the Titan pitching staff this season. She has posted a 2.41 ERA this season which ranks sixth in the Big West to go along with a .193 opponent average (second in the BWC), and has struck out 80 batters (third most in the BWC).
DAY AFTER DAY(ZEE)
Freshman Daisy Munoz has turned into a crucial part of the Titan offense. She is currently on a 10-game on-base streak and in that time has posted a .400 average (12-30) with a .424 on-base percentage and a .533 slugging percentage.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Twitter (@Fullerton_SB) and Instagram accounts (@Fullerton_SB).