Cal State Fullerton is coming off another phenomenal season in 2019, where they went 38-18 overall and 18-3 in conference en route to their fourth straight Big West Conference championship and their 29th NCAA Regional appearance.
Fullerton suffered a disappointing end to their 2019 season going 0-2 at the UCLA Regional falling to Missouri and Weber State, but are primed and ready to bounce back this season.
"I thought 2019 was a gritty season for our athletes, and they really fought tooth and nail for that conference championship," head coach Kelly Ford said. "How our season ended is all that the players can talk about, but most importantly, they feel it. That stung; that burned. That's what is fueling us. And it's not in the sense of revenge either; it's just that we know we're better than that."
The Titans have established themselves as the powerhouse of the Big West, not only with four consecutive titles, but by winning 14 straight conference series and 25 of the last 28 going back to 2016. Last year, they set a new program record for fielding percentage (.975) and fewest errors (37), as well as posting the fifth most home runs (49) and fifth highest slugging percentage (.445).
The Big West Conference announced their preseason coaches' poll last week and the Titans were picked to win it all once again. And it's easy to understand why, as the 2020 squad will look very similar to the 2019 team only losing six student-athletes while returning seven of their eight starting position players as well as the entire pitching staff.
Among the returners is the reigning Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-West Region Second Team, Dani Martinez. The right-hander will look to build off a rookie campaign that saw her become just the third Titan with a sub-2.00 ERA since 2009. Her .175 opponent batting average is the lowest by a Titan pitcher since 2003.
Last year's standout freshmen, Alexa Neil and Daisy Munoz, will also be back in the navy and orange in 2020. Neil was named Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year ranking in the Big West top 10 in average, hits, runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage while Munoz led the team with 10 home runs, tying Sue Lewis' freshman home run record which had stood untouched for almost 40 years.
The Titans also welcome in a solid group of seven newcomers led by freshman outfielder Megan Delgadillo, who was ranked as the No. 24 recruit by Flo Softball and No. 40 recruit by Extra Inning Softball. The lefty slapper set records at Poly High School in Riverside for most hits in a single-season (69) and a career (201), and is expected to immediately make an impact at the top of the lineup.
This year's schedule is highlighted by 10 teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season including four programs that made it to the Super Regional round headlined by the national champion UCLA Bruins. Going by preseason rankings, the Titans will face seven Top 25 teams as well as a few others that are receiving votes in some of the polls.
"I'm very excited about our competitive schedule for the 2020 season," says coach Ford. "We have a lot of great, high RPI matchups especially against some strong Power 5 schools and some international play mixed in against the Canadian National Team that will really prepare us for our conference schedule."
The season begins next week as Fullerton faces Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6:00 p.m. to kick off the Titan Classic.
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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.
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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).