FULLERTON, Calif. – Major League Baseball postseason play begins today, and two former Titans will be participating in the playoffs.
Atlanta outfielder Reed Johnson and the Braves will host the Cardinals at 2 p.m. PT, today in a one-game Wild Card playoff. The winner will advance to the National League Division Series to face the top-seeded Washington Nationals.
In his 10th season in the MLB, Reed enters the postseason batting .290 with 20 RBI, 20 extra-base hits (14 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs) and 30 runs scored.
Johnson played for CSF from 1997-99, helping the Titans advance to the College World Series in 1999 while also earning all-conference honors that same season.
If the Braves were to win Friday's one-game playoff, Atlanta would play the Washington Nationals in the NL Division series, beginning Sunday at Turner Field.
The current every-day catcher for the Nationals is 2004 All-American Kurt Suzuki, who played for the Titans from 2002-04. A winner of the Brooks Wallace, Johnny Bench and Big West Conference Player of the Year awards in 2004, Suzuki helped the Titans to their fourth College World Series championship that same year.
Suzuki spent five-plus seasons with the Oakland A's, but was traded to Washington in August, and has been batting .313 with 18 RBIs for the Nationals dating back to the start of September.
Brett Pill, a member of the Titan baseball team from 2004-06, is currently on the active roster for the NL West champion San Francisco Giants, but the Giants have not named their postseason roster yet.
The Giants will host Cincinnati in a best-of-five NL Division Series, beginning on Saturday at AT&T Park.