FULLERTON, Calif. – College baseball legend and former Cal State Fullerton baseball head coach Augie Garrido will be the special guest speaker for the ninth annual Dinner with the Titans fundraiser, which will take place Saturday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, Calif.
Registration is now open for Dinner with the Titans, the program's biggest fundraising event of the year. It serves as an opportunity for Titans fans to meet and mingle with the current team and coaches as well as former Titan greats. Reservations begin at $100 per adult and $40 for children eighth grade and under. To register, click HERE.
For any additional information or questions, contact Aly Fascetti at (657) 278-7034 or afascetti@fullerton.edu
Former Titans that have attended the event in the past include current Major Leaguers Justin Turner, Christian Colon and former MLB players Chad Cordero and Jason Windsor. The night will begin with a cocktail hour in the courtyard accompanied by live music, autograph opportunities, photo booth, and silent auction.
All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the baseball program, including helping fund the team's trip to South Korea in the summer of 2015 to represent the country in the World University Games in Gwanju City, South Korea.
Garrido is the winningest coach in college baseball history with a 1,920-892-9 overall record in 46 seasons. He was the first coach ever to lead two different schools to National Championships (Cal State Fullerton and Texas) and guide teams to titles in four different decades (1979, 1984, 1995, 2002, 2005). Garrido was inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 as part of the inaugural class.
At Fullerton, Garrido ranks as the all-time winningest coach in school history with an 875-341-5 record in 19 seasons (1975-87, 91-96). He earned four National Coach of the Year Awards (1975, 1979, 1984, 1995) and led the Titans to three national championships as well as a runner-up finish in 1992. The Titans made it to seven College World Series' with Garrido at the helm and made it to the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 19 years at Fullerton.
The Titans are coming off the 40th consecutive winning season and 30-win season in the program's NCAA Division I history. Fullerton advanced to its 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2014.
After having seven players selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft, star pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza headline the returners to the team for the 2015 season. Eshelman has led the nation in walks allowed-per-nine innings in his first two seasons with Cal State Fullerton, including setting a national record with a 0.23 mark as a freshman.
Garza recorded the fourth no-hitter in Cal State Fullerton history in his sophomore season, holding CSUN without a hit on May 23, 2014. He walked three and struck out 12, matching his career high. After two seasons, Garza currently ranks sixth in the Titans career record book in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.49) and is tied for eighth with a 5.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His 2.49 career ERA also currently ranks eighth while his .224 opponent's batting average ranks 10th in the record book.
During the summer, both pitchers were selected to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, becoming the 24th and 25th Titans to represent Cal State Fullerton on the team dating back to 1987. It was also the sixth time multiple Titans have been named to the squad.
Joining Eshelman, Garza and the rest of the returners will be a recruiting class that was ranked No. 10 by Collegiate Baseball. It will feature five players that were selected in the 2014 MLB Draft (Tristan Hildebrandt, Connor Seabold, Jordan Hand, Chris Hudgins and John Gavin) along with 2014 signees and summer baseball standouts Chad Bible and Scott Hurst.