Fullerton Regional Release (PDF)
CATCH ALL THE ACTION:
Television: All games of the Fullerton Regional will be available on the ESPN family of networks (ESPNU/ESPN3). Friday's opening games will air on ESPN3. The channel for the following days will be determined following the day's final game or the following morning. Stay tuned to www.FullertonTitans.com for further updates.
Streaming Video: ESPN3/Watch ESPN
Audio Webcast: All of Cal State Fullerton's games will have an audio stream available. Find the link at www.FullertonTitans.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be available at www.FullertonTitans.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @BaseballTitans on Twitter for daily updates during the 2015 season. Fullerton baseball is also now on Instagram, so make sure to follow the 2015 team all season @CSF_TitansBaseball.
TICKET INFORMATION: Log on to FullertonTitans.com for more information on how to get your tickets to the Fullerton Regional.
LEADING OFF:
Cal State Fullerton will host an NCAA Regional for the 12th time in the program's history this weekend. The Titans will open up with No. 4-seed Pepperdine Friday at 7 p.m. PT while No. 2-seed Arizona State takes on No. 3-seed Clemson at 3 p.m. to kick off the regional. The Fullerton Regional is paired with the Louisville Regional, which is home to the No. 3 overall seed Cardinals along with Bradley, Michigan and Morehead State.
The Titans (34-22, 19-5 Big West) won their 28th conference title overall and 20th in the Big West with a 4-0 victory over Long Beach State on Saturday night. Fullerton would go on to sweep the Dirtbags to finish off the regular season on a six-game winning streak and have won 11 of 13 games in May.
TITANS HISTORY IN THE POSTSEASON:
Fullerton makes its 37th NCAA appearance in its 41 seasons at the Div. I level. The exceptions were 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1991. The current string of 24 CONSECUTIVE appearances is third longest in the nation behind Miami (43), Florida State (38), who both made the tournament in 2015.
Overall, the Titans have won 20 Regional titles – including a national best 11 on the road (two each in Fresno and Baton Rouge and one each at USC, Austin, Starkville, Stillwater, South Bend, Tempe and San Diego). The Titans NEVER hosted a regional before 2000 but have since hosted 11 at home (9-2) – they lost the first (USC, 2000) and won eight in a row before being eliminated by Illinois in 2011. This year will mark the 12th time Fullerton will host a regional.
The Titans have NEVER gone winless in Regional play. They have gone 0-2 only twice in a Super Regional (2008 & 2013) and five times in Omaha (1975, 1982, 1990, 2007 and 2009).
The Titans' all-time NCAA record is 146-78 (.651) including in Regional (96-41, .700) and Super Regional (16-10, .615) play and 34-27 (.557) in Omaha.
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Titans will host an NCAA Regional this season after going on the road in 2014, going 1-2 at the Stillwater Regional. Goodwin Field previously hosted in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. When playing at Goodwin, the Titans have won the Regional and moved on to Super Regional competition on nine occasions. In addition, when the Titans have hosted a regional, they have advanced to the College World Series on five occasions (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009).
The Titans also boast a record of 34-9 during Regional play at Goodwin Field.
Cal State Fullerton last hosted a regional in 2013 when the Titans finished 3-0 with a win over Columbia in the opening game and then two straight wins over Arizona State. The Titans would go on to host the Super Regional round, where they lost to eventual National Champions UCLA.
DEJA VU?:
In 2004, Arizona State and Pepperdine came to Goodwin Field as the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds respectively in the Fullerton Regional. The Titans would go on to win the national title that year.
A BIT ABOUT PEPPERDINE (No. 4 Seed)
-Location: Malibu, California
-Coach: Steve Rodriguez, 12th season
-Tournament Berth: The Waves defeated Loyola Marymount 4-2 on Sunday to win the West Coast Conference tournament and earned the automatic bid to secure their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. It will be the Waves' 30th NCAA Postseason appearance. Last season, they advanced to the Super Regional for the first time since the round was instituted in 1999.
-Series History: The Titans hold a 58-41 overall record against Pepperdine all-time in a series that dates back to 1975, Fullerton's first year at the NCAA Divison I level. In the postseason, the Titans and Waves have met nine times with the Titans holding a 6-3 advantage including a 5-2 mark in Regional play. The Titans defeated the Waves 3-0 earlier this season in their lone meeting.
-The Waves enter the postseason with two batters hitting better than .300, led by Jordan Qsar with a .313 batting average. Brandon Caruso is batting .305 while Aaron Barnett is flirting with the mark, batting .299 in 55 games. As a team, the Waves have belted 49 home runs this season, led by Hutton Moyer's 13 round-trippers. Brad Anderson is close behind with 10 homers this season.
- On the mound, the Waves have posted a 4.05 collective ERA this season. Ryan Wilson leads the team with a 8-3 record in 14 starts. He has a 3.66 ERA and is third on the team with 62 strikeouts.
A BIT ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (No. 2 Seed)
-Location: Tempe, Arizona
-Head Coach: Tracy Smith, 1st season
-Tournament Berth: The Sun Devils earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after finishing the season 34-21 with an 18-12 record in the PAC-12, placing them in a tie for third place in the conference.
-Series History: The Titans are 26-30 all-time against Arizona State but have won the last three meetings, including two at the 2013 Fullerton Regional. The teams have faced off in the regional round 10 times, with the Titans holding a 6-4 edge. Overall, the teams have met 18 times in the postseason with the Titans holding a slim 10-8 advantage.
-The Sun Devils are ranked No. 19 in the final Baseball America regular season polls and are ranked in the top-25 of all five major polls. Trevor Allen leads the team offensively with a .345 batting average to go along with 22 extra-base hits, including four home runs. Overall, Arizona State has eight players batting above .300 and the team boasts a collective .297 average in 55 games with 29 home runs.
-Ryan Kellogg had an excellent season on the mound for the Sun Devils in 2015, going 8-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts. He fanned 86 batters and issued 19 walks in 108 innings pitched.
-Closer Ryan Burr was very effective this season, notching 13 saves for the Sun Devils. He made a team-high 31 appearances out of the bullpen and posted an 8-2 record with a 3.24 ERA. He struck out 69 batters in 41 and 2/3 innings.
A BIT ABOUT CLEMSON (No. 3 seed)
Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Head Coach: Jack Leggett, 22nd season
Tournament Berth: The Tigers earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament and will be making their 40th NCAA Postseason appearance and 28th in the last 29 years. It will also be the first time Clemson will travel to the west coast for a regional.
Series History: The Titans have met the Tigers only once in 41 seasons at the NCAA Division I level, scoring a 7-6 victory at the 2006 College World Series.
-Clemson will make their first trip to California since 1993 when the late Bill Wilhelm's final team played six games in a regular-season tournament in Fresno. The Tigers also played six games in that same tournament in 1988. Those are the only games the Tigers have played in the state of California all-time.
-The Tigers will travel 1,996 miles to Goodwin Field, the furthest trip for any Clemson team since 1994 when the Tigers played 10 games in Honolulu in head coach Jack Leggett's first year at the helm.
-Clemson's pitching staff is led by ACC Pitcher-of-the-Year Matthew Crownover, who has a 10-2 record and 1.59 ERA. In 102.0 innings this year, he has 99 strikeouts and teams are hitting just .183 against the junior lefty. Zack Erwin has also pitched well of late, especially in the ACC Tournament victory over Louisville when he allowed just one run and no walks with 11 strikeouts. He has a 7-4 mark with 90 strikeouts against just 13 walks.
-Offensively, freshman outfielder Reed Rohlman is the top hitter with a .370 batting average. He also has a team-high 57 RBIs and 17 doubles. Tyler Krieger has started all 59 games as either the DH or second baseman and has a .342 batting average to go with a team-high .451 on-base percentage.
-Chris Okey, just the second catcher under Leggett to start every game in a season, has a team-high 12 home runs to go with 55 RBIs and a .320 batting average. Steven Duggar (OF) has 52 walks and 65 hits that have led to a .297 batting average, while shortstop Eli White has a .291 batting average.
-Duggar, Krieger, Okey and White have started all 59 games this year, the first time since 1958 Clemson has had four players start every game.
TITANS AND THE BIG WEST:
Overall, Cal State Fullerton has posted a dominant 728-254-1 (.740) conference record over 41 seasons. Rick Vanderhook, the school's fifth Div. I head coach, has compiled a 73-26 Big West Conference record in his four seasons at the helm and won consecutive conference titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Augie Garrido (14). Larry Cochell (1), George Horton (7) and Dave Serrano (3). Overall, the Titans have won 28 conference titles.
A further breakdown has the Titans winning three PCAA conference championships (1975-76, 1987), eight straight SCBA titles (1977-84), and 17 while playing under the Big West name (1990-91, 94-95, 1997, 1999-2001, 2004-06, 2008, 2010-13, 2015). The Big West absorbed the PCAA records in 1990 upon its formation, giving the Titans 20 total Big West championships and a 552-208-1 (.725; 33 years) PCAA/Big West Conference record.
CONTINUED EXCELLENCE:
The Titans won their 30th game of the season on May 16 with a 4-2 win at Hawai'i. Fullerton has won 30-plus games in each of its 41 seasons at the Div. I level and are tied for third in the nation when it comes to most consecutive 30-win campaigns. The only Titan team to win as few as 30 games was the 1989 squad skippered by Larry Cochell. The Titans clinched a winning season on Friday night and have never had a losing season at the Div. I level. Fullerton comes in tied for third with Clemson and behind Arizona State and Miami.
Consecutive 30+ win seasons (active)
1. Arizona State 53
2. Miami, Fla. 45
3. Cal State Fullerton 41
Clemson 41
ALL-CONFERENCE: T he Cal State Fullerton baseball team was well represented in the Big West Conference postseason honors, garnering Big West Pitcher of the Year, Co-Fielder of the Year and Coach of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Thomas Eshelman, who was honored with his second-consecutive Big West First-Team selection, was named the Big West Pitcher of the Year. Fellow junior David Olmedo-Barrera was given the nod for Big West Co-Player of the Year along with UCSB's Cameron Newell while head coach Rick Vanderhook was named Big West Coach of the Year for the third time. Vanderhook guided the Titans to their 20th Big West title with a 19-5 record and their 24th consecutive NCAA appearance this weekend. The Titans dominated conference play, winning all eight series, three of which were sweeps. With this year's selection, Vanderhook garners his third Big West Coach of the Year honor and the school's 13th selection. Four Titans joined Eshelman and Olmedo-Barrera with first-team selections as Tyler Peitzmeier, Josh Vargas, Jerrod Bravo, and Miles Chambers rounded out the top-team selections. Tyler Stieb was awarded a second-team nod while Taylor Bryant and John Gavin were added to the honorable mention list.
ESHELMAN NAMED GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD SEMIFINALIST:
Cal State Fullerton right-hander Thomas Eshelman was named a semifinalist for the 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, it was announced May 22. Eshelman was one of two new players added to the list since its last release on May 7 and joins UC Santa Barbara right hander Dillon Tate as the two representatives from the Big West Conference amongst the 21 semifinalists. It is the second time Eshelman has been named a semifinalist for the award, the last coming in 2013 when he was a freshman. The announcement comes one day after Eshelman made his last regular season start against Long Beach State. The Carlsbad, Calif. native tossed his fifth complete game of the season en route to a 4-2 victory. It was also his second straight complete game and extended his scoreless innings streak to 28 and 2/3 before surrendering a run in the fourth inning. Eshelman finished the regular season with an 8-5 record and won his last five starts. He tossed two complete-game shutouts and has compiled a miniscule 1.57 ERA. which leads the Big West Conference and ranks 16th in the nation. Opponents batted .207 against Eshelman during the regular season and his 111 strikeouts rank 12th in the country and currently leads the conference.
MORE ESHELMAN:
The Carlsbad, Calif. native currently leads the nation with a 18.50 strikeout-to walk ratio. Eshelman has fanned 111 batters and allowed just six walks, only one of those coming in Big West action. The right-hander is first in the country with a 0.47 walks allowed per nine innings average. Eshelman leads the Big West with a 0.82 WHIP, which also ranks fourth in the nation. Eshelman also ranks 14th in the country in strikeouts (111), 16th in ERA (1.57) and 10th in complete games (5).
ALWAYS BE CLOSING:
Left-hander Tyler Peitzmeier racked up his 16th save of the season in as many opportunities in Saturday night's victory against Long Beach State. He ranks first in the Big West and second in the nation in saves and is also climbing up the Fullerton record books. His 16 saves are tied for the third most by a Titans closer in a single season and the most since Michael Lorenzen shut the door 19 times in 2013. Peitzmeier has 17 saves overall in his career, which is the ninth most in Titans history.
GOOD EYE:
The Titans have had a lot of plate discipline this season, drawing 221 walks collectively to lead the Big West Conference. That mark also ranks 89th in the nation. Josh Vargas leads the team with 27 walks with Timmy Richards right behind at 26 free passes. David Olmedo-Barrera drawing 22 free passes, the only other player on the team with more than 20 walks. Seven other players have drawn double-digit walks including Taylor Bryant, whose walk total (17) nearly equals his hit total (19) this season.
HAVE A DOS:
The Titans led the Big West in batters hit by a pitch. Fullerton hitters have been pelted 84 times this season, which also ranks ninth in the nation.
OTHER TEAM RANKS:
Fullerton ranks first in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with a 1.68 average. They are also first in the country with a 4.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition, the Titans led the Big West in shutouts with nine, a mark that also ranks third in the country. The Titans also rank highly in the following categories: WHIP (1.14; 2nd BWC, 7th Nation), sacrifice bunts (62; 3rd BWC, 15th Nation), strikeouts per nine innings (8.3; 1st BWC, 29th Nation) and triples (17, 3rd BWC, 47th Nation).
J-ROD:
Third baseman Jerrod Bravo has been living on the basepaths for the Titans. Bravo has reached base in 38 consecutive games he has played, a span that goes back to the first month of the season. During that stretch, Bravo has come up with pinch-hits and walks in his only appearance certain games to keep the streak alive. He has not had to worry about that lately as he's started the last 18 games. In the Titans final regular season series, he collected back-to-back three-hit games and would go on to bat .727 (8-for-11) in the series with three doubles. This season, Bravo is batting .333 with nine doubles and 19 RBIs. He is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak.
MONEY MAY:
After being near .500 after the first three months of the season, the Titans surged to the top of the Big West standings in May, winning 11 of 13 games in the month. They are batting .291 as a team and have outscored opponents 80-22 in that stretch. Jerrod Bravo is batting .409 to lead the way while Josh Vargas (.381), Tyler Stieb (.354) and David Olmedo-Barrera (.304) are also having a solid month. The pitching staff has been lights out, allowing 17 earned runs in 118 innings pitched (1.30 ERA). They have combined to strikeout 108 batters compared to just 15 walks and have tossed five shutouts.
MULTI-TASKING:
The Titans have six players with double-digit multi-hit games, led by Tyler Stieb's 19. He has four three-hit games this season after having none in his first year at Fullerton in 2014. He is batting .309 overall with 10 doubles, two triples and 22 RBIs. Josh Vargas and David Olmedo-Barrera each have 17 multi-hit games this season with Vargas recording one of four four-hit games on the Titans squad this year. Vargas leads the team with a .355 batting average while Olmedo-Barrera has eight home runs and 39 RBIs for the Titans this year, both leading the team.
FRESHMEN STEPPING UP:
Freshmen John Gavin and Connor Seabold have stepped up big time for the Titans following the loss of Saturday starter Justin Garza. Gavin finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and a 3.38 ERA in 15 starts. He struck out 59 batters and issued 21 walks on the year as opposing batters hit just .237 against him. As for Seabold, the Newport Beach, Calif. native had his first two career quality starts in his last two outings of the year. He allowed just two runs on three hits and struck out a career-high nine batters against Hawai'i on May 17. He followed that with another good outing, allowing one earned run on seven hits in six innings of work as the Titans downed Long Beach State 5-3 on Sunday. He struck out six and did not allow a walk. This season, Seabold is 4-3 with a 3.23 ERA. He is second on the team with 64 strikeouts and has issued 11 walks in 55 and 2/3 innings pitched.
ONE IN THE CHAMBER:
Right-hander Miles Chambers has emerged as a solid contributor out of the Titans bullpen this season. He has made 23 appearances and also made two starts. He has pitched in 56 innings, the most by any pitcher on the team with fewer than five starts. He has a 2.25 ERA this year and opponents are hitting .246 against him. He's gone more than one inning in relief 18 times this year.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START:
The Titans are 26-9 this season when scoring first and 8-13 when their opponent gets on the scoreboard first. Fullerton is also 17-6 when scoring a run in the first inning.
FREQUENT FLYERS:
The Titans wrapped up their road schedule with a sweep of Hawai'i in Honolulu. The team traveled to Clearwater, Fla., Bloomington, Ind. and Lincoln, Neb., and College Park, Md., which was the team's longest road trip of the season (2,628 miles), along with Honolulu (2,494 miles). Overall, the Titans logged more than 11,000 miles in the air this season and may add to that total by the time the NCAA Postseason is over.
CLOSE EDGE:
The Titans are 7-10 this season in one-run games. Last season, the Titans led the nation with 26 one-run games. They went 13-13 in those contests.
