College World Series Release (PDF)

CATCH ALL THE ACTION:

Television: All games of the NCAA College World Series will air on ESPN or ESPN2. The Titans opening game against Vanderbilt will air on ESPN2 on Sunday night at 5 p.m PT.

Streaming Video: ESPN3/Watch ESPN

Audio Webcast: An audio broadcast of all the Titans games in Omaha will be available with Mike Martinez on the call. Links can be found 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: 

Titans Baseball has made it to Omaha for the 2015 College World Series and the Cal State Fullerton Athletic Ticketing Office has tickets available! Cal State Fullerton fans including player families, Cal State Fullerton baseball alumni, university alumni, and season ticket holders, can purchase tickets for the College World Series for games in which the Titans play through the Cal State Fullerton Athletic Ticket Office. For all ticket information as well as ticket requests can be made by phone, 657-278-2783 or by email, athletictixs@fullerton.edu.

LEADING OFF:

The Titans begin the quest for a fifth national championship on Sunday night as they take on defending national champion Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. PT from TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

TITANS HISTORY IN THE POSTSEASON:

--This is the Titans 17th trip to Omaha, but the first at the current venue, T.D. Ameritrade Park. The 16 previous treks to Middle America and all four of the school's national championships were celebrated on the turf of Rosenblatt Stadium.

--This appearance snaps a five-year absence from Omaha, the longest drought in school history dating back to its first season at the Div. I level in 1975.

--The Titans have made 12 Super Regional appearances since the tournament format expanded in 1999. Monday night's 4-3 win over Louisville was the Titans eighth Super Regional championship overall, but just the second one won on the road (1999 at Ohio State and 2015 at Louisville)

--The Titans have an all-time postseason record of 151-79 (.657) and recorded their 150th all-time postseason win with a Super Regional triumph over Louisville on June 6, 2015. Breaking it down, in Regional play the Titans are 99-41 (.707). In the Super Regionals they have a 18-11 mark (.621). The Titans have an all-time record of 34-27 (.557) at the College World Series and are looking to snap a five-game losing streak in Omaha. Their last win came against Clemson, a 7-6 affair, on June 20, 2006.

--Cal State Fullerton, with four titles, is tied with Arizona and Miami for the fourth-most national championships by any one school. Southern California (USC) has 12, LSU and Texas are tied with six each, and Arizona State has five to precede the Titans on the all-time list.

--The Titans 34 College World Series wins and 61 total games are both the ninth-most in tournament history.

--Miami (24th appearance), LSU (17th appearance) and Cal State Fullerton (17th appearance) are the most experienced programs in this year's College World Series Field. The next closest to Fullerton is Florida with eight trips to Omaha.

--Fullerton has reached Omaha by clinching on someone else's field 11 times in 17 trips. This year is the first time since 1999 – the first year of Super Regional play, that the Titans celebrated advancing in enemy territory. From 1975 to 1999, the Titans NEVER played at home in the postseason. Yet they won 10 Regionals (at USC, at Fresno State twice, at Arizona State, at Mississippi State, at Texas, at LSU twice, and at Oklahoma State) and one Super Regional (at Ohio State) for more road titles than anyone.

--The Titans have had five College World Series Most Outstanding Players – Tim Wallach (1979), John Fishel (1984), Phil Nevin (1992), Mark Kotsay (1995) and Jason Windsor (2004) – tied for the third-most all-time. In 66 years of the CWS, Nevin is one of just 16 players to win the award while not playing for the national championship team.

--Rick Vanderhoook becomes the Titans' fifth head coach to lead them to Omaha. Augie Garrido took the Titans seven times (1975, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1994 and 1995). Larry Cochell did it twice (1988 and 1990). George Horton led them to Omaha six times (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007) and Dave Serrano once (2009).

--This will be Rick Vanderhook's first College World Series as a head coach but his 12th trip to Omaha as a Div. I coach. He's made 10 trips with the Titans (1990, 1992, 1994-95, 1999, 2001, 2003-04, 2006-07) and one with UCLA (2010).

--CWS Experience: Titan assistant and undergraduate assistant coaches have also had numerous years of experience in Omaha. Assistant Coach Chad Baum has a combined four CWS appearances as a player (1999) and coach (2001, 2003 and 2004) including a 2004 national championship. Volunteer Assistant Coach Ronnie Prettyman was a third baseman for the 2003 and 2004 CWS qualifying Titans and was also a national champion in `04. Undergraduate assistants Chad Cordero (two trips as a player in 2001 and 2003) and Sergio Pedroza (2003 and 2004) each spent multiple summers in Omaha. Baseball operations' Cory Vanderhook (nephew of Head Coach Rick Vanderhook) also has one trip to the dance in 2006.

--Rick Vanderhook is a three-time national champion for Cal Sate Fullerton – once as a player in 1984, and twice as an assistant coach in 1995 (under Augie Garrido) and 2004 (under George Horton). The Titans were also the national runners-up in 1992 with Vanderhook as an assistant coach, The Titans lost that final game to the champion Pepperdine Waves coached by recently retired Andy Lopez.

--There is just one Titan player on the postseason roster that is from outside of California and that is Tyler Peitzmeier. He hails from Yutan, Nebraska, a city just 25 miles west of Omaha.

--Titan standout Mark Kotsay's .517 career CWS batting average is tied with USC's Jason Lane for the best in CWS history. Both were 15-for-29 in Omaha. Kotsay's mark came over two trips in 1994 and 1995. Lane's numbers are from 1998 only. Kotsay still holds the CWS career record in slugging percentage at 1.103.

--Fullerton's Mark Kotsay is the only player in CWS history with two grand slams in Omaha.

--The Cal State Fullerton vs. UC Irvine Omaha match-up on June 18, 2007 is still the longest game by time in College World Series history. The Titans lost that game, 5-4 in 13 innings. George Horton (CSF Head Coach in 2007) was ejected late in that game, his final act as head coach of the Titans. Later that fall he would go on to accept an offer from the University of Oregon to rekindle its defunct baseball program.

--The 1995 national champion Titans were the first No. 1 national seed to win the College World Series.

THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRACKET

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Record: 47-19 Overall, 20-10 in the Southeastern Conference

Head Coach: Tim Corbin (13th Year)

About: The Vanderbilt Commodores come to Omaha for the third time in school history and second consecutive season. Their 2014 trip produced their first national championship as they defeated Virginia in the Championship Series a year ago. The Commodores finished in first place in the SEC East and defeated Lipscomb, Indiana and Radford in the Nashville Regional. They made quick work of No. 6 national seed Illinois on the road at the Champaign Super Regional going 2-0 to advance to Omaha.

Scouting Report: The Commodores have a trio of power hitters in Dansby Swanson (.350, 15 HR, 62 RBI), Rhett Wiseman (.318, 14 HR, 47 RBI) and Zander Wiel (.316, 14, 65 RBI) and have five players with more than 12 stolen bases.  The team his collectively hitting .295 and has belted 66 home runs. On the mound, Carson Fulmer paced the staff with a 13-2 record in 17 starts, showcasing a 1.82 ERA in 114 innings. He also struck out 152 opponents and posted a miniscule .182 batting average against him. Behind Fulmer Vandy has five pitchers with at least five victories. The Commodore pitching staff has a 2.96 ERA and has held its opponents to a .217 batting average collectively.

TITANS VERSUS VANDERBILT:

The Titans' first College World Series game of 2015 will be the first official game played between the universities. The two squads met up Oct. 22-23, 2011 for a pair of exhibition games in Nashville in Rick Vanderhook's first fall as the Titans' head coach.

TCU HORNED FROGS

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Record: 49-13 Overall, 15-5 in the Big 12 Conference

Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle (12th Year)

About: This is the second time in as many seasons the Horned Frogs have advanced to the College World Series and they are on the hunt for their first national championship. They were the Big 12 champions and deemed the No. 7 national seed in the tournament. They won the Fort Worth Regional with wins over Sacred Heart and Stony Brook and a 2-1 record against NC State. They also needed all three games to get through Texas A&M in the Fort Worth Super Regional that included a 16-inning, 5-hour, 55-minute marathon in the final game to advance.

Scouting Report: Offensive leaders for the Frogs are Cody Jones (.371, 5 HR, 33 RBI), Connor Wanhanen (.320, 1 HR, 37 RBI), Derek Odell (.303, 3 HR, 39 RBI) and Evan Skoug (.286, 7 HR, 44 RBI). TCU as a team is hitting .289 coming into the College World Series with 117 stolen bases in 159 attempts and a solid .978 fielding percentage.  On the mound TCU has a balanced staff that boasts a 2.38 team era led by Preston Morrison (11-3, 2.55 ERA, 113 IP, 86 K) and a pair of nine-game winners in Mitchell Traver (9-2, 1.60 ERA, 73 IP, 73 K) and Alex Young (9-2, 2.31 ERA, 89.2 IP, 91 K). Riley Farrell (1-3, 2.83 ERA, 28.2 IP, 45 K) has logged 14 of the team's 14 saves.

TITANS VERSUS TCU:

First Meeting (Result): Mar. 12, 1987 at home (W, 4-1)

Last Meeting (Result): Feb. 24, 2013 at No. 22 TCU (W, 7-0)

Overall Record Against TCU: 16-7

Current Streak Against TCU: Won 5

NCAA Regional Record Against TCU: 1-0

NCAA Super Regional Record Against TCU: N/A

NCAA College World Series Record Against TCU: N/A

LSU TIGERS

Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Record: 53-10 Overall, 21-8 in the Southeastern Conference

Head Coach: Paul Mainieri (9th Year)

About: This is the Tigers' 17th College World Series appearance having won six national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2009. They finished in first place in the SEC West and earned a No. 2 national seed on selection day. They went 3-0 in the Baton Rouge Regional with victories over Lehigh and UNC Wilmington (twice) and punched their ticket to Omaha with a 2-0 sweep of Louisiana Lafayette in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.

Scouting Report: The Tigers are hitting .316 as a team heading into its first game of the College World Series with 50 team home runs. Chris Chinea (.355, 11 HR, 58 RBI) and Alex Bregman (.312, 9 HR, 49 RBI) account for nearly half the team's home run totals while Kade Scivicque (.347, 6 HR, 45 RBI) and Connor Hale (.343, 4 HR, 56 RBI) provide significant production. The Tigers like to run, and have four players with more than 22 stolen bases.  Bregman leads the team with 37 swipes. On the mound, Alex Lang (11-0, 1.89 ERA, 105.0 IP, 121 K) takes his perfect record to T.D. Ameritrade Park followed by Jared Poche (9-1, 2.91 ERA, 105 IP, 69 K) who is looking for win No. 10. Jesse Stallings (1-2, 2.23 ERA, 32.1 IP, 26 K) has 12 of the Tigers' 19 saves. The LSU pitching staff has a combined 2.84 ERA and a .229 batting average against.

TITANS VERSUS LSU:

First Meeting (Result): May 24, 1987 at New Orleans South II Regional (L, 3-7)

Last Meeting (Result): Mar. 13, 2011 at No. 16 LSU (L, 2-10)

Overall Record Against LSU: 4-6

Current Streak Against LSU: Lost 3

NCAA Regional Record Against LSU: 1-3

NCAA Super Regional Record Against LSU: N/A

NCAA College World Series Record Against LSU: 2-0

DRAFT DAY:

Through the first two days of the 2015 MLB Draft, three titans have been selected. Thomas Eshelman was taken in the second round with the 46th overall pick by the Houston Astros on day one while Justin Garza was chosen in the 8th round with the 244th pick by the Cleveland Indians. Closer Tyler Peitzmeier went to the Chicago Cubs with the 263rd pick one round later. On the third day, David Olmedo-Barrera was selected in the 12th round by the Tampa Bay Rays while A.J. Kennedy was chosen by the San Diego Padres in round 30. Infielder Jake Jefferies wrapped up the Titans draft selections, going in the 39th round to the Washington Nationals.

ABCA ALL-REGION SELECTIONS:

Thomas Eshelman, David Olmedo-Barrera and Tyler Peitzmeier were each named to the ABCA/Rawlings West All-Region team on Wednesday. Eshelman and Olmedo-Barrera were each selected to the first team while Peitzmeier earned a second team nod.

NCBWA ALL-AMERICAN:

Thomas Eshelman received yet another postseason accolade Wednesday as he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers All-American Team. Eshelman was selected to the third team, marking the third straight year the Fullerton right-hander has been named to the organization's All-American Team.

THOMAS ESHELMAN:

Thomas Eshelman leads the nation with a 0.48 walks per nine innings average and also tops the country with a 18.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 18 appearances and 17 starts, he has fanned 131 batters and walked just seven in 131 and 1/3 innings pitched. His 1.58 ERA ranks 14th in the country while his 131 strikeouts place him fifth in the nation. His 0.82 WHIP ranks fourth in the country and his five complete games rank 10th in the nation. On Monday night, Eshelman recorded his first career save in his second career relief apperance, pitching a scoreless 11th inning to secure the Titans ticket to the College World Series in a 4-3 win over Louisville.

TYLER PEITZMEIER:

Left-hander Tyler Peitzmeier is currently ranked third in the nation with 16 saves this season. He suffered his first blown save of the year on Saturday in the opening game against Louisville but still went three innings to pick up the victory. On Monday, Peitzmeier scored another win, going five innings of relief.

BRAVO SETS RECORD:

Third baseman Jerrod Bravo made Cal State Fullerton history at the Louisville Super Regional as the Cameron Park, Calif.-native reached base for the 44th consecutive game this season. It is one of just two streaks of more than 40 games at Fullerton in the last 13 seasons and he surpassed Tyler Pill's record of 43 straight games, which he set to end the 2010 season. Bravo's streak is also just the fourth streak of more than 30 games in the last 13 seasons at Cal State Fullerton. Ironically, the streak began on Feb. 15 against Louisville at the Opening Weekend Challenge when he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the Titans 8-6 win. Bravo has only failed to reach base in two of 43 games played this year, the first two games of the season. He entered as a defensive replacement on opening night and never got an at-bat and then entered the game as a pinch-hitter against Alabama State on Feb. 14, striking out in his only appearance. Overall, Bravo has started in 41 games and is batting .312 with 27 runs scored, nine doubles and two triples. He came through in a big way Monday as his two-run single in the eighth inning pulled the Titans even with Louisville, 3-3. Fullerton would go on to win the game in extras and secure a trip to Omaha.

DAVID OLMEDO-BARRERA:

Cal State Fullerton designated hitter David Olmedo-Barrera played a huge role in helping the Titans advance to the College World Series. He went 7-for-11 in the three games against Louisville and scored five runs. His biggest moment came in Monday night's winner-take-all game as the junior launched a pair of solo home runs, including the game-winning bomb in the top of the 11th that broke a 3-3 tie. Olmedo-Barrera leads the team in round-trippers, hitting 10 of the team's 20 home runs. He is batting .328 this season with 45 RBIs and has a .571 slugging percentage, which leads the Big West Conference. In the postseason, Olmedo-Barrera is hitting .458 (11-for-24) with seven runs, six RBIs and a .792 slugging percentage.

GOING FOR A STROLL:

The Titans have had a lot of plate discipline this season, drawing 250 walks collectively to lead the Big West Conference. That mark also ranks 43rd in the nation. The team drew 20 walks at the Fullerton Regional alone, the third most in a weekend this season. Josh Vargas leads the team with 30 walks with Timmy Richards and David Olmedo-Barrera right behind at 27 free passes. Jerrod Bravo and Taylor Bryant have walked 23 times. Five other players have drawn double-digit walks this season.

HAVE A DOS:

The Titans led the Big West in batters hit by a pitch. Fullerton hitters have been pelted 95 times this season, which also ranks fourth in the nation. Timmy Richards was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded on Saturday morning, plating the game-winning run in the Titans 3-2 win over Louisville in 10 innings.

OTHER TEAM RANKS:

Fullerton ranks first in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with a 1.72 average. They are also first in the country with a 4.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition, the Titans led the Big West in shutouts with nine, a mark that also ranks fourth in the country. The Titans also rank highly in the following categories: WHIP (1.14; 1st BWC, 5th Nation), sacrifice bunts (66; 1st BWC, 13th Nation), strikeouts per nine innings (8.4; 1st BWC, 21st Nation) and triples (17, 3rd BWC, 52nd Nation).

CONNOR SEABOLD:

Freshman Connor Seabold has settled in to the starting rotation with the injury to Justin Garza. Seabold is 5-3 this season with a 2.84 ERA in 21 appearances and 10 starts. He is second on the team with 74 strikeouts and has walked just 12 batters in 66 and 2/3 innings. He was dominant in the Titans' Fullerton Regional Championship clincher, going six shutout innings and striking out nine, both tying career highs. Seabold has made two starts in the postseason and has a 0.82 ERA with 10 strikeouts and one walk in 11 innings. In May, Seabold made five appearances including four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA. He struck out 32 batters and walked just two in 24 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .231 against him during the month.

SWEET RELIEF:

The Titans bullpen has been outstanding this season, let by Tyler Peitzmeier at the back end with 16 saves. But Miles Chambers, Maxwell Gibbs and Willie Kuhl have all made 24 or more appearances out of the bullpen this season and been solid. Chambers boasts a 2.16 ERA in 24 appearances including two starts. He's 5-3 and has fanned 50 batters in 58 and 1/3 innings with opponents hitting .239 against him. Gibbs has also been a solid lefty out of the pen with a 2-2 record and 30 strikeouts in 32 innings while Kuhl has gone 2-0 in 27 appearances with 34 strikeouts in 29 and 2/3 innings pitched.

FREQUENT FLYERS:

The 2,080-mile trip to Louisville this past weekend was the Titans third trip of more than 2,000 miles this season. The team traveled to Clearwater, Fla., Bloomington, Ind., 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 nearly 14,000 miles in the air during the season.

CLOSE EDGE:

The Titans are 10-10 this season in one-run games following the 4-3 win over Louisville on Monday night. Last season, the Titans led the nation with 26 one-run games. They went 13-13 in those contests.