FULLERTON, Calif. – One year after the Titans made their first trek to Bloomington, Cal State Fullerton welcomes Indiana to Goodwin Field for the first time in the program's history with a three-game set to open up the Titans home schedule this weekend.
CATCH ALL THE ACTION:
Fans can follow the action from Goodwin Field this weekend with live stats, a live audio broadcast and a live video stream. Links to the stats, audio and stream will be available on FullertonTitans.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow @BaseballTitans on Twitter for daily updates during the 2016 season. Fullerton baseball is also on Instagram, so make sure to follow the 2016 team all season @CSF_TitansBaseball.
RALLY TOWEL GIVEAWAY:
Fans attending Friday night's home opener against the Hoosiers will receive a free rally towel while supplies last.
Tickets for all Titans home games can be purchased online at FullertonTitans.com, or at the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Ticket Office, located in the Titan House on campus off of Gymnasium Drive on the northeast side of Titan Gym. Game day sales and will call tickets will open an hour prior to the scheduled time at the specific venue. All Cal State Fullerton students with a school ID get free admission.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS:
FRIDAY
CSF - RHP, Blake Quinn (0-1, 2.84 ERA) vs. Indiana - LHP, Kyle Hart (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
SATURDAY
CSF - LHP, John Gavin (0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Inidiana - RHP, Evan Bell (0-0, 4.15 ERA)
SUNDAY
CSF -RHP, Colton Eastman (1-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. Indiana - Caleb Baragar (0-0, 3.38 ERA)
HOME OPENERS:
The Titans have been historically dominant in home openers, going 33-8 all-time. Cal State Fullerton won its first 12 home openers (1975-86) when it entered NCAA Division I. In more recent history, the Titans have lost four of their last six home openers, including last season's 6-4 loss to USC. The Titans lost three straight home openers (2010-12) and have lost more home openers in the last six seasons (2010-15) than they did in their first 35 seasons combined, losing openers in 1987, 1992-93, and 1998. The Titans are also 16-6 all-time when opening the regular season at home while they are now 3-14 when opening the year away from Goodwin Field after losing at Stanford in the 2016 opener.
POLL POSITION:
The Titans fell out of the Baseball America Top-25 after dropping two of their three games to open the year at Stanford over the weekend. But Fullerton remains ranked in the other four major baseball rankings, ranging from No. 16 in Collegiate Baseball to No. 25 by D1Baseball.com.
THE MEN UP THE MIDDLE:
Infielders Taylor Bryant (hand) and Timmy Richards (quad), the Titans' starting middle
infielders, are not expected to play this weekend, continuing to recover from their respective injuries.
CSF vs. INDIANA • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played 2015/2015
Overall Record 0-3
Current Streak Lost 3
Home Record 0-0
Road Record 0-3
Neutral Record 0-0
Longest Winning Streak NA
Longest Losing Streak 3 games (03/14/15 to present)
Extra Innings 0-1
Most Runs Scored in a Game 4 runs, 2x (last on 3/15/15)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent 10 runs (3/15/15)
Largest Margin of Victory NA
Largest Margin of Defeat 6 runs (3/15/15)
INDIANA NOTES:
The Titans and Hoosiers face off for the second consecutive season, this time at Fullerton. The Titans made the trip to Bloomington in 2015 and were swept in a doubleheader on March 14 by scores of 5-4 in 10 innings and 2-0. The Hoosiers completed the sweep on March 15 with a 10-4 shellacking of the Titans. This year, both teams meet again on the west coast for their first matchup ever at Goodwin Field.
Other Hoosiers Notes:
• Indiana continues its 10-game away from home trip with a three-game series at Cal State Fullerton, beginning on Friday,
•The Hoosiers are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro. Indiana won the series opener on Friday, 14-4, marking the fourth consecutive season opener Indiana has won.
•This weekend will be Indiana's fourth, fifth and sixth meeting with the Titans. The Hoosiers swept the series last season in Bloomington, earning victories of 5-4 (10 innings), 2-0 and 10-4.
•Indiana's last appearance in the state of California came last season in its opening three games. The Hoosiers took on the Stanford Cardinal, winning the first two games to take the series, 2-1.
• Entering this weekend's series, Indiana ranks second in the Big Ten in home runs (4), fourth in on base percentage (.389), fifth in slugging percentage (.402), fifth in runs scored (20), fifth in RBI (19), tied for fifth in total bases (47) and tied for sixth in stolen bases (4).
• On the pitching side of things, Indiana is tied for first in the conference in fewest walks allowed (5), third in batters struck out (31), tied for third in fewest doubles allowed (3), tied for third in fewest home runs allowed (1) and tied for fifth in runs allowed (12), sixth in ERA (3.10),
• Indiana was selected by the Big Ten coaches to finish third in 2016. Conference coaches voted on the top six teams.
• Senior LHP Kyle Hart, junior RHP Jake Kelzer and junior OF Craig Dedelow have been selected as Big Ten Preseason "Players to Watch."
• Junior RHP Jake Kelzer has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List. The award recognizes the nation's top relief pitcher. A total of 70 players are on the preseason watch list.
• The 2016 roster features a total of 19 returnees and 14 newcomers. Of the 14 newcomers, four are transfers and 10 are freshmen.
• The Hoosiers' 2016 schedule includes 27 home games, five NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, and a 2015 College World Series participant.
VERSUS THE BIG 10:
The Titans currently hold a 29-14 record against teams currently in the Big-10 Conference. Of the 13 teams in the conference, Fullerton has never played six of them including Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State and Rutgers. Fullerton faced Indiana and Maryland for the first time ever in 2015, dropping both series. Overall, the Titans went 2-6 against the Big 10 (Maryland, Indiana, Nebraska) in 2015. The Titans are unbeaten against Michigan (3-0) and have beaten Ohio State in five of six overall meetings. Minnesota and Illinois are the only teams in the conference to have beaten the Titans on multiple occasions as Fullerton holds a 4-2 record against Illinois and a 7-5 mark against Minnesota all-time.
EASTMAN EARNS BIG WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK AWARD:
Eastman was superb in his Titans debut on Sunday as the 6-foot-3 right-hander flirted with a perfect game, retiring the first 16 batters he faced in the Titans 4-3 victory over Stanford on Sunday.
Eastman did not allow a hit until surrendering an infield hit in the sixth inning after an 11-pitch battle with Cardinal outfielder Jonny Locher. The Fresno, Calif. native went on to earn his first career win after going five and 1/3 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits. He struck out five. Eastman's performance helped the Titans grab their first win at Sunken Diamond since 2002, snapping a 12-game losing streak in Palo Alto.
VARGAS STARTS STRONG:
Senior outfielder Josh Vargas started the season swinging a hot bat, going 5-for-8 in Saturday's doubleheader at Stanford. He was 3-for-4 in the season opener and followed that up with a 2-for-4 performance in game two. His .455 batting average currently leads the team after the first weekend of the season.
FILLING THE GAPS:
Sophomore Tristan Hildebrandt and freshman Coby Kauhaahaa filled in at second base and shortstop, respectively, at Stanford due to the absence of Timmy Richards and Taylor Bryant. Hildebrandt tallied three hits in the series including a two-hit performance in Sunday's win. He had one multi-hit game all season in 2015 and he is currently second on the team with a .333 batting average. Kauhaahaa got his first career hit, double and RBI in one swing on Sunday, roping a two-base hit to left to drive in a run in the Titans' three-run second inning.
PINKY SWEAR:
First baseman Tanner Pinkston was another standout on offense during the first weekend of the season at Stanford, getting a hit in every game of the series. He is currently third on the team with a .300 average and also scored two runs during the weekend to lead the team.
HOCKIN SLAMS THE DOOR FOR FIRST SAVE:
Junior Chad Hockin saw his first action as the Titans' closer on Sunday afternoon. After falling behind 3-0 to the first batter he faced, Hockin recovered to strike out the side in order and record his first career save. Hockin was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Initial Watch List during the preseason, an award given to the top closer in the nation at season's end.
BRAVO STARTING ANEW:
Senior Jerrod Bravo failed to reach base in both games of Saturday's doubleheader at Stanford, snapping his 46-game on-base streak that started last season. Bravo last failed to reach base on Feb. 14 against Alabama State, a game that he entered as a substitution and struck out in his only at bat. His streak was one of just two streaks of more than 40 games reached at Fullerton in the last 13 seasons and he surpassed Tyler Pill's record of 43 straight games, which was set to end the 2010 season. Bravo's streak was also just the fourth streak of more than 30 games in the last 13 seasons at Cal State Fullerton. Bravo did get a base hit in Sunday's game at Stanford and will look to start a new streak this weekend.
CALL TO THE BULLPEN:
The Titans pitching was excellent all around at Stanford, but the bullpen in particular was lights out. Six pitchers came out of the pen to pitch in relief during the three-game set against the Cardinal and none of them was tagged with an earned run. Connor Seabold, Scott Serigstad, Dylan Prohoroff, Chad Hockin, Maxwell Gibbs and Miles Chambers tossed a combined seven and 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just three hits and struck out 10 batters with just two walks. Seabold tallied four strikeouts in two innings of relief in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, more than any other Titans pitcher, starter or reliever, other than Colton Eastman.
THE NEW GUYS:
A number of Titans made their NCAA Division I debuts at Stanford over the weekend. Dakota Wix, who did not play a game last season, batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 in Sunday's victory over the Cardinal. Freshman Ruben Cardenas also made his first appearance for the Titans, starting in right field in all three games at Stanford. He tallied a pair of hits in the series, stole a base and scored a run. Freshman Hank LoForte also made his debut, getting some action as a defensive replacement at second base.
On the mound, transfer Blake Quinn made his first start since 2014, going six and 1/3 innings on Saturday and posting a quality start despite suffering the loss, 2-0. Other guys that made their debuts on the bump included Scott Serigstad, Dylan Prohoroff and Sunday's winner, Colton Eastman.
NC DINOS EXHIBITION:
The Titans fell to the NC Dinos, 10-1, Tuesday night in an exhibition game played at Goodwin Field. It was the second straight season the Titans and NC Dinos faced off in an exhibition as the NC Dinos go through their spring training tour. Last season, the Titans scored an 8-7 win over the NC Dinos.