Game 17-19
Cal State Fullerton vs. Maryland
Date: March 18-20, 2016
Time: Friday 7 p.m.; Saturday 6 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.
Location: Fullerton, Calif.
Venue: Goodwin Field
Video: BigWest.TV
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Audio: FullertonTitans.com
Series Record: Maryland Leads 2-1
Game 20
Cal State Fullerton at USC
Date: March 21, 2016
Time: Monday 6 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Venue: Dedeaux Field
TV: PAC-12 Los Angeles
Video Stream: PAC-12.com
Live Stats: FullertonTitans.com
Audio: FullertonTitans.com
Series Record: Fullerton Leads 50-39-1
FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton will wrap up a nine-game home stand this weekend as the Titans welcome Maryland to Goodwin Field. Fullerton will then travel to Dedeaux Field on Monday to face longtime rival USC.
PARKING INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEKEND:
The Cal State Fullerton Athletic Department would like to inform all visitors coming to campus that during the weekend of Mar. 27-31 only, the entrance off of Yorba Linda Blvd. and Associated Rd. will be closed due to the City of Fullerton's Water Main Replacement Project. The previous note included the entrance closure for this upcoming weekend, Mar. 19-20, but due to the construction being ahead of schedule the entrance this weekend will now be open.
Click here for more information and parking maps for this weekend.
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 (3-1, 2.35 ERA) vs. Maryland - RHP, Mike Shawaryn (2-1, 3.33 ERA)
SATURDAY
CSF - RHP, Connor Seabold (1-1, 1.10 ERA) vs. Maryland - RHP, Taylor Bloom (2-2, 2.25 ERA)
SUNDAY
CSF -RHP, Colton Eastman (4-0, 1.38 ERA) vs. Maryland - RHP, Brian Shaffer (1-1, 4.12 ERA)
MONDAY
CSF - TBA vs. USC - TBA
CATCH ALL THE ACTION:
Fans can follow the action for this weekend's games against Maryland with live stats, audio and video streams. All links can be found on FullertonTitans.com. Monday's game will also feature live stats and audio stream.
TITANS VS TROJANS ON PAC-12 NETWORK LOS ANGELES:
Monday's game at Dedeaux Field between Fullerton and USC will be televised on PAC-12 Los Angeles. Check your local listings for the channel in your area. A live stream will also be available on PAC12.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.
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Titans are currently 4-2 on their nine-game home stand and are in the midst of playing 16 of 18 games at home, a stretch that goes from March 8 through April 5 with the only road games at USC (March 21) and at UCLA (March 29). So far, Fullerton boasts a 7-2 record at home this season.
POLL POSITION:
This week, the Titans held steady in the D1Baseball.com poll, coming in at No. 23 for the third straight week. Fullerton fell to No. 27 in the NCBWA poll this week and are still receiving votes in the USA Today Top-25 Coaches Poll.
CSF vs. SAN DIEGO STATE RECAP:
Dalton Blaser was one of three players with three hits and left-hander John Gavin struck out a career-high eight batters as Cal State Fullerton walloped San Diego State 8-1 Tuesday night at Goodwin Field. The Titans (10-6) have now won four straight games for the second time this season after outslugging the Aztecs (4-12), pounding out five doubles and 11 hits overall. Blaser set a new career high with four RBIs on the night and had his second three-hit game of his career, both coming this season. Taylor Bryant was also 3-for-4 with three runs scored and freshman Ruben Cardenas had a career day, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two doubles. Gavin gave up a leadoff home run to start the game as Aztecs second baseman Justin Wylie belted a 2-0 fastball from the lefty and sent it up and over the scoreboard overlooking left-center field to put San Diego State up 1-0. But Gavin immediately settled down, retiring the next 10 batters in order, striking out half of them. He allowed singles in the fourth and fifth inning and walked one in the sixth nothing else. He would go six innings and struck out eight with one walk. Brett Conine, Dylan Prohoroff and Gavin Velasquez each pitched an inning of scoreless relief to close out the game with each pitcher recording one strikeout apiece.
VERSUS THE MOUNTAIN WEST:
The Titans now hold a 228-82 overall record against the seven teams currently in the Mountain West Conference after Tuesday's win. They hold a winning record over six of the teams while having never played against Air Force. Fullerton did not play an opponent from the Mountain West Conference in 2015 but did face UNLV and Fresno State twice in 2014, going 2-1 with both wins coming at home. The Titans will face San Diego State one more time this season (May 3 at SDSU) and host UNLV from April 22-24.
CSF vs. MARYLAND • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played: 2015
Overall Record: 1-2
Current Streak: Won 1
Home Record: 0-0
Road Record: 1-2
Neutral Record: 0-0
Longest Winning Streak: 1 game (04/19/15)
Longest Losing Streak: 2 games (04/17/15 to 04/18/15))
Extra Innings: 1-0
Most Runs Scored in a Game: 5 runs (04/18/15)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent: 9 runs (last on 04/18/15)
Largest Margin of Victory: 1 run (04/19/15)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 4 runs (04/18/15)
MARYLAND NOTES:
The Titans and Terrapins will meet at Goodwin Field for the first time ever this weekend. Fullerton made its first ever trip to Maryland last year, dropping a two of three games to Maryland. The Terrapins dropped a midweek contest at UC Irvine, 9-5, on Wednesday and have lost five of their last seven games going into the weekend.
Other Terrapins Notes:
• Maryland is third in the Big Ten with 14 home runs as a team. Junior Madison Nickens has five of those bombs to rank t-2 in the conference.
• The Terrapin offense exploded against Rhode Island on Feb. 28 with four home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam from junior Nick Cieri. It is the first time Maryland has hit four home runs in a game since May 22, 2014 against Virginia.
• Freshman Nick Dunn has been a revelation for Maryland so far this season. His .410 average ranks seventh in the Big Ten and his OBP of .507 is the third best in the conference. Dunn is also slugging .589, the 15th-best mark in the conference.
• Dunn has six multi-hit games and has reached base in all 16 games. He has 12 RBIs and six doubles. He hit his first home run against George Washington.
• Dunn earned Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week honors after slashing .642/.700/.786 with nine hits, four RBIs and four runs scored. He is Maryland's first player to ever win two Big Ten weekly honors in the same week. He is the first double player/freshman of the week since Kyle Johnson accomplished the feat for Purdue in 2013.
• Junior RHP Mike Shawaryn earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 29 after tossing eight innings of one hit ball against Rhode Island. He struck out five batters and retired 22-of-24 Rams faced.
• Shawaryn moved his all-time Maryland wins record to 26 with a victory over Bryant on March 11. He has 229 career strikeouts and is just seven away from tying former Major Leaguer Eric Milton for fourth on the school's all-time list.
• Shawaryn's 26 career wins are the third most in the country and the most among juniors.
VERSUS THE BIG 10 CONFERENCE:
The Titans currently hold a 32-14 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 swept Indiana earlier this season after facing the Hooisers 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, Maryland 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, while Maryland is 2-1 against the Titans.
CSF vs. USC • ALL-TIME SERIES
First Year Played/Last Year Played: 1975/ 2015
Overall Record: 50-39-1
Current Streak: Won 1
NCAA Regional Record: 2-4
NCAA College World Series Record: 1-0
Overall NCAA Postseason Record: 3-4
Home Record: 25-16
Road Record: 21-20
Neutral Record: 4-3-1
Longest Winning Streak: 6 games (02/23/82 to 05/25/84)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 games (02/07/89 to 02/05/91))
Extra Innings: 2-3
Most Runs Scored in a Game: 17 runs, 2 times (last on 05/20/14)
Most Runs Scored in a Game by Opponent: 14 runs (04/15/08)
Largest Margin of Victory: 14 runs, 2 times (last on 05/20/14)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 10 runs (04/15/08)
USC NOTES:
Fullerton will meet USC for the 91st time since 1975, the Titans first year in NCAA Division I baseball. Last season, the teams split their two meetings with each squad winning on the others home field. The Trojans spoiled the Titans 2015 home opener with a 6-4 win but Fullerton got revenge with a 5-3 comeback win in 12 innings at Dedeaux Field. The Trojans dropped their midweek game, 5-4, to UConn on Wednesday at Dedeaux Field. They open conference action this weekend as Cal heads to Deadeaux Field.
Other Trojans Notes:
• Ten of the Trojans' 15 games so far this season have been one-run games. The Trojans are 4-6 in those games. The Trojans have also played a ninth game that was 14-innings long vs. rival UCLA, eventually falling 5-3 in extra innings. The Trojans also played a 10-inning contest vs. TCU, eventually falling 12-11.
• USC senior outfielder David Oppenheim has been hitting the cover off the ball lately. He had a 5-for-6 night at Long Beach State, becoming the first Trojan to have a five-hit night at the plate since 2010. He had two or more hits in six of his last seven games he played. He also has a 11-game hitting streak.
• In 2016, the Trojans return five of nine starters and two-thirds of their weekend rotation. The team is led by senior standouts Timmy Robinson, a first-team All-Pac-12 honoree and ace Kyle Davis. The team also returns Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American starting pitcher Mitch Hart, and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honorees Jeremy Martinez and AJ Ramirez.
VERSUS THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE:
The Titans currently hold a 288-218-3 mark against teams from the Pacific-12 conference. This season, Fullerton has struggled against the PAC-12, going 1-5 so far against Stanford, Arizona and Arizona State. In those six games, the Titans are batting just .179 (37-for-207) and have been outscored 16-9, suffering two shutout losses. Arizona State is one of just three teams in the PAC-12 with a winning record against the Titans (27-32). Fullerton has played Stanford on 102 (44-58) occasions and Washington State (5-7) also has a winning record against the Titans. Fullerton's most victories (65) have come against UCLA in 97 games. The Titans have also played Arizona 98 times, holding a 63-35 record.
FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: BLAKE QUINN VS. MIKE SHAWARYN
Friday night's starting pitching matchup will match two of the best pitchers in the country so far this season. Quinn has won his last three starts for the Titans, surrendering just four earned runs in 16 and 2/3 innings. Opponents have batted .125 against Quinn in his last three starts and he has fanned 25 batters in that span. Shawaryn is widely regarded as one of the top pitchers in the country and a top prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft. Shawaryn was tabbed a preseason All-American by most major outlets after earning three First-Team All-American nods in 2015, the first Maryland All-American since 2002. This season, the Terrapins ace is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA and has notched 19 strikeouts in 24 and 1/3 innings pitched while allowing opponents to hit at just a .152 clip.
TRIPLE THREATS:
Dalton Blaser, Taylor Bryant and freshman Ruben Cardenas each went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's 8-1 shellacking of San Diego State. Blaser set a new career best with four RBIs, becoming the second Titans player this season to drive in four in a game (Tanner Pinkston, 3/11/16 vs. Wichita State). Bryant tied a career high with three runs scored and also belted a career best two doubles in the game while Cardenas recorded his first career three-hit game, scored twice and also tallied two doubles, the first extra-base hits of his career.
THAT'S OFFENSIVE:
Fullerton's offense has been on fire during the team's four-game winning streak. The Titans are hitting .313 as a team and have outscored their opponents 29-3. Fullerton has scored at least five runs in each of its four wins during the streak and 17 of the Titans 40 hits have been for extra bases.
PITCHING AIN'T EASY, BUT THEY MAKE IT LOOK THAT WAY:
The Titans pitching staff is currently ranked fourth in the nation with a 1.92 ERA, a mark they lowered by six hundreths with a win Tuesday. They have allowed 32 earned runs in 150 innings pitched and have given opposing batters fits as Fullerton has allowed the enemy to bat at just a .168 clip this season. The Titans are ranked first in the country in hits allowed per nine innings, allowing just 5.22 hits per game. Opponents have recorded 86 hits against the Titans in 16 games so far this season. Fullerton is also ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 0.87 WHIP.
RECYCLED NOTES
ABSOLUTE DOMINATION:
The Titans pitching staff had their way with Wichita State over the weekend to help Fullerton record its second series sweep of the season. The Shockers came into the series with seven batters hitting well over .300, but left Goodwin Field with just two of those batters hitting above that mark. Titans pitchers held the Shockers to a .111 batting average, allowing just 10 hits in 27 innings, including a one-hitter in Saturday night's 5-0 win.
DOING SOME YARD WORK:
Fullerton blasted home runs in all three games over the weekend against Wichita State, recording four round-trippers in all. Tanner Pinkston hit the first of the weekend, a three-run blast off reliever Codi Heuer in the seventh inning to turn a 4-1 game into a rout. On Saturday, Josh Vargas led off the first inning with a blast over the right field fence to put the Titans ahead and then Vargas and Timmy Richards each went deep in Sunday's finale, a 7-1 win. Fullerton has hit seven home runs this season in 15 games. They hit 20 in 64 games in 2015, 10 of those from David Olmedo-Barrera.
TANNER SHOCKS THE SHOCKERS:
First baseman Tanner Pinkston was a terror for the Wichita State pitching staff over the weekend. He batted .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, one home run and six RBIs. He also scored four times, walked once and was hit by a pitch. He posted a .500 on-base percentage and .833 slugging percentage over the weekend to lead an offense that hit .309 as a team and scored 21 runs on 29 hits, 12 of those for extra bases.
CERBERUS RESIDES IN THE FULLERTON BULLPEN:
Chad Hockin, Dylan Prohoroff and Scott Serigstad have been magnificent out of the Fullerton bullpen this season. They have yet to allow an earned run this season in 23 combined appearances. Serigstad has logged the most work, going 14 and 2/3 innings this season and he has allowed just six hits with opponents hitting .125 against him. He has 15 strikeouts against five walks. Hockin, the Fullerton closer, has logged two saves and tossed 11 and 1/3 innings with opponents batting .061 against him. He has 12 strikeouts against just two walks. Prohoroff has allowed just six hits (.140 Opp. BA) in 12 and 1/3 innings and has fanned 13 batters while allowing just two walks on the season.
SEABOLD EARNS BIG WEST CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS:
Seabold had an outstanding start Saturday night against Wichita State and set the tone right from the jump, tossing an immaculate inning in the first as he struck out the side on nine strikes.
He would go on to toss five and 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball before Shockers second baseman Tanner Kirk singled through the left side to break up the no-hit bid. It would be the only hit Seabold allowed in six innings of work as he struck out six.
Seabold currently leads the team with a 1.10 ERA in 16 and 1/3 innings pitched. He's got a 1-1 record on the season and has allowed opponents to hit just .093 against him. He currently boasts a team-best 10:1 (20 Ks; 2 BB) strikeout-to-walk ratio.