FULLERTON, Calif. – Coming off two tournaments on the road to start the season, The Titans now host their home-opening series against No. 11 Stanford at Goodwin Field.
The three-game series was initially scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. However, with inclement weather in the forecast the two teams have decided to move Saturday's game to Friday night with the first game beginning at 5:00 p.m. PT with game two to start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Game three of the series will remain as scheduled on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. PT.
Saturday's Game Ticket vs. Stanford will be used for the 5:00 p.m. game with the regular Friday Game Ticket being used for the second game of the evening. Friday Night Lights and Saturday's in the Park package holders who are unable to make their game specific game during the Stanford Series, will be able to exchange that ticket for a future game.
If you are a single game ticket purchaser of Saturday's game, and are unable to make the 5:00 p.m. game, please contact the Athletics Ticket Office at 657-278-2783 or via email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu to exchange your game ticket to another game or for a refund. If you are a single game ticket purchaser for the previously scheduled Friday game at 7:00 p.m. and cannot make the later game, please contact the Athletics Ticket Office and your game ticket will be handled the same as Saturday's game ticket. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Due to the changes for Friday's baseball games vs. Stanford there will be NO CHARGE for parking after 3:30pm on Friday. If you are arriving to campus prior to 3:30pm, please make sure to purchase an $8 parking pass.
Stanford swept last years series in Palo Alto, however, Cal State Fullerton has had the last laugh the previous two seasons, eliminating host Stanford in 2017 and 2018 regionals.The Titans have gone 3-0 at the Stanford Regional the past two seasons.
Fullerton heads into the weekend against No. 11 Stanford after going 4-2 in its first six games of the season. Last weekend the Titans went 2-1 at the Tony Gwynn Legacy with wins over Missouri State and Oklahoma, who was undefeated prior to the matchup with Fullerton.
Through six games the Titans are 3-1 against power five conferences with wins over No. 18 TCU, Virginia and Oklahoma with the only loss coming to No. 1 Vanderbilt at the MLB4 Tournament. With wins over TCU and Oklahoma the Titans are 2-0 against the Big 12 Conference.
No. 11 Stanford comes to Fullerton with a record of 6-1 with a game against San Francisco schedule for Wednesday night. The Cardinal were in Arizona for opening weekend at the 2019 Angels College Classic where they went 3-0 with wins over Ball State, Wichita State and Pepperdine before picking up a win against Grand Canyon in a mid-week game. Stanford then went 2-1 against UNLV last weekend.
The Titans bats have been exceptional at the plate so far to start the season, hitting .296 with a .404 slugging percentage and a .384 on-base percentage. The double-play duo of Hank LoForte and Sahid Valenzuela have led the way at the plate for Fullerton, hitting .375 and .409, respectively.
Both LoForte and Valenzuela had impressive weekend's at the Tony Gwynn Legacy. LoForte went 8-for-15 at the plate with three RBI and a double with an electric 4-for-6 day against Oklahoma including a triple. Valenzuela went 5-for-10 at the plate with three runs, a RBI and a walk in all three games.
First-year transfers AJ Curtis and Isaiah Garcia have made an immediate impact on the team. Curtis his hitting an outstanding .429 on the year with two walks and a run. Garcia had the impact play of the game last weekend against Oklahoma as he crushed a two-out double to left center field to drive in two runs and give Fullerton its first lead of the game.
Tanner Bibee started the season in amazing fashion, going 2-0 in his first two starts of the season with wins over No. 18 TCU and Missouri State. Bibee went six innings against No. 18 TCU giving up no runs while allowing just six hits and striking out four batters. The following week against Missouri State, Bibee threw sevenning innings, once again giving up no runs while allowing just four hits and striking out eight.
Gavin Velasquez has been instrumental out of the bullpen as a long-reliever for Fullerton. Velasquez has pitched 7.2 innings and has allowed just seven hits all year with a 2.35 ERA. After missing most of the 2018 season with an injury, the redshirt junior has looked to be in midseason form. Velasquez was key to the Titans comeback victory over Virginia at the MLB4 Tournament as he went 2.2 innings, giving up no hits and no runs to shut down the Cavaliers.
Along with Velasquez, a couple of freshman have rose to the occasion for the Titans out of the bullpen. Kyle Luckham has made two appearances, going two innings in both games, giving up no runs and a total of just two hits. Luckham came on in relief against Oklahoma (who was undefeated at the time) and give up just one hit while striking out two batters to earn his first collegiate win.
Fellow freshman Michael Weisberg has also been a key member of the Titans pitching staff as one of the team's closers. Weisberg made his first appearance as a Titan against No. 18 TCU and showed the bright lights were not too big for him, giving up just one hit in one inning of work to earn his first collegiate save. The freshman then made his second appearance against Oklahoma and recorded three quick outs to earn his second save in as many appearances.
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Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
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