FULERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton softball team looks to defend their Big West title as they are coming off their fifth conference championship in the past six full seasons and their 30th NCAA Regional appearance after going 37-22 last season.
It came down to the final weekend against Long Beach State once again in conference play last year but this time, the Titans came out on top over the Beach due to some late inning dramatics from Senior infielder Daisy Munoz. The Titans were then sent to Tempe for the first time since 2009 where they went 1-2 and eliminated No. 21 LSU before bowing out of the postseason.
"I'm so excited about getting going this year. The athletes put in the work this year. We got a lot of experience and it is going to be our strength. We welcome the target on our back. We're proud of being picked to finish first in conference and we're embracing it. The team brings a championship mindset to practice everyday, " head coach Kelly Ford said.
The Titans have been the standard bearer for the Big West in the past couple seasons. The 2022 squad batted .304 as a whole for the season with 306 runs, 268 RBIs, and 40 home runs last season. The Titans were 29th in the country in team batting average. The defense had a .969 fielding percentage and hovered around the .970 benchmark all season.
The Titans return the entire starting lineup and pitching rotation from last year. With only one player graduating and a couple players transferring out, the Titans are a team chock full of veterans with tons of youth. The Titans added nine freshmen and three transfers to this year's roster. However, many of the freshmen are expected to redshirt this season.
Among the returners for this year's team include the reigning Big West Field Player of the Year, Megan Delgadillo. Last season, Megan Delgadillo slashed .404/.462/.444 for the season. She led the Big West Conference with 80 hits and was 9th in the country in hits. She also led the conference with 57 runs scored. She set the individual Cal State Fullerton/Big West Conference single season stolen base record with 50 steals and was 4th in the country in steals. She was named to the NFCA All-West Region Second Team, the Big West Conference Field Player of the Year, and to the All-Big West First Team
The Titans will also be led by junior catcher Jessi Alcala. Acala slashed .377/.420/.596 last season and was one of the best hitters in conference with a .455/.506/.766 slashline. She was third on the team with 57 hits and fourth in the league She was tied for second on the team and league with 12 doubles and was third on the team and fourth in the league with 7 home runs. She was second on the team and third in the league with 38 RBIs..Scored 26 runs. She had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the dish. She was named to the 2022 DIvision 1 NFCA All-West Region Third Team and the Big West First Team.
The Titans infield also boasts All-Big West First Team member Peyton Toto. Toto slashed .365/.432/.511 for the season. She was third on the team in batting average and was fourth on the team with 50 hits. She was fourth on the team with 35 RBIs. Her left side of the infield counterpart, Hannah Becerra, is fresh off a strong sophomore campaign where she was named to the All-West Region Second team and the Big West Second Team. She started in all 59 games and slashed .302/.463/.525 for the season. She was second on the team with 49 runs and led the Big West with 44 walks. She was third on the team with 36 RBIs and was third in the league with 12 doubles and 8 home runs.
Daisy Munoz returns for her fifth and final season. Last season, Munoz was named to the All-Big West Second team. She was second on the team with 61 hits and third in the Big West. She led the team and conference with 15 doubles and had her third season with double-digit home runs. She led the team and conference with 49 RBIs. She had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Munoz has a chance to be the Titans new career leader in RBIs and home runs after currently being ranked fifth with 130 RBIs with 163 being the top mark. She is also tied for third with 33 home runs with 47 being the top mark.
The Titans outfield will also be patrolled by Big West Honorable Mention Antuanett Dean. Dean transferred in from New Mexico State and immediately made an impact in the starting lineup. Dean slashed .313/.328/.367 for the season and had 40 hits. She scored 22 runs and was second on the team with 20 stolen bases.
After having an inexperienced pitching staff last season, almost the entire pitching staff returns except the departure of one player who had 19 innings of relief work. The pitching staff will be led by Myka Sutherlin and Raci Miranda. Last year Sutherlin was 16-7 with a 2.43 ERA in 150 innings and 154 strikeouts. She picked up wins over three ranked opponents last season (No. 8 Arizona, No. 15 Northwestern, No. 21 LSU). Sutherlin also tossed the 57th no hitter in school history against CSU Bakersfield. Last year's all-freshman member Raci Miranda returns where she was 11-7 with a 3.26 ERA in 116 innings of work. Miranda came in strong for the Titans once conference play started and elevated herself to the Co-Ace role.
The Titans will also welcome in a transfer in Haley Rainey that will make an immediate impact to the pitching rotation. Rainey was the 2022 Big Sky Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-Big Sky Second team. She went 15-11 with a 3.46 ERA in the circle for the Bengals. She had 163 strikeouts in 157.2 innings pitched. She threw 14 complete games and three shutouts. Rainey actually pitched twice against the Titans last year at the Purple Classic hosted by Grand Canyon. She went the distance in a 4-3 loss against the Titans pitching 8.1 innings but she also struck out 10 batters. She picked up the win in relief in a 4-3 win in the second game against the Titans after going three innings and allowing just one run.
This year's schedule is highlighted by playing 16-games against Power-5 Schools and 15-games against schools that made the NCAA tournament last season. The Titans are playing four teams this season that were in the College World Series last year (UCLA, Oklahoma, Florida, and Oregon State)
"Our team is prepared for our schedule. This is the strongest pre-conference schedule we have ever played. We want to find a formula to go deep in the NCAA tournament. We are hoping the strength of schedule helps our RPI. The intent is to better prepare our student-athletes for NCAA postseason games. They all have the goal to make it beyond regionals this season." said Head Coach Kelly Ford.
The season begins on Thursday as Fullerton heads to No. 2 UCLA to begin the season at Easton Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Titans will then head home later that weekend to host the Easton Classic.
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Titans fans can now watch home contests exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for Titans Athletics. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.
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