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Cal State Fullerton Team Capsule
Posted: Fri June 11, 1999 at 12:37 p.m. EDT
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Coach: George Horton (3rd year)
Nickname: Titans
Record: 49-12
Conference: Big West
Location: Fullerton, California
Enrollment: 25,000
NCAA Tournament Region and Seed: South Bend, 1
College World Series appearance: 10th
National Championships: 3 (1979, 1984, 1995)
Last CWS appearance: 1995
1999 NCAA Tournament Results
Regional: Beat Michigan, 6-5
Beat Notre Dame, 6-3
Beat Michigan, 9-4
Super Regional: Lost to Ohio St, 10-7
Beat Ohio St, 11-5
Beat Ohio St, 13-2
Probable Starting Lineup
C -- Craig Patterson (.286, 2 HR, 17 RBI)
1B -- Chris Beck (.419, 8, 74)
2B -- David Bacani (.335, 6, 32)
SS -- Shawn Norris (.296, 6, 34)
3B -- Ryan Owens (.370, 23, 85)
LF -- Spencer Oborn (.401, 14, 79)
CF -- Reed Johnson (.397, 13, 59)
RF -- Robert Guzman (.293, 2, 26)
DH -- Aaron Rifkin (.388, 6, 47)
SP -- Adam Johnson (10-3, 3.22 ERA)
SP -- Matt Sorensen (11-0, 4.36)
SP -- Jon Smith (7-0, 2.71)
RP -- Kirk Saarloos (6 saves, 4.01)
OUTLOOK: No. 3 national seed feels it has something to prove,
having been forced to the road for both the Regional and Super
Regional. Swept through the South Bend Regional and rallied
from one game down against Ohio State in Columbus to earn its
10th trip to Omaha. The Titans should be ready for the
competition of the CWS. Ten of the team's 12 losses this season
have come to teams currently ranked in the Collegiate Baseball
top 30. Arrive in Omaha having won 19 of its last 23. Only two
teams in school history have had a better winning percentage,
the 1979 and 1995 squads, which both won national championship.
The Titans rely heavily on their powerful offense. They are
batting .344, which is on pace to establish a school record.
They are also scoring at a record clip of 9.5 runs per game. 1B
Chris Beck, LF Spencer Oborn, CF Reed Johnson and 3B Ryan Owens
form the nucleus. Beck is hitting a team-best .419 and has
stolen a team-high 27 bases. Oborn hit in 37 straight games
earlier this year. Owens, who can play third or shortstop, leads
the squad with 23 homers and 85 RBI and Johnson is a solid
defensive centerfielder. The offense could be bolstered by the
return of opening day third baseman Ryan Moore, who broke his
arm on February 28. He was cleared to play last week but did
not see any action against Ohio State. The Titans like to strike
early, having scored at least one run in the first inning in 36
of their 61 games. They scored a total of 87 runs in the opening
frame. The keys to the pitching staff are sophomore RHs Adam
Johnson and Matt Sorensen. Johnson has struck out 133 in 111 2/3
innings, while Sorensen is a perfect 11-0. LH Jon Smith and his
team-best 2.71 ERA rounds out the rotation. Smith tossed 7 1/3
effective innings in Game Two of the Super Regional against
Ohio State.
© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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