The Colleges : Cal State Fullerton Notebook : Jeremiah Honored for Guiding Titan Women Through Surprising Year

The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team surprised many by finishing third in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. after being picked to finish near the bottom.

The Titans pulled out a few more surprises Thursday, as Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah was selected the PCAA women’s coach of the year; senior Amy Torczon was named first-team All-PCAA, and center Gena Miller was named PCAA freshman of the year.

Chana Perry of San Diego State and Penny Toler of Cal State Long Beach were named players of the year.

Jeremiah guided the Titans to a 17-10 season, their first winning record in three years.

Torczon led the Titans in scoring (12.8 points a game) and rebounding (9.2 rebounds).

Miller, a 6-foot 3-inch center who became a starter midway through the season, averaged 7 points and blocked 70 shots in 26 games.

When the baseball team opened the season with six losses in its first 11 games, pitching was one of the Titans’ prime concerns.

But what better way to alleviate a lack of pitching depth than with hitting?

The Titans have a team batting average of .328, and it has helped them win 10 of their last 11 games.

Five players are batting over .350, led by Keith Kaub at .392. Kaub’s eight home runs lead the team, and his 25 RBIs are the team’s second-highest total.

Mike Ross, the second baseman, is hitting .373 with 7 home runs and a team-leading 29 RBIs.

The other hot-hitting Titans: Shane Flores (.367), Brent Mayne (.359) and Ralph Ramirez (.352).

Longo Garcia (5-1) and Huck Flener (3-1) have been the Titans’ most reliable pitchers.

Fullerton’s early struggles included a game against highly regarded USC and three-game series against Stanford and Arizona, also highly regarded.

Much of Fullerton’s recent hot streak has occurred against some rather ordinary teams. Three of the victories were over U.S. International University by a combined score of 27-9.

Now things get difficult again for the Titans, who are ranked 19th by Baseball America, with a home stand that includes games against 18th-ranked Washington State Friday and Saturday and a game against seventh-ranked Loyola Marymount Sunday.

A sidelight to Sunday’s baseball game: This Titan team well could have belonged to Loyola Marymount Coach Dave Snow, a former Titan pitching coach under Augie Garrido. When Garrido left Fullerton for Illinois last summer, Snow was known to be Fullerton’s first choice for the job. But Snow chose to remain at Loyola Marymount, and the current coach, Larry Cochell, was hired.

The Fullerton softball team made an early show of power last weekend when it defeated the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. favorite, Fresno State, in the final of the Roadrunner Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M.

Saturday, the Titans and the Bulldogs will meet again in a game at Fresno that will count in the conference standings.

It’s a good opportunity for Fullerton, which was picked to finish second in the conference, to establish itself. The teams won’t meet again until mid-April.

It also will be an early test of the Titans’ ability to play in a difficult environment.

“It’s like playing in the Pit (New Mexico’s basketball arena),” Titan Coach Judi Garman said. “There will be 1,500 screaming fans. It’s great for softball.”

Add softball: The Titans continue to be led by freshman pitcher Anjie Bryant (12-0). Evidence of how hard Bryant is throwing: A pitch that hit the ground before it struck backup catcher Kristin Goodall broke a bone in Goodall’s leg just above the ankle, Garman said. The proof is in the knee-high cast that Goodall is sporting.

Dueling baseball camps: Larry Cochell’s Titan Baseball School will battle Augie Garrido’s Angel Country Baseball Camp for one week in August.

Garrido will be billed as a consultant for the two sessions of the Angel camp and won’t necessarily be on hand for the two one-week $395 boarding camp sessions at local high school fields.

Cochell’s two one-week day camp sessions at Titan Field will cost $150 each. The two camps have one common week.

Garrido will be in Southern California for the Superstar Invitational, an invitation-only camp in August for high school players. And read “high school players” this way: potential recruits.