Fullerton Wary of Finesse Pitcher : College World Series: Titan coach cautions his hitters not to over-swing against Oklahoma State’s Dennis Burbank.

One of Coach Larry Cochell’s biggest concerns tonight is that his Cal State Fullerton baseball team will press too much against Oklahoma State pitcher Dennis Burbank in their College World Series first-round matchup.

Cochell isn’t necessarily worried about his players’ emotions running too high because they’re going against a familiar face. Several Titans played against Burbank when he was at Valencia High School in Placentia, and Cypress College; and Frank Charles, Fullerton’s designated hitter-backup catcher, caught Burbank at Pepperdine.

Cochell is worried about Burbank’s pitches running low and outside.

Burbank, who is 9-1 with a 3.18 earned-run average, is a finesse pitcher. The junior right-hander has a decent fastball, but he relies mostly on a slow, overhand curve, a slider and a changeup.

The Titans, like most good college teams, hit fastballs extremely well. But they have had a tendency to over-swing against junkball pitchers.

“You can’t over-swing against Burbank because the ball is not going to be there,” Cochell said. “We’ve done well against some of the best fastball pitchers in the nation, but you have to adjust against a guy like Burbank.

“You have to think up the middle and take the ball the opposite way. He’ll try to keep the ball away from you.”

Oklahoma State, with a 53-16 record, may run into similar problems against James Popoff or Sam Colarusso.

Popoff, who has a 12-4 record and a 3.33 ERA, felt some arm stiffness earlier this week but is expected to start tonight’s game, which will be televised live by ESPN at 5:10 PDT.

But if Popoff doesn’t feel strong, Cochell said that Colarusso, 7-3 with a 3.24 ERA, will pitch.

Either way, the Cowboys, who have also had success against fastball pitchers, will have to adjust. Both Popoff and Colarusso are also finesse pitchers, Popoff relying on a slow curve, changeup and knuckleball, and Colarusso relying on a slow curve and slider.

“They’re a lot like us,” Cochell said of the Cowboys. “They’re a good offensive club and very sound defensively. They went to a tough regional, like us, and beat the home team in a place that’s difficult to win at. They’re on a high, just as we are, and they have a feeling they can beat anyone.”

Fullerton (36-21) traveled to Austin, Tex., for the Central Regional and beat host Texas twice, 5-2 and 3-0, to gain its sixth College World Series berth. The Titans made only one error in four regional games.

Oklahoma State went to Tempe, Ariz., and beat host Arizona State twice, 17-9 and 10-5, to earn its eighth trip to Omaha in the last 10 years. The Cowboys made only one error in four regional games.

The third-seeded Cowboys, who have 10 players hitting better than .300, are led offensively by Michael Daniel, who is batting .360 with 20 home runs and 82 RBIs; Bobby Carlsen, at .355 with six home runs and 58 RBIs, and Mitch Simons, batting .350 with 11 homers and 55 RBIs.

The sixth-seeded Titans are led by second baseman Mate Borgogno, batting .376 with 54 RBIs; third baseman Phil Nevin, at .361 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs, and left fielder Rich Gonzales, hitting .383 with five home runs and 42 RBIs.

If Fullerton wins tonight, the Titans will play Monday at 5:10 p.m. against the winner of today’s game between Louisiana State and the Citadel. If the Titans lose, they will play the LSU-Citadel loser Monday at 1:10 p.m.