Titans Launch Quest for Their Third Title

Cal State Fullerton begins its quest for a third national championship tonight when the Titans play Florida State at 4:30 p.m. (PDT) in the first round of the College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Titans (42-15), national champions in 1979 and 1984, are seeded fourth in the eight-team event, and the Seminoles (48-19) are seeded fifth.

Top-seeded Miami (53-8) faces eighth-seeded California (35-26) in today’s first game at 1 p.m. First-round play continues Saturday when second-seeded Wichita State (56-9) plays seventh-seeded Pepperdine (44-11-1) at 10 a.m. and third-seeded Texas (46-15) plays sixth-seeded Oklahoma (42-22) at 7:30 p.m.

The College World Series is divided into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets, which means the Titans will have to beat Florida State, Miami and Cal to gain a berth in the national championship game June 6.

Wichita State, Texas, Oklahoma and Pepperdine are in the other bracket and would not face Fullerton, Miami, Florida State or Cal until the final.

Fullerton hopes to avoid a repeat of its last College World Series appearance in 1990, when disaster struck and the Titans were eliminated after two games.

Left fielder Rich Gonzales suffered a concussion when he slammed into the fence attempting to make a catch early in the first game against Oklahoma State, and Fullerton lost, 14-4. The Titans were heavily favored to defeat The Citadel in the next game but were upset, 8-7, in a 12-inning thriller.

Though right-hander James Popoff has been Fullerton’s most effective and consistent pitcher this season, the Titans will probably start senior right-hander Dan Naulty, who is 11-3 with a 3.53 earned-run average. Florida State has fewer left-handed batters than Miami or Cal and Popoff has done a better job against lefties this season, so Titan coaches will save their ace for the second game.

Florida State, which lost its first regional game but bounced back with five consecutive victories, will counter with junior right-hander Roger Bailey, who is 15-4 with a 3.02 ERA and 126 strikeouts.

The Seminoles are making their fifth College World Series appearance in the past seven years and their 12th since 1957, but they’re still seeking their first national championship.