Titans’ Loyd Named Tournament MVP

Cal State Fullerton sophomore catcher Brian Loyd was selected as the most valuable player in the Big West Conference tournament Sunday, but as far as he’s concerned, any one of several teammates could have been singled out for recognition.

“A lot of our players had a good tournament,” Loyd said after the Titans celebrated an 8-4 victory over Long Beach State in the championship game, giving Fullerton the automatic NCAA tournament berth. “But that’s the kind of team this is.”

Loyd looked back on the start of the season when the expectations were so uncertain.

“We didn’t have any big names, like Dante Powell and players such as that,” Loyd said. “What we had was a lot of guys who really play the game hard, and don’t think too much about what might happen.”

Loyd says a special chemistry has developed this season.

“This team is really fun,” he said. “And the friendship and the camaraderie on this team is a big part of it. There aren’t any cliques or anything like that. And it’s not a matter of older players telling the younger players things. We’re all the same on this team.”

Loyd, however, said he feels fortunate to have been the backup catcher a year ago behind Bret Hemphill. He says Hemphill helped him prepare to take over the position this season.

“I learned a lot from him,” Loyd said. “I watched the way he went about things last season, how he was always calm and collected.”

Loyd said he believes his biggest improvement this season has been defensively. “I’ve worked a lot on that and I think my throwing has improved, along with my ability to block the ball,” he said.

Loyd has thrown out 26 of 54 base runners this season and he’s had only three errors in 57 games. Coach Augie Garrido praised his handling of pitchers during the tournament and through the regular season.

Loyd was seven for 13 in the tournament, with a homer and nine runs batted in. He’s hitting .352 with seven home runs and 59 RBIs this season.