Titans’ Pitching Staff Essentially Starting From Scratch

The Cal State Fullerton baseball team, which celebrated its 1995 College World Series championship in the White House with President Clinton last Friday, will be back on the practice field Monday preparing for next season.

The two-week fall practice will allow coaches to evaluate several new players, as well as consider position changes before regular workouts begin in early January. The Titans open the season Feb. 2 at Stanford.

“We didn’t make any assumptions last year at this time, and we’re going to try to look at it the same way this season,” associate head coach George Horton said. “We’re going to start out with it being a level playing field for everyone.”

The biggest challenge immediately facing Horton, who handles the pitchers for Coach Augie Garrido, is restructuring a staff that lost starters Ted Silva, Jon Ward and Tim Dixon. All signed pro contracts.

Top reliever Mark Chavez is expected to be a starter this season, but just about everything else will have to be sorted out.

The Titans have 18 pitchers on the roster, with several new faces from community colleges and transfers from four-year schools.

“The two weeks should help us a lot to see where we stand and what the pitchers need to work on,” Horton said.

Horton said new NCAA rules that allow coaches to work with players on a limited basis after fall practice ends will help. If players volunteer for the added work, coaches can spend two hours a week on the field with them, as long as there are no more than three players present at one time.

“It will especially help us with the pitchers,” Horton said. “They’ve always been able to throw on their own during that time, but this way I’ll have an opportunity to be more involved on a regular basis and see how they’re developing.”

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Mark Kotsay’s reputation as a clutch tournament player got another boost in the recent National B a seball Congress World Series in Wichita.

Kotsay went 12 for 20 (.600) with Team USA, which won the national title without losing a game. In addition to being chosen to the all-tournament team, Kotsay was selected as the event’s top pro prospect.

Kotsay, a junior, hit .358 in earlier international competition.

The performance made him the clear leader to win the Golden Spikes Award in November as the amateur baseball player of the year. He won the Smith award as college baseball’s top player after the College World Series.

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Fullerton’s cross-country teams competed in the UC Irvine Invitational Saturday, and Coach John Elders was encouraged by the men’s team in particular.

The men finished sixth, but they were third among the Big West teams entered behind UC Santa Barbara and Utah State. “We knew both of those teams would be strong,” Elders said. “But we feel we have a lot of youth and a lot of depth and can close the gap in time for the conference championships. I’m very excited about the potential of this group.”

Blake Schumacher’s 26th place was the highest by a Titan runner with a time of 26 minutes 24 seconds, but Fullerton had three other runners faster than 27 minutes: Francisco Vazquez, Manuel Perales and Stuart Gonzalez.

The women’s team was ninth and continued to be slowed by injuries. Teresa Santana is still on the sideline.

“We’ve been hurting without Teresa,” Elders said. “It’s possible that we could lose her for the year with her continuing back problems. A redshirt year is a definite possibility at this stage.”

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Distance runner Heather Killeen, who completed her college cross-country career but still has one season of eligibility remaining in track, has been chosen as the California winner of the NCAA’s woman of the year award.

The award honors female athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership. In addition to her success in cross-country and track, she was on the dean’s list eight of nine semesters and is president of the school’s student-athlete advisory committee.

The national winner, to be selected by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, will be announced Oct. 22 at a dinner for the finalists in Kansas City, Mo.

Titan Notes

Fullerton will start its home basketball games 30 minutes earlier this season, beginning at 7 p.m., Athletic Director John Easterbrook said. “I think it will help from an attendance standpoint,” Easterbrook said. “We’re going to try to get all our night events started at 7 in the future.” . . . The men’s soccer team (4-2) is ranked 14th nationally by Soccer News and 19th by Soccer America. Joe DiGiamarino leads the team in scoring with 12 points. The women’s soccer team is unbeaten at 4-0. Dolores Browning has seven goals and Amber Dickey has six. . . . J.D. Green, who played basketball at Fullerton in 1991 and 1992, is one of the leading scorers in the Australian Pro League this season with the Rockhampton Rockets. He averaged 21 points in the regular season.