Titans Hope Fresh Start Will Cure Their Ills

Which Cal State Fullerton team will show up?

Will it be the Titans who won 38 of their first 42 games this season or the team that went into an inexplicable slump and lost 10 of the last 15.

That’s why Fullerton (43-14) is such an enigma heading into the NCAA Midwest Regional baseball tournament at Eck Stadium.

“We’ve had the best of times and the most difficult times all in the same season,” Coach Augie Garrido said. “But maybe that will serve this team well now.”

Garrido is billing the regionals as “a fresh start” for the Titans, seeded second behind host Wichita State. Fullerton faces fifth-seeded Delaware (44-10) at 12:30 (PDT) today in the first round.

Garrido is optimistic that the hitting is returning to form after the Titans scored 18 runs in three games last weekend against second-ranked Miami. But Fullerton won only the last game, 7-6, in 12 innings.

Key developments in the Miami series were Jerome Alviso’s return to second base, Mike Lamb moving back to the designated hitter slot and Scott Seal taking over in left field when Skip Kiil went out with a stress fracture to his left wrist. Alviso’s batting average has increased to .341, third behind Jeremy Giambi (.399) and Mark Kotsay (.391).

“Alviso played outstanding baseball in Miami,” Garrido said. “He made a play over the middle to save a run that was major league all the way, and he had some good contributions offensively. He might have been our best player there.”

Garrido also was pleased with the play of Seal on defense. He threw out a runner at second on a ball hit over his head into the wall, and made a good catch on a foul ball.

The pitching, however, still hasn’t returned to its previous level.

“We still have to get back to pitching more in character,” associate head coach George Horton said. “If we carry any baggage into this tournament, and don’t pitch aggressively, it could be a problem. But there were some signs of improvement at Miami.”

The bullpen continues to be a trouble spot with senior Mark Chavez (2-3, 3.36 ERA) slowed by a sore arm. Horton is hopeful Chavez’s strong one-inning effort in the final game Saturday can be a turning point for him. “We definitely need him to pitch well in this tournament,” Horton said.

Starter Brent Billingsley (11-1, 2.76 ERA) continues as the most consistent pitcher.

In other games, Wichita State (50-9) plays sixth-seeded Indiana (42-16) and Rice (39-21) plays Missouri (39-17).

Wichita has the nation’s best record, but the Shockers showed a trace of vulnerability last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament when they were eliminated by Southwest Missouri and Bradley. That cost them the No. 1 ranking that went to USC this week.

The Shockers, who won two regular-season games against Fullerton last season, have built their reputation on a balance of good hitting and pitching.

Third baseman Casey Blake and outfielder Travis Wyckoff are the offensive leaders for a team hitting .336. Wyckoff is batting .411, and Blake .356 with a team-leading 19 home runs and 93 runs batted in. Center fielder Randy Young led the nation in stolen bases last year with 64, and has 62 this season.

Braden Looper is regarded as the nation’s top relief pitcher with a 1.09 earned-run average, 12 saves and a 4-0 record. He is expected to be the closer for Team USA in the Olympics. Among the starters, Steve Foral has the best record at 10-1, although his ERA is 4.10. Brandon Baird, who was 11-3 in 1995, is 6-5 this season, but Coach Gene Stephenson is confident about his ability.

The hottest team in the tournament might be Rice, which tied for last place in the Southwest Conference during the regular season but won the postseason tournament. The Owls defeated Texas, which had won the regular-season title.

The Owls were in the NCAA South Regional at Louisiana State with Fullerton last season, losing twice to the Titans. Fullerton’s second victory, 8-7, sent the Titans to the World Series.

Missouri won the regular-season Big Eight title, going from last to first in one season, although Oklahoma State took the postseason tournament. Fifth-seeded Delaware is the North Atlantic Conference champion and is making its ninth NCAA appearance. Indiana is in its first regional as the Big Ten champion.