Titans Lose a Key Pitcher When Irvine Leaves Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton will face a bigger rebuilding project with its pitching than expected next season after Kirk Irvine unexpectedly signed with the Chicago White Sox.

But the good news for Titan Coach Augie Garrido is that associate head coach George Horton will stay to help rebuild it.

Horton, who has a national reputation as a top college pitching coach, had applied for head coaching jobs at Arizona, South Carolina and Georgia. But they have hired other candidates, and Horton said Wednesday he plans to remain at Fullerton next season.

Irvine’s recent signing, however, leaves the Titans with only one regular starter, Scott Hild, back from the team that finished 45-16. Fullerton, which was seeking its third consecutive College World Series trip, was eliminated in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Wichita, Kan. Pitching depth turned out to be the team’s chief weakness late in the season.

“Irvine’s decision sort of surprised us,” Horton said. “He switched gears a couple of times. Initially, we thought he was headed in that direction, but then he changed again. A lot of his teammates had signed, and I think he decided it was the thing for him to do.”

Horton said the Titan coaches had counseled Irvine on the benefits of staying in school another year.

“The percentage of guys who pitch in the big leagues isn’t high, and the percentage goes down even more for a 5-11 guy with an average fastball,” Horton said. “We felt he would have benefited more from another year of education before going out.”

Irvine, a right-hander who pitched one season for the Titans, was 12-3 with a 3.86 earned-run average. He was at Rancho Santiago College for two years.

The Titans’ top pitcher last season, left-hander Brent Billingsley, earlier signed with the Florida Marlins for a bonus in the $100,000 range. Billingsley was 11-2 with a 3.02 ERA in his one season with Fullerton after transferring from East Carolina. Hild, the other pitcher in the three-man rotation, was 9-4 with a 4.66 ERA as a sophomore. Junior Luis Estrella and senior Mark Chavez, the top relief pitchers, also signed.

Three pitchers Fullerton had recruited--Mike Hughes and Ted Lilly from Fresno College and Jon Cannon from Canada College--signed pro contracts after the amateur draft.

“That makes us a little thin from a pitching standpoint,” Horton said. “We’re looking around now for someone who might be able to help us. We’d like to have one more pitcher, maybe two. But it’s difficult at this time of the year to find an impact guy who will be able to pick up Kirk’s number of innings, and his wins.”

The Titans will rely heavily on incoming freshman pitcher Michael Garner, The Times Orange County player of the year. Garner, a left-hander, was 10-2 with a 0.42 ERA for Fullerton High. The Titans’ other pitching recruit is right-hander Brandon Duckworth of Southern Idaho. “We hope they both can come right in and be impact guys,” Horton said.

Last season, the Titans also redshirted two freshman right-handers, Tim Baron of Thousand Oaks and Steve Lawson of La Verne. “They’ll have to assume more significant roles too,” Horton said.

Other returning pitchers are seniors Matt Wise (3-0, 5.61), Dustin Spencer (1-0, 3.75) and Todd Singelyn (1-0, 3.71).