Titans Still Rough Around the Edges on Baseball Diamond

The first week of Cal State Fullerton’s first baseball season under George Horton is over, but what did it tell us?

In order:

* The pitching is still a big question.

* The hitting is definitely the team’s strength.

* And it might be a few more weeks before anyone can get much of a reading on the team’s potential, even though the Titans did win two of three games against Stanford, which Baseball America ranked No. 1 in the preseason.

“We’re so new that we’re still struggling to find our identity as a team,” senior third baseman Mike Lamb said.

But the first four games did give Horton and his assistants a better picture of where the team needs to improve.

“We know the pitching is going to have to be much better,” pitching coach Dave Serrano said. “We’ll only go as far this season as our pitchers can take us.”

The Titans already have given up 30 runs, though half of those came in the one-sided second game of the Stanford series. Fullerton hadn’t given up that many runs since a 19-15 loss at Arizona in 1992.

But Stanford, which might have the best pitching staff in college baseball this season, wasn’t any sharper, giving up 20 runs in three games against Fullerton.

Of the three starters, senior Matt Wise got off to the best start, giving up five hits and two runs in six innings in Friday’s first game against Stanford.

Tennessee transfer John Alkire was hit hard early in the second game. He gave up seven hits and seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Scott Hild, the only returning starter, struggled in two outings. Hild was rocked for four home runs in four innings in the opener against Cal State Northridge, and wasn’t much more effective against Stanford Sunday, when he gave up nine hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

*

The bright spots of the pitching staff were Brandon Duckworth, Brian Tokarse and Mike Garner. Duckworth, a transfer from Southern Idaho, has established himself as the closer with solid performances in two appearances.

Garner, who was Orange County’s top prep pitcher last season at Fullerton High, might have moved himself into position for a start with his impressive relief effort Saturday. He is the staff’s only left-hander.

“Tokarse and Garner have pitched very well all through January,” Serrano said. “They’re both going to put some heat on the starters to keep their jobs”.

Serrano plans to start the same pitchers in the three-game series beginning Thursday at Arizona, with Alkire scheduled to pitch the opener followed by Wise and Hild.

In contrast to the pitching, the offense looked solid, as expected.

Lamb and second baseman Nakia Hill each have six hits and 12 total bases. Hill leads the team in runs batted in with five; Lamb has four. They also have the team’s only two homers. Shortstop Jerome Alviso also has six hits, two of them doubles. Outfielder Scott Seal had five hits in 12 at-bats.

The defensive play hasn’t been as good as Horton expected, with the exception of one sparkling play Lamb made at third Sunday on a hard-hit ball down the line.

“We definitely have some things to work on there,” said Horton.

*

Hill has been hitting so well that highly touted freshman Ryan Owens hasn’t gotten much opportunity to play. “But we still need to get him some playing time soon,” Horton said.

Another talented freshman, catcher Craig Patterson, started one game and took over in the late innings for Wright in another. “I’d be surprised if there are five catchers in the country who are better defensively,” Horton said.

*

The San Francisco 49er coaching staff is starting to have a Fullerton look. New head Coach Steve Mariucci, a former Titan assistant, this week hired another ex-Titan coach, Richard Smith, as linebackers coach. Smith coached the Denver Broncos’ special teams the last four seasons.

Three other ex-Titan assistants--Mike Heimerdinger, Ed Donatell and Greg Robinson--were on the Broncos’ staff last season. The Titan football program was suspended indefinitely in 1992.

Titan Notes

The baseball team probably will play an exhibition game with the Angels March 31 at Titan Field. Coach George Horton is awaiting final approval. . . . Point guard Andrea Thieme has improved significantly as a scorer this season for the women’s basketball team. Thieme, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, has become the team’s leading scorer with an average of 15.2 points, but Coach Deborah Ayres’ team has won only once in its last 12 games. The Titans led by 10 points with slightly more than three minutes left against Idaho and lost, 63-59. They led by 13 midway through the second half against Boise State and lost, 55-52. . . . Coach Judi Garman’s softball team opens its season at home Sunday against Stanford without a senior on the team. . . . The wrestling team was fifth among seven teams in the San Francisco State wrestling tournament last weekend. Orlando deCastroverde was third at 118 pounds and Jason Webster fourth at 167.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Cal State Fullerton:

* Men’s basketball against New Mexico State at 7 p.m. tonight and against North Texas 7 p.m. Saturday, both at Titan Gym.

* Baseball at Arizona 2:30 p.m. today and Friday, and 1 p.m. Saturday.

* Softball doubleheader against Stanford, 1 p.m. Sunday, Titan Softball Complex. This is the season opener for the Titans.

* Women’s tennis against Long Beach State 2 p.m. today, Titan Tennis Complex.