Familiar Faces Set for Big West Battle

The Big West Conference baseball tournament begins today, and host Cal State Fullerton (42-13) is rolling along with 20 victories in 22 games and one of the nation’s strongest pitching staffs.

But Long Beach State (33-20), which Fullerton swept in a three-game series in late April, has won seven consecutive games. The 49ers finished two games behind the Titans in the Southern Division.

Nevada (30-20), the top team in the Northern Division, has won 13 of its last 15 games. The Wolf Pack has won eight consecutive games and has averaged 16 runs during that stretch.

Nevada won two of three games against Long Beach in mid-April, but Long Beach was 23-7 in the conference compared to Nevada’s 17-10. The Titans (25-5 in the conference) won two of three from the Wolf Pack.

Today’s openers match Nevada against Pacific at 3 and Fullerton against UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. at Titan Field, with Long Beach against Sacramento State at 7 p.m. at Long Beach’s Blair Field. Games Friday through Sunday will be at Titan Field.

Fullerton appears assured of an NCAA tournament at-large berth, but the status of Long Beach and Nevada is uncertain if they don’t win the tournament. Long Beach and Nevada were invited last year after Fullerton won the automatic berth.

“Our feeling is that an at-large bid is in jeopardy, and our goal is to win this tournament,” Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said.

Fullerton Coach George Horton said the tournament could be critical for his team’s regional seeding. “I think we still have a chance to be seeded No. 1 in a regional if we win the tournament,” he said.

A look at the Big West field:

Cal State Fullerton--The pitching staff’s earned-run average (4.01) is one of the nation’s best. Benny Flores (11-0) is among the nation’s most successful pitchers. Flores and Erasmo Ramirez (9-5) have won a combined 20 or more games for three consecutive seasons. Flores has the conference’s best ERA (3.36) and Ramirez is second (3.54). Ramirez broke his nose last week but pitched the next day, giving up only five hits and one run in seven innings against UC Santa Barbara. Ramirez is scheduled to pitch the opener tonight. Aaron Rowand, hitting .376, leads the Titans with 13 homers and 60 runs batted in.

Long Beach State--The 49ers have the Big West’s best batting average (.358). Paul Day is the conference’s leading hitter (.438) and Chuck Lopez (.412) is second. Long Beach’s hottest hitter has been Terrmel Sledge. He was 13 of 18 (.722) last week and is 19 of 31 (.613) in the last seven games, lifting his average to .382. The 49ers’ pitching also has improved during the seven-game winning streak, giving up 2.67 earned runs. Caleb Balbuena (6-2) is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA during the run. He pitched a three-hitter against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week.

Nevada--The Wolf Pack has been one of the nation’s highest scoring teams, averaging more than 10 runs. Nevada had 59 runs in three games against Pacific last weekend, giving up only 10. Pitcher Jim Brink (10-3, 5.23 ERA) ranks second to Flores in the conference in victories. Coach Gary Powers says he plans to start Brink in today’s game against Pacific. Nevada has one of the conference’s top catchers in Corky Miller, who is batting .375 with 62 RBIs.

Sacramento State--The Hornets (23-33, 13-17) finished second in the Northern Division but were seven games behind Nevada. Designated hitter Josh Payne leads the offense, hitting .374. The team’s pitching has been strengthened by the late-season return of Brian Ballinger, who had shoulder surgery last September. Coach John Smith plans to start right-hander Dustin Tubb against Long Beach in tonight’s game.

Pacific--The Tigers (25-20, 12-17) have won only seven of their last 18 games and were swept at Nevada last weekend, but Coach Quincy Noble is hopeful his team will come to life in the tournament, as it did a year ago. Pacific beat Nevada in the second round last season before losing to Long Beach State, 7-6. Pacific has one of the conference’s leading pitchers in Darin Moore (7-4, 4.87 ERA).

UC Santa Barbara--The Gauchos are 17-29 and were 11-18 in the conference, but they stopped Fullerton’s 14-game winning streak last week with a 10-9 victory. “We think that win helped our confidence,” Coach Bob Brontsema said. Santa Barbara’s top pitcher, Bing Cain (4-5, 6.08), missed the last series with a sore back but is expected to be ready for the tournament.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

College Baseball Tournament

* What: Big West Conference postseason baseball tournament.

* When: Today through Sunday

* Where: Today’s games in the double-elimination tournament will be at Titan Field in Fullerton and at Blair Field in Long Beach. Games Friday through Sunday will be at Fullerton.

* At stake: Winner earns automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

* Today’s first-round games: At Fullerton--3 p.m., second-seeded Nevada (30-20) vs. No. 5 Pacific (25-20); 7 p.m., No. 1 Cal State Fullerton (42-13) vs. No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (17-29-2). At Long Beach--7 p.m., No. 3 Long Beach State (33-20-1) vs. No. 4 Sacramento State (23-33). Championship game is 1 p.m. Sunday.

* Tickets: All-tournament passes are $25 for adults, $15 for children 17 and under. Individual game tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for children.

* Information: (714) 278-2783