Long Beach Hopes to Slow Titans

Cal State Fullerton is threatening to turn the Big West Conference baseball race into a runaway.

Only four weeks into the 10-week Big West season, the Titans have built a three-game lead over second-place Pacific and are 3 1/2 games ahead of Long Beach State, the preseason favorite.

But that could change quickly this weekend, when the seventh-ranked Titans play a three-game series against the 49ers beginning at 7 tonight at Blair Field.

“The one thing you can count on in the Fullerton-Long Beach series is that it’s always unpredictable,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “I remember in 1991 when Long Beach was nationally ranked, we were scuffling around, and we swept all three games.”

The seventh-ranked Titans are 28-6, 11-1 in the conference.

Pacific Coach Quincey Noble, in his 10th season with the Tigers, says the Titans compare favorably with top Fullerton teams of recent years.

Pacific, with the conference’s top-rated pitching staff, stopped Fullerton’s 17-game winning streak last weekend in Stockton, but Fullerton won the other two games and has won 27 of its last 30. “Fullerton is very impressive from an offensive standpoint,” Noble said. “There was a 20-mph wind blowing in at our park for all three games last weekend, and they still hit the ball hard.”

The Titans have three players batting above .400. First baseman Chris Beck is hitting .455 and leads the team in runs batted in with 50. Designated hitter Aaron Rifkin is batting .443, and outfielder Spencer Oborn is at .415 with a 33-game hitting streak.

As a team, the Titans are hitting .354.

“I think Fullerton is the best team in the league by far,” said New Mexico State Coach Rocky Ward, whose Aggies were swept in three games last month.

“I like their depth and I like their speed. When we played them, their second baseman [David Bacani] was out and they didn’t miss a beat.”

Fullerton has stolen 90 bases in 127 attempts compared to 23 in 36 attempts for its opponents.

The pitching staff also has been stronger than expected. Titan starters have a 23-2 record and a 3.89 earned-run average. Left-hander Jon Smith (6-0) has the staff’s top ERA at 1.80 in nine appearances. Matt Sorensen (7-0) has a 3.09 ERA and Adam Johnson (5-1) is at 4.07.

“Fullerton is getting real good starting pitching,” said Nevada Coach Gary Powers, whose team also lost three games to the Titans last month.

“Their starters are good at keeping themselves out of trouble. They’re very efficient and they benefit from the way Fullerton has been scoring runs.”

Long Beach’s pitching has fallen below expectations, a factor in the 49ers’ tumble from their No. 2 preseason ranking nationally to being unranked now with a 17-14 record.

The exception has been left-hander Mike Gallo, who is 6-0 with a 1.61 ERA. Gallo is 10-1 with a 1.97 ERA in his last 18 appearances dating to last season. Other starters have struggled and closer Jeff Leuenberger (Canyon High) has a 7.04 ERA.

“We’re running out of time,” Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said. “That makes this weekend important to us. It’s our chance to get back in the race. Someone is going to have to slow Fullerton. They’ve been exceptional so far.”

However, Horton says the 49ers usually are the most dangerous when their backs are against the wall.

“The records don’t mean anything in this series,” Horton said. “If we don’t continue playing as well as we have been, it would be a serious mistake. There still are 18 games remaining, and a lot can happen in that time. We’ll know more after this weekend’s series.”

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Titans vs. 49ers

Cal State Fullerton holds a 75-38 lead in the all-time series against Long Beach State. However, since former Titan assistant Dave Snow became the 49er coach in 1989, the series is even at 21-21.

Year: Series Result

1989: Long Beach State won series, 2-1

1990: Long Beach State, 2-1

1991: Cal State Fullerton, 3-0

1992: Cal State Fullerton, 2-1

1993: Long Beach State, 3-0

1994: Long Beach State, 2-1

1995: Cal State Fullerton, 3-1*

1996: Long Beach State, 3-2*

1997: Series tied, 4-4*

1998: Cal State Fullerton, 4-3*

*--Includes postseason