Fullerton’s Oborn Expects to Return for Senior Season

Time is running out for the Chicago White Sox to sign Cal State Fullerton All-American outfielder Spencer Oborn, and Oborn says he expects to be back playing for the Titans next season.

“It would be a surprise to me if I’m not,” Oborn said. “I’m enrolled, my tuition is paid, and I’m just waiting for the time to start back.”

Fall classes begin Aug. 23 at Fullerton, and the White Sox would forfeit their draft rights if Oborn doesn’t sign before returning to school. The White Sox drafted Oborn in the 14th round last June but have shown no indication they will give him the signing bonus he wants.

And that’s fine with Titan Coach George Horton, who sees Oborn as a potential cornerstone of another Titan College World Series bid. Oborn batted .395 last season with 14 home runs and 82 runs batted in. Oborn’s 37-game hitting streak came within one game of tying the Big West Conference record.

But Horton says he won’t feel comfortable until Oborn is back in school.

“The White Sox could still make an 11th-hour run at signing him, but he told us his intention was to come back to school, and that’s what we expect him to do,” Horton said.

Oborn said he doubts the White Sox will make an offer that would change his mind.

“They asked me how much I wanted, I told them, and they said they couldn’t come up with that much,” Oborn said. “Their offer wasn’t close. It was take it or leave it, and that was it.”

Oborn decided to play in the Alaska collegiate league. He said he had another conversation with a White Sox representative there, and rejected the same offer the White Sox made in June.

“A big thing with me is getting my college degree,” Oborn said. “By staying in school for one more year, I wouldn’t have to come back to school to get my degree after I start playing. What they offered wasn’t enough to pull me out of school.”

Oborn says he’s glad he played in the Alaskan league, which uses wooden bats. He batted .314 in 28 games for the Anchorage Bucs, who begin play this weekend in the National Baseball Congress tournament in Wichita, Kan.

“I think some people might have doubts that I can hit with the wooden bat, but I’ve worked on my swing this summer, and I think I’ve improved some aspects of my hitting,” Oborn said. “I’m confident right now. I played in the Cape Cod League last year, and they also use wood, so this wasn’t my first experience with it.

“I think I’ll get another chance after this year, and that’s all I ask. That and to be treated fairly.”

TRANSFER HELP

Oborn provided a big boost to the Titans last season as a transfer from Brigham Young, and Horton hopes another transfer, first baseman Jake Epstein, will help next season.

Epstein, who played at Mt. Carmel High in San Diego, batted .296 with seven home runs and 44 runs batted in as a junior at Missouri last season. He batted .319 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs as a sophomore. He played in only 18 games as a freshman because of an ankle injury.

“We expect him to give us some right-handed power,” Horton said. “We believe he has more power than he showed last season. He was highly recruited out of high school, and we liked him then.”

Epstein, the son of former major leaguer Mike Epstein, will join Aaron Rifkin as a candidate to replace Chris Beck at first base. Rifkin was used primarily as the designated hitter last season, batting .378.

The Titans lost three recruits to professional baseball this summer. Brian Wolfe, a standout pitcher from Servite High, signed with Minnesota. Infielder Hank Blalock signed with Texas, and infielder Mike Snyder with Toronto.

Mike Martinez, an all-county pitcher at Katella High, will join the Titans as a late addition to the roster. Martinez was 12-1 with a 2.55 earned-run average last season. He also plays shortstop and hit .444 as a senior.

Horton said two pitchers, Michael Garner and Jason Westemeier, will transfer. Garner is planning to transfer to UC Riverside. Westemeier has not announced his choice.

NO EXHIBITION GAMES

Cal State Fullerton’s 1999-2000 basketball schedule doesn’t include any exhibition games.

That’s part of the price the Titans are paying for the probation handed down by the NCAA in May. The probation is for four years, but the ban on exhibition games is for only the coming season.

“We’re hoping we’ll be able to play a couple of intrasquad games with a crowd before we open the season, but we also still have to get that approved by the NCAA,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said.

The Titans are scheduled to open the regular season against Simon Fraser in British Columbia.

Fullerton also will play two of its 11 nonconference games against San Diego, which is coached by Brad Holland. Holland was the Titan coach at the time of the alleged infractions that put the Titans on probation. The first of the two games will be Fullerton’s home opener on Nov. 23.

Other nonconference opponents are Montana State, St. Mary’s, Pepperdine and San Diego State on the road, and Loyola Marymount, San Jose State, Eastern Kentucky and Patten College at home. Fullerton’s top recruit--freshman power forward Patrick Ceresa from Vacallo, Switzerland--is attending summer school at Fullerton.

Hawking said all returning Titan players are academically eligible for the start of the season.

LOOKING TO THE SUNBELT

Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell said representatives of the five Division I-A football schools in the conference will attend a meeting of Sun Belt Conference officials Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Sun Belt plans to play Division 1-A football in the future, though no timetable has been set. North Texas State, New Mexico State, Utah State, Boise State and Idaho are regarded as possibilities to align with that conference at least for football. Arkansas State, a member of the Sun Belt, has been an affiliate member of the Big West for football only.

The Big West athletic directors met recently in Boise, Idaho to discuss the future of the conference. “There was some good discussion, but no action was taken,” Farrell said.