Titans Ready to Get Back Into the Game

It has been a week of disappointments and controversy for Cal State Fullerton, but the Titans finally will be able to get back to baseball today in the NCAA super-regional against Ohio State.

“This team has a strong attitude, and we won’t use the playing atmosphere, or the missing players as an excuse,” Titan Coach George Horton said Thursday. “We think our players are mentally tough enough to overcome these distractions.”

The Titans (47-11) are playing on the road instead of at home, and without four players who were suspended this week because of a rock-throwing incident in South Bend, Ind.

Horton called that a “significant bump in the road,” but he hopes the road will still lead to Omaha. The winner of the best-of-three series advances to the College World Series. Fullerton is bidding for its 10th trip and fifth in the 1990s.

Standing in the Titans way are three Ohio State right-handed starting pitchers with a combined 29-5 record. The Buckeyes, the Big Ten Conference regular-season champions, are 49-12.

Senior Justin Fry (10-2, 3.40 earned-run average) is scheduled to pitch the 4 p.m. (PDT) opener, with freshman right-hander E.J. Laratta (10-2, 3.18) to follow on Saturday. If there is a third game, senior right-hander Andy Lee (9-1, 5.38) is the likely Buckeye starter.

Fry, twice the Big Ten pitcher of the year, pitched a two-hit complete game in Ohio State’s opening regional victory over Bowling Green last week.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Ohio State Coach Bob Todd said. “Fullerton has so many weapons, and they’re as good as any team in the county at holding a lead once they get one.”

With Adam Johnson and Marco Hanlon suspended, the Titans will start sophomore Matt Sorensen (11-0, 4.20) in the opener, followed by sophomore Jon Smith (6-0, 2.59) on Saturday. Jordan DeJong (4-1, 5.76), the No. 4 starter early in the season, is likely to start a possible third game.

The big concern about Smith is that he has not pitched more than two innings in a game since April 10 because of arm and shoulder soreness, but apparently is healthy again.

Closer Kirk Saarloos (7-2, 3.69), who won one game and picked up a save in another last week, also is expected to be a key figure for the Titans. “It’s not like we’re dead in the water on pitching even though we don’t have Adam and Marco,” pitching coach Dave Serrano said. “Even if Smith is at just 80 percent of what he might be, I think he’ll still give Ohio State trouble.”

Serrano said he would consider using Saarloos as a starter in the third game. “It’s just a question of whether you want your best in the game at the start or the finish,” Serrano said.

Saarloos said he thinks he could pitch a few innings on Friday or Saturday and come back for several innings on Sunday if needed. “I could pitch five innings on adrenaline alone,” Saarloos said.

The suspension of second baseman David Bacani also has forced a shuffle on the infield with Ryan Owens going from third to shortstop and Shawn Norris moving to second. Freshman Sean Bischofberger, who has been a backup at first and third base and a designated hitter, will be at third.

Owens said he sees no problem with the middle infield changes. “It’s not that big a deal for me to move back to short,” Owens said. “We’ve worked at the new positions the last two days, and it’s been fine.”

Horton said he plans to move Reed Johnson from his No. 2 position in the batting order to Bacani’s leadoff spot. Spencer Oborn, Chris Beck, Aaron Rifkin and Owens also will move up one spot.

The Titans have had another distraction this week with the amateur draft on Wednesday, and none of the players picked went as high as they had hoped. Owens went in the seventh round to Arizona, Oborn in the 14th round to the Chicago White Sox, Johnson in the 17th round to Toronto and Beck in the 19th round to St. Louis. “It seems like we’ve been getting the short end quite a bit this week,” Owens said.

“Maybe the only way it can go for us from here is up.”

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Fullerton’s games this weekend will be televised live by OCN. Local game times are 4 p.m. today and Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday, if a third game is needed.