Guzman Catching On to Omaha Experience

The 20,000-plus fans in Rosenblatt Stadium for Cal State Fullerton’s two games in the College World Series haven’t been intimidating to Titan freshman right fielder Robert Guzman.

“I try to take the emotion of the crowd and use it,” Guzman said. “If they’re on our side, I use it that way, and if they’re not, I try to turn it around.

“The biggest part of it is keeping your nerves under control, but I think I’ve been using the crowd to help me.”

Guzman has made three excellent catches in the tournament.

Against Stanford Saturday, Guzman went to the wall, collided with center fielder Reed Johnson but held on to the ball. Later in the game, Guzman made a diving over-the-shoulder catch of a deep fly ball into right center.

“That probably was one of the best catches I’ve ever made,” Guzman said. “I got a good jump on it, and I made sure I looked it all the way into my glove.”

Guzman also made another good running catch in the seventh inning of Monday’s game against Texas A&M.;

“Those two catches he made Saturday were off the charts,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

Guzman says he has been able to react quickly to the ball coming off the bat. “That’s harder to do in right field than it is in center, but I’m seeing the ball really well right now,” he said.

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Stanford third baseman Josh Hochgesang said he is growing tired of all the questions about his team’s hitting.

“We expect to hit, so it’s no surprise to us when we do,” Hochgesang said.

It was just that Stanford had only six runs and eight hits in last week’s two super-regional victories against USC and was batting .308 as a team heading into the College World Series.

But the Cardinal has changed that quickly. Stanford defeated Florida State, 10-6, Monday after a 9-2 victory over Cal State Fullerton last Saturday.

“We’re playing great right now,” said Hochgesang. “We’re getting both good hitting and the good pitching at the same time.”

Stanford is the only unbeaten team in the tournament’s bottom bracket. Miami is unbeaten in the upper bracket.

“But you can never feel comfortable with a lead here,” said Hochgesang, who played at Sunny Hills High. “When you play in Omaha, there’s a lot of added pressure, and anything can happen.”

Hochgesang had one hit in two at-bats Monday, scoring one run and driving in another with a sacrifice fly. His three-run homer helped Stanford beat Fullerton.

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Senior catcher Chad Baum was in Fullerton’s starting lineup as the designated hitter against Texas A&M; Monday night against former Rancho Santiago teammate, Matt Ward, the Aggies’ starting pitcher.

“I caught him just about every time he pitched my sophomore year,” Baum said. “I knew what he throws, so that’s probably one of the reasons I was in the lineup.”

Baum also gave the Titans another right-handed batter against the left-handed Ward.

“I just told our guys that he has good control and would keep the ball in the strike zone,” Baum said.

Ward pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and four runs in the Titans’ 4-2 victory. Ward, who walked two, lost his first game of the season in nine decisions.

Baum was 0 for 2 with a walk against Ward but twice hit the ball deep to left center. Aggie center fielder Steven Truitt caught one of those drives with his back to the wall. “Just a little more and I would have had it,” Baum said.

When right-hander Chris Russ replaced Ward in the seventh, Aaron Rifkin took Baum’s spot in the batting order.