Titan Athletic Fields Getting Improvements

Cal State Fullerton is moving ahead with a $3-million project to expand seating at the Titan baseball field and improve the school’s softball complex.

The university has received commitments of $1.4 million in private donations and $600,000 in corporate gifts for the project, Bob May, a senior director for university advancement, said. Included is a $1-million gift from Orange County businessman Jerry Goodwin and his wife, Merilyn.

“We’ll still need to raise an additional $1 million, but we’re confident we can do that,” May said.

The project will add 2,000 permanent seats to Titan Field, boosting the capacity to around 4,500, including temporary bleachers now being used. The first two rows of existing seats will become box seats, May said.

A two-story clubhouse also is part of the project. It will provide locker rooms for the baseball and softball teams, offices for coaches and a meeting room.

About 950 permanent seats will be built at the softball complex’s main field.

May said work at the baseball stadium is scheduled to begin early next month, and he is hopeful the additional seating for baseball will be ready in late May. “We anticipate it being ready in time for the postseason tournaments,” May said.

Fullerton, which has won the College World Series three times, made a bid to host an NCAA super-regional playoff last season, but it was awarded to Ohio State, which has a bigger stadium. The Titans won in Columbus, however, to advance to Omaha.

“We’re excited about what this means to our program,” Titan baseball Coach George Horton said. “It will give us the avenue to be more competitive on our bids in the future.”