Titan Baseball Already No. 1 in One Poll

Cal State Fullerton’s baseball recruiting class has been selected as the best in the nation by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

Louisiana State’s recruiting class was ranked second, followed by Arizona State, Mississippi State, Texas, Stanford, Miami, South Carolina, Florida State and Oklahoma State, according to an announcement Monday by the Fullerton athletic department.

Locally, Cal State Northridge’s class was ranked 15th, Long Beach State’s 18th, USC’s 22nd and Pepperdine’s 27th.

Collegiate Baseball awards points to recruits who were drafted or received various postseason honors. Additional points are awarded to highly regarded pitchers. The rankings reflect only those players who are enrolled and not those who signed professional contracts.

The Titans will have 20 new players, including 14 freshmen. Two of the players are transfers from four-year schools. Infielder Mike Rouse transferred from San Jose State and pitcher Charlie Zahari was at Central Missouri State. Both were redshirts last season. The class also includes three freshman pitchers who were drafted: Darric Merrell of Temecula Valley High, Wes Littleton of Oceanside Vista and Chad Cordero of Chino Don Lugo.

Titan Coach George Horton gave credit to assistants Dave Serrano and Rick Vanderhook for their recruiting efforts.

“We’re pleased with this group,” said Serrano, the program’s recruiting coordinator. “It’s an honor to be ranked No. 1, but it’s still someone’s opinion. Hopefully, we can justify the ranking later on. However, we think we recruited the right type of player who is committed to an education and committed to our program.”

It marks the first time that Fullerton’s recruiting class has been selected No. 1 in the newspaper’s 18 years of rating incoming talent.