Cal State Fullerton Titans Punch Ticket To College World Series
Sports fans have heard the cliche, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” Well, the Titans of Cal State Fullerton lived up to that saying. Through March, the Titans were a measly 15-13, not the effort Titan fans are used to seeing from their beloved 4-time National Champs. But, the Titans seemed to find their hidden strengths of great pitching, sacrificing runners into scoring position, and getting timely hits. The Titans finished this Cinderella season by going 25-10, for an overall record of 40-23
Cal State Fullerton claimed their 15th Big West Title in 2015. By winning their division, the Titans won the right to host their regional match-ups at Goodwin Field against Arizona State, Clemson, and Pepperdine. Cal State Fullerton had some hard fought wins in their region, which included a 14-inning thriller against the Sun Devils that put them in the Regional Championship.
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Cal State Fullerton had the luxury of traveling to powerhouse Louisville to take on the Cardinals in the Super Regionals.
In Game 1 of the Super Regionals, Titans ace Thomas Eshelman took the mound against Louisville’s counterpart ace, Kyle Funkhouser. Eshelman, only a Junior, posted a 8-5 record, 1.58 ERA, 131.1 innings pitched, with a staggering 131 strikeouts. The Titans struck first in the 6th inning to take the lead off Dalton Blaser’s RBI (he would add his second RBI in the 8th). Louisville tied the game up both times Titans took the lead. The game would go to extras, and in the 10th inning, Timmy Richards would get hit by the pitch with bases loaded, scoring the game winning run to be one win away from the College World Series.
Game 2 was a complete domination by the Cardinals that showed the weakness of the Titans offense, who as a team only batted .265 all year. The Cardinals would win the game 9-3 to have a decisive Game 3.
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Needing to win just ONE game to advance to the College World Series, Cal State Fullerton had to pull out all the stops. Do whatever it takes to win. A fast start is what the Titans needed, and David Olmedo-Barrera made sure that’s exactly what they got by hitting his ninth home run of the season. Olmedo-Barrera was Cal State Fullerton’s most consistent hitter all year (.328 batting average, 10 HR, 45 RBI).
The Louisville Cardinals would add three unanswered runs in the 4th, 6th, and 7th to take a commanding 3-1 lead at home.
A little play-by-play call for everyone. Now batting for your Titans, Jerrod Bravo. Bases loaded for the Titans, a hit into the outfield could score two. Here’s the pitch, Bravo SMOKES one through the left side of the infield, one run is in (Taylor Bryant), and here comes the tying run (Josh Vargas)!!! 3-3!!!
Tusks up!
The third and deciding game would again go to extra innings and what a game it was. The All-Star slugger Olmedo-Barrera connects one right down the left field line and hits the foul pole (I think it was the Titan Pride that kept that ball fair). The call on the field is a home run, umpires would get together and the call would stand. Cal State Fullerton won 4-3 to advance to the College World Series for the 17th time in 35 years.
The Titans will face the defending NCAA Champion Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday. The Titans will need Eshelman, Olmedo-Barrera, and the rest of the team to play their best baseball in order to capture their 5th National Championship. Tusks up!