Cal State Fullerton Titans
2023 Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team
Founded1965
UniversityCalifornia State University, Fullerton
Head coachJason Dietrich (2nd season)
ConferenceBig West
LocationFullerton, California
Home stadiumGoodwin Field
(Capacity: 3,500)
NicknameTitans
ColorsNavy blue, white, and orange[1]
     
NCAA Tournament champions
1979, 1984, 1995, 2004
College World Series runner-up
1992
College World Series appearances
1975, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2017
NCAA regional champions
1975, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018
NCAA Tournament appearances
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023
Regular season conference champions
PCAA: 1975, 1976, 1985, 1987
SCBA: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
Big West: 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018

The Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team represents California State University, Fullerton in NCAA Division I college baseball.

Along with the other CSUF athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big West Conference. Since its early days, Titan Baseball has been considered an elite program in college baseball, making 18 College World Series appearances and winning four national championships (1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004).

The Titans play their home games on Fullerton's campus at Goodwin Field and are currently coached by Jason Dietrich.

Conference membership history

History

1979 national championship

1984 national championship

The Return of Augie Garrido

1995 national championship

George Horton era

Horton played for Garrido in 1975 and 1976, before beginning his coaching career. Horton began his coaching career immediately after the 1976 season, but left Cerritos College after 1990 to return to Fullerton as an assistant under Garrido. He would remain in that position, until after the 1996 season. When Garrido left Fullerton for the second time, George Horton was named head coach of the baseball program.

The Titans finished 39–24–1 in Horton's first year, and 47–17 winning the Big West South title in his second year. Even though he had success in first two seasons, the Titans failed to make it to Omaha. In 1999, Horton led the Titans to their first 50 win season since 1995, and made his first appearance as head coach in the College World Series. The Titans lost their opening round game to Stanford, but bounced back to beat Texas A&M to give Horton his first career win at the CWS. That would be the end of the road though for the 1999 Titans, as they lost their next game to Florida St. and were eliminated from the CWS. Horton would go on to lead the Titans back to Omaha again in 2001 and 2003, but did not reach the championship round.

2004 national championship

In 2004, Horton and Titans had an up and down regular season, but breezed through conference play. The Titans compiled an overall record of 36–20, including an impressive 19–2 record in conference play. The Titans were awarded a host regional site in the 2004 NCAA Division I baseball tournament and the No. 2 seed at their regional. In regional play, the Titans won their opening round game, but were forced into the loser's bracket after losing to the No. 4 seed, Pepperdine, 7–6. Facing elimination, the Titans beat No. 1 seed Arizona St. 5–0, who was all the No. 7 national seed that year. In the championship round, Fullerton left little doubt, defeating Pepperdine 15–1 and 16–3 to advance to the super regional round of play.

Fullerton hosted Tulane in the super regional round after Tulane won the Oxford regional. Once again, Fullerton completely dominated the games. They advanced to the College World Series after winning, 9–0 and 10–7. In the College World Series, the Titans advanced through the winner's bracket beating South Carolina 2–0 and Miami 6–3. After Carolina advanced through the loser's bracket, they would have to defeat the Titans twice to advance to the championship round. The Gamecocks won the first contest 5–3, but the Titans fought back the next day to win the second game 4–0. Fullerton advanced to the championship round for the first time since winning it all in 1995.

The championship round saw Horton face off against his mentor and former Fullerton coach Augie Garrido. Garrido led Texas back to the championship after previously winning it all with the Longhorns in 2002. The Titans won the first game in the best-of-three series, 6–4. On Sunday June 27, 2004, the Titans defeated the Longhorns 3–2 to claim their 4th national title. The Titans finished the season 47–22 overall.

Horton leaves for Oregon

After the 2004 national championship, Horton coached the Titans for 3 more season. After the 2007 season, Horton left his alma mater to become head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Oregon did not field a baseball team from 1982 until they played their first game in 2009. Oregon reportedly made Horton one of the highest paid coaches in Division I baseball at the time. Fullerton was left in a similar situation after losing Garrido to Texas after the 1996 season. [3] During his 11 seasons as head coach of the Titans, Horton compiled a record of 490–212–1.

Dave Serrano era

After losing another great coach to a school that offered a better financial situation, Fullerton was back in the same position it was 11 years earlier. A program that was only 3 years removed from its fourth national title was once again in search of a new head coach. Once again Fullerton went after another former player. In early September 2007, Dave Serrano became just the fourth head coach of the Cal St. Fullerton Titans baseball program. Serrano also played under Augie Garrido during his first tenure as Titans coach, and then followed a similar path as Horton. He began his coaching career at Cerritos College as an assistant, and after a short stint at Tennessee as an assistant George Horton hired him at Fullerton. Serrano became Horton's top assistant and remained in that position until 2004. In 2004, he left Fullerton to become head coach at UC Irvine. After four seasons with the Anteaters, Serrano departed to return to Fullerton. Serrano had just led the Anteaters to their first ever College World Series.[4]

In his first year as head coach, Serrano posted a 37–19 mark during the regular season. That mark was good enough to earn the Titans the No. 5 national seed in the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. After winning the Fullerton regional, the Titans hosted Stanford during the Super Regional round of play. The Cardinals won the first game by a single run, and went on to eliminate the Titans the following day. Overall Serrano posted a 41–22 mark during his first year as head coach of the Titans.

Serrano's improved on the 2008 season success during the 2009 campaign. Although they finished second in the Big West in 2009, the Titans still finished the regular season with a mark of 42–14. That record was good enough to earn the Titans the No. 2 national seed during the 2009 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The Titans breezed through the Fullerton regional, winning it in 3 games by scores of 18–2, 7–4, and 16–3. Louisville traveled to Fullerton during the super regional round, and once again Fullerton had no problem with the Cardinals. Fullerton eliminated Louisville in two games with scores of 12–0 and 11–2. Serrano earned his first trip to the College World Series as Titans head coach, and his second overall as a head coach. The Titans failed to meet expectation in Omaha though. They were quickly eliminated losing their first two games. They lost their opening round game to Arkansas 10–6, and lost in an elimination game to Virginia 7–5. The Titans completed the 2009 season with a 47–16 overall record.

Serrano leaves for Tennessee

Serrano was announced as the Tennessee Volunteers baseball head coach on June 15, 2011. He became the 24th head coach of Tennessee baseball, replacing Todd Raleigh.[5] Much like Garrido and Horton, it is believed that Serrano left for a better financial situation. According to reports, Serrano made approximately $140,000 at Fullerton, while Tennessee was reportedly offering around $500,000.[6] During his 4 years as head coach, the Titans compiled a 175–73 record overall.

Rick Vanderhook era

On June 24, 2011, CSUF named Rick Vanderhook head baseball coach, the fifth coach in the program's esteemed history. He played on the Titan's 1984 national championship team and was an assistant coach from 1985–88 and 1991–2007, at which point he departed to become an assistant coach at UCLA. Three years later, Vanderhook accepted the job on a three-year contract at Fullerton. Coach Vanderhook's accomplishments to date include NCAA tournament appearances in almost every year (except 2019) he has been the head coach, the program's second highest single season winning percentage at .836 in 2013, and guiding the 2015 club back to Omaha thus ending a 5-year drought that was the longest lapse in Titans representation at the CWS in 40 years. In 2017, CSUF made its 18th appearance at the CWS, 2nd in the past three years, after winning the Stanford regional and beating Big West rivals CSULB at the Long Beach super regional. Vanderhook retired after the 2021 season.[7]

Goodwin Field

Goodwin Field in Fullerton, California

Goodwin Field is a baseball stadium in Fullerton, California named for Jerry and Merilyn Goodwin, who donated $1 million for renovations. It was opened on April 18, 1992 with a two-game sweep of Loyola Marymount.

Head coaches

  • Records updated through end of the 2023 season
Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1975–1987, 1991–1996Augie Garrido19875–341–5.719
1988–1990Larry Cochell3109–68.616
1997–2007George Horton11492–212–1.699
2008–2011Dave Serrano4175–73.706
2012–2021Rick Vanderhook10322–224.590
2022–presentJason Dietrich254–57.486
Totals 6 coaches 49 seasons 2,027–975–6 .675

Year-by-year NCAA Division I results

Records taken from the Cal. St. Fullerton baseball archive.[8]

Year Head coach Overall Winning % Conference Winning % Conf. finish Notes
1975 Augie Garrido 36–16–1 .692 14–7 .667 1st CWS appearance
1976 Augie Garrido 48–15 .762 17–4 .810 1st
1977 Augie Garrido 44–14 .759 17–7 .708 t-1st
1978 Augie Garrido 44–13 .772 24–4 .857 1st
1979 Augie Garrido 60–14–1 .811 23–4–1 .839 1st CWS title
1980 Augie Garrido 49–18–1 .731 20–8 .714 1st
1981 Augie Garrido 47–18 .723 22–6 .786 1st
1982 Augie Garrido 51–23 .689 23–5 .821 1st CWS appearance
1983 Augie Garrido 50–21–1 .704 22–6 .786 t-1st
1984 Augie Garrido 66–20 .767 22–6 .786 1st CWS title
1985 Augie Garrido 36–32–1 .529 21–9 .700 1st
1986 Augie Garrido 36–21 .632 12–9 .571 t-3rd
1987 Augie Garrido 44–17 .746 18–3 .857 1st
1988 Larry Cochell 43–18 .705 12–3 .800 3rd CWS appearance
1989 Larry Cochell 30–27 .526 10–11 .476 5th
1990 Larry Cochell 36–23 .610 13–5 .722 1st CWS appearance
1991 Augie Garrido 34–22 .607 15–6 .714 t-1st
1992 Augie Garrido 46–17 .730 17–7 .708 2nd CWS appearance
1993 Augie Garrido 35–19 .648 16–5 .762 2nd
1994 Augie Garrido 47–16 .763 25–5 .750 t-1st CWS appearance
1995 Augie Garrido 57–9 .864 18–3 .857 1st CWS title
1996 Augie Garrido 45–16 .738 13–8 .619 4th
1997 George Horton 39–24–1 .617 21–9 .700 2nd (South)
1998 George Horton 47–17 .734 25–5 .833 1st (South)
1999 George Horton 50–14 .781 25–5 .833 1st CWS appearance
2000 George Horton 38–21 .644 21–9 .700 t-1st
2001 George Horton 48–18 .727 14–4 .778 1st CWS appearance
2002 George Horton 37–22 .627 14–10 .583 t-4th
2003 George Horton 50–16 .758 15–6 .714 2nd CWS appearance
2004 George Horton 47–22 .681 19–2 .905 1st CWS title
2005 George Horton 48–18 .719 16–6 .762 1st
2006 George Horton 50–15 .769 18–3 .857 1st CWS appearance
2007 George Horton 38–25 .603 10–11 .476 5th CWS appearance
2008 Dave Serrano 41–22 .651 16–8 .667 t-1st
2009 Dave Serrano 47–16 .746 17–7 .708 2nd CWS appearance
2010 Dave Serrano 46–18 .719 21–3 .875 1st
2011 Dave Serrano 41–17 .707 19–5 .792 1st
2012 Rick Vanderhook 36–21 .632 17–7 .708 1st
2013 Rick Vanderhook 51–10 .836 23–4 .852 1st
2014 Rick Vanderhook 34–24 .586 14–10 .583 4th
2015 Rick Vanderhook 39–25 .609 19–5 .792 1st CWS appearance
2016 Rick Vanderhook 36–23 .610 17–7 .708 1st
2017 Rick Vanderhook 39–24 .619 15-9 .625 3rd CWS appearance
2018 Rick Vanderhook 36–24 .600 18-6 .750 1st
2019 Rick Vanderhook 27–26 .509 13-11 .542 4th
2020 Rick Vanderhook 4–12 .250 Season canceled
2021 Rick Vanderhook 20–35 .364 13-23 .361 9th
2022 Jason Dietrich 22-33 .400 14-16 .467 7th
2023 Jason Dietrich 32-24 .571 20-10 .667 t-2nd

National championships

Year Coach Record Result
1979Augie Garrido60–14–1Beat Arkansas, 2–1
1984Augie Garrido66–20Beat Texas, 3–1
1995Augie Garrido57–9Beat Southern Cal, 11–5
2004George Horton47–22Beat Texas, 6–4 & 3–2
Total national championships 4

Fullerton in the NCAA tournament

  • The NCAA Division I baseball tournament started in 1947.
  • The format of the tournament has changed through the years.
  • Fullerton began Division I baseball in 1975.
  • The Titans' all-time NCAA record is 163–90 (.644)[9]
  • The Titans' Regional record is 107–45 (.704)
  • The Titans' Super Regional record is 21–14 (.600)
  • The Titans' are 34–29 (.540) in Omaha
Year Record Pct Notes
1975 3–3 .500 Won West Regional
College World Series (7th Place)
1976 3–2 .600 Eliminated by Washington St. in West Regional Finals
1977 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Washington St. in Tempe Regional
1978 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Arizona in Los Angeles Regional
1979 9–2 .818 Won West Regional
College World Series Champions
1980 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Gonzaga in Tucson Regional
1981 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Arizona St. in Tempe Regional
1982 3–2 .600 Won Tempe Regional
College World Series (7th Place)
1983 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Fresno St. in Tempe Regional
1984 8–2 .800 Won Fresno Regional
College World Series Champions
Cal St. Fullerton did not make the tournament in 1985 or 1986.
1987 2–2 .500 Eliminated by LSU in New Orleans Regional
1988 6–2 .750 Won Starkville Regional
College World Series
Cal St. Fullerton did not make the tournament in 1989.
1990 4–2 .667 Won Austin Regional
College World Series (7th Place)
Cal St. Fullerton did not make the tournament in 1991.
1992 8–2 .800 Won Baton Rouge Regional
College World Series (2nd Place)
1993 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Southern Cal in Austin Regional
1994 6–3 .667 Won Stillwater Regional
College World Series
1995 8–0 1.000 Won Baton Rouge Regional
College World Series Champions
1996 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Rice in Wichita Regional
1997 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Fresno St. in Stanford Regional
1998 3–2 .600 Eliminated by LSU in South II Regional Finals
1999 6–3 .667 Won Fullerton Regional and Columbus Super Regional
College World Series (5th Place)
2000 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Southern Cal in Fullerton Regional finals
2001 7–3 .700 Won Fullerton Regional and Super Regional
College World Series (3rd Place)
2002 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Long Beach State in Palo Alto Regional
2003 7–3 .700 Won Fullerton Regional and Super Regional
College World Series (3rd Place)
2004 11–2 .846 Won Fullerton Regional and Super Regional
College World Series Champions
2005 5–3 .625 Won Fullerton Regional
Lost to Arizona St. in Fullerton Super Regional
2006 7–2 .778 Won Fullerton Regional and Super Regional
College World Series (3rd Place)
2007 5–2 .714 Won San Diego Regional and Fullerton Super Regional
College World Series (7th place)
2008 4–3 .571 Won Fullerton Regional
Lost to Stanford in Fullerton Super Regional
2009 5–2 .714 Won Fullerton Regional and Super Regional
College World Series (7th place)
2010 5–3 .625 Won Fullerton Regional
Lost to UCLA in the Los Angeles Super Regional
2011 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Illinois in the Fullerton Regional
2012 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Austin Peay in the Eugene Regional
2013 3–2 .600 Won Fullerton Regional
Lost to UCLA in the Fullerton Super Regional
2014 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional
2015 5–3 .625 Won Fullerton Regional and Louisville Super Regional
College World Series (7th place)
2016 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Louisiana Tech in the Starkville Regional
2017 5–3 .625 Won Palo Alto Regional and Long Beach Super Regional
College World Series (7th place)
2018 5–2 .714 Won Palo Alto Regional.
Lost to Washington in the Fullerton Super Regional
Cal St. Fullerton did not make the tournament between 2019 and 2022.
2023 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Stanford in the Stanford Regional
Totals 163–90 .644

Notable players

Player awards

As of the 2021 season, there have been 70 MLB players who previously played for the university.[10]

All-College World Series

The following is a listing of Cal State Fullerton players that were selected to the all-tournament teams during the College World Series.[11]
^ denotes player was named MOP of the College World Series[12]

Golden Spikes Award

The following is a listing of Cal State Fullerton players who received the Golden Spikes Award.[13]

National Player of the Year awards

The following is a listing of Cal State Fullerton players who were named national player of the year by various publications.[14][15][16]

Stadiums

On April 18, 1992, Goodwin Field (then known as the third Titan Field) became the home field for Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball.[17] It is the third on-campus park to serve as the Titans' home field.

The second on-campus stadium, Titan Field, was built around 1970 on the site of Goodwin Field, but with home plate located where the left field foul pole is now located.[17] The Cal State Fullerton Titans football team also played at the stadium from 1980 to 1982.

The team's first on-campus field, Original Titan Field, was located to the west of Titan House, which is southeast of Goodwin Field.[17] Home plate was laid around 1965 in the southeast corner of a field plowed from citrus groves.

Throughout the team's history, the Titans also played home games at Amerige Park (1992) and Anaheim's Boysen Park. In 1983, the Titans also played at junior college fields at Fullerton College, Orange Coast College and Santa Ana College during the installation of lights at Titan Field.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "University Colors | CSUF Brand". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ When the conference began in 1969, its name was the "Pacific Coast Athletic Association" (PCAA). In 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference.
  3. ↑ "College Football: Rivals.com – College Football". rivals.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Dave Serrano surfs across the county to Fullerton". cstv.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Dave Serrano Named Tennessee Baseball Head Coach". utsports.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Tennessee lures Serrano from Fullerton". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ Michael Mahi (June 7, 2021). "Baseball Head Coach Rick Vanderhook Set to Retire". www.news.fullerton.edu. Cal State University Fullerton. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Cal St. Fullerton Baseball Archive". Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ "2017 Quick Facts" (PDF). fullertontitans.com. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Justin Garza Gets Call Up From Cleveland Indians". fullertontitans.com. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  11. ↑ "College World Series of Omaha, Inc". cwsomaha.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ "College World Series of Omaha, Inc". cwsomaha.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ "USABaseball.com: Golden Spikes Award: Home". usabaseball.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Rotary Smith Award Winners on Baseball Almanac". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ All-Americans
  16. ↑ "Brooks Wallace Award on Baseball Almanac". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Goodwin Field". fullertontitans.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
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