Baseball Team Enjoying Itself Again

Baseball is starting to be fun again for Cal State Fullerton.

“I think that’s been the big difference for us,” said Steve Chatham, a two-year regular in the outfield.

The Titans (34-21-1) have won 11 of their last 13 games and will begin this week’s Big West Conference tournament playing some of their best ball of the season.

“It seemed as though we lost some confidence for a while, when things weren’t going real well,” Chatham said. “Then we started pressing, and no one could relax. We were always looking for answers. But then I think we all looked around and said, ‘Let’s go out and have some fun.’ ”

The Titans won only six of 15 games during one stretch, then inched their way back. Since beating Long Beach State in the finale of a three-game series April 13, they have played solid baseball.

The turnaround came when they swept consecutive conference series against New Mexico State and Northern Division-champion Nevada, then defeated fourth-ranked UCLA in a midweek game at Titan Field three weeks ago.

“This year was something like last year,” said first baseman C.J. Ankrum, who was a regular on the 1995 College World Series championship team. “The fortunate thing about this year is that our skid happened in the middle of the season, not at the end. We really didn’t get out of it last year until the regional tournament.”

A year ago, Fullerton won a remarkable 38 of its first 42 games, then went into a slump and won only four of 14 late in the season, limping into the NCAA Midwest Regional at Wichita State.

“That was the first slump we’d had in a year and a half, but by the time it ended, it was almost too late for us to get it going again,” Ankrum said.

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Last season, Fullerton won its first two games in the regional against Delaware and Rice but didn’t have the pitching depth to hang in. After losing to Wichita State, 6-1, the Titans were eliminated by Rice, 13-10.

Fullerton has shown more depth on the mound this season, which has been a factor in its recent improvement.

The Titans’ 4.66 earned-run average is the best in the conference, and starters Matt Wise (5-7) and Brian Tokarse (10-1) as well as closer Mike Greenlee, have ERAs of 3.30 or below. The No. 3 starter, Brandon Duckworth (8-1), has a 4.98 ERA.

One of the most significant developments, however, has been the resurgence of Scott Hild (3-4), who lost his spot in the starting rotation early in the season. Hild, who was 9-4 as a starter last year, figures to play an important role the rest of the way in middle-inning relief or as a fourth starter. “Good things happen to good people, and Scott has really worked hard to get back to this point,” pitching coach Dave Serrano said. “He’s pitching very well now.”

The Titans also have freshman Michael Garner and junior John Alkire available in the bullpen.

Coach George Horton plans to start Tokarse in the opening game of the conference tournament Thursday night against Pacific’s Dan Reichert. Reichert shut out the Titans on six hits this season. Wise was the Titan starter in the earlier game.

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Fullerton also seems more solid on defense lately. The Titans have played errorless ball in four of their last five games. The shift of Jerome Alviso from shortstop to third, with Ryan Owens going to shortstop, appears to be working well, and Nakia Hill has continued to show improvement at second base.

Horton is pleased.

“I told our players when we had 14 games to go in the regular season that I thought we’d need to win 11 or 12 of them to be in position for consideration for an at-large bid to the tournament, and they have done that,” Horton said.

Titan Notes

Gaby Halcovich, a reserve infielder for the baseball team, is out the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery last week. . . . Titans swept the top three spots in the women’s 5,000-meter race last weekend at the Occidental Invitational track meet. Sarah MacDougall was first followed by Alison Livermore and Sonia Perez.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Cal State Fullerton:

* Baseball, Big West postseason tournament, against Pacific 7 p.m. Thursday at Titan Field. Other games in the double-elimination tournament will be played at Blair Field in Long Beach.