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The Big West baseball calendar has two absolutes.
June belongs to Cal State Fullerton, which has appeared in 20 consecutive NCAA Regionals, dating to 1999. During that span, the Titans have advanced 14 times to the Super Regionals and nine times to the College World Series.
And, according to Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso, “every Cal State Fullerton team starts getting hot in mid-April.”
With the Rainbow Warriors hosting the Titans in tonight’s opening of a three-games series, Trapasso joked, “We hope they get hot starting next week.”
For the past two decades, the Titans have been known for pitching, fielding, and an opportunistic-executing offense. This season, the Titans’ top three starting pitchers — Tanner Bibee, Michael Knorr and Kyle Luckham — have a combined 5.09 ERA, including 8.07 in six Big West starts.
In Big West play, the Titans are hitting .349 and averaging 9.5 runs per game. Six regulars are hitting over .300 in league games, led by Mitchell Berryman’s .591. In the series against Cal Poly, Berryman went 10-for-12. Hank LoFort’s two-season, on-base streak recently ended at 64 games.
Despite the Titans’ uncharacteristic so-so start — 15-17 overall, 3-3 in Big West — “they’re Cal State Fullerton,” Trapasso said. “That’s all you need to say. Even if you play your best, you’re going to be in a dogfight. We have to play mistake free.”
The ’Bows are seeking consistency from their lineup and pitching staff. For the third consecutive series, the starting rotation will be Aaron Davenport, Cade Smith and Logan Pouelsen. Davenport had been pitching well until last week, when he surrendered five runs in a 10-batter outing. Smith has pitched well in his two starts after nine relief appearances. Pouelsen won his two starts and began strongly before tiring against UC Riverside the past weekend.
“We settled on those guys being our best chances to throw well in their starting roles,” Trapasso said. “We’ll stick with them.”
Trapasso also is sticking with Tyler Murray at catcher and Dallas Duarte at second. The initial blueprint had both splitting the catching duties. But Murray struggled with his hitting after returning from preseason hand surgery. Murray is batting 7-for-15 in his last six games and settling the pitchers with his receiving. Duarte has thrived with the bat (.343 in Big West games) and glove.
“It’s the best chance now that Tyler is healthy from the surgery,” Trapasso said. “Being able to have Dallas and Tyler in the lineup, now that Tyler’s hand is healthy, it gives us an opportunity to be a little more offensive.”
Trapasso also has praised a makeshift outfield cobbled together after center fielder Adam Fogel’s season-ending shoulder injury and Jacob Sniffin’s prolonged slump. Two infielders — Daylen Calicdan and Tyler Best — are playing the corner-outfield spots. Freshman Scotty Scott, who opened in left field, moved to center as Fogel’s replacement.
Calicdan is hitting a team-best .346. Best has used his speed (6.6 seconds over 60 yards) and athleticism to make several acrobatic catches in right field. “In a short time, he’s shown he’s an above-average outfielder because of his speed,” Trapasso said of Best. “We knew he had the speed and was an athlete, but sometimes there’s an instinct in playing outfield and getting that first step off the bat. He has a tremendous read of the ball off the bat, and that has made him a really good outfielder.”
In Big West play, the ’Bows are averaging 10.2 hits but have been held to five or fewer runs in nine games.
“There’s hitting and there’s scoring,” Trapasso said. “The scoring part is what we have to be able to do. What we’ve got to be able to do is put together consecutive days of good offense. That’s where we are as a team, putting consistency into the mix.”
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