1544 Miles to Omaha

This episode of the 1544 Miles to Omaha Podcast features a one-on-one sit down interview with Titan Baseball head coach, Jason Dietrich. Heading into the 2022 summer, Dietz and staff were heavily focused on recruiting for the 2023 Titan Baseball team and future teams.We sat down to discuss getting a contract extension after one year on the job, summer recruiting outlook, changes to the coaching staff, evaluation of players in summer ball, newcomers via the transfer portal, the importance of summer ball, what could be done with the players prior to fall practices and the outlook for the 2023 Titan Baseball Schedule.Highlights include:

This episode of the 1544 Miles to Omaha Podcast features a one-on-one sit down interview with Titan Baseball head coach, Jason Dietrich.Dietz has been at the helm for nearly a year after his introduction on June 30th last year. We sat down to discuss his first year, how the learning curve will not be as steep going into his second year and what were some of the positives to take away from the 2022 season.Highlights include:

Dave Weatherman is considered the ultimate workhors pitcher in Titan Baseball program history. We had the pleasure and honor to get him on the phone to discuss his time as a Titan and the incredible run of the 1979 National Championship team.This is Part 3 of our conversation. We encourage you to listen to Parts 1 & 2 to gain context on the topics he previously discussed. Those include:Growing up in Southern California, getting recruited in the late 1970's, choosing CSUF over all others, freshman year at Cal State Fullerton, playing in a regional in Freshman year, geting ranked No. 1 in 1979, Fresno State regional, Getting to play in Rosenblatt, getting the ball in the championship game and returning home a champion.

Dave Weatherman is considered the ultimate workhorse pitcher in Titan Baseball program history. We had the pleasure and honor to get him on the phone to discuss his time as a Titan and the incredible run of the 1979 National Championship team.This is Part 2 of our conversation. We encourage you to listen to Part 1 to gain context on the topics he previously discussed. Those include:Growing up in Southern California, getting recruited in the late 1970's, choosing CSUF over all others, freshman year at Cal State Fullerton and playing in a regional in Freshman year.Part 2 Highlights include:

Cal State Fullerton's Titan Baseball program would be just another small school mired in obscurity without pitching and defense to carry the water in the program's initial years after breaking into the Division One ranks. Right Handed Pitcher Dave Weatherman was one of the biggest reasons the Titans made their mark so quickly at the highest levels of College Baseball from 1978 to 1981. Weatherman's name is littered throughout the Titan Baseball Record book for both career and single-season pitching records. Weatherman is tied for second for wins in a single season with 15 wins in 1979, the year the Titans would win their first National Championship. In 1981, Weatherman tossed eight complete games en route to getting drafted in the 13th round by Oakland that same year. The ultimate workhorse pitcher for the Titans, Weatherman ranks No. 1 in numerous pitching categories including innings pitched (453.1), wins (42) and complete games (25) from 1978 to 1981. Weatherman and Mark Beck hold the Freshman record for complete games, going the distance five times as a freshman. In three out of his four years as a Titan, Weatherman led the team in wins with 9 in 1978, 15 in 1979 and 10 in 1981. This is Part one of a three part series with Dave WeathemanPart 1 highlights include:

This is Episode 58 where we continue our conversation with Sam Favata. In part 1 we covered his youth growing up in Southern California the impact Augie Garrido had on him as a player and a person, hitting four home runs in a single game and advancing to the 1979 College World Series. In Part 2 of a three part conversation, we covered Favata's time at the 1979 College World Series, his junior year at Cal State Fullerton in 1980, getting drafted and playing professionally. We highly encourage you to listen to Parts 1 & 2 before listening to Part 3 for context. This is Part 3 where we covered his professional career, his catastrophic brain injury, his comeback and eventually walking away from baseball. Please enjoy part 3 of our conversation with Sam Favata.Part 3 highlights include:

This is Episode 57 where we continue our conversation with Sam Favata. In part 1 we covered his youth growing up in Southern California the impact Augie Garrido had on him as a player and a person, hitting four home runs in a single game and advancing to the 1979 College World Series. We highly suggest listening to Part 1 if you have not already.This is Part 2 of a three part conversation. This episode will cover Favata's time at the 1979 College World Series, his junior year at Cal State Fullerton in 1980, getting drafted and playing professionally. We will also cover his catastrophic head injury suffered while playing professional baseball and his miraculous comeback that was featured on the popular 1980's TV show, "That's Incredible" in Part 3. Please enjoy part 2 of our conversation with Sam Favata.Part 2 highlights include:

In Episode 56 we're talking with Sam Favata, the first Titan Alumni from the 1979 National Championship team to come on the show. Favata scored the winning run in the 1979 championship game, a 2-to-1 victory over Arkansas. Favata was a two-time all conference selection in 1979 and 1980 and still holds numerous records in the Titan Baseball history books. Favata's 66 stolen bases in 1979 season still ranks No. 1 today for the most stolen bases by a Titan in a single season. His 116 hits in 1979 is tied for first with John Fishel's 116 hits in the Titans second national championship year of 1984. In the 1979 season, Favata's .417 batting average led the Titans, beating out Golden Spikes Award winner Tim Wallach for the top batting average. That .417 batting average ranks fourth all time for a single season behind Gary Brown, Steve Woodward and Mark Kotsay. In three season with the Titans, Favata averaged .363 with 22 home runs and 109 RBI. In 1980, Favata was drafted in the 13th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. This is Part 1 of a two part conversation and Episode 57 will cover Favata's time at the 1979 College World Series, his junior year at Cal State Fullerton in 1980, getting drafted and playing professionally. We will also cover his catastrophic head injury suffered while playing professional baseball and his miraculous comeback that was featured on the popular 1980's TV show, "That's Incredible". Part 1 highlights include:

Welcome into Episode 55 of the 1544 Miles to Omaha podcast. This is Part 4 of our conversation with legendary Cal State Fullerton coaches Rick Vanderhook and George Horton.Continuing our conversation talking about some of the greatest Titan Baseball players to ever put on a uniform, we cover the intangible aspects of Titan Baseball that helped propel it to be one of the most iconic and most successful programs in college baseball. We delve into who was a great clutch performer, great performances by part-time players, strongest players, slash hitters, base stealers, great students and not able bat boys/girls. We highly suggest listening to Episode 52, the Part 1 of this series, Episode 53, the Part 2 of this series and Episode 54, the Part 3 of this series to gain context on the intent and spirit of these conversations.Part 4 highlights include:Greatest clutch performers (2:06)Greatest performance by a part time player (9:51)Strongest player (15:31)Great slash hitters (18:57)Great base stealer (22:45)Great student (26:39)Great bat boy (32:03)▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow George Horton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/G_Horton8▶️ Follow Rick Vanderhook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_vanderhook▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Welcome into Episode 54 of the 1544 Miles to Omaha podcast. This is Part 3 of our conversation with legendary Cal State Fullerton coaches Rick Vanderhook and George Horton.Continuing our conversation talking about some of the greatest Titan Baseball players to ever put on a uniform, we tackle the off the field aspects of Titan Baseball that helped propel it to be one of the most iconic and sucessful programs in college baseball. We delve into who was a great clubhouse guy, great recruiting visit host, toughest players and those who had great baseball IQ. We highly suggest listening to Episode 52, the Part 1 of this series and Episode 53, the Part 2 of this series to gain context on the intent and spirit of these conversations.Part 3 highlights include:Great clubhouse guy (1:58)Great official visit recruiter (14:00)Toughest players (28:20)Great Baseball IQ (34:03)▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow George Horton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/G_Horton8▶️ Follow Rick Vanderhook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_vanderhook▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Welcome into Episode 53 of the 1544 Miles to Omaha podcast. This is Part 2 of our conversation with legendary Cal State Fullerton coaches Rick Vanderhook and George Horton.Continuing our conversation talking about some of the greatest Titan Baseball players to ever put on a uniform, we tackle the defensive sides of things while also touching on intangible items like work ethic. We highly suggest listening to Episode 52, the Part 1 of this series to gain context on the intent and spirit of these conversations.Part 2 highlights include:Great Defensive Catcher (2:13)Great Defensive Infielder (16:54)Hooky story about Tony Martinez (23:57)Great Infield Arm (25:00)Great Defensive Outfielder (26:53)Great Outfield Arm (35:00)Great double play combo (37:04)Biggest “Grinder” (41:42)Horton story about Reed Johnson (44:22)Hooky story about Jim Betzsold (47:04)Great bullpen catchers (49:02)

Welcome into Episode 52 of the 1544 Miles to Omaha podcast. Today's episode is a podcast unlike any other podcast we have ever done. It features not one, but two guests at the same time. On top of that, those guests are two legends of Titan Baseball, George Horton and Rick Vanderhook.Dave had a chance to sit down in the backyard of George Horton's Yorba Linda home and ask both Horton and Hooky to recall some of the greatest players they played with and coached while with Titan Baseball. We wanted to dive into the players and the people that made the Titans so successful over the years that don't show up in the media guide or the box scores. We wanted to know which Titan had the best slider, the best 2-out hitter, who was the best bullpen catcher, best clubhouse guy, even the best part-time player. Both Hooky and Horton were quick to say that choosing to recognize "the best" change-up or "the best" outfield arm was too difficult and would leave too many deserving Titans off the list. In this episode, we chose to recall those great players and recognize all the Titan alumni that fit into the different categories. Our conversation spans from George Horton's era as a player when Titan Baseball joined the ranks of Division 1 all the way through the Rick Vanderhook years. As players, then assistants and eventually head coaches of the Titan Baseball program, who better to ask than the two guys who played and coached at Fullerton and can span the over 45 years of Titan Baseball.Part 1 highlights include:Great contact hitters (5:33)Great Strike-Zone Discipline (12:32)Great Bunters (16:53)Great 2-out hitters (20:45)Hooky story about Shane Costa (23:39)Great Base runners (25:17)Amazing Overall Athletes (30:24)Electric Fastball (39:10)Great Curve ball (47:05)Exploding Slider (54:09)Horton story about Brian Tokarse vs JD Drew (54:33)Great Change-up (1:01:54)Great Control (1:07:58)Hooky story on Eshelman's 1st Walk (1:08:20)Horton story on Dan Naulty hitting batters (1:11:38)▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow George Horton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/G_Horton8▶️ Follow Rick Vanderhook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_vanderhook▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

In Episode 51 we're speaking with Brett Kay who played Titan Baseball from the 1999 to 2001 season, playing primarily catcher. In those three years at Fullerton, Titan teams went to Omaha twice in years 1999 and 2001. Kay was behind the plate and caught the third Titan no-hitter when Kirk Saarloos no-hit the UoP Tigers. He also earned All-Big West First team honors in 2001, had a Titan career batting average above .300, was selected in the 8th round by the New York Mets in the 2001 MLB draft and is currently the head baseball coach at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano. Dave caught up with Brett on the JSerra campus recently to discuss growing up in southern California, playing baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans, playing professionally and eventually returning home to coach baseball.Highlights include:

Episode 50 we're speaking with Titan Baseball Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Josh Belovsky who along with Head Coach Jason Dietrich and Assistant Coach Neil Walton recently signed 10 student-athletes to national letters of intent to play for the Titans. The inaugural class includes five pitchers, two catchers, two outfielders and one infielder.Dave was able to catch up with Coach Belovsky to ask some questions about the 2021 signing class and what Titan Baseball fans can expect to from these recruits once they arrive on campus.Highlights include:

Episode 49 we're speaking with Titan Baseball Head Coach Jason Dietrich to discuss his first fall practices, scrimmages against UNLV and Grand Canyon University and the Navy vs. Orange instrasquad World Series. We also talk a bit at the end about the upcoming Dinner with the TitansHighlights include:

We are wrapping up our round of interviews with the new faces that have joined the Titan Baseball coaching staff and front office. Today's conversation is with Danny Benedetti who will serve as the Volunteer Assistant on the Titans staff in 2022. Benedetti returns to Orange County where he grew up in Los Alamitos and also played under Jason Dietrich while at Irvine Valley College. He then went on to play at St. John's University where he earned back-to-back All Big East honors and played in the 2008 Houston Regional after helping St. John's win the Big East Tournament.Danny's coaching stops include summer wood bat league stops in the Northwoods and the Hampton Collegiate Summer Leagues, was a graduate assistant at Long Beach State before returning to coach at St, John's and at Manhattan College and most recently at San Diego State. Now at Fullerton, Benedetti brings over nine years of coaching experience and will assist Neil Walton with the offense along with working closely with the catchers and will coach first base during games. Highlights include:

Today's guest is Jake Paveltich who has joined the Titan Baseball staff in the role of Director of Player Development. Titan Baseball fans are familiar with Pav after seeing him play for the Titans for four years after redshirting his freshman year. After the heartbreaking loss to Washington in extra innings of Game 3 of the 2018 Super Regional, Pav returned to play his final year of eligibility in 2019 where he wrapped up a career at Goodwin Field batting .276. Pav led the 2019 team in home runs and also finished the 2017 season with zero errors while playing primarily First Base.Pav returns to the Titan Baseball Program after spending two years serving as a graduate assistant at Concordia University in Irvine. While at Concordia, Pav coached next to Titan Alumni Joe Turgeon the head coach at Concordia and Matt Fahey who serves as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator. Highlights include:

This episode of the 1544 Miles to Omaha Podcast features a one-on-one sit down interview with the sixth head baseball coach in Cal State Fullerton's Division 1 history, Jason Dietrich. We spoke to Coach Dietrich briefly after his introductory press conference in July and you can hear his comments by going back to Episode 40 that was published on July 1st. Coach Dietrich was also a guest on the "Fram and Friends" podcast hosted by Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee in September. We would highly recommend listening to that one to gain more knowledge about the man that will be leading the Titan Baseball program this coming season and into the future.In this interview, we will get to know Coach Dietrich more in depth about his coaching philosophy, which coaches influenced him the most as an assistant coach and what aspects of those coaches will he take into being a head coach. Highlights include:

Guest is assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Josh Belovsky who most recently served as the West Coast Regional Supervisor for the Milwaukee Brewers. As a college baseball player, Belovsky started at Cypress College and eventually would go to Texas Tech and the University of Kansas. He played professionally mainly within the Boston Red Sox organization and advanced to play for the Trenton Thunder, the Red Sox Double-A affiliate.Belovsky got his coaching start at Cypress College in 2001 where he served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He moved over to Orange Coast College where he filled the same role as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2002-2006. In 2005, he also served as the associate head coach at OCC. Josh made the jump to professional scouting in 2006 with the Colorado Rockies organization as an associate scout before joining the Brewers as the Southern California and Hawaii area scout. In 2016 he was named the Brewers West Coast Regional Supervisor.Belovsky was named Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator by Head Coach Jason Dietrich in early August. Highlights include:

Neil Walton joins the show as an assistant coach for Cal State Fullerton Baseball after being the first coach announced to join Jason Dietrich's staff. This is Walton's third stint on campus starting his coaching career at Fullerton as a Graduate Manager for the 2013 Titans before joining Andrew Checkett's staff at UC Santa Barbara in 2014. Walton was in Santa Barbara for four years before returning to Cal State Fullerton in the volunteer assistant role in 2018 and 2019. He most recently served as hitting coach and assisted with recruiting under Dave Serrano up at Cal State Northridge. After Jason Dietrich was named the sixth head coach in Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball history, Walton was the first assistant coach to be named to the Dietrich led staff. Highlights include:

Justin Garza became the 70th Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball alumnus to make his debut in Major League Baseball. As a freshman, Garza was named the Big West Pitcher of the Year in 2013, a year he would go 12-0 and record a team high 95 strikeouts. For his career, Garza ranks tied with Jason Windsor at 7th all time for fewest walks per 9 innings (1.60). Most notably, Garza is best remembered for his May 23, 2014 pitching performance vs. Cal State Northridge where he threw the fourth no-hitter in Titan Baseball history. Unfortunately in his junior season with Cal State Fullerton,Garza suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery. Garza would still get selected in the 8th round by the Cleveland Indians and recently got the call up to Cleveland in June 2021. Hear his thoughts on his three years playing for Titan Baseball including these highlights:

Blake Workman, is a right handed pitcher that played for Cal State Fullerton from 2016 through the 2018 seasons. While playing for Titan Baseball, he played in three Regionals, two Super Regionals and one College World Series. Workman ranks fourth in Titan history for his 10.74 Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched in the 2018 season, a year he was named to the Big West First Team All-Conference list. Workman was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was recently promoted to Double-A and as of this recording, playing for the Amarillo Sod Poodles in the Texas League. Hear his thoughts on his three years playing for Titan Baseball including these highlights:

Although he only coached for the Cal State Fullerton Baseball program for one season, Blake Hawksworth's impact on the program goes beyond the 2017 year, a year the Titans would reach Omaha for the 18th time in program history.Now a pitching coach at the high school level, Blake Hawksworth coached at the Division 1 college level in 2020, coaching at Grand Canyon University before COVID-19 shut-down the season. In this conversation, Hawksworth speaks candidly about the one year he coached the Titan pitchers in 2017, the Palo Alto Regional and the dramatic Super Regional series vs. Long Beach State. Hawksworth answered the tough questions regarding the decision to throw Colton Eastman in relief in Game 1 of the 2017 CWS and also opened up about the real and very personal reason why he excused himself from the team following the College World Series. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Blake Hawksworth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blake.hawksworth/▶️ Follow Blake Hawksworth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blakehawk_11▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.comHighlights:

Titan Baseball's 6th Head Coach in D1 program history, Jason Dietrich, was introduced to the media and fans on June 30, 2021. Following the official statements made at the podium, we conducted one-on-one interviews with CSUF President Fram Virjee, CSUF Athletic Director Jim Donovan, Titan Baseball Play-by-Play broadcaster Mike Martinez and of course, the newest head coach, Jason Dietrich.Highlights include:▶️ 2:20 - CSUF President Fram Virjee on Jason Dietrich's hiring▶️ 6:15 - CSUF Athletic Director Jim Donovan on Jason Dietrich's hiring▶️ 10:05 - Head Coach Jason Dietrich comments▶️ 20:45 - Titan Baseball Play-by-Play man Mike Martinez▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Award Winning Voice Artist Eli Harris is available online: http://iameliharris.com/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

We caught up with Mike Rooney, ESPN studio analyst and color commentator and writer and contributor to D1Baseball.com, before the start of the 2021 college baseball season.You probably most recognize Roons from his work during the College World Series in Omaha, normally wearing his trademark bucket hat while reporting from the field. Mike was a player at Notre Dame from 1989 to 1992 and has coached in high school and was on the Arizona State coaching staff under legendary coach Pat Murphy.Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Mike Rooney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mike_Rooney▶️ Follow Mike Rooney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachrooney6605/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Cal State Fullerton Athletic Director Jim Donovan took time out of his very busy schedule to talk about Titan Athletics getting the green light from the Big West Conference to start sporing sports. That means after getting the season canceled 20 games into the 2020 season, Titan Baseball will be back on the field in 2021.What a Titan Baseball season will look like and how the Athletic Department will navigate COVID-19 restrictions and protocols? Jim Donovan shares his thoughts in this episode. He even gives Titan fans a sneak peek at a tentative Titan Baseball conference schedule complete with home and away opponents and potential series dates. Make sure to stay to the end to hear how the Titan Baseball and Softball complex construction project is progressing and the expected completion dates. Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Jim Donovan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDTitanAD▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Right handed pitcher Mike Parisi played for the Titans for three years during the 1992 through the 1994 seasons, playing for the legendary Augie Garrido all three years. Parisi arrived at Cal State Fullerton by way of Arcadia High School in the San Gabriel Valley.Drafted in the sixth round by the Florida Marlins in 1994, Parisi was named to two different All-American teams in 1994. Parisi's four shutouts in 1994 is tied with Kirk Saarloos for the most shutouts in a season along with leading the 1994 team with most strikeouts that season with 103 Ks.Parisi and Matt Wagner shared the 1994 team record for wins with both pitchers recording 12 Ws on the season. Parisi finished his three year career on the mound at Fullerton with a 26-8 record and a 3.47 ERA.Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Mike Parisi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/michael_parisi▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

We tracked down Cal State Fullerton Head Baseball Coach Rick Vanderhook to get his thoughts on how the position players and hitters are shaping up coming out of fall practice. In Episode 35, we spoke to Pitching Coach Dan Ricabal about the arms and in this episode, Hook reveals who Titan Baseball fans can expect to see out in the field and at the plate.Vanderhook had high praise for outfielders Jackson Lyon and Jason Brandow along with catcher Kameron Guangorena for maximizing their time during the COVID-19 shutdowns. All three of those players returned to campus improved players both physically and mentally. Hook also noted that Cameron Repetti, JJ Cruz and Caden Connor took advantage of the time away and all improved on their size and strength over the summer. Hook hints that Repetti has the potential to be another Titan to make it to Major League Baseball in the future.Make sure to hear who Hook has labeled "the secret weapon" of the team based on his versatility and overall talent in addition to learning which newcomers could sneak in and earn some playing time and at-bats to contribute on opening day.Overall, Hook is pleased with what he saw and what he and his coaching staff were able to accomplish despite COVID-19 protocols, practice limitations all while keeping his student-athletes safe during a global pandemic.Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily.In-depth preview of the projected 2021 position players include:

Fall practices have come to a close and although this year's fall ball was quite different due to COVID-19 protocols, Cal State Fullerton pitching coach believes it was more beneficial for the development of the 2021 pitching staff.We caught up with Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball Pitching Coach Dan Ricabal to discuss the prospects of Tanner Bibee returning to his normal Friday night role, which pitchers will fill the weekend starting rotation and who will eventually emerge and the closer for the 2021 college baseball season. Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Dan Ricabal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielRicabal15▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

We caught up with Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Sergio Brown to discuss a number of topics. The two main topics included Titan Baseball getting back on the field and practicing in a limited capacity to stay within COVID-19 safety protocols and National Signing Day.Coach Brown was able to reveal that all 11 high school players that had verbally committed to the Titans, all signed their National Letters of Intent this past week. Coach Brown was able to give a preview of each incoming player that signed and what Titan fans can expect to see when they hit campus next fall.Please subscribe to the show on whatever platform you are listening and share with family and friends. While there, please leave a 5 star rating and review. This helps other fans find the show more easily. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Sergio Brown on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSFCoachBrown▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Earlier this month, Easton Diamond Sports released a video featuring the return of the "Green Easton", one of the most iconic aluminum bats in college baseball, and used Cal State Fullerton's Titan Baseball program amid the backdrop of the iconic Rosenblatt Stadium.We talk with Austin Hurwitz, Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce with Easton Diamond Sports about the return of the Green Easton and the choice to use Cal State Fullerton and Rosenblatt prominently in the video.View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct2TGSI5r9k▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Easton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastonbaseball/▶️ Follow Easton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Easton_Baseball▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Matt Brown has been the Cal State Fullerton Athletics photographer for over 20 years and has captured some of the biggest moments in Titan Baseball history. A photographer from a very early age, Brown has shot for some of the biggest publications including Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine and has captured some of the biggest sports moments including Super Bowls, The World Series, The NBA Finals, AVP, Stanley Cups Finals, NCAA Bowls, The FIFA World Cup and of course, the College World Series. In this episode, we talk about how the men in his life growing up introduced him to photography, how mentors within the photo journalism industry helped advance his career from high school and why he has stayed working on contract for Cal State Fullerton since 1999. Make sure to listen to the end to hear what makes the perfect sports photograph and if Matt has captured it yet or is still chasing that perfect photo.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Matt Brown on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5browncrew/▶️ Follow Matt Brown on Twitter: https://twitter.com/5browncrew▶️ Visit Matt's website: https://www.mattbrownphoto.com/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Nate Nankil is the next guest in our series of podcast episodes featuring incoming players to join Titan Baseball for the 2021 season.Nankil will arrive on campus by way of San Diego playing at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista. An outfielder by trade, Nate is a 6'3" and around 200 pounds and is projected to compete for an outfield position in the lineup for the upcoming 2021 season. Perfect Game ranked Nankil the 40th best player in the State of California and ranked him the ninth best outfielder in the state.Nankil is also a pitcher and was his team's closer and could see time on the mound in a Titans uniform. In this episode, we talk with Nankil about how his senior season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his style of play, a unique summer ball experience in the age of Coronavirus and his reaction to how Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Sergio Brown describes him. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Nate Nankil on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natenankil14/▶️ Follow Nate Nankil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nankils619▶️ Award Winning Voice Artist Eli Harris is available online: http://iameliharris.com/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Deylan Pigford is the next guest in our series of podcast episodes featuring incoming players to join Titan Baseball for the 2021 season. Pigford is an incoming transfer by way of Midland College in Texas. Originally from a small town of Farmington in the four corners area of New Mexico, Pigford is a speedy, switch hitting outfielder expected to compete for a major role in the 2021 season.In this episode, we talk with Deylan about the recruiting process in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, his style of play utilizing his above average speed, learning to switch hit as a youngster and the struggles of getting noticed by scouts and coaches coming from a small town in New Mexico.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Deylan Pigford on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deylan_22▶️ Follow Deylan Pigford on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deylanpigford▶️ Award Winning Voice Artist Eli Harris is available online: http://iameliharris.com/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Tristan Gomes is the next guest in our series of podcast episodes featuring incoming players to join Titan Baseball for the 2021 season. Gomes, a three sport athlete from Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska, chose to attend Cal State Fullerton despite his mom and dad being alumni and his older brother currently playing for the Cornhuskers. A middle infielder in high school, due to his height and size, Gomes could move to a corner infield spot eventually. Gomes had the opportunity to play football at the next level and chose to turn down a football scholarship from Idaho to play baseball full time. In this episode, we talk with Tristan about the recruiting process and how he was deciding to play for either Nebraska or Cal State Fullerton and considered no others. Tristan also reveals how the Coronavirus affected his senior year in high school, his plans for summer and when he expects to arrive on campus. He also shares his thoughts on the high praise heaped on him by Associate Head Coach Sergio Brown and what he plans on majoring in when he comes to Cal State Fullerton.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Tristan Gomes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tristancgomes▶️ Follow Tristan Gomes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tristancgomes▶️ Award Winning Voice Artist Eli Harris is available online: http://iameliharris.com/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Christian Rodriquez is the next guest in our series of podcast episodes featuring incoming players to join Titan Baseball for the 2021 season. A tall, right handed pitcher from Orange Lutheran High School, Rodriguez is another Titan legacy to follow his father to the Cal State Fullerton campus. Rodriguez's dad, Josh Weller, played for the Titans in the early 2000's.Rodriguez will arrive on campus with a legitimate shot at competing for a regular starting role and could sneak into the weekend rotation with a four pitch mix. His fastball tops out at 95 MPH and his 12-to-6 curve ball should leave a lot of opposing batters shaking their heads. In this episode, we talk with Christian about the recruiting process and how he was committed to the University of Miami before signing a letter of intent with Cal State Fullerton. We also discuss the deep connection with his high school and how three Orange Lutheran alumni already on Fullerton's campus will welcome him to campus in the fall. He also shares his thoughts on the high praise heaped on him by Associate Head Coach Sergio Brown and how he eventually wants to win the Friday night starting role at Cal State Fullerton.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Christian Rodriguez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christian.rod00▶️ Follow Christian Rodriguez on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Christian_Rod00▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Brendan Bobo is an incoming freshman into the Titan Baseball program by way of Harbor High School in Santa Cruz, California. Bobo committed to Cal State Fullerton last summer and made it official by signing a national letter of intent in the fall. A three sport athlete at Harbor High in football, basketball and of course baseball, Bobo played middle infield spot in high school and expects to stay on the infield once he arrives on Fullerton's campus. In our conversation, Brendan talks about the recruiting process and how he was a bit overwhelmed by it all and how he came to his decision to select Cal State Fullerton over other offers from Cal, Oregon, Long Beach State and Cal Baptist. Bobo reveals the level of excitement he has to join the Titans and to compete for playing time as a freshman. If you could help us out, please rate and review this podcast on whichever platform you choose. It helps tremendously.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Brendan Bobo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendan.bobo/▶️ Follow Brendan Bobo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendan_bobo▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Josh Fellhauer played for the Titans during the 2007 through the 2009 seasons. Fellhauer was drafted in the seventh round in 2009 after completing his junior season with the Titans. He headlined the 2009 MLB draft for Fullerton and was drafted ahead of future big leaguers Khris Davis and Dustin Garneau. A member of the 2008 Collegiate National Team and playing for Team USA, Fellhauer was a National College Baseball Writers Association All-American and named 1st Team All-Big West in 2009. His Junior season batting average ranks tied for 10th with Jeremy Giambi and Reed Johnson for a single season, batting .396 in 2009. That batting average led the 2009 team, a team that went to Omaha that season. In this conversation with Josh Fellhauer, he discusses his path to Cal State Fullerton, playing in the College World Series in Omaha twice, the fact that during his three years on campus he never played a regional or Super Regional game away from Goodwin Field and even discusses Mustache March and admits that if he could go back and do it all over again, he would have done it differently.If you could help us out, please rate and review this podcast on whichever platform you choose. It helps tremendously. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Josh Fellhauer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felly3▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Paul Fiarkoski is the author of the book "Romancing the Blatt: Memoir of a Love Affair with Omaha’s Field of Dreams.Paul joins Dave for a conversation remembering the iconic stadium where Cal State Fullerton played 16 of its 18 College World Series in and the site where all four national championships were won.Listeners will learn of the history of the College World Series, Rosenblatt Stadium and its ultimate demise and how the event has since moved to the new downtown ballpark. Paul shares the unique experiences Rosenblatt had to offer while touching on how Cal State Fullerton's imprint will be forever felt for those that knew "the Blatt".▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com▶️ Buy the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/30Fnj9g▶️ Visit Paul's website: https://romancingtheblatt.com/▶️ Follow Romancing The Blatt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rememberblatt

Today's guest is Sahid Valenzuela who most recently played for the Titans from 2017 through 2019 and was drafted by the Oakland A's in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB draft. In his freshman season in 2017, Sahid played in 57 games, 55 as a starter, including both games in the College World Series primarily playing second base. He finished his freshman campaign batting .314 and received numerous awards and accolades including named to the All-Big West First Team, Big West Freshman of the Year and named to the Collegiate Baseball All-American Team.His sophomore season saw Sahid slide over to the shortstop position with the graduation of Timmy Richards, a position he would play both his sophomore and junior seasons, teaming up with best friend Hank LoForte playing second base to make up a lethal double play combo. Sahid's junior season in 2019 was cut short due to an injury that required Tommy John surgery midway through the season. Despite the injury and the subsequent surgery, Sahid was drafted in the 13th round by the Oakland Athletics. In this phone interview with Sahid Valenzuela, the native of Yuma, Arizona talks about his decision to leave home to attend high school in Northen California, how he knew he wanted to go to Cal State Fullerton the moment the recruiting process started, recalls the memorable post seasons of the 2017 season that culminated in a trip to Omaha his freshman year and the heartbreak of coming so close to a return trip to Omaha in his sophomore season that came at the hands of the Washington Huskies in the 2018 Super Regionals hosted at Goodwin Field. Sahid also discusses his injury and choice to get surgery mid-season and what his experience was on the day he was drafted. ▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Sahid Valenzuela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Sahid_04▶️ Follow Sahid Valenzuela on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sahidv04▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Ricky Romero played for the Titans from 2003 to 2005 and was selected 6th overall in the 2005 MLB draft. Romero would make his Major League debut with the team that drafted him, the Toronto Blue Jays on April 9th, 2009, becoming the 46th Titan to play in the Major Leagues. During his professional baseball career, Romero would pitch two opening days and was selected to the 2011 MLB All-Star game. In 2011, Romero finished 10th in the Cy Young voting, a year he went 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts. Romero's career at Cal State Fullerton was equally impressive. He was a member of the 2004 National Championship team pitching in Game 2 vs. Tulane in the Super Regional, getting the start in Game 2 in Omaha against Miami and taking the mound in Game 1 of the championship series vs. Texas, recording the win all of those games. Romero's 30 wins in three years on Fullerton's campus ranks 8th all time. Romero's 30 wins ranks third all time behind Todd Simmons and Wes Roemer of Titan pitchers who stayed for three years. Even more remarkable is the lion's share of those 30 wins were accomplished in two years since Romero was not a weekend starter and recorded three wins his Freshman year in limited innings. His 311 strikeouts ranks 7th all time and fifth among three year players. With an impressive resume and awards that included the 2005 Big West Pitcher of the Year, Collegiate baseball, Baseball America and NCBWA All-America honors along with being a 2004 Team USA member, Romero headlined the 2005 MLB draft for the Titans. That draft class included a total of 14 Titans selected, the largest draft class that still stands today. In our conversation we discuss what has occupied his time since officially retiring from professional baseball on News Year's Eve 2018, the recruiting process out of high school and how he ended up at Cal State Fullerton, we review each of his three years on Fullerton's campus, what draft day was like for him in 2005 and Ricky even answers a few questions submitted by Titan Baseball fans from social media.▶️ Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow Ricky Romero on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickyro24/▶️ Follow Ricky Romero on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ricky_Ro24▶️ Listen to the Let's Go Ricky Ro! with Beto Duran Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-go-ricky-ro-with-beto-duran/id1456272916▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Guest: Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator, Sergio Brown. Sergio joined the Titans in July 2019 after coaching at the University of Arizona for four years. Coach Brown is currently in his third go around with Titan Baseball having served on the staff in 2001-03 and 2007-10. He also was a member of the 1995 Titan Baseball team that won the National Championship, the third of the four national championships for Cal State Fullerton.As the recruiting coordinator at Fullerton in 2009, Coach Brown reeled in the nation's fifth-best recruiting class. In 2010, his group was ranked eighth and in 2008 it was tabbed 14th nationally. Some notable names from those recruiting classes Coach Brown was able to convince to come to Cal State Fullerton include current Major Leaguers Matt Chapman, JD Davis and Michael Lorenzen.Before returning to Fullerton's campus last summer, Brown spent four seasons in Tucson coaching under Jay Johnson at the University of Arizona. Brown's second recruiting class at U of A in 2016 was ranked No. 4 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Brown's 2018 recruiting class was ranked No. 3 in the country by Collegiate Baseball. The 2020 Arizona Wildcats, stacked with four years worth of recruits that Brown brought to Tucson, had a 10 - 5 record before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the college baseball season to a halt. Based on his recruiting success at Arizona and at Fullerton, it is no wonder why Titan Baseball fans were beyond excited with the announcement he will return to campus as recruiting coordinator and Associate Head Coach.In this conversation with Sergio Brown, we discuss the incoming freshman class of eight high school seniors that have signed national letters of intent. Coach Brown shares his path through youth baseball and eventually transferring to Fullerton, cutting his teeth in coaching under Scott Pickler at Cypress College and what he learned from other notable coaches in playing under Augie Garrido and coaching for Dave Serrano and Jay Johnson. Make sure to stay through the end to hear Coach Brown give a preview of what to expect out of his first recruiting class now that he is back at Cal State Fullerton.▶️ Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/▶️ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmaha▶️ Follow Sergio Brown on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSFCoachBrown▶️ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/▶️ Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Conversation with Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball Head Coach Rick Vanderhook.Currently in his ninth year at helm of the baseball program he played for and was an assistant coach for years, Hook recently surpassed 300 wins as a head coach with a 6-1 victory over Stanford on February 15th. His win total ranks third all-time in Titan Baseball history behind George Horton at 490 and the legendary Augie Garrido who won 875 while at Fullerton. Since the 2020 Titan Baseball season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down all major sports college and pro, we caught up with Coach Vanderhook via telephone in order to practice proper social distancing. Hook was in the car driving during our conversation and we apologize for any silence in the audio due to the call dropping in and out. In our conversation we discuss how he, the players and the staff are coping during this unprecedented times and how the roster may shape up next season with so many players expected to return. We also discussed how the players are staying in shape without any personal instructions from the coaches, the capital improvement project scheduled to start at Goodwin Field in June and the unique challenges that all college baseball coaches face when recruiting student-athletes. Make sure to listen for the way both coaches and some players are competing against each other while not having any contact.Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow Rick Vanderhook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_vanderhookFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Conversation with Titan Alumnus and Major Leaguer Dustin Garneau. Garneau played at Cal State Fullerton for four years, from 2006 to 2009. Nicknamed Drago for his uncanny likeness to actor Dolph Lundgren who played Ivan Drago, the imposing Soviet Union boxer in the film Rocky 4, Garneau is currently with his fifth Major League Baseball club, the Houston Astros. A 19th round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, it took Garneau nearly seven years to get the call up to the majors. During his career while at Fullerton and in professional baseball, Garneau has experienced numerous highs and lows. From being a part of three teams to advance to Omaha in his four years on campus, to the loss of Nick Adenhart and the near death of teammate Jon Wilhite, to being called up to the majors, to the loss of teammate Tyler Skaggs, to catching the combined no-hitter after Skaggs death, Garneau's career in baseball has taken some wild turns. Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow Dustin Garneau on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dusgar13Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Follow Dustin Garneau on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dgar13/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

The 2020 Titan Baseball season is right around the corner, opening up February 14, 2020 at Stanford. We preview how the team is shaping up and make our predictions as to who will be starting on the mound on the weekends and the closer role. We'll also preview the bullpen contributors.The second half of the episode, we preview the positions players including what looks to be the designated hitter spot being split between two different players.Pitchers (2:11)▶️ Weekends starter predictions (5:43)▶️ Mid-Week starter prediction (10:57)▶️ Closer (13:14)▶️ Bullpen (14:22)Batters (19:56)▶️ Infield (22:12)▶️ Outfield (29:55)▶️ Designated Hitter (33:25)Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Special guest: Eric Sorenson, staff writer for D1Baseball.comKnown as Stitch Head, Eric Sorenson grew up in Omaha, Nebraska but has since moved to Southern California. He covers college baseball for D1Baseball and frequently covers Southern California college baseball teams due to his close proximity. He also covers other college baseball teams and wrote the fall preview on the 2020 Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball team and will soon publish the preview of the 2020 Big West preview to also appear on D1Baseball. (He did give a few hints as to how he sees the Big west Conference shaking out in 2020.)In this episode. Stitch Head talks about growing up in Omaha and becoming a college baseball fan, his disdain of CBS for ruining college baseball, the transition from Rosenblatt to the new TD Ameritrade stadium, the new assistant coaches to join Cal State Fullerton's staff in Sergio Brown, Dan Ricabal and Andy Jenkins. Eric also touches on previewing the Big West Conference for 2020 and discloses that Cal State Fullerton was the easy choice to win the conference based on the number of returning players with experience mixed in with the talented group joining the team this year. Make sure to listen to find out which player on the Fullerton 1995 National Championship team his wife had a crush on that was surprisingly not Mark Kotsay. Please subscribe and also give a five star rating / review to help this podcast reach other college baseball fans.Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow Eric Sorenson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stitch_HeadFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Connor Seabold played in the 2015 - 2017 Titan Baseball seasons going to Omaha twice, the first in 2015 as a freshman and 2017 as a junior. Seabold from Newport Harbor High was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 MLB draft in the 19th round but elected to attend Cal State Fullerton. In just three years he would improve upon that draft position and was selected in the third round (83rd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 draft. As a freshman, Seabold assumed the Sunday starter role later in the season and took over the Friday night starter role a month into his sophomore season. The Friday night starter is the role traditionally reserved for the team's ace and Seabold held that Friday night starting spot for two years. His junior year, Seabold went 11-5 with a sub-three ERA and would go on to strikeout 122 batters compared to issuing 22 walks. Seabold was named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball and first team all Big West Conference in 2017.Seabold's name appears in the Titan record book a number of times ranking 7th all-time for strikeouts per 9 innings and fewest walks per 9 innings in a season. He ranks 5th in strikeout-to-walk ratio in a single season. Spanning his career while wearing the Fullerton blue and orange, he ranks 3rd all time in strikeout to walk ratio, trailing only Thomas Eshelman and Wes Roemer and fourth all time in strikeouts per nine innings. His 294 strikeouts ranks 9th all time and 1.41 walks per nine innings ranks 6th all-time. In 2017, Seabold led the team in wins with 11 victories and strikeouts with the afore mentioned 122 punch outs.In this podcast we discuss getting drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, going to spring training early, some of his favorite moments while playing for the Titans and balancing a professional baseball career in the eastern time zone while trying to stay up to date on the current Titan Baseball team. Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow Connor Seabold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/seabs26Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Follow Connor Seabold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seabs26/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.com

Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee has been on the job two years and has the tall task of balancing athletics expectations along with academic excellence. We visited with President Virjee at his office that overlooks the Cal State Fullerton campus to discuss his background, his ascent to being named interim President and falling in love with the job to eventually becoming the 6th President of Cal State Fullerton.President Virjee discusses rich tradition of Titan baseball and how the storied program is just one of the many facets of overseeing a university from his position. His passion for not only the baseball program but for the entire University is unmatched.Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Suggest a guest: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.comFollow President Virjee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TitanPrezVirjee

Our conversation with former Cal State Fullerton and University of Oregon head baseball coach, George Horton. Call him King George or Saint George, we're calling this episode "Breakfast with the King" Because we met coach and shared breakfast at a local establishment. We met to discuss the influence Cerritos College has had on the Cal State Fullerton baseball program, the incredible run to the national championship team in 2004, the eventual decision to leave Fullerton and take the head job at Oregon and also discussed a few former Titan players and coaches along the way.Please like, rate and share this podcast. Every little bit helps.Make sure to visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Fallow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/

Cal State Fullerton Pitching Coach Dan Ricabal took time out of his schedule to discuss his role with the Titan baseball program.Ricabal was a right handed pitcher transfer from Cerritos College and earned All-American honors at Cal State Fullerton in 1993 and was an integral part of the Titans' 1994 College World Series team. He played professionally for the Dodgers and Giants organizations before landing coaching jobs in the Cape Cod League, College of the Canyons, UC Santa Barbara, The Angels minor league system, Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State and now at Cal State Fullerton.We discuss Dan Ricabal's path back to campus from being a young man in the San Gabriel Valley and playing baseball, through his college and professional baseball career, getting into coaching to coming full circle and joining the Titans in 2019. We also discuss his approach to coaching pitchers, how recruiting differs from a high school athlete to a Junior College athlete, his first impressions on this year's Titan Baseball pitching staff including praise for Tanner Bibee, Michael Knorr, Joe Magrisi, Dillon Brown among others. At the end, Ricabal shares what goes into a successful mound visit and also his thoughts on how the staff performed at the UNLV exhibition, weekend intrasquad games and expectations for the upcoming UCSD exhibition game.Visit our website: https://www.calstateomaha.com/Contact us: CalStateOmaha@Gmail.comGet a Cal State Omaha shirt: https://www.calstateomaha.com/product-category/shirts/Follow Cal State Omaha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalStateOmahaFollow Cal State Omaha on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calstateomaha/Follow Cal State Omaha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calstateomaha/Follow Dan Ricabal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielRicabal15

Cal State Fullerton Titan Baseball Assistant Coach Andy Jenkins joins the podcast. Jenkins breaks down what he has seen and experiencing since joining the Titan baseball staff, reflects on his time as a player and coach at Oregon State along with the rigors of recruiting the right athlete to fit into a college baseball program. Coach Jenkins also discusses current players on the roster Kameron Guangorena, JJ Cruz, Cameron Repetti, Joe Magrisi along with his thoughts coming out of the weekend exhibition games with UNLV. Stay to the end to hear the word association game when Coach Jenkins is asked to say the first thing to come to mind when asked about Augie Garrido, George Horton, Omaha, Cape Cod, the word Dirtbag and Hooky.Please visit our newest sponsor, Milam Chiropractic & Sports Therapy at: https://www.gotspine.net/ Mention the podcast and get your first consultation and spinal adjustment free.