A Title for the Titans

A capsule look at Cal State Fullerton’s 1995 season, during which the Titans won their third national championship:

NONLEAGUE SEASON

The Titans got off to a 24-3 start before the opening of the Big West season. They swept three games from Arizona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, took two of three from Stanford, Fresno State and Texas, and won single games from UCLA and USC. Ted Silva, a relief ace-turned-starter, won his first eight decisions and Ted Dixon got off to a 6-0 start. The Titans also swept their Anaheim Hilton and Towers Classic, defeating Pepperdine, Notre Dame and Texas; D.C. Olsen hit four home runs in the three games to take MVP honors.

BIG WEST SEASON

Sweeping four series and losing only single games to San Jose State, Long Beach State and Nevada, the Titans won the regular-season championship with an 18-3 record. They had 10 or more hits in 16 of the 21 games, scoring 25 runs in a victory over New Mexico State, 18 against UNLV and 17 in defeating San Jose State. Silva had a 5-1 Big West record, including a 5-0 no-hitter over Pacific. Cal State Fullerton ended the regular season with a 46-9 record, losing two games at Wichita State and one at USC with its second-line pitching.

BIG WEST TOURNAMENT

The Titans swept three games to gain the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Jon Ward’s four-hit pitching and four Titan home runs knocked off Nevada Las Vegas, 12-1, and Silva and Mark Chavez combined on a five-hitter to stop Nevada, 6-4. Olsen’s seventh-inning grand slam gave the Titans an 8-4 victory over Long Beach State in the final game.

NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL

Remaining unbeaten in the postseason, the Titans won four in a row at Louisiana State to gain a berth in Omaha. After defeating Northeast Louisiana, 8-7, on an unearned run in the ninth, Cal State Fullerton rocked James Madison for 16 hits in a 9-1 victory. Tony Martinez’s two home runs helped knock off Rice, 17-7, and the Titans beat the Owls again in the championship game, winning, 8-7, on Mike Lamb’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

The Titans completed a 10-game run through the postseason, winning four in a row, including an 11-5 victory over USC in the championship game behind the play of Mark Kotsay. The outfielder/relief pitcher hit a grand slam in an 11-1 rout of Tennessee, then hit two home runs in the championship game and relieved Silva to get the final five outs. Silva, who had defeated Stanford, 6-5, in the opener, earned the victory in the title game to finish the season 18-1. The Titans reached the final by beating Tennessee for a second time, 11-0, with Brian Loyd’s grand slam sparking a seven-run first inning.