Horton’s Early Review Is Mostly Positive for Baseball Team

The Cal State Fullerton baseball team won its opening series against California last weekend, and Coach George Horton saw some encouraging signs.

“We didn’t expect everything to be perfect this early, but it’s a good start,” Horton said. “Our pitching and our catching were the bright spots.”

Catcher David Trentine, a senior transfer from San Diego State, had the winning hit in Fullerton’s ninth-inning rally Sunday. Trentine batted .375 for the series and drove in three runs.

“We’re lucky to have him,” Horton said. “He had some academic problems at San Diego State, and didn’t like the way he was treated there. He transferred here last year and asked for a chance to walk on with us.”

Among the starting pitchers, neither Erasmo Ramirez nor Benny Flores, the two transfers from Cal State Northridge, were able to win despite pitching well. And freshman Jon Smith was particularly sharp in his first game, giving up three hits and one run in six innings in Fullerton’s 12-1 victory Saturday.

“Any time you only use seven pitchers in a three-game series on the first weekend of the season, you know things are going pretty well on the mound,” Titan pitching coach Dave Serrano said.

“I thought all three starters pitched well. We stayed with Smith’s two best pitches--his fastball and his change--and it worked well. He needs to continue to work on his breaking ball to be a complete pitcher, but that will come.

“Flores nibbles a little too much at the corners. He has to throw more pitches that way, but he’s going to be fine.”

Serrano also was pleased with the way freshman relief pitcher Kirk Saarloos came back after a rocky start Sunday. Saarloos walked in a run and gave up a three-run homer after coming in for Flores in the seventh. However, he pitched strong in the eighth and ninth innings.

Among the other relievers, Jason Stewart gave up only one hit in three innings and Jordan DeJong two hits in three.

There were trouble spots over the weekend too. The Titans can’t afford games such as the one Friday night when they made six errors and lost, 6-5, in 12 innings. “That was a debacle,” Horton said.

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The competition will get much tougher for the Titans this weekend when they play a three-game series at No. 1-ranked Stanford.

Fullerton is 3-1 after a 17-9 victory over Loyola Wednesday.

The Cardinal is 5-0 after winning two games against Santa Clara at home, and then sweeping a three-game series at Fresno State last weekend.

Stanford has six players returning who hit better than .300 last year, as well as three of its top four pitchers. That team finished 45-20, winning the NCAA West Regional at home. Stanford won two games against Auburn and lost two to eventual College World Series champion Louisiana State.

The returning pitching corps includes Brent Hoard, who was 9-4 last season, Chad Hutchinson (8-4) and Jeff Austin (5-2). Austin was the leading starter on Team USA last summer, and Hoard was pitcher of the year in the summer collegiate Cape Cod League.

“I think the pro scouts regard all three of those pitchers as possible first-round draft choices,” Horton said.

The series opener has been switched from tonight to Saturday at 1 p.m., because of weather conditions. Sunday’s game will still be played at 1 p.m., and Monday’s at 2 p.m.

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The Fullerton women’s basketball team (8-11) is tied for second place with UC Irvine in the Western Division with a 5-3 conference record. The Titans won at San Luis Obispo and lost at UC Santa Barbara last weekend. The Titans meet the Anteaters at 7 tonight at the Bren Center.

“We’re pleased with where we are,” Coach Denise Curry said. “We’re playing harder now than we were earlier. We’ve been able to win some close games, and that’s helped our confidence.”

Titan Notes

Chris Dade has moved ahead of Tony Neal (1981-85) and Henry Turner (1984-88) into fourth place among Titan career scoring leaders. Dade has 1,341 points to Neal’s 1,327 and Turner’s 1,329. . . . Chris St. Clair is shooting 40% (45 of 112) on three-point attempts this season, despite making only one of 11 Saturday against San Luis Obispo. . . . Third baseman Danny Phillips has left the Titan baseball team and transferred to Pierce College in Woodland Hills. “I went to him and told him that he probably wouldn’t play that much this season,” Coach George Horton said. “When players reach their second year in our program and it looks that way, we feel it’s important to let them know how they stand.”. . . Triple jumper Quincy Sims and an as-yet-unnamed Titan 1,600-meter relay team will compete in the Los Angeles Invitation indoor track meet Saturday at the Sports Arena.

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Coming Attractions

Key events this week for Cal State Fullerton:

* Baseball, at Stanford 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Monday.

* Men’s basketball, at Utah State 6 p.m. Saturday.

* Women’s basketball, at UC Irvine 7 tonight.

* Women’s gymnastics, against Boise State 2 p.m. Sunday, at Titan Gym.

* Women’s tennis against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 11 a.m. Sunday, at Titan tennis courts.