Titans Resolve to ‘Take It Out on Ohio State’

COLUMBUS, Ohio —  First there was the disappointment of having to play a super-regional against Ohio State on the road rather than at home despite being the NCAA tournament’s No. 3-seeded team.

Then the Cal State Fullerton baseball team was hit with the news Tuesday that four players, including two of the three starting pitchers in last week’s regional, were suspended after being arrested Sunday after an alleged rock-throwing incident in South Bend, Ind.

But the Titans were still confident Wednesday about their chances in the best-of-three playoff with the Buckeyes after what was described as an “emotional” players-only meeting Tuesday night.

“We’re going to take it out on Ohio State,” pitcher Matt Sorensen said. “I think all this could end up helping us more than it hurts us. It gives us that much more motivation. We’re still going to get it done.”

The suspended players--pitchers Adam Johnson and Marco Hanlon, second baseman David Bacani and utility infielder Chad Olszanski--met with their teammates before they returned home Wednesday morning.

“They all apologized to the team,” designated hitter Aaron Rifkin said. “They didn’t have to, because we all knew they felt bad. I tried to put myself in their shoes. We’re eager to show that we can still win without them, and give them another chance to play.”

Coach George Horton said the length of the suspensions is indefinite. Horton said he would discuss the matter further with Athletic Director John Easterbrook and university President Milton Gordon if the Titans win the super-regional and advance to the College World Series.

All four players were charged with trespassing and recklessness after being arrested by South Bend police Sunday night. A restaurant owner called the police with a complaint that four men were throwing rocks at pedestrians.

“We were on top of the roof throwing rocks at a tree, just to see who could hit it,” Olszanski said Wednesday. “It was an innocent thing. We never thought that being on top of a building was against the law. We had no idea we were in the wrong . . . But it looks like we were being stupid. Looking back, we know we were being stupid.”

Bacani said he didn’t think they were breaking any laws. “If we had known, we would not have done it,” Bacani said. “We had no intentions of breaking anything or throwing [rocks] at anyone.”

Adam Johnson said the players climbed to the roof because they wanted to look at the skyline. “We were surprised we were arrested,” he said. “Anywhere else the cops would have said, hey, go home.”

Staff writer Paul McLeod contributed to this story.