Pitching Will Be Titans’ Question Mark

FULLERTON — Cal State Fullerton had the offensive punch, but not the pitching to return to the College World Series last year.

The Titans won a remarkable 31 of their first 33 games, still basking in the glow of their 1995 national championship, but the pitching faded late in the season.

Fullerton finished 45-16, a disappointment after the superb start, and was eliminated in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Wichita, Kan., after two consecutive trips to the World Series.

Relief pitching that was adequate early in the season went downhill after Mark Chavez developed arm trouble, and the Titans never found a stable fourth starter.

The same kind of concerns about pitching will carry over into a new season next week when George Horton begins his first year as head coach after Augie Garrido’s move to Texas.

“We have so many good position players that I’m sorry we can play only nine of them, even with one of them as the designated hitter,” said Horton, who was Garrido’s associate head coach and pitching coach for six years. “But we’re not as deep on the mound, although we think it’s getting better. We feel more comfortable now than we did earlier in the preseason.”

Junior Scott Hild, 9-4 with a 4.66 earned-run average, is the only returning starter. But Horton hopes John Alkire will be another in a series of transfers to improve dramatically in the Titan program, and that senior Matt Wise finally can reach the form expected of him last year.

Alkire was 6-4 with a 4.50 ERA last year at Tennessee. Wise, who pitched for Pepperdine in 1995, was 3-0 but had a 5.61 ERA and struggled frequently.

“Wise is a lot more consistent that he was last season,” Horton said. “He looks like he’s ready to emerge.”

Hild, Alkire and Wise appear to be the top three starters, and Steve Lawson, a 6-foot-9 freshman right-hander who was a redshirt last season, looms as the potential No. 4 starter.

“Lawson is getting better and better,” Horton said. “We feel really good about his progress.”

Horton expects junior Brandon Duckworth, a transfer from College of Southern Idaho, and senior Dustin Spencer (1-0, 3.75 ERA) to be the top relief pitchers.

The eight other positions are stocked well enough that some talented players could end up on the bench.

The outfield appears particularly rich in depth, even though Fullerton lost 1995 player of the year Mark Kotsay (.402, 91 runs batted in), who signed a $1.1-million contract with the Florida Marlins, and Jeremy Giambi (.396, 59 RBIs.), who signed with the Kansas City Royals.

“We have eight guys who are Division I outfielders,” Horton said.

Steve Chatham (.316, 38 RBIs) was the other regular in the outfield most of last season, but he might be pressed to stay in the lineup.

Left-handed hitter Scott Seal, platooned last year, appears certain to start in left or right.

“Seal has become a real offensive force,” Horton said. Seal has the potential to provide the power the Titans will miss without Kotsay’s team-leading 20 home runs.

Sophomore Aaron Rowand, impressive in tryouts for Team USA earlier this month as well as in the Cape Cod summer league, appears likely to start at one of the other outfield spots. Chatham is being challenged by newcomers Pete Fukuhara, Chris Beck and Ryan Fullerton, among others. One of them will likely be the designated hitter.

The infield appears equally solid. Horton and his coaches have decided to play Mike Lamb at third base. Lamb hit .324 and drove in 30 runs last season, filling in at catcher when Brian Loyd was injured early in the season, as well as playing regularly at second base later in the season.

That still leaves the Titans with a big hole to fill behind the plate after two-year star Loyd (.317, 64 RBIs) signed with the Padres. Freshman Craig Patterson and sophomore Mike Wright, however, have been solid there, enabling Lamb to shift to third to replace Tony Martinez (.326, 54 RBIs).

Jerome Alviso had the Titans’ third-highest batting average last year at .338, and he will be at his natural shortstop position this season. Alviso split time between second base and shortstop in 1996.

C.J. Ankrum, third on the team with 60 RBIs, is back at first base.

Horton thinks any of three players are capable of starting at second. Sophomore Nakia Hill and junior transfer Gaby Halcovich have done well in workouts, and Ryan Owens is a highly regarded freshman. “Ryan will eventually be a superstar for us,” Horton said.

Owens and Patterson are rated as two of the nation’s top 10 freshmen by Baseball America and are highly regarded by major league scouts.

The Titans will get a quick test in their first three-game series at home Jan. 31-Feb. 2 against Stanford, rated No. 1 by Baseball America.