Titans Beat Ohio St. Big, Easy : NCAA baseball: Cal State Fullerton wins, 13-1, to advance to its seventh College World Series.

BATON ROUGE, La. —  It was a relatively tranquil postgame celebration for Cal State Fullerton, which whipped Ohio State, 13-1, Sunday to win the NCAA South I Region baseball title in Louisiana State’s Alex Box Stadium.

But the fact that players weren’t jumping and falling all over each other may be an indication that this Titan team will fare better in the College World Series than the 1990 team, which swept the Central Region at Texas but was swept out of Omaha in two games.

“Our job is not done--it’s not time to party yet,” said third baseman Phil Nevin, who had two hits and three runs Sunday. “You could sense that after the game. There was no big dog pile on the field. There were hugs and pats on butts, but basically we see this as a big step toward a goal. We’re not satisfied.”

Nevin, second baseman Steve Sisco, who had two hits and six runs batted in Sunday, and pitcher James Popoff, who allowed six hits in seven innings to gain the victory over the Buckeyes, are the only Titan holdovers from that 1990 team.

“We were just happy to get to Omaha in 1990--our goal was to make it there, but it wasn’t a goal to win it,” Sisco said. “We talked about that after this game, that our job isn’t half-done yet.”

The Titans (42-15) certainly did a job on their South I Region opponents, though. There wasn’t much noise in Alex Box Stadium Sunday--LSU’s beloved Tigers were eliminated Saturday and a tiny crowd of 891 turned out for the title game--but Fullerton’s bats were booming.

The Titans racked up 14 hits--four of them doubles--off three Ohio State pitchers. Nevin, Sisco, catcher and tournament most valuable player Jason Moler, designated hitter Tony Banks, first baseman D.C. Olsen and shortstop Nate Rodriquez each had two hits.

Fullerton scored two runs in the second and four in the third, and put the game out of reach with five in the fifth and two in the ninth.

The Titans, who have won 12 consecutive region playoff games and will be making their seventh trip to the College World Series, hit .333 with 35 runs, 46 hits, three homers, eight doubles and seven stolen bases in four South I Region victories.

After a 3-2 victory over Ohio State Thursday, Fullerton was dominant in victories over Tulane (8-0), LSU (11-0) and Ohio State, which needed to defeat the Titans twice Sunday to win the region.

Fullerton’s offensive performance was reflected on the all-tournament team, which included Sisco, Nevin, outfielders Jeremy Carr and Chris Powell, Moler and Banks. Powell batted .538 (seven for 13) with seven runs in the regional.

Popoff, who pitched a strong game against the Buckeyes Thursday but didn’t get a decision, also was named to the all-tournament team.

“This team has everything to prove, and Omaha is a place that gives us a chance to do that,” said Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido, whose Titans were favored to win the Big West Conference but finished second to Cal State Long Beach. “We’re still building on the disappointment of not winning the league title, and we have an opportunity to redeem ourselves. Players don’t feel this is where it should end.”

If the Titans play in Omaha as well as they did in Baton Rouge, they should do some damage in the College World Series. They’re hitting the ball hard, as umpire Dale Williams will attest. He was stationed near second base--a good 120 feet away--and still barely got out of the way of a Banks liner in the third.

Moler hit a double to left and scored, and Rodriquez hit a hard RBI single to center in the second. Sisco doubled over center fielder Roy Marsh’s head for two runs in the third, Banks lined a two-run double to right in the fifth, and Craig Fairbrother, who replaced Banks in the seventh, hit an RBI single to right in the ninth.

Combine that kind of offense with excellent speed--on the bases and in the field--some crafty glove work and solid pitching, and it’s easy to see why the Titans turned the South I Region into The Big Easy.

“You look at their lineup, and what makes them so strong is their speed and ability to put the ball into play,” Ohio State Coach Bob Todd said. “They’re very aggressive on the basepaths, and if you make a wrong decision, they take advantage. They’re as good a team running the short game as I’ve seen in a long time.”

Fullerton also showed good depth and versatility. Frank Herman, who now starts only against left-handed pitchers, hit a two-run homer against Tulane and singled Sunday, and Olsen, a freshman from Fullerton High School who has played sporadically this season, hit a two-run homer against Tulane, singled against LSU and doubled and singled Sunday.

Olsen was elevated to a starting position after first baseman Jim Betzsold broke his right clavicle in a home-plate collision with LSU catcher Adrian Antonini Saturday.

Fullerton’s roster won’t be as deep without Betzsold in Omaha, but there isn’t much talent drop-off between him and Olsen, who made a diving grab of a grounder in the LSU game.

“This really boosted my confidence level up about 10 notches,” Olsen said of his regional performance. “I knew if I got nervous I’d screw up, so I just went in relaxed.”

Said Moler: “I don’t think D.C. feels much pressure, and the way we’re playing, there isn’t much pressure, because you know one guy doesn’t have to do it. He’s just playing and having fun.”

So is Moler, the Titans’ cleanup hitter who had no fun Thursday when he went hitless in four at-bats and stranded six runners against Ohio State. But he had six hits in 12 at-bats, including two doubles and a homer, scored five runs and knocked in four in the next three games.

“After having a brutal first game and still winning, that took a lot of pressure off me,” Moler said.

Titans in the College World Series

Cal State Fullerton will be competing in its seventh College World Series when play begins Friday in Omaha. The Titans won national championships in 1979 and 1984.

Year & Results

1975: Lost to Arizona State, 5-3; eliminated by Oklahoma, 11-4

1979: Lost opener to Mississippi State, then won five in a row, beating Arkansas, 2-1, for title.

1982: Lost to Wichita State, 7-0; eliminated by Maine, 6-0

1984: Beat Michigan in opener, lost to Texas, then won four in row, beating Texas, 3-1, for title

1988: Beat Miami, 9-3, and Stanford, 5-3, before losing twice to Stanford, 4-1 and 9-5

1990: Lost to Oklahoma State, 14-4; eliminated by The Citadel, 8-7

Six appearances: Titans have record of 12-10 in World Series play, winning two championships