Cal State Fullerton baseball has been on a season-long, nine-game road trip, facing powerhouse teams such as No. 2 UCLA and No. 21 Maryland. The Titans will wrap up the road trip Wednesday at Hardt Field when they face the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. Fullerton looks to sweep Bakersfield after dominating the Roadrunners 11-0 in their March 14 matchup at Goodwin Field.
(Matt Corkill / Daily Titan File Photo)
After a trip to the East Coast, the Cal State Fullerton baseball team returns to California to take on the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners in a non-conference clash at Hardt Field.
Fullerton (20-18 overall, 6-3 Big West) will enter Wednesday’s match having lost three of their last four games, but the Titans are currently on a grueling nine-game road trip that included tough opponents such as No. 3 UCLA and No. 21 Maryland.
The Titans fell 7-2 to UCLA and lost two of three games against Maryland last week, so the Titans are looking to bounce back against the Roadrunners.
The Roadrunners (22-15-1 overall, 10-4-1 WAC), however, will be a tough opponent for the Titans considering the Roadrunners’ 11-7 home record, while the Titans will look to improve on their 8-11 road record. The Roadrunners will come into Wednesday’s matchup with momentum, winning nine of 10 games—four of which came at home.
The Roadrunners will look to use their home field advantage to enact revenge on CSUF after suffering an 11-0 road loss to the Titans on March 18 at Goodwin Field.
In the March 18 meeting, the Titans’ pitching was stellar, with right-hander Connor Seabold carrying the brunt of the weight. The freshman only gave up two hits and struck out six in his 5.2 innings of work. The Titan bullpen continued to deliver after Seabold’s outing, giving up only two hits in 3.1 shutout innings.
The Titans have yet to announce Wednesday’s starter, but it is expected to be a staff day as is the case with all midweek games.
Fullerton will want to reignite their offense by looking to juniors Tyler Stieb and David Olmedo-Barrera. Stieb’s .389 on-base percentage pairs nicely with Olmedo-Barrera’s team-high 27 runs batted in. The Titans have additional reinforcement with first baseman Josh Estill, who is leading the ballclub with five home runs and boasts a .457 slugging percentage in 127 plate appearances.
The Roadrunners will save their right-handed aces Hayden Carter and James Barragan for later in the week in a three-game series against Seattle, the WAC’s top ballclub.
Right-hander Steve Gee (2.54 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday for Bakersfield. Gee has 30 strikeouts over 46 innings pitched.
For the CSUB offensive, David Metzgar will be a tough out for the Titans as the second baseman leads the Roadrunners with a .376 batting average, 23 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Metzgar has plenty of support from his teammates, including left fielder Ryan Grotjohn, who is batting .325 to go along with his three home runs and 18 RBIs.
With both the Titans and Roadrunners coming off a loss, both teams should look to get ahead early. The Titans may look to capitalize on the Roadrunners’ less experienced pitching staff. While the Roadrunners’ home field advantage might prove useful in preventing another loss to the Titans, Fullerton will look to sweep Bakersfield.
First pitch at Hardt Field will be at 6 p.m.