‘97 Titans Will Have Big Holes to Fill

FULLERTON — It was quite a run.

But Cal State Fullerton, one of the most successful programs in college baseball the last three years, faces the prospect of the type of rebuilding it needed in 1992 when players as talented as Phil Nevin, Jason Moler and Steve Sisco signed pro contracts.

Mark Kotsay, Brian Loyd, Jeremy Giambi, Jack Jones and Tony Martinez all returned as regulars this season from the 1995 College World Series championship team, and all are expected to sign pro contracts this summer.

Kotsay, the 1995 college player of the year, is regarded as a probable high first-round choice.

Coach Augie Garrido and his assistants have been preparing for the transition, and Titan recruiting coordinator Rick Vanderhook has been leading the talent search.

Vanderhook’s only concern is that some of the players the Titans have signed are good enough to be taken early in the June amateur draft, and then offered tempting signing bonuses.

The big names among the nine players signed are Sonora High shortstop Ryan Owens, who is rated 61st in Baseball America’s list of the top 100 prospects; and one of Orange County’s top high school pitchers, Michael Garner of Fullerton.

“We think Owens could go anywhere between the third and sixth round, so we have to be somewhat concerned with the draft,” Vanderhook said. Owens, recently invited to the U.S. Junior team trials in July, can play several infield positions, depending on the need.

“Garner has an outstanding breaking ball,” Vanderhook said. “We think he’s going to be a left-handed Ted Silva.” Silva, with an 18-1 record, was the ace on the 1995 national championship team.

A possible replacement for Loyd at catcher might be recruit Craig Patterson, who played for El Dorado High, the same as Loyd. “He’s very similar to Brian coming out of high school,” Vanderhook said. “He’s an excellent defensive catcher, and has good offensive potential.”

Vanderhook said the coaches expect junior Jerome Alviso to return, and either continue at second or move to his natural shortstop position as a possible replacement for Jones. Alviso finished the season well, and hit .337.

Mike Lamb, a sophomore who is draft-eligible because of an earlier redshirt year, is also expected back. He can play catcher, second or third or continue in a designated hitter role. He hit .324 this season.

Junior Scott Seal (.326), who platooned frequently in 1996, is expected to return and be a leading candidate to play left field, with sophomore Steve Chatham (.316) possibly moving to center field or right. Sophomore C.J. Ankrum (.312) will return at first base.

In addition to Garner, the Titans signed four other pitchers. That group includes Brandon Duckworth from Southern Idaho College, John Cannon from Canada College in Redwood City and Ted Lilly, a community college All-American at Fresno.

Mike Hughes, a highly rated pitcher-outfielder from Fresno, also has signed with the Titans. “He throws 94 mph, and is 6-3 and 210 pounds,” Vanderhook said. “The Angels tried to sign him earlier, and he’s turned down a lot of money so far. We think he could go in the first five rounds in June, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Of the current pitching staff, only sophomore Scott Hild (9-4) is not draft-eligible. Sophomore Brent Billingsley (11-2), the Titans’ most consistent pitcher, is eligible for the draft because he was a redshirt as a freshman at East Carolina. He is expected to be drafted in an early to middle round. The prospects are more uncertain for Kirk Irvine (12-3), Luis Estrella (3-1) and others.

Other players signed are Pete Sukahara, an outfielder from Canada College, and Don Phillips, an infielder from Chatsworth High.