Cal State Fullerton's baseball squad was named No. 1 in the USA Today Sports preseason Top 25 coaches poll on Thursday. The Titans were also named No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball in December.
Last season the Titans went 23-4 en route to their 27th Big West Conference title before falling to eventual champion UCLA in the Fullerton Super Regional.
Led by Louisville Slugger Preseason First Team All-American pitchers Thomas Eshelman (12-3, 1.48 ERA, 83 K) and Justin Garza (12-0, 2.03 ERA, 95 K, 17 BB in 115 IP), the Titans boast one of the top pitching staffs in the nation.
Garza, the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Year, went 12-0 last season as Eshelman was named the conference's Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Eshelman also led the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (0.23), and finished with a 1.48 ERA, 10th best in the nation.
