Big West, big time
CS Fullerton and Long Beach St. meet for the conference title.
By JANIS CARR
The Orange County Register
LONG BEACH Long Beach State coach Mike Weathers views this weekend as any other weekend in spring. He said he sees it as just another series in a long college baseball season.
That is the impression he hopes to give, anyway.
Across county lines, Cal State Fullerton coach George Horton will attempt the same. But can they really say this final Big West weekend is just another three days?
No. 22-ranked Cal State Fullerton and No. 8 Long Beach State meet tonight in the first of a three-game series at Blair Field that will determine the Big West championship. The first-place Titans (33-20), who are 16-2 in conference, need to win one game to clinch the title and the automatic bid to the postseason. The 49ers (36-13, 14-4) need a sweep. Tonight and Saturday's games are at 6:30; Sunday's is at 1 p.m.
"We need to keep this weekend in perspective, even though there is a lot more hype to this series than most," Weathers said.
Hype? Call it history. Better yet, a rivalry.
Since 1989, the two schools have won or shared the Big West regular-season title seven times each, not counting the divisional titles won in 1997 and '98.
Fullerton and Long Beach have finished first or second in conference a combined 22 times in that 15-year stretch, they have split 78 games and, in 2002, the 49ers ousted the Titans in the NCAA regionals.
"There have been so many great memories of this series, way too many that they run together," Weathers said. "Hopefully, this one will be just as memorable."
Horton also said the games tend to mesh, though the one series that stands out in his mind was 1991, the first year Augie Garrido returned as coach.
"That year we were not a very good team," said Horton, then the associate head coach. "We had an awful preseason but worked hard, came together and got to be a good baseball team."
Meanwhile, the 49ers were ranked fifth nationally, had two of the nation's best pitchers and were favored to beat the Titans. Sound familiar?
The outcome of that season's showdown favored the Titans, who finished as conference tri-champions with Fresno State and Long Beach.
"We swept them that year when no one gave us much of a chance," Horton said.
Horton would like a similar ending this season.
Earlier this season, the Titans were 15-16 and had dropped out of the national polls. They then went on a run, winning 18 of their next 22 games to take control of the Big West.
"I'm proud of our guys," Horton said. "When we were 15-16 there didn't seem to be any silver lining, we couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. To a man, I am proud of the fact that they met the challenge of turning the ship around."
Meanwhile, the 49ers, behind the pitching of All-American Jered Weaver and a strong staff, have been ranked all season, but they were swept by UC Santa Barbara and fell two games behind the Titans in the conference.
"Their season parallels ours from last season," Horton said.
Last season the Titans won 50 games, including two of three from Long Beach, but finished second to the 49ers in the standings.
Yet it was the Titans who advanced to the College World Series, falling one game short of the championship.
Because the teams are nearly equal this season, the series could come down to a bad pitch or a great pitching performance, a timely hit or a costly error.
"One thing can make a difference," Weathers said. "But that's what makes these kinds of situations great to be a part of. I feel more comfortable in situations like this, where I know the opponent and what to expect than some lesser team that I don't know anything about."
Horton said it's these kinds of rivalries that keep him coaching.
"The challenge it presents is the reason I coach," Horton said. "I look forward to the quality of baseball that will be there."
While Horton and Weathers have crossed paths from Cerritos College to Fullerton to Long Beach and respect each other, the schools' fans are another story. There have been several incidents in the stands throughout the years, from heated taunts to finger pointing.
The 49ers are expecting a sellout crowd of 3,000 tonight and large crowds for the next two games as well.
"It is my ultimate hope that our fans â?? and that's Fullerton's and Long Beach's â?? would back off the hyperbolic warfare and enjoy the positive quality of what this rivalry has meant," Horton said. "There is so much at stake."
