Titans Get a Major League Test Against the Angels

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Cal State Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido was asked about how he’s approaching today’s exhibition game against the Angels in Diablo Stadium.

“With an anticipated result,” said Garrido, smiling. “But it should be fun.”

The Titans (12-1) have a 13-game head start on the Angels, who will be playing their first exhibition of the season, but Garrido is quick to give a clear advantage to the major leaguers.

“This is a game that’s symbolic of the Angels’ goodwill,” Garrido said. “We’re just honored the Angels would endorse it.”

As much as anything, it’s recognition by the Angels that the college team in their back yard won the College World Series last year in Omaha.

Garrido said he is a bit amused by some Titan fans who have wondered if Fullerton can make a game out of it.

“There’s a big difference between a major league baseball player and college player,” he said. “It’s about the same as if you compared a National Hockey League player with a college hockey player.

“Maybe there’s not quite as much difference between the real good college players and some of the pro players in some sports, but I think there is in baseball, just because of the subtlety of the game. It takes time to learn to play baseball really well.”

The Angels are planning to use several pitchers, with Shawn Boskie scheduled to start. Matt Wise will start for the Titans.

Garrido said that outfielder Mark Kotsay and Brian Loyd probably have an advantage over their teammates going into the game because of their experience this summer playing for Team USA in international competition.

“The pitchers they faced on the Cuban, Japanese and Nicaraguan teams are comparable to high-level pro players here,” Garrido said. “Those pitchers would all be top prospects for our pro teams. I’m sure of that because of my own experience with Team USA.”

The Angels gave the Titans the option of using their regular aluminum bats or the wooden bats used by the pros. Garrido asked the players what they preferred and they voted for the wood.

“We’re playing a major league team in a major league environment, so why not make it a make it a major league experience for our players?” said Garrido. “Most of them use the wooden bat in practice now and then anyway. It won’t be that different for most of them.”

Second baseman Jerome Alviso had a full summer using the wooden bat in the Cape Cod League. “I don’t see that much difference really,” he said.

Garrido sees the game mainly as a “good experience” for his team.

“They know we work a lot on fundamentals, but when we walked up to the practice field today, there were several of the Angels’ top players working on just one detail: getting a jump from first. It’s good for them to see that,” he said.

The Titans resume their regular season Friday when they open a three-game series at Texas.