By Nathan McHugh
The Cal State Fullerton Titans’ softball team is in a great position to win their fourth consecutive Big West Conference Championship. The Titans are currently in first place in the conference with a 12-3 record in the Big West and an overall record of 32-16. The Titans have a one game lead in the Big West over the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine with six conference games remaining. CSUF has the tiebreaker over Hawaii, and the Titans’ magic number to clinch the Big West title is 5 wins. If they win the Big West they are hoping to not have to play the UCLA Bruins in the regionals for the fourth straight year. It is too early for Cal State Fullerton to be looking ahead to the NCAA regionals, because there are still two weeks left in conference play. The Titans won two out of three games at UC Davis from April 27-28, and the Aggies have a 10-5 record in the Big West and are in third place.
A second magic number for the Titans this season has been four. When Cal State Fullerton scores four or more runs the Titans are 24-0, and when they score three or fewer they are only 8-16. Cal State Fullerton is ranked 43rd in RPI according to ncaa.com. The Titans have won seven of their last eight games. Prior to the back-to-back-to-back Big West titles the Titans had not made the NCAA tournament since 2009, and their most recent Big West Championship was 2007. This is head coach Kelly Ford’s 7th season at the helm for softball, and the Titans are in prime position to accomplish a four-peat.