1995 Cal State-Fullerton Titans, 57-9 (18-3 Big West), Big West Conference Champions, College World Series Champions

One season after being eliminated in a 12-inning semifinal game at the College World Series by a Nomar Garciaparra home run, the 1995 Titans returned to the diamond eager to finish the job they had started.   However, they began the season facing the uncertainty that inexperience fosters; outside of sophomore centerfielder/pitcher Mark Kotsay, the major contributors to the 1994 CWS team had departed.  Although a return trip to the CWS seemed out of the question, the '95 team rose to the challenge, winning consistently and climbing steadily up the rankings.  Ultimately, they spent all but two weeks of the last 14 weeks of the season ranked first in at least one of the three national polls.  The team batting average was .336, paced by Kotsay (.422, 21 HR), and Brian Loyd (.360, 10 HR), both of whom were selected as members of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Baseball team, as well as by  future major leaguers Jeremy Giambi and Mike Lamb.  Ted Silva (18-1, 2.83) and Kotsay (0.31 ERA, 11 saves), who would come in from centerfield to close games, anchored the pitching staff.  Fullerton displayed great consistency throughout the season, winning everything in their reach - the Hilton Classic with first baseman D.C. Olsen the MVP; the Big West regular season; the Big West Tournament with Loyd the MVP; and the NCAA regional at LSU with SS Jack Jones the MVP.

Titans CF/RP Mark Kotsay

They sailed into the postseason winning their final 18 games in a row and entered the NCAA tournament as the #1 seed, a dubious distinction given that no #1 seed had ever won the College World Series to that point.  However, Fullerton won all four games in the College World Series in Omaha, beating USC in the championship game, 11-5, to become the first top seed at Omaha to win the title. The Titans' .864 winning percentage was one of highest by a national championship team.   Kotsay was named CWS MVP; in the championship game against USC, he homered in his first two at-bats, made a head-first, body-extended, diving catch in right-center field, and then came in to pitch the last two innings of the game. He hit .563 (9 for 16) for the CWS, with 20 total bases and a slugging percentage of 1.250.  To this day, Kotsay holds College World Series career records for batting average and slugging percentage, and he is generally regarded as one of the greatest college baseball players of all time. In 1995, Kotsay won both the Golden Spikes Award and the Smith Award as the nation’s top player and was selected national co-player of the year by Collegiate Baseball.  He was named 1990s College Player of the Decade by Baseball America and is a member of the 50th anniversary all-time College World Series team.