In a season defined by strong hitting and consistent pitching, the No. 5 Titans produced a 43-13 regular-season record, setting themselves up for a dominant showing in the regional tournament from the mound and at the plate. Fullerton senior Danny Dorn’s home run backed a memorable pitching performance by Lauren Gagnier in the first game, in which he struck a career-high 10 batters in seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits to the Saint Louis Billikens.

The second game was more of the same, as Wes Roemer took his turn setting a career-high in strikeouts, knocking off 12 Fresno State Bulldogs in eight innings while allowing merely two earned runs. His masterful feat was also being supported by the long ball, two to be exact, this time off the bat of the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Blake Davis.

Blake Davis leading the offense is nothing new, as he, Justin Turner, Brett Pill and Brandon Tripp have shared the responsibility of carrying the offense all year, with one of them leading the team in every offensive category. The Titans have scored double-digit runs 13 times while being shutout only once all season.

Fullerton’s pitching has followed a different formula, but has attained similar results. The burden of quelling opposing offenses has been placed almost solely on the shoulders of their top two starters, Gagnier and Roemer, both who made over 15 starts this season. With their individual ERAs both below three and a combined 205 strikeouts in 240 1/3 innings to go along with their 24-5 record, these hurlers have far exceeded all expectations for this season. Senior Dustin Miller, the veteran of the three starters, has also been a nice surprise, pitching to an 11-1 record with a 2.84 ERA, albeit in only 12 starts.

The 35-26 Missouri Tigers will have their hands full this weekend, as they can expect to see the Titan’s top two starters in the first two games and nothing easier in the third game (if necessary) as Miller would take the mound. Their scorching-hot offense, fresh off a spectacular run through the regional in which they scored 25 runs in three games, will also be a challenge to the Tigers’ vaunted pitching staff.