Hanging high atop the northwest corner of historic Titan Gym is a 20-foot-high banner featuring an intense-looking Candice Baker firing a pitch toward home plate. It could have been her trademark rise ball, which was known to confuse an opposing batter – sometimes nicking the knob of the bat for a foul ball, or twisting up a hitter for a strikeout.  
  
Baker ruled the 16' diameter pitching circle from 2004 through 2007. With a fastball clocked at 73 mph and a wicked screwball, Candice is still Cal State Fullerton's all-time strikeout leader, with 712, and had a veritable arsenal of effective pitches. 

Nearly 20 years removed from her time in navy blue and orange, Candice remains in the CSUF softball career top-ten in nine pitching categories. When not pitching, Baker was a solid contributor in the field and at the plate, hitting 12 home runs and knocking in 87 runs in her four years. 

An all-around athlete at Cypress High School, the Buena Park native played four years of softball and volleyball for the Centurions and participated in travel softball with the California Cruisers, Tuff E Nuff, and Batbusters. In addition to pitching, Candice played shortstop and second base. 

When asked to compare her experiences in playing high school softball with travel ball, Candice explained:  "I think that when you put your cleats on to step onto a field that it's important to give everything that you have, no matter if it's for your high school team or travel ball team. If you cannot put in the work equally with both teams, then why are you playing on both teams?" 

Baker was team MVP in each of her four years of high school and was rewarded with All-Orange County honors, and was selected first-team All-CIF twice, and Empire League Player of the Year as a senior. 

When it came time to select a college, Candice had several options: "I truly considered going to Florida State, or the University of Louisiana at Monroe with my older sister, Kristen. What truly sold me on CSUF was (then-head coach) Michelle Gromacki, Terry Schweikert, the staff, and the team that I met on my recruiting trip. I enjoyed the time that I spent with them, and how nice they all were. It was a family, and it was important to me to be a part of a family atmosphere.
 
"I loved that I could play at a D1 college and still be close to my family. My parents have always been my biggest fans and support system, so being close to them at my games meant the world to me. Another reason is that my grandmother, Ruth Bush, had cancer at the time. I wanted to be close to her, and have her be able to come to my games."
 
As a player, Candice contributed to Titan teams that won a Big West Championship and participated in the NCAA Softball Tournament for three consecutive years, advancing to the Super Regional (Field of 16) in 2007. 
 
Gromacki had this to say about Candice's Titan career: "(She) did everything right on the dirt. She could even steal bases. At shortstop, she could tag both runners out on a 1^st and 3^rd play all by herself. She was a talent like no other."  
 
When asked about some of her favorite on-field memories, Candice was effusive:

• Delay stealing against Ohio State in a regular season game, and also in the 2007 NCAA Regional.
• Making double plays with Crystal Vieyra on balls hit up the middle.
• Coach Gromacki calling time out during an NCAA Regional game to get the ball that broke the strikeout record for CSUF.
• Throwing a no-hitter against Stanford at the Worth Invitational.
• "Bullpens with Kiki Munoz were the best.  I would wear headphones and listen to music while warming up.  She was always able to keep me calm before games."
• "The 2007 NCAA Regional at Ohio State was probably one of the best weekends of my life."
• Hitting a solo home run off of (Virginia Tech All-American) Angela Tincher to beat them in an NCAA Regional game

Candice's good times were not confined to her time on the diamond. She remembers, "I lived with Marissa Marzan and Ashley Van Boxmeer, and our house had three rooms that were close together, but all of us would be on our computers chatting through AOL Instant Messenger.
 
"I also enjoyed the road trips I took with my teammates to Northern California and Palm Springs. They were all very spontaneous trips that I will always remember. We would also go to other CSUF sporting events to support those players and teams."
 
Finally, Candice added, "Going home to be around my family, and seeing old friends from high school."
 
When asked to remember some mentors who had helped her along the way, Baker mentioned two individuals in particular:  "I played five years for Mike Stith, who runs the Batbusters organization.  He embedded in my head fundamentals, techniques, and the tools to give me opportunities to play at the next level.  It was pretty funny when we would have other organizations call us 'Robots,' because we were so dialed in on our routine.  He has been an amazing coach and mentor through the years.
 
"Michelle Gromacki has made a huge impact on my life. She never gave up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself. She was not just a coach on the field, but a person that I respected as (someone who) cared. She was always the voice of reason, and always knew what to say."
 
Coach Gromacki was equally demonstrative in her praise for Candice: "(She) was an amazing athlete, team player, and was a true winner. 
 
"Candice was built to train and play. I have so much respect for what Candice did on the field, in the circle, and in the gym. Her graduation was one of my proudest moments.
 
"I love that girl with all my heart, and I love the Bakers with all my heart." 
 
After completing her Cal State Fullerton degree, Candice moved to the state of Washington, where she coached and gave pitching instruction through 2011. "I loved working with kids in softball, tutoring, and teaching the mental game." She added, "I continued to hold clinics on weekends when I stopped coaching. I even played slow-pitch softball for a few years until I needed neck surgery."
 
The beautiful, Washington outdoors captivated Candice:  "I learned about crabbing, salmon fishing, clamming, and other hunting & fishing skills. I traveled the state with friends, and I really enjoy the Puget Sound area."
 
Candice Baker-Fitch married her wife, Shannon Fitch, in 2016, they have two children, Ember (3 years) and Blaine (16 months). Together, they live in Kent, WA in a home that overlooks the scenic Puget Sound.
 
Candice is an Office Manager for Warner Bros. Discovery in Bellevue, WA. Her work involves the streaming side of the industry, which includes MAX, Discovery+, and HBO Max.
 
The all-time Titan great is "Still very much in touch with my teammates from the 2005-2007 years. I love when we can get together for alumni events, and also to make time to visit when we are all back in California. I wish that there was more time when I'm around them."
 
Honors

• B.A., American Studies, Cal State Fullerton - 2008
• All-Region, First Team – 2006, 2005
• All-Region, Second Team – 2007
• All-Big West Conference, First Team – 2007, 2006
• All-Big West Conference, Second Team – 2005
• Big West Conference Champions – 2006
• NCAA Softball Tournament – 2007, 2006, 2005
• No Hitter – vs. Stanford – 03/02/07

Youth & Senior National Championships

• Tuff-E-Nuff – 4 National Titles
• Batbusters – 1 National Title
• Connecticut Brakettes – 1 National Title

CSUF Softball Career Records

• #1 – Strikeouts – 712
• #2 – Games Started – 103
• #2 – Saves – 7
• #3 – Appearances – 135
• #3 – Innings Pitched – 685.0
• #5 – Complete Games – 67
• #6 – Victories – 56
• #6 – Most Strikeouts Per 7 Innings – 7.28
• #8 – Opponent Batting Average – .208
• Wins / Losses – 56-51
• ERA – 2.53
• Batting Average – .249
• Home Runs – 12
• Runs Batted In – 87
• CSUF Team Record (2004-2007) – 123-102 (.547)

SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitansTickets.com. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan Baseball ticketing office and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.

FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), X (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans), YouTube (FullertonTitansAthletics) and TikTok (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Instagram (@Fullerton_sb) and X accounts (@Fullerton_sb).

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch home contests exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for Titans Athletics. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.