From Southern California, senior Torin Goldstein was raised with baseball in his blood and was destined to become a pivotal player on a team. Whether it’s hitting and collecting RBIs on offense or making plays on defense, Goldstein is always making an impact on the field.

He has become one of the most reliable offensive weapons for Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole. Racking up a .433 batting average, Goldstein has really hit a stride in his final season with 26 hits, 16 RBIs and a home run.

While attending Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine, Goldstein was invited by Batesole  to visit Fresno State. Eventually falling in love with the atmosphere and the program, he knew he wanted to play baseball at Fresno State.

“They preach a winning atmosphere here, and I love it. If we lose, it’s abnormal,” Goldstein said. “I visited a couple other schools, but here they want to win…that made me want to play here.”

His family is also a big part of why he loves baseball. His grandfather and father both played collegiate ball, and he has followed that tradition.

Goldstein’s grandfather even got to play at a professional level for a short time with the Angels’ organization in AA baseball.

“I played baseball my entire life. My dad played at Long Beach, and my grandpa played for UCLA, so playing baseball kind of runs in the family,” Goldstein said.

And as Goldstein follows in his family’s footprints so does his family with Torin, especially his grandparents.

“My grandparents are here every weekend. They’ve watched me here for five years now. They even travel to away games sometimes,” Goldstein said.

For five years, Goldstein has been donning a Bulldog jersey and with that came a lot of memories. One of his best times at Fresno State has been with his teammates where he feels like Bulldog baseball is one big family.

“Over the course of five years playing here, I have made relationships that will last for a long time,” Goldstein said. “We always have each other’s backs. Even when players leave and new guys come in, we treat them the same.”

Goldstein is enjoying his last season and even though early on the team was still working out some kinks, it now feels like it’s all falling into place. He says they just need to finish up playing like they know how to play.

Unfortunately for Goldstein, he suffered an injury to his knee during the last game of the series with San Jose State at home on April 15. He was out of the line-up for games against St. Mary’s, the series against San Diego State and the game against Northridge.

He started to make an appearance in the batter’s box on April 27 against Air Force when he went 1-1 to collect an RBI for the ‘Dogs.

He mentioned that it was not anything too big and that he’s been running and hitting ever since the San Diego State series. He is now looking forward to being back on the field.

“The one thing I told myself coming into [Fresno State] was that I was going to do everything that I can to win baseball games, whether I was on the field or on the bench,” Goldstein said. “I feel like I have done a great job doing what I thought I wanted to do here which was being a great team player. That was my goal at the end of the day.”