Cal State Fullerton, which has notched 30 wins for 36 straight seasons at the Division I level, pursues its eighth Big West title in the last 12 seasons. Long Beach State presents one of the final roadblocks to that goal as the Titans and 49ers tussle at Blair Field this weekend.
AROUND THE BIG WEST
Rivalry Renewal On Center Stage
Cal State Fullerton is zeroing in on another Big West championship, leading second place UC Irvine by 3 1/2 games and third place Pacific by four with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Cue up Long Beach State, one of two remaining clubs on the Titan league schedule with the opportunity to run some interference on Fullerton’s championship plans. The Titans and 49ers renew one of the top rivalries on the west coast this weekend at Blair Field in Long Beach.
Both teams have a lot on the line in what is always an emotionally intense series. For the Titans, they hope to maintain or increase their lead in the Big West race, as well as position themselves for favorable postseason seeding. CSF has won 12 of its last 13 games, and 23 of 28 overall after a 7-9 start. The Titans have climbed all the way to No. 9 and No. 10 in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America polls, respectively.
Long Beach State is fighting for a postseason bid. The 49ers are 21-23 overall but have won six games against non-conference top 25 teams and have played one of the toughest schedules out there. Their final 11 regular season games include matchups with the Big West’s top two squads - CSF and UCI. A torrid finish to the schedule puts the 49ers into the postseason discussion.
Meanwhile, Cal State Fullerton is looking to continue their dominance in the Big West. In the last 11 seasons, the Titans have captured seven Big West regular season titles - five outright (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006) and two shared (2000, 2008).
Watch List Updates
Several Big West players are up for prestigious national awards as the season hurtles down the home stretch.
UC Irvine’s Daniel Bibona is among the nation’s best being considered for the Golden Spikes Award and College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year. Cal State Fullerton teammates Gary Brown and Christian Colon are also on the 60-man watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Colon is on a pared down 25-man list for the Brooks Wallace Award, recognizing the nation’s top shortstop. Noe Ramirez of Cal State Fullerton joins Bibona on the CBF’s Pitcher of the Year watch list.
The CBF instituted a new award - the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award - and Cal State Fullerton teammates Nick Ramirez and Tyler Pill are on that 25-man watch list. The Olerud Award recognizes a player who makes an impact both on the mound and at the plate. The Titans are the only school with two players on that watch list. All three CBF awards will be announced July 2 in Lubbock, Texas.
UC Irvine’s Kyle Necke is on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association midseason watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award. The Johnny Bench Award, honoring the nation’s top catcher, now includes six Big West players on that list - Cal Poly’s Ross Brayton, Cal State Fullerton’s Billy Marcoe, Cal State Northridge’s Dominic Piazza, Francis Larson of UC Irvine, UC Riverside’s Robert Brantly and Joe Oliveira of Pacific.
NATIONAL AWARDS
Big West nominees only
GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD
Daniel Bibona, LHP, UC Irvine
Gary Brown, OF, Cal State Fullerton
Christian Colon, SS, Cal State Fullerton
BROOKS WALLACE AWARD
Christian Colon, SS, Cal State Fullerton
COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Daniel Bibona, LHP, UC Irvine
Noe Ramirez, RHP, Cal State Fullerton
JOHN OLERUD TWO-WAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tyler Pill, RHP/OF/DH, Cal State Fullerton
Nick Ramirez, RHP/1B, Cal State Fullerton
NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR
Kyle Necke, RHP, UC Irvine
JOHNNY BENCH AWARD
Ross Brayton, Cal Poly
Billy Marcoe, Cal State Fullerton
Dominic Piazza, Cal State Northridge
Francis Larson, UC Irvine
Robert Brantly, UC Riverside
Joe Oliveira, Pacific
Tigers Hunting For Win No. 30
Pacific swept its first Big West road series since 2001 after taking all three games against northern California rival UC Davis last weekend. The Tigers improved to 29-16 overall and have a firm grasp on third place in conference play with an 11-7 mark. Pacific’s quest for 30 wins continues this weekend in a non-conference series at Cal State Bakersfield. The Tigers most recently captured 30 wins in 2005 and 2006. Previous 30-win seasons include 1975, 1994 and 1999. The school record for victories (36) occurred in 1994. The 11 Big West wins is the most for the Tiger program since 1999 when Pacific tallied 17 in a 30-game league schedule.
Thieves On The Basepaths
Cal State Northridge set a pair of school records in the stolen base department in an 11-4 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Matadors established a record for most stolen bases in an inning, swiping five in a seven-run fifth and breaking the previous record of three. They also set the single-game record with nine stolen bases, topping the old mark of eight.
Bibona New UCI Strikeout King
Senior southpaw Daniel Bibona added another accomplishment to his already illustrious career at UC Irvine. He became the school’s all-time strikeout leader after fanning six in a 3-1 win at Cal Poly on Friday. The six strikeouts boosted his career total to 330 and thrust him past former record holder Scott Gorgen (2006-08), who had 327. Bibona also improved to 9-2 on the season and moved to 31-7 for his career. The 31 wins tie him for 10th place in the Big West career record book, and he needs only two more to vault into a tie for third.
Gagnon Showing Consistency
Long Beach State pitcher Andrew Gagnon is having a superb season on the mound. He ranks third in the Big West in both ERA (2.83) and opponent batting average (.242) for starters. In addition, he is eighth in innings pitched (76.1) and strikeouts (59). Gagnon pitched well enough in his last outing, going six innings and allowing seven hits and three runs (two earned) in a 3-2 loss to then-No. 30 Stanford on Friday.
Mustangs Going On The Offensive
There isn’t much more the Cal Poly offense can do to win games. The Mustangs have hit .391 (91-for-233) over their last six Big West games, but only have a 3-3 record to show for it. They have scored 61 runs in that six-game stretch, collecting 31 doubles, two triples and four home runs. The corresponding culprit is a Mustang pitching staff that has posted a 9.16 ERA (57 ER in 56.0 IP) during that same span.
Shults On Power Play
Justin Shults had amassed all of one home run in 108 career at-bats spanning his first two seasons in a UC Riverside uniform. The junior has discovered his power stroke in 2010. Shults leads the team and is tied for third in the Big West with nine home runs. He is also a more consistent hitter. In his first two seasons, Shults was a career .269 (29-for-108) hitter. However, he is hitting at a robust .366 (48-for-131) clip this season, ranking seventh on the league leaderboard in average.
College Baseball Foundation Has Three On Updated Watch Lists
The College Baseball Foundation placed three Big West players on its updated 25-man watch lists for both the Brooks Wallace Award and Pitcher of the Year. The Brooks Wallace Award, which recognizes the nation’s top shortstop, includes Cal State Fullerton junior Christian Colon among the list of 25 being considered for the award. Colon is hitting .348 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI. He is No. 2 in the Big West in homers and tied for second with 49 runs scored.
Two Big West candidates for Pitcher of the Year are UC Irvine senior Danny Bibona and Cal State Fullerton sophomore Noe Ramirez. Bibona leads the conference in wins (9), ERA (2.10) and strikeouts (100). Ramirez is 6-1 on the year with 67 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
Both awards will be presented on July 2 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Awards Show.
Big West Vs. Top 25
Cal Poly 0-4
Cal State Fullerton 3-4
Cal State Northridge 2-1
Long Beach State 6-5
UC Davis 1-1
UC Irvine 0-2
UC Riverside 0-5
UC Santa Barbara 1-3
Pacific 1-2
Most Multi-Hit Games
Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton 26
Brian Martin, Pacific 26
J.B. Brown, Pacific 24
Mike Walker, Pacific 22
Jeff Cusick, UC Irvine 21
Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton 21
Carlos Lopez, Cal State Fullerton 20
Most Multi-RBI Games
Nick Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton 15
Ryan Pineda, Cal State Northridge 13
Jeff Cusick, UC Irvine 12
Joey Terdoslavich, Long Beach State 11
Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton 11
Dominic D’Anna, Cal State Northridge 11
Brian Hernandez, UC Irvine 11
Mike Walker, Pacific 11
Longest Hitting Streaks
Jeff Cusick, UC Irvine 25
Nick Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton 20
Brennan Metzger, Long Beach State 19
Dominic D’Anna, Cal State Northridge 18
Carlos Lopez, Cal State Fullerton 17
Live On The Net
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring exclusive Big West events to your computer. BigWest.TV brings exclusive coverage of sports, press conferences, interviews and features into your home via the Internet! Now in its fourth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball. Also covered are select men’s and women’s soccer matches, baseball and softball games, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you can’t make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV.