IRVINE, Calif. (February 16, 2022) – The Big West announced four telecasts on ESPNU this spring featuring championship-caliber teams in men’s volleyball, softball and baseball.
The first contest highlights two of the top men’s volleyball programs in the nation. On Saturday, April 2, the defending national champion and No. 3-ranked Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors travel to Walter Pyramid to take on No. 1 Long Beach State at 7:30 p.m. PT. The Big West owns the last three national titles in men’s volleyball as Long Beach State won back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019.
On Friday, April 15, Big West softball takes center stage when Cal State Fullerton, ranked No. 1 in the Big West preseason poll, takes on UC San Diego, rated No. 4 in the poll, at 7 p.m. PT. The Titans are led by Hannah Becerra, 2021 Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year. Becerra hit a league-best 14 home runs a year ago. UC San Diego counters with a pair of 2021 All-Big West Second Team honorees, utility player Bobbi Aguirre and pitcher Gabby Williams.
Perennial college baseball powers UC Irvine at Long Beach State meet at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 1. Big West Coach of the Year Ben Orloff’s Anteaters were ranked No. 2 in the Big West preseason poll and return 2021 Big West Tri-Defensive Player of the Year, shortstop Taishi Nakawake. The Dirtbags were rated 24th nationally by D1Baseball.com and also claimed the top spot in the Big West preseason poll. 2021 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and Preseason All-American Devereaux Harrison leads the Beach from the bump. Harrison paced The Big West in saves a year ago and was an NCBWA First Team Freshman All-American.
On Friday, May 6, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara - the Big West’s top two baseball teams from a year ago - meet at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark in a 7 p.m. PT showdown. The Gauchos were ranked No. 3 in The Big West preseason poll, and the club is led by 2021 Big West Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year Jordan Sprinkle. UC Irvine counters with a trio of 2021 NCBWA Freshman All-Americans in outfielder Nathan Church, and pitchers Michael Frias, Nick Pinto and Jacob King. Both UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara represented The Big West in postseason play in 2021.
Games aired on ESPN networks are available on the
ESPN App, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription through an authenticated provider.
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Hawai’i at Long Beach State
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UC San Diego at Cal State Fullerton
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UC Irvine at Long Beach State
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UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine
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About The Big West Conference
The Big West is an NCAA Division I member with 11 members with the shared goal of empowering every student-athlete in competition and in life and uniting its university communities through championship experiences. Formed in 1969, The Big West membership consists of Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. The Big West is united in the pursuit of boundless opportunities, enduring integrity, bold activism, fearless innovation and the Pacific spirit of freedom, exploration and progress.
The Big West sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s water polo.
For more information, visit
BigWest.org or follow The Big West
on Twitter @BigWestSports.
For more information:
Jessica Lantz