2023 Big West Baseball Schedule | Standings | Stats | Week 4 Notes (.pdf)
What 2 Watch 4
The Big West baseball programs enter this final weekend before conference play opens for 10 of the 11 squads next Friday, March 17. UC Santa Barbara gets things going with a Thursday matinee against Seton Hall, pushed up due to weather, to begin a three-game set.
Four teams are in home action beginning Friday, in UC San Diego, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield and Hawai’i, against Northern Colorado, UNLV, Big Ten outfit Ohio State, and Connecticut, respectively. The Tritons and Mustangs continue season-long home stands of 18 and 15 games, while the Rainbow Warriors’ four-game series with the Huskies goes through a Monday night finale at 9:35 p.m. PT (6:35 p.m. HT) on ESPN+.
Long Beach State altered the schedule for its home set with South Florida, and will go with a Saturday doubleheader and Sunday finale.
Of the five Big West teams hitting the road, UC Riverside faces the longest trip. The Highlanders are off to Beaumont, Texas, to take on a tough Lamar (10-3) squad of the Southland Conference in three games that will all air on ESPN+.
CSUN also moved off of Friday, and like LBSU, plays twice on Saturday and once Sunday, up north at Pacific in Stockton. UC Irvine is further north as the Anteaters head to Spokane, Wash., for three against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. UC Davis is in Tempe, Ariz., to battle Arizona State of the Pac-12, while Cal State Fullerton is in Malibu at Pepperdine.
A lighter five-game Tuesday slate features a non-conference meeting between UC San Diego and UCR in La Jolla at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. CSUN is at Pepperdine, UC Davis at Santa Clara, and Long Beach State in Riverside at California Baptist. UCI welcomes in San Diego State.
On Wednesday night, Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton host Pac-12 foes in USC and Arizona, both with 6 p.m. first pitches as well.
Check listings to see which upcoming games will air on ESPN+.
Last Week, Today
A solid week by Big West clubs was highlighted by UC Irvine’s sweep at Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton’s series victory over Texas, Long Beach State’s win at No. 9 East Carolina, and an upset by Hawai’i over No. 18 Maryland. CSUN, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara were also series victors, taking Sunday rubber games just like the Titans did.
Long Beach State put together an incredible weekend in Greenville, N.C., with a perfect 3-0 showing at the 20th annual Keith LeClair Classic. On Friday against Georgetown, the Dirtbags sent 16 to the plate and scored 12 times in the first on six hits, four walks and two hit-by-pitches. All nine players in the lineup crossed the plate. The frame was highlighted by a Rocco Peppi grand slam, and Jonathon Long going back-to-back with a solo blast. LBSU ultimately routed the Hoyas, 18-3.
In Saturday’s triumph over the Pirates, the Dirtbags got out to a 3-0 lead behind a first-inning RBI double by Peppi, an RBI single by Long in the third, and Peppi racing home on a passed ball in the fifth, and held on, 3-2. LBSU then scored six in the third and downed Indiana on Sunday.
True freshman first baseman Anthony Martinez starred during UCI’s visit to Tempe, earning national and conference Field Player of the Week recognition. The ‘Eaters put together a five-run second and six-run third in Friday’s 16-6 drubbing, getting a three-run triple by Caden Kendle and a pair of two-run blasts from Jo Oyama and Martinez, the trio combining for 10 RBI. Chase Call’s eighth-inning grand slam was the difference in Saturday’s 10-9 victory as UCI survived a four-run ninth. The ‘Eaters scored four in the first Sunday and completed the sweep. Senior Michael Stanford was a first-time Big West Pitcher of the Week.
Cal State Fullerton not only won its Sunday rubber game (5-4) at home over the Longhorns, but did so in extra-inning, walk-off fashion, on Angelo Aleman’s two-out, two-strike RBI single in the 11th to plate Brendan Bobo from second. The teams had traded single tallies in the 10th. Friday was another one-run affair in favor of the hosts, 6-5, as Cole Urman doubled to lead off the eighth and later raced across from third on a wild pitch. The Titans had rallied from a 5-1 deficit to level matters through a four-run fourth. Reliever Fynn Chester fanned four over two perfect frames to earn the winning decision.
Hawai’i went an impressive 2-1 against a trio of Big Ten opponents at the Cambria College Classic hosted by Minnesota inside U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. The Rainbow Warriors broke open a close 5-3 game against the 18th-ranked Terrapins on Sunday with four late scores, including back-to-back ninth-inning home runs by Jacob Igawa (two-run) and Kyson Donahue. UH edged the host Gophers on Friday, 3-2, behind a two-run shot by Matt Wong in the first, before dropping a 12-3 decision Saturday to an in-form Nebraska squad.
UCSB rallied to take its set with visiting Xavier after dropping Friday’s home and series opener, 2-0. The Gauchos got another solid start on the hill from Matt Ager (7.0 IP, 8 K) on Saturday, the sophomore giving up just a pair of solo home runs in the seventh before handing things off to relief ace Carter Benbrook (2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 K) for two perfect frames with the ball not leaving the infield, and a 4-2 triumph. Sunday, it was solo blasts by Aaron Parker and Justin Trimble around a three-run shot by Josh Williams, over just the first two innings, that made for a 5-1 win.
UC Davis won its first series of 2023, 2-1 at Seattle U after falling in Friday's initial meeting, 11-1. The Aggies flipped that score on Saturday, and took a 4-2 decision Sunday as Nick Leehey drove in three runs on an RBI groundout, double and homer. CSUN also rallied after losing Friday, in Northridge against Creighton. Ali Camarillo had three RBI in Sunday’s 4-3 victory on a two-run blast and sixth-inning single.
UC San Diego narrowly dropped its rubber game Sunday with visiting Santa Clara, 7-6, as did UC Riverside at home against LMU, 5-3.
CSU Bakersfield had a tall order, on the road for three games at No. 2 Stanford, and the Roadrunners dropped all three to the Cardinal. Cal Poly lost a home series to another Pac-12 contender in Oregon State, three games to one. The Mustangs’ 4-2 win to begin Saturday’s doubleheader featured a solo shot by Collin Villegas, a two-run Tate Shimao double, an RBI Evan Cloyd double, a solid Travis Weston (6.0 IP) start on the mound, and no-hit relief by Derek True and Kyle Scott.
In Tuesday action, UC Riverside edged visiting San Diego State, 3-1. Jayden Lopez and Anthony Mata had back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the third to overturn an early 1-0 deficit. UCSB cruised past Pepperdine at home, 11-1, getting plenty of offense and six scoreless frames (9 K) from freshman Tyler Bremner. LBSU dropped a narrow 7-6 decision at No. 16 UCLA. The Dirtbags rallied to tie the game at 6-6 on a Long solo shot in the top of the eighth after allowing a four-run first, but the Bruins answered with a decisive tally.
Poll Chatter
UC Santa Barbara dropped one rung to No. 12 in Collegiate Baseball’s latest rankings on Monday, with UC Irvine making its season debut in that poll at No. 27 following a loud series sweep at Arizona State and a perfect 5-0 week. The Gauchos stayed put in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) top 30 at No. 29. CSUN, Long Beach State and the Anteaters are all receiving votes outside of that poll. UCSB and UCI are getting votes just outside of USA Today’s top 25.
The Big West in the WBC
According to NCAA.com, there are no fewer than 12 former players from the 11 current Big West programs participating in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which began on March 7. Long Beach State leads with its quartet of Jarren Duran (Mexico), L.J. Jones (Panama), Jeff McNeil (Team USA) and Vance Worley (Great Britain). CSUN has a pair of alums playing for Team Canada in Denzel Clarke and Damiano Palmegiani. UC Davis also has two representatives with Joe Biagini (Italy) and Ty Kelly (Israel). Former Cal Poly pitcher Joey Wagman is on Team Israel, Andre Pallante of UC Irvine is throwing for Team Italy, and Cade Smith of Hawai’i is with Team Canada. UC San Diego alum Shlomo Lipetz is back again with Team Israel.
Pac-12 Road Sweeps
In back-to-back weeks, UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 24-25) and UC Irvine (March 3-5) produced impressive three-game road sweeps of traditional Pac-12 powerhouses in then-25th-ranked Oregon and Arizona State, respectively. The Gauchos outscored the Ducks, 20-3, while the Anteaters held a decisive run advantage of 33-17 over the Sun Devils. The ‘Eaters are now 5-0 (USC, Washington State) against the Pac-12.
‘Eater Frosh Martinez Honored by D1Baseball
Anthony Martinez, the left-handed-slugging true freshman first baseman for UC Irvine, on March 6 became the first Big West ballplayer to earn a national weekly award for this 2023 season. D1Baseball named the native of Fairfield (De La Salle HS) it’s National Player of the Week after Martinez hit .556 (10-for-18) and slugged 1.278 during a 5-0 week for UCI, providing 10 runs, four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, seven walks, three hit-by-pitches, and just one strikeout. Martinez had a string of four games with a long ball snapped on March 4.
Surveying Some Stats
UC Santa Barbara is 11th in the country with a team ERA of 2.68, and 16th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.75). CSU Bakersfield and UC Irvine are tied for ninth with two shutouts each. The CSUN staff is 14th in both WHIP (1.15) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.89), and 20th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12). UCI is sixth in triples per game (0.67) and tied for seventh with eight triples, led by newcomer Jo Oyama’s three (tied for fifth). Matador catcher Graysen Tarlow ranks fifth in batting average (.516) and sixth in on-base percentage (.634), while ‘Eater rookie Anthony Martinez is tied for third with eight doubles.
Top Big West Tilt Set for ESPNU
On Feb. 14, The Big West announced one baseball telecast on ESPNU this spring which features two of the top three teams in the preseason coaches’ poll. Defending conference champion and preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara will play at Long Beach State in primetime at 7:30 p.m. PT in the middle game of the series on Saturday, May 13, at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Gauchos represented The Big West in the 2022 NCAA postseason, with the Beach picked for a third-place finish in 2023. One of America’s premier amateur baseball facilities, Blair Field welcomed the addition this offseason of the new Bryson Financial Video Board, a state-of-the-art video display nearly 26.5 feet high and 50 feet wide in right center. 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.
UC Irvine’s Kendle on Golden Spikes List
USA Baseball on Feb. 10 announced its 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2023 season. UC Irvine’s Caden Kendle represents The Big West on the list. The true junior outfielder out of Huntington Beach (Marina High School) was a first-team All-Big West selection a year ago and is a 2023 preseason All-Big West honoree.
Coaches’ Corner
CSUN features the lone first-year skipper in the conference in Eddie Cornejo, who has taken over for the retired long-time college baseball leader, Dave Serrano. The Matadors’ 20-5 home romp over visiting Stony Brook on Opening Day on Feb. 17 gave Cornejo a first win as a college head coach. On Feb. 13, UC Santa Barbara announced a contract extension that will keep Andrew Checketts, The Big West Coach of the Year for a second time in 2022, with the Gauchos through 2029. Larry Lee, the league’s longest-tenured head coach in a 21st season at Cal Poly (617 career wins), was selected by USA Baseball in January to manage the 2023 Collegiate National Team this summer. Second-year Hawai’i head coach Rich Hill has the most wins overall of any of the 11 current Big West managers, now at 1,113 across a 35-plus-season career.
2022 Season Rewind - Gauchos Go the Distance
UC Santa Barbara went 44-14 overall and a dominant 27-3 in The Big West a season ago to cruise to its second conference title in three years by a full five games over runner-up Cal Poly. It was UCSB’s fourth league crown in all. Not only did the Gauchos take all 10 league sets with seven sweeps, they didn’t drop a single non-conference series of more than two games. UCSB went 1-2 at the NCAA Stanford Regional with a 9-4 victory over Binghamton in between defeats to Texas State and the host Cardinal. Andrew Checketts was voted by peers as The Big West Coach of the Year for a second time. Cal Poly’s duo of shortstop Brooks Lee and right-handed ace Drew Thorpe were unanimous choices for Big West Field Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, with both then becoming day-one MLB draft choices who signed pro contracts.
Brooks Nearing the Bigs
Cal Poly has the tall task this season of replacing its all-everything shortstop, Brooks Lee, the two-time Big West Field Player of the Year, 2021 and 2022 consensus All-American, and the No. 8 overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Lee has already been invited to big-league Spring Training with the Minnesota Twins. The 22-year-old ended 2022 as the top prospect in the Twins organization, and is currently rated at No. 31 in all of MLB.
Three Big West Arms on Stopper List
Matt Ager and Carter Benbrook of UC Santa Barbara were joined by UC Irvine veteran Jacob King among 81 bullpen standouts named on Feb. 16 to the 2023 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List. The award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Ager is a true sophomore right-hander who actually drew a first collegiate start in the Gauchos’ second game on Feb. 18. Fourth-year junior southpaw Benbrook starred out of the pen in 2021 before missing all of 2022 campaign due to injury. This marks a second straight preseason watch list selection for King, a fourth-year junior righty.
A Glance at Preseason Awards
Taking a look around at some of the very many preseason honors doled out by various college baseball media outlets, UC Santa Barbara starting pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Mike Gutierrez were deemed second-team preseason All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball. Redshirt junior southpaw teammate Carter Benbrook, who had a stellar 2021 out of the bullpen and garnered preseason All-America recognition prior to 2022, only to miss the entire campaign due to injury, was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team.
In its preview coverage of The Big West, D1Baseball has Long Beach State corner infielder Jonathon Long as its preseason Player of the Year, and teammate Joey Walls Jr., a transfer from UNLV, as Newcomer of the Year. The top national publication also has Gutierrez as its Pitcher of the Year and Gaucho right-hander Tyler Bremner, a San Diego product, as the Freshman of the Year. Long is also Perfect Game USA’s preseason Player of the Year for The Big West. UC Irvine outfielder Caden Kendle is on the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award watch list.
Returning Stars
Three of the five student-athletes who earned The Big West’s major awards in 2022 are back. The trio consists of Freshman Pitcher of the Year Ryan Gallagher of UC Santa Barbara, Freshman Field Player of the Year Mark Wolbert of UC Davis, and Defensive Player of the Year Connor Burns of Long Beach State. Twenty of the 37 first- and second-team All-Big West picks remain on the diamond around the league.
|
|