As part of a robust package of nearly 160 games across ESPN linear platforms, UC Santa Barbara is set to host Cal Poly at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on Friday, April 18 at 6 p.m. in a nationally televised contest on ESPNU.
The television lineup features 19 of the top 25 preseason ranked teams, including UCSB, who opens the season ranked 22nd in the polling.
UC Santa Barbara is the reigning Big West champion with a 44-14 overall record and 26-4 conference mark last season. The Gauchos hosted a regional on its campus for the first time and finished the season ranked 19th in the nation according to D1Baseball.com. The Gauchos have captured three of the last five Big West titles (2019, 2022, 2024) and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) during that span.
In 2024, Cal Poly finished tied for third in the conference standings with a 20-10 record in league play, going 35-22 overall. The Mustangs also celebrate head coach Larry Lee’s 23rd season at the helm of the program, currently the longest tenured baseball head coach in The Big West.
UC Santa Barbara returns right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner and lefty Cole Tryba. The pair were named Preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball.com earlier this year. Bremner was an All-Big West First Team and an All-American according to three outlets (ABCA, NCBWA, Perfect Game). The San Diego, Calif. product went 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA, striking out 104 batters in 88.2 innings of work. Tryba was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection in 2024 with three saves, a 3.64 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 47.0 innings on the mound.
Cal Poly brings back infielder Alejandro Garza and right-handed pitcher Griffin Naess who were last season’s Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year and Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Garza appeared in 56 games with 52 starts as a rookie and batted .346 with 28 RBI and 27 runs. The Bakersfield, Calif. native was the toughest batter to strikeout in The Big West, third nationally, with only 10 Ks on the season and ranked eighth in the league in sacrifice bunts with eight. Naess had an undefeated pitching record on the mound (7-0) in 15 appearances, 12 starts, with a 3.58 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The Mustang freshman hurler compiled 62 strikeouts in 73.0 innings of work. The righty finished top 10 in the league in multiple stats categories including ERA, hits allowed per nine innings (7.64), pitching wins and WHIP.
Cal Poly won last season’s three-game series, 2-1, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. It was two of the Gauchos’ four losses in conference play. The Mustangs won game one 8-3, before UC Santa Barbara pulled an 11-10 victory in 12 innings. Cal Poly won the rubber match 6-3.
The 2025 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll is set to be announced tomorrow, and the season commences on Friday, Feb. 14, with all 11 teams taking to the field to open the year. Conference play begins on Friday, March 14, with the season culminating in the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship.
A variety of regular-season games and every contest in the Championship is slated to air digitally to subscribers on ESPN+ with over 3,900 games on tap nationwide. To sign up, please visit espn.com/watch. 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.
About The Big West
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, Cal State 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 21 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, men’s and women’s water polo and men's and women's swimming and diving. For more information, visit BigWest.org or follow The Big West on X @BigWestSports.