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What 2 Watch 4
Two weeks of conference play have come and gone and there are two teams without a blemish on their league mark.
Cal Poly (13-6, 6-0 BW) and UC Davis (11-7, 3-0) sit atop the standings. UC Irvine (14-5, 5-1 BW), UC Santa Barbara (15-4, 4-2 BW) and Cal State Bakersfield (7-16, 2-1 BW) are teams that have a record better than .500 in conference play.
The third weekend of league action looks to be an exciting one as No. 21 UC Santa Barbara hosts UC Irvine. The two teams were predicted to finish at the top of the standings according to the preseason coaches’ poll and are nationally ranked according to different publications. Another intriguing series will be UC Davis at Hawai‘i. The Aggies look to keep their record intact, while the Rainbow Warriors hope to jump into the regular season title race.
Cal Poly will host a three-game non-conference series against No. 5 Oregon State.
Big West Baseball Schedule
About the Mustangs
Cal Poly is unbeaten in conference play this season, leaning on its offense. The Mustangs hit a conference-second best .295 with 17 home runs for 147 runs scored. Jack Collins (.377 BA, 27 RBI, 14 R, 5 HR) and Zach Daudet (.345 BA, 18 R, 2 HR) lead the team offensively.
About the Aggies
UC Davis has the best ERA in the conference at 3.27. Bryan Green (2.70 ERA, 25K, 23.1 IP) and Noel Valdez (3.46 ERA, 26.0 IP, 17K) are the top two starters for the team. Two-way player Braydon Wooldridge has a 0.00 ERA in 8.0 innings of work and leads the league with a .426 batting average.
About the Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara has the third-best ERA in the conference at 3.41. Donovan Jackson leads the league in ERA at 0.79 in 22.2 innings of work with 24 strikeouts. Calvin Prosy (2.70 ERA, 26.2 IP, 25K) and Tyler Bremner (2.96 ERA, 24.1 IP, 26K) bolster the Gaucho rotation. LeTrey McCollum (.347 BA, 26R), Isaac Kim (.345 BA, 17 RBI, 13 R) and Xavier Esquire (.321 BA, 16 RBI, 18 R) are the top hitters for UCSB.
About the Anteaters
UC Irvine has the best team batting average in the league at .304. The Anteaters have also scored the most runs (177). Jacob McCombs (.383 BA, 24 RBI, 23 R, 6 HR), Colin Yeaman (.380 BA, 23 RBI, 24 R) and Chase Call (.342 BA, 19 RBI, 26 R) are the top hitters for UCI.
About the Roadrunners
Nick Mascaro leads Cal State Bakersfield with a conference second-best .389 batting average, six home runs, 14 RBI and 18 runs. Ryan King has a 3.08 ERA in 26.1 innings of work on the mound.
About the Rainbow Warriors
Hawai’i has the third-best team batting average in the league at .294 and the second best team ERA at 3.39. Shunsuke Sakaino (.382 BA, 14 RBI, 20 R) has the fourth-highest batting average in the conference. Liam O’Brien (2-0, 1.07 ERA, 28K, 25.1 IP) and Cooper Walls (2-1, 2.16 ERA, 21.2 IP) are the top starters for the Rainbow Warriors.
About the Tritons
UCSD has the most home runs in The Big West with 30. Michael Crossland (.320 BA, 8 HR, 20 RBI) and JC Allen (.316 BA, 6 HR, 22 RBI) are the top two hitters for the Tritons based on OPS.
National Attention
Hawai'i, UC Irvine UC Santa Barbara are featured on the national rankings of several publications.
UC Santa Barbara is ranked No. 15 by NCBWA, No. 21 by D1Baseball and No. 21 by USA Today Coaches
UC Irvine is rated 20th by Baseball America and receiving votes by NCBWA and Perfect Game.
Hawai‘i is receiving votes by the USA Today Coaches and NCBWA.
• D1Baseball
• NCBWA
• Baseball America
• Perfect Game
• USA Today Coaches
Preseason Poll & Team
UC Santa Barbara has been picked to win The Big West, according to a poll of the conference’s 11 head coaches. It is the third year in a row that the Gauchos have been selected as the favorites in February.
UC Santa Barbara earned nine of the 11 first-place votes to total 99 points. The Gauchos, winners of three of the last five Big West titles (2019, 2022, 2024) under 14th-year head coach Andrew Checketts, finished 2024 with a 44-14 overall record and won the conference crown with a 26-4 league mark to earn the right to host the regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time on campus. UC Santa Barbara is expected to compete nationally this season, appearing on several media outlets’ preseason NCAA rankings (22nd by D1Baseball, 22nd by USA Today, 22nd by NCBWA, 23rd by Baseball America, 24th by Perfect Game).
The Big West coaches also voted on an 11-player preseason team and the Gauchos had three representatives in junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner, sophomore right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora and sophomore right-handed pitcher Cole Tryba.
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 pitched. With expectations for a repeat performance, Bremner’s name is also featured on numerous outlets’ preseason All-America teams including D1Baseball (First Team), Perfect Game (First Team) and Baseball America (First Team).
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. Tryba is anticipated to produce on a national level and was named a Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
Flora was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection last season with a 3.83 ERA, 40 strikeouts and five saves in 47.0 innings of work on the hill.
Outside of the trio that made the preseason team, UC Santa Barbara’s pitching is reinforced by the return of junior left-handed pitcher Hudson Barrett who was an All-America Third Team, Freshman All-America First Team, All-Big West First Team and Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year selection in 2023 with a 1.92 ERA and 82 strikeouts on 61.0 innings pitched. LeTrey McCollum is the top returning hitter for the Gauchos, after slashing .320/.383/.400 with 33 runs, 14 RBI and 10 stolen bases last season.
UC Irvine is second in the poll with 89 points and received the remaining two first-place votes. Last year, the Anteaters went 45-14 for all games, placed second in the conference with a 22-8 league mark and earned a trip to the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. UC Irvine joins the Gauchos in the preseason national polls, being rated No. 24 by Baseball America and receiving votes by USA Today and NCBWA. UC Irvine head coach Ben Orloff begins a seventh season in charge at the alma mater.
The Anteaters took two spots on the Big West preseason team with junior first baseman Anthony Martinez and sophomore left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda.
Martinez was an All-Big West First Team member slashing .316/.422/.492 with 18 doubles, nine home runs, 54 runs and a UCI single-season record 74 RBI. The Anteater first baseman is a Third Team Preseason All-American according to D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Ojeda was an All-Big West First Team honoree and Freshman All-American by NCBWA and D1Baseball last season. The lefty made 25 relief appearances for 52.0 innings and recorded a 6-1 record, one save, a 3.46 ERA and 74 strikeouts.
Excluding the two on the preseason team, the Anteaters also bring back Will Bermudez, an All-Big West Second Team member a year ago after recording a slash line of .301/.420/.447 with 43 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 48 RBI.
Cal Poly was picked third with 79 points. The Mustangs were tied for third in last year's standings with a 20-10 conference record, 35-22 overall.
Two Mustangs were placed on the preseason team in sophomore infielder Alejandro Garza and sophomore right-handed pitcher Griffin Naess. The second-year pair were last season’s Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year and 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. 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.
Outside of Garza and Naess, Larry Lee, the league’s longest-tenured head coach with 23 seasons at the reigns, returns two 2024 All-Big West honorees in redshirt senior infielder Ryan Fenn (.325/.362/.461, 43 R, 43 RBI, 10 SB) and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Sagouspe (4-2, 9 SV, 3.23 ERA, 47.1 IP, 54 K).
Hawai’i was predicted for fourth with points. The Rainbow Warriors were tied for third in with a 20-10 league mark, 37-16 for the season. Senior Jordan Donahue earned a spot on the preseason team. Last year, the Rainbow Warrior shortstop hit .349 with 30 RBIs to go along with 17 doubles, 43 runs scored and 10 stolen bases en route to an All-Big West Second Team selection.
Two 2024 All-Big West honorees in sophomore third baseman Elijah Ickes (36 R, 28 RBI) and junior outfielder Matthew Miura (.303/.427/.410, 49 R, 41 RBI) also return for fourth-year skipper Rich Hill. The Hawai'i head coach enters a 38th season overall in the NCAA (1998-93 at Cal Lutheran, 1994-98 at San Francisco, 1999-2021 at San Diego).
Entering its inaugural year of being a full-fledged Division I and Big West member, UC San Diego was selected to finish fifth with 63 points. The Tritons were fifth last season with a 17-13 league record, 30-23 overall. Graduate catcher Emiliano Gonzalez earns a spot on the preseason team. The UCSD backstop hit .317 with 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 46 RBI and 30 runs.
Bolstering the Triton lineup for 13th year head coach Eric Newman are sophomore utility Anthony Potestio (.318/.395/.439, 20 R, 20 RBI), sophomore outfielder Michael Crossland (.292/.393/.433, 37 R, 26 RBI) and junior outfielder Patrick Hackworth (2023 All-Big West Honorable Mention).
CSUN (50), UC Davis (25), Cal State Fullerton (36), Long Beach State (36), Cal State Bakersfield (18) and UC Riverside (12) round out the poll.
CSUN finished above .500 in league play last season at 16-14 and were 30-24 overall. Third-year head coach Eddie Cornejo looks to build on the momentum and brings back sophomore outfielder Jarren Sanderson who slashed .312/.385/.435 with 26 runs and 31 RBI last season.
UC Davis senior left-handed pitcher Bryan Green, an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection in 2024 with a 3.86 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 63.0 innings of work, was placed on the preseason team. For fourth-year head coach Tommy Nicholson, senior right-handed pitcher Carter Delaney reinforces the Aggie pitching staff, coming off an All-Big West Honorable Mention season with a 5-3 record, 2.23 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.
Cal State Fullerton, the hosts for the returning Big West Baseball Championship, and fourth-year skipper Jason Dietrich bring back two of its top hitters in Eli Lopez (.300/.406/.415, 32 R, 19 RBI) and Maddox Latta (29 R, 31 RBI).
Long Beach State junior right-handed pitcher Kellan Montgomery fills out the preseason team. Montgomery had a 3.95 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 86.2 innings pitched last season. The Beach return Kyle Ashworth (45 R, 27 RBI) an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection a year ago.
There will be two new head coaches in the league at the helm of the Cal State Bakersfield and Long Beach State programs. The Roadrunners have hired Jordon Banfield as its new baseball head coach. The Beach have tabbed TJ Bruce as their new skipper. Banfield spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Oakland. Bruce was the associate head coach at TCU for the previous two seasons.
Big West Baseball Championship
For the first time in 27 years, The Big West will have a conference championship. The league’s top five teams will advance to the Big West Baseball Championship May 21-24 at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
History of Big West at College World Series
The Big West has sent at least one team to the Men’s College World Series in 21 seasons, including a stretch of eight consecutive years from 1988-95 and four in a row from 2014-17. Four current members have represented The Big West at the MCWS - Cal State Fullerton (1975, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2017), Long Beach State (1989, 1991, 1993, 1998), UC Irvine (2007, 2014) and UC Santa Barbara (2016).
In 2007, CSUF and UCI played in the longest game in MCWS history - a five-hour-and-40-minute marathon that lasted 13 innings and ended in a 5-4 Anteater victory. The Big West has won two national titles, both by the Titans, in 1995 and 2004.
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