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UCI Presser
FULLERTON, Calif. -- No. 2 seed Cal Poly secured a 6-4 triumph over top-seeded and 20th-ranked UC Irvine to win the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship, presented by Ontario International Airport, Sunday at Goodwin Field.
With the victory, Cal Poly improves to 41-17 overall and claims the conference's automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Baseball Championship. The Anteaters drop to 41-15 overall, but still should be in position to earn an at-large bid into the national tournament. The 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 26 at 9 a.m. PT on ESPN2.
The Mustangs raced out to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the second as Casey Murray Jr. and Cam Hoiland each drove in a run.
Murray Jr. increased the Cal Poly lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth with a 2-run blast that sent the ball flying out the stadium.
The Anteaters responded with a four-run rally in the bottom of the frame to even the score. The first UCI run came in on a Mustang error, then Jacob McCombs hit a 3-run homer on the next pitch to tie the game.
Cal Poly pulled away from UC Irvine in the final innings. Jack Collins plated a run in the seventh and Dante Vachini added some insurance in the ninth on a sacrifice fly.
Mustang starter Ethan Marmie went 5.2 innings and gave up two hits for two runs, both unearned. Reliever Tanner Sagouspe (4-2) tossed the final 3.1 innings to earn the win. Murray Jr. went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Dylan Kordic went 1-for-3 and touched home base twice.
For UC Irvine, Chase Call went 2-for-2 and McCombs drove in three runs.
2025 Big West Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
Matthew Bardowell, Cal State Fullerton
Zach Daudet, Cal Poly
Chris Downs, Cal Poly
Ryan Fenn, Cal Poly
Trevor Hansen, UC Irvine
Maddox Latta, Cal State Fullerton
Isaiah Magdaleno, Hawai‘i
LeTrey McCollum, UC Santa Barbara
Jacob McCombs, UC Irvine
Griffin Naess, Cal Poly
Blake Penso, UC Irvine
Ben Zeigler-Namoa, Hawai‘i
MVP: Ryan Fenn, Cal Poly