The Big West School Spotlight: Cal State Bakersfield

2/6/2026 9:00:00 AM

See the full 2025-26 School Spotlight Series - About, UCSB, CP, LBSU, UCR, CSUN

Cal State Bakersfield was founded in 1965 as Kern State College. The institution officially became the 20th member of the California State University system in 1968. Ahead of the 1971-72 academic year, the university created its first intercollegiate sports program by sponsoring men’s basketball at the NCAA Division II level.

Following 30 national championships and nearly 1,000 All-American honors, the Roadrunners made the leap to the NCAA Division I ranks in 2007-08. Cal State Bakersfield has been a proud member of The Big West since 2020. The `Runners are the only Division I team within a 100-mile radius, proudly representing their region as Kern County’s University.

SCHOOL FACTS

Location:	Bakersfield, Calif.
Founded	1965
Nickname:	Roadrunners
Enrollment:	11,195
Alumni:	69,000+
President:	Dr. Vernon B. Harper, Jr.
Acting Athletic Director:	Dr. Sarah Tuohy
Big West Member Since:	2020
Big West Championships:	7 (individual titles)

BECOMING BOLD

2015 Baseball Season

The 2015 Cal State Bakersfield baseball team made the NCAA postseason by winning the WAC tournament. The Roadrunners scored five runs over the final three innings to come from behind and defeat Seattle U, 5-4, in the championship game.

The Roadrunners defeated Ole Miss in the Los Angeles regional for the school's inaugural postseason win.

2015-16 Men's Basketball Season

The Roadrunners qualified for the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, winning the WAC's automatic qualifier in spectacular fashion.

Guard Dedrick Basile hit a clutch, contested, 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds to go that pushed the Cal State Bakersfield to a 57-54 WAC Tournament victory.

Individual Champions

Vili Sivec

Makiah Parker

Men’s swimmer Vili Sivec earned two gold medals and one bronze medal at the 2025 Big West Swimming & Diving Championships, resetting conference records in the 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly, and 100 Freestyle in the process.

Women's track & field athlete Makiah Parker earned two medals as a true freshman, including Gold in the 200-meter on the way to being named Big West Track & Field Freshman of the Year

NOTABLE ALUMS IN THE PROS/OLYMPICS

Taze Moore

Gyasi Zardes

Darius Vines

ACADEMICS

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Cal State Bakersfield offers a variety of programs across four Colleges. The university also offers a Doctoral program in Educational Leadership and a DNP-FNP program in Nursing.