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What 2 Watch 4
Conference play enters week three and two teams are unbeaten in Cal Poly (12-7, 6-0 BW) and UC San Diego (7-10, 3-0 BW). Cal State Fullerton (10-10, 5-1 BW) is right behind, followed by UC Santa Barbara (14-4, 4-2 BW) and UC Davis (9-9, 4-2 BW).
The third week of conference play is highlighted by pole position Cal Poly hosting fourth-place UC Davis. The Mustangs have an eight-game win streak, while the Aggies are coming off a series win against UC Santa Barbara.
Another matchup to watch is Hawai‘i (10-9, 1-5 BW) at UC Santa Barbara. In the preseason poll, the Gauchos were the favorites, while the Rainbow Warriors were picked fourth.
The other matchups in the third week of conference play are UC Riverside (6-14, 1-2 BW) at UC San Diego, Long Beach State (7-13, 2-4 BW) at Cal State Bakersfield (7-14, 1-5 BW) and CSUN (11-9, 2-4 BW) at Cal State Fullerton (10-10, 5-1 BW).
Big West Baseball Schedule
Around the Horn
Cal Poly is riding an eight-game win streak and is undefeated in conference play at 6-0, sweeping Hawai‘i and Cal State Bakersfield. The Mustangs pitching staff are led by starters Griffin Naess (3-1, 2.40 ERA, 34 K, 30.0 IP) and Carson Turnquist (2-0, 1.40 ERA, 17K, 19.1 IP), and bullpen arms Luke Kalfsbeek (0.00 ERA), Nick Bonn (1.15 ERA), Brady Estes (1.23 ERA) and Chris Downs (2.70 ERA). Casey Murray Jr. (.370 BA, 10 RBI, 16 R) and Nate Castellon (.346 BA, 22 R) are the top hitters for Cal Poly.
UC San Diego is undefeated in conference play at 3-0. Gabe Camacho (.323 BA, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 16 R), Anthony Potestio (.322 BA, 21 R) and J.C. Allen (.313 BA, 19 RBI, 10 R) are the offensive catalysts for UC San Diego.
Cal State Fullerton is 5-1 in league action, coming off a sweep of UC Irvine. Ace Mikiah Negrete is 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29.2 innings this season. Paul Contreras (.328 BA, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R) the Titans’ leader or co-leader in batting average, home runs, RBI and runs.
UC Santa Barbara is 14-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Ace Jackson Flora is 5-0 with a league-leading 1.15 ERA and 39 strikes in 31.1 innings of work. Rowan Kelly (.386 BA, 11 RBI, 20 R), Jonathan Mendez (.311 BA, 13 R) and Cade Goldstein (.308, 10 RBI, 11 R) are also top hitters for UCSB. Nick Husovsky has five home runs for 19 RBI and 16 runs.
UC Davis is 4-2 in conference play. The Aggies have the best team ERA in conference play at 3.23.Pitchers Rowen Barnes (4.1 IP), Jack Pezzolo (4.2 IP), Peter Storjohann (2.1 IP) and Jack Meek (1.1 IP) have a 0.00 ERA against league opponents. Tyler Howard (.318 BA, 15 RBI) is the top hitter for the Aggies.
CSUN leads the conference with 34 home runs this season. The Matador offense is led by Matthew Thomas (.315 BA, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 23 R) and Matthew Pena (.310 BA, 9 HR, 21 RBI, 20 R), the league’s top two home run hitters.
Two batters for Long Beach State are hitting above .300 with Jake Evans (.397 BA, 8 RBI, 12 R) and Trevor Goldenetz (.394 BA, 8 RBI, 15 R), while Dylan Lina leads the team with five home runs and 26 RBI. Evan Trotter has a team-high 18 RBI.
Manoah Chapman (.309 BA) leads UC Riverside in batting average, while Jarren Sanderson is the Highlanders’ RBI leader (12) and Robert Pitts tops the team in runs scored (12). Reliever Matt Hudson has a 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings of work.
Hawai‘i has a team ERA of 3.11, led by three starters in Liam O’Brien (2.86 ERA, 22.0 IP, 19K), Isaiah Magdaleno (2-1, 3.26 ERA, 38 K, 39.1 P) and Hekili Robello (3-1, 3.51 ERA, 28 K, 25.2 IP). Elijah Ickes (.329 BA, 6 RBI, 14 R) is the top hitter for Hawai‘i.
UC Irvine ace Trevor Hansen is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA and league-leading 41 strikeouts in 32.2 innings of work. Zach Fjelstad (.358 BA, 11 RBI, 16 R) and Alonso Reyes (.3353 BA, 15 RBI, 9 R) lead the ‘Eaters in batting average.
Cal State Bakersfield has scored 133 runs this season, the second most in the conference. Four Roadrunners hit above .300 with Evan Cloyd (.421 BA, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 15 R), Kanoa Morisaki (.380 BA, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 15 R), Elgin Bennett (.327 BA, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R) and Elijah Pelayo (.321 BA, 11 RBI, 13 R).
National Attention
UC Santa Barbara is receiving votes in the latest NCBWA and USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
Cal Poly is receiving votes in the latest USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
• 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 fourth year in a row that the Gauchos have been selected as the preseason favorites in February.
UC Santa Barbara earned five of the 11 first-place votes to total 95 points. The Gauchos have won three of the last six awarded Big West regular-season titles (2019, 2022, 2024) and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) during that span. In 2025, UC Santa Barbara tied for fourth in the league standings with a 16-14 conference mark, going 36-18 overall. The Gauchos qualified for The Big West Championship and were eliminated in the opening round. UC Santa Barbara is expected to compete nationally this season, coming in at No. 21 in Perfect Game’s preseason rankings and receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
The Big West coaches also voted on an 11-player preseason team and the Gauchos had a representative in junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora. A reigning All-Big West First Team member, Flora went 6-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 75.0 innings in 2025.
Cal Poly came in second in the poll, receiving five first-place votes for 89 points. Last year, the Mustangs went overall 43-19 overall and finished second in the conference regular-season with a 23-7 mark. The Mustangs won the revived Big West Championship and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Mustangs took two spots on the preseason team with junior third baseman Alejandro Garza and junior left-handed pitcher Griffin Naess. Garza is a two-time All-Big West First Team honoree and hit .351 with 54 RBI and 57 runs last year. Naess was Cal Poly’s ace in 2025, going 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 95.0 innings of work.
The final remaining first-place vote went to UC Irvine, predicted for third in the poll with 86 points. The Anteaters are the reigning Big West regular-season champion with a 24-6 conference record, going 43-17 overall. UC Irvine was the runner-up in the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship but did well enough to receive an at-large bid to the national tournament. The Anteaters are receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
The Anteaters had two representatives on the Big West preseason team with junior right-handed pitcher Trevor Hansen and junior left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda. Both were All-Big West First Team selections in 2025. Hansen went 9-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 95.1 innings. Ojeda was 13-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 66.0 innings.
Cal State Fullerton and Hawai‘i tied for fourth in the poll with 67 points. Last season, the Titans were third in the regular season after going 19-11 in league play, 29-27 overall, while the Rainbow Warriors were tied for fourth with a 16-14 conference mark and 35-21 overall. Cal State Fullerton is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
Titan outfielder/first baseman Andrew Kirchner was named to the preseason team after hitting .301 with 12 home runs, 70 RBI and 38 runs en route to All-Big West Second Team honors in 2025.
Hawai‘i had three on the preseason team with junior infielder Elijah Ickes, junior right-handed pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno and graduate outfielder/infielder Ben Zeigler-Namoa. Ickes batted .303 with six stolen bases, 21 RBI and 27 runs in limited action last year. Magdaleno went 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 60.0 innings pitched for All-Big West First Team honors. Zeigler-Namoa was a 2025 All-Big West Second Team member with a .333 batting average, 54 runs and 41 RBI.
UC San Diego was selected to finish sixth with 60 points. The Tritons were sixth last season with a 15-15 league record, 26-25 overall. Senior infielder J.C. Allen and junior outfielder Michael Crossland earned spots on the preseason team. In 2025, Allen earned All-Big West First Team distinction hitting .304 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 56 runs. Crossland was also an All-Big West First Team selection last season with a .341 batting average, 15 home runs, six stolen bases, 44 RBI and 49 runs.
Long Beach State (41), UC Davis (40), CSUN (25), Cal State Bakersfield (22) and UC Riverside (13) round out the poll.
The 2026 Big West conference schedule consists of a 30-game slate, with each side facing all 10 opponents in three-game sets starting Friday, March 6. Check listings to see which contests air on ESPN+.
The Big West’s top five teams will advance to the 2026 Big West Baseball Championship, May 20-24 at UC Irvine’s Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
Big West Baseball Championship
The league’s top five teams will advance to the 2026 Big West Baseball Championship May 20-24 at UC Irvine's Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark, 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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