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What 2 Watch 4
Conference play hits the halfway point this weekend. UC San Diego (14-14, 10-2 BW) and Cal Poly (18-13, 10-5 BW) are at the top of the standings as the only two Big West teams with double digit wins in league action.
Right behind the frontrunners are three teams above .500 in UC Santa Barbara (20-10, 8-4 BW), Cal State Fullerton (15-16, 9-6 BW) and CSUN (18-13, 8-7 BW). UC Irvine (15-17, 6-6 BW) sits in sixth place with a .500 record in Big West play.
The weekend’s conference action is highlighted by first-place UC San Diego visiting UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons have yet to lose a conference series, while the Gauchos are coming off a sweep over Cal Poly.
Another intriguing series to watch is UC Irvine at Hawai‘i. Both teams look to improve upon their current league standings as they were in the upper half of the preseason poll, with UC Irvine predicted in third and Hawai‘i tied for fourth.
The other matchups in week six of conference play are: CSUN at UC Riverside, Cal State Bakersfield at UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State.
Cal Poly will travel to No. 7 Oregon State (25-7) in this weekend’s lone non-conference series.
Big West Baseball Schedule
Around the Horn
UC San Diego is first place in the standings with an 10-2 conference record, 14-14 overall. In Big West play, the Tritons have a .304 team batting average with 21 home runs. J.C. Allen (.333 BA, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 21 R), Anthony Potestio (.315 BA, 11 RBI, 29 R), Gabe Camacho (10 HR, 31 RBI, 25 R) are the offensive catalysts for UCSD. Allen has a .473 batting average with 18 RBI against league opponents.
Cal Poly is 18-13 overall and 10-5 in conference action. The Mustangs top the conference in batting average (.295), doubles (79) and triples (8), Casey Murray Jr. (.347, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 25 R), Alejandro Garza (.336 BA, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 26 R), Nate Castellon (.333 BA, 12 RBI, 30 R), Ryan Tayman (.330 BA, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 24 R) and Cam Hoiland (.304 BA, 15 RBI, 21 R) are the top hitters for the Mustangs. Garza is in the top 10 in the league in batting average, RBI and runs scored. The Cal Poly pitching staff is led by starters Carson Turnquist (2-1, 3.62 ERA, 34 K, 32.1 IP) and Griffin Naess (4-2, 42 K, 42.1 IP), and bullpen arms Brady Estes (2.31 ERA, 26 K, 23.1 IP) and Nick Bonn (8 SV, 3.46 ERA, 24 K, 26.0 IP).
UC Santa Barbara is 20-10 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The Gauchos have the best ERA in the conference at 2.80. Ace Jackson Flora leads the league in wins (6), ERA (0.69), innings pitched (52.1) and strikeouts (65). Kellan Montgomery (5-2, 3.35 ERA, 34 K, 43.0 IP) and Nathan Aceves (2-1, 3.51 ERA, 50 K, 41.0 IP) are the other two starters for UCSB. Colin Beazizo (.333 BA, 10 RBI, 11 R), Rowan Kelly (.327 BA, 19 RBI, 30 R) and Corey Nunez (.302 BA, 11 R) are the top hitters for UCSB in batting average. Nick Husovsky is the Gaucho leader in RBI (22).
Cal State Fullerton has a 9-6 conference record. Ace Mikiah Negrete is 5-2 with a 1.74 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 51.2 innings this season. Paul Contreras (.378 BA, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R) tops the league in batting average and is the Titans’ leader in batting average, home runs, RBI and runs.
CSUN has a 18-13 overall record with an 8-7 league mark. The Matadors lead the conference with 52 home runs and 201 RBI. CSUN is led by Matthew Thomas (.359 BA, 11 HR, 30 RBI, 34 R), Colton Boardman (.349 BA, 11 R), Andrew Becker (.330 BA, 14 RBI, 18 R), Kyle Panganiban (.324 BA, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R) and Matthew Pena (.320 BA, league-lead 13 HR, league co-lead 36 RBI, 27 R). Reliever Jaiden Turner has a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched.
UC Irvine has a 6-6 conference record. The Anteaters are led by starters Finnegan Wall (3-1, 2.65 ERA, 28 K, 37.1 IP) and Trevor Hansen (4-2, 3.86 ERA, 62 K, 51.1 IP). Hansen is second in the league in strikeouts and innings pitched. Augie Gutierrez (.324 BA, 16 R), Zach Fjelstad (.303 BA, 15 RBI, 22 R) and Alonso Reyes (22 RBI, 11 R) are the top hitters for UCI.
Cal State Bakersfield has scored 217 runs this season, the most in the conference. Five Roadrunners hit above .300 in Evan Cloyd (.333 BA, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 25 R), Kanoa Morisaki (.333 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 20 R), Jacob May (.328 BA, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 32 R), Elgin Bennett (.315 BA, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 23 R) and Elijah Pelayo (.303 BA, 20 RBI, 23 R). CSUB reliever Jacob Gutierrez is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 38.2 innings on the mound.
Hawai‘i has the second-best team ERA in the conference at 3.34, led by starters Isaiah Magdaleno (4-2, 2.61 ERA, 61 K, 52.1 P) and Hekili Robello (5-2, 3.33 ERA, 47 K, 46.0 IP). Ben Zeigler-Namoa (.301 BA, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 18 R) and Elijah Ickes (.290 BA, 16 R) and are the top offensive threats for Hawai‘i.
UC Davis reliever Rowen Barnes has a 0.95 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19.0 innings. Tyler Howard (17 RBI, 25 R) and Elijah McNeal (16 RBI, 13 R) are the top hitters for the Aggies.
Long Beach State’s Trevor Goldenetz (.369 BA, 12 RBI, 26 R) is second int he league in batting average. Dylan Lina leads the team with seven home runs and a conference co-best 36 RBI. Jake Evans (.356 BA, 14 RBI, 18 R) and Trotter Enright (26 RBI) are also key parts of the Beach lineup.
David Gibbs (.293 BA, 14 RBI, 11 R) tops the UC Riverside lineup in batting average. Jarren Sanderson and Lucas Bonham lead the team in RBI with 22 and 20, respectively.
Tickets On Sale Now
All-Session tickets for the 2026 Big West Baseball Championship are on sale now. 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.
All-Session tickets for all days of competition are $125 for reserved seating and $75 for general admission.
Single-session tickets are on sale April 29, 2026, and range from $10 - $20 for games 1-6 and $10 - $25 for the championship game on Saturday, May 23 at 6 p.m. and the “if necessary” championshipgame in the double-elimination event on Sunday, May 24 at Noon.
Purchase All-Session Tickets
Championship Homepage
Big West in MLB Opening Day
No less than 19 former Big West baseball standouts will suit up for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams on Opening Day of the 2026 season. For full list >>>>
Former Big West players are spread out over 13 MLB clubs, with the St. Louis Cardinals housing four alums on their rosters. The Athletics, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants are also teams that have multiple Big West alums on Opening Day rosters. Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine led all Big West programs with four players each on Opening Day rosters.
Big West alums are also scattered throughout MLB coaching staffs and front offices, but no two are more prominent than managers Mark Kotsay (Cal State Fullerton/Athletics) and Skip Schumaker (UC Santa Barbara/Texas Rangers).
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.
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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