Cal Poly wins Big West Championship, punches ticket to NCAA Regionals

Cal Poly is headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning its third straight elimination game in just over 24 hours on Sunday, twice beating No. 1 seed UC Irvine to secure the Big West Championship.

With a 6-4 victory, Cal Poly (41-17) punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by earning the conference’s automatic bid and its first appearance back on college baseball’s national stage since 2014.

The reinstated Big West Tournament crowned its first champion since 1998 when Long Beach State won the title before the tournament was discontinued.

After a 15-3 run-rule loss to UC Irvine on Friday night, Cal Poly returned the favor with a 15-5 mercy-rule win of its own on Saturday, which set the stage for Sunday’s winner-take-all matchup between the top two seeds.

In a game that initially looked to be in Cal Poly’s control after jumping out to a 4-0 lead, Casey Murray Jr. was at the center of the early offensive surge.

In the second inning, he ripped a triple down the left field line to drive in Nate Castellon and then scored on a groundout by Cam Hoiland to give the Mustangs an early 2-0 advantage.

Then in the sixth, Murray Jr. crushed a two-run home run to stretch the lead to 4-0.

Right-hander Ethan Marmie started for the Mustangs and pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings despite battling control issues throughout. He hit seven batters and worked around multiple bases-loaded situations but escaped each jam without allowing a run.

Time and again, the Anteaters were given golden opportunities but couldn’t break through. They ultimately left 14 men on base.

“That was our plan,” Head Coach Larry Lee said during an on-field TV interview aftet the win. “Just trying to make sure we get base runners every inning so that we can work on our defensive capabilities. I think it wears on your opposition when they have opportunities inning after inning, and they fail to cash in.”

Marmie threw 96 pitches before Cal Poly turned to the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth.

With just one out needed to escape the inning, Tanner Sagouspe entered in relief.

However, a throwing error by second baseman Ryan Fenn allowed UC Irvine’s first run to score, and moments later, a Jacob McCombs hit a three-run homer just inside the right field foul pole to tie the game at 4-4, with all four runs unearned.

Despite the sudden loss of momentum, Cal Poly immediately answered, retaking the lead on a run-scoring single by Jack Collins, before adding an insurance run in the ninth.

In the field, the Mustangs tightened up over the final three innings, avoiding any further miscues and holding off the Anteaters.

“Defensively, we made a couple of errors this game, but all season long, we’ve been playing great defense,” Lee said.

Cal Poly ensures spot in NCAA Regionals with win

Had they not won this game, the Mustangs’ playoff fate would have been left in the hands of the selection committee, with hopes of securing an at-large bid. Entering the championship, the Mustangs were ranked No. 30 in RPI with 40 wins, a combination that historically bodes well.

No team with at least 40 wins and a top-30 RPI has been left out of the NCAA Tournament in over a decade.

Lee said he and the coaching staff were aware of where they stood in the RPI rankings but emphasized that they still approached the game with the mindset that they had to win, regardless of the numbers.

“I didn’t mention it to our guys,” Lee said. “I just said, ‘We’ll go out and play our standards and have fun.’”

Fenn was named tournament MVP.

Now, after taking care of business, the Mustangs are headed to the NCAA Regionals starting Friday.

The last time they made it this far, Cal Poly hosted a regional at Baggett Stadium in San Luis Obispo.

The Mustangs will find out where and who they will play when the tournament bracket is announced during the selection show on Monday at 9 a.m. It will be televised on ESPN2.

The field will include 64 teams who will be divided into 16 regionals of four teams teach, competing in another double-elimination format. Winners will advance to the super regionals with a shot at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, on the line.

“Wherever they put us, we’re gonna compete,” Murray Jr. said during a news conference after the game.

This story was originally published May 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM.