Cal Poly beats Virginia Tech, advances to winner’s bracket at L.A. Regional

The two top-seeded teams in the Los Angeles Regional are playing in Saturday’s loser’s bracket.

​Cal Poly isn’t one of them.​

Upsets defined the opening day of the regional at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium, and Cal Poly made sure it was on the right side of one.​

First, No. 4 seed St. Mary’s knocked off UCLA 3-2, the national No. 1 seed. Then Cal Poly took care of Virginia Tech.​

The Mustangs (37-22) rose to the occasion in round one, coming in as the No. 3 seed and beating No. 2-seeded Virginia Tech 6-2.​

Cal Poly arrived fresh off a Big West Championship, and it showed, though the same couldn’t be said for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship last week but earned an at-large bid thanks to a robust regular season and one of the strongest nationally ranked schedules in the country.

The win marked Cal Poly’s first regional opener victory since 2014, as the Mustangs rode the strong arm of Griffin Naess.

Cal Poly’s ace struck out nine over seven innings, allowing only two runs on five hits. It was a total team effort with the bats coming to life and Naess holding his own on the mound.

Virginia Tech started Logan Eisenreich, holding back ace Brett Renfrow for a potential later matchup.

Head Coach Larry Lee said it never mattered who they were going to face; it was always going to be Naess taking that starting role.

That same move worked in the Big West Championship opener against UC San Diego, when Naess struck out 11 batters and set the tone in a 1-0 win.

Sticking with him on the regional stage gave Cal Poly a familiar arm in a high-pressure opener.

“All I have to do is pitch my game,” Naess said. “If I pitch good or pitch my game, then we’re gonna win the game because our offense is gonna put some runs on the board.”

While Naess set the tone on the mound, the offense answered with the support he needed.​

Cal Poly scored first, tallying two runs in the second inning. The Mustangs never looked back.

“Griff, great opener for a regional and just what we needed,” Lee said. “We set the tone through seven quality innings and allowed our guys to play the style of baseball that we need to play.”

The Mustangs kept the pressure on after the two-run second inning, adding single runs in each of the next four frames. Casey Murray Jr. finished with four hits in five at-bats and drove in two runs, while Cam Hoiland sent a home run over the left-field wall.

Cal Poly also turned to its bullpen late, bringing in Brady Estes in the eighth before the Hokies threatened and Estes found himself in a jam.

Nick Bonn took over from there and did what he has done all season: shut the door.

Bonn closed out the game with his 16th save of the season, adding another late-game finish to his record-setting year.

A large part of Cal Poly’s roster was in this same position a year ago, giving the Mustangs the experience of playing regional baseball. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, was making its first postseason appearance in four years.

“We created opportunities. That’s all you can do,” Lee said.

Lee keeps same message as Mustangs prepare for St. Mary’s

A week ago, Lee warned his team not to feel relieved about the name on the other side of the bracket.

After UC San Diego knocked out No. 1-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championships, Cal Poly avoided another matchup with the Gauchos. But Lee’s message was clear: The Mustangs could not look at UC San Diego as an easier opponent.

Cal Poly lost to UC San Diego that day, forcing a winner-take-all championship game the next afternoon.

Now, the Mustangs are in a similar spot.

Cal Poly will face St. Mary’s on Saturday, the same team that upset the No. 1 team in the nation just hours before the Mustangs took the mound at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Once again, Lee said the opponent does not change the message.

“What happens tomorrow has nothing to do with what we’re doing tonight in this particular game, and that message has been loud and clear,” Lee said. “It’s been repetitive, and I’m hoping that the majority of our team has taken that to heart and allows them just to focus on the task at hand.”

No. 3 Cal Poly will face No. 4 Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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