Cal Poly baseball opens Big West play against defending champion Cal State Fullerton

By Lucas Clark

April 7, 2016 2:56 PM

The Cal Poly baseball team hosts Cal State Fullerton in the opener of a three-game series at 6 p.m. Friday inside Baggett Stadium. Joe Johnston jjohnston@thetribunenews.com

Entering Big West Conference play on a three-game losing streak would qualify as cause for concern for any team in early April.

For a young and relatively inexperienced Cal Poly group, hosting four-time national champion Cal State Fullerton in its Big West opener should provide a proverbial measuring stick of things to come over the next two months.

The Mustangs (17-10) and Titans will meet in the series opener at 6 p.m. Friday night inside Baggett Stadium, where Cal Poly is 12-4 so far this spring. Two of those losses came against a top-25 UCLA team in February, and the last two came during an underwhelming series with San Jose State this past weekend.

Cal Poly committed eight errors defensively in the three-game series with the Spartans, part of an unsettling trend that’s continued much to the dismay of head coach Larry Lee. The Mustangs’ 44 errors are the most in the Big West and 25 more than the Cal State Fullerton team set to visit this weekend.

The defending conference champion Titans (17-11, 3-0 Big West) bring a five-game winning streak into San Luis Obispo. They swept a 21-win CSUN team last weekend and have dominated the series with Cal Poly historically, owning a 56-17 record against the Mustangs.

Cal Poly’s freshmen core of centerfielder Alex McKenna, infielder Kyle Marinconz and catcher Nick Meyer will get their first taste of life in the Big West. McKenna is coming off a stellar series against San Jose State, when he went 8 for 14, hit for the cycle and lifted his batting average 41 points.

Cal Poly sophomore Kyle Smith (4-1, 2.98 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s opener, and Cal State Fullerton will counter with sophomore Connor Seabold (2-2, 2.43 ERA).

Here’s a team-by-team look at the rest of the Big West:

No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (20-6)

Between Shane Bieber and Kyle Nelson, the Gauchos might have the best 1-2 pitching combination in the conference. A second-team, all-Big West performer last season, Bieber is tied for the conference lead with a 5-1 record in seven appearances. Nelson’s 0.65 ERA is No. 1 in the Big West and ranks seventh nationally. They’re backed by a UC Santa Barbara offense that leads the conference in runs (163), RBI (139) and triples (nine).

CSUN (21-8)

The Matadors enter Big West play having lost four of their last five games, with the lone victory coming against UCLA on Tuesday. Branden Berry (24 RBI) and Albee Weiss (22 RBI) rank among the biggest run producers in the conference, and Yusuke Akitoshi’s 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts leads the Big West. After using a medical redshirt in 2015, third-year sophomore Kenny Rosenberg has developed into one of the conference’s most dominant pitchers. His 64 strikeouts lead the Big West by a wide margin and rank third nationally.

Cal State Fullerton (17-11)

Seniors Dalton Blaser and Tanner Pinkston have emerged as the offensive leaders for the defending conference champions. Two years removed from qualifying for the College World Series, the Titans were pegged as the team to beat when the coaches preseason poll was released in January. Freshman right-handed pitcher Colton Eastman leads a relatively young pitching staff with a 5-2 record and a 2.76 ERA.

Long Beach State (17-11)

The Dirtbags have struggled in recent weeks and enter Friday’s series opener at CSUN having lost six of their last nine games. Long Beach State has one of the top weapons in the conference coming out of its bullpen in freshman right-hander Chris Rivera. Listed at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Rivera leads the country with 11 saves in 13 appearances. Preseason All-American shortstop Garrett Hampson has lived up to that billing and he leads the team with 38 hits and a .339 average.

UC Irvine (16-9)

Sophomore Keston Hiura could be the early favorite for conference player of the year. After earning Big West Freshman of the Year and All-American honors in 2015, Hiura has elevated his play a step further this spring. The 6-foot, 188-pound outfielder leads the Big West in batting average (.417), RBI (28) and home runs (seven). Fellow sophomore Cameron Bishop, a 6-5, 235-pound lefty, is tied for the conference lead with a 5-1 record.

Hawaii (13-15)

The Rainbow Warriors’ 19-game home stand will come to an end Friday when the team visits last-place UC Davis. Senior shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins, one of the most consistent defensive players in the conference in 2015, owns the third-highest batting average in the Big West at .394. He hasn’t been quite as efficient defensively, however. He’s committed seven errors in 83 attempts this season, compared to nine errors in 186 attempts as a junior.

UC Riverside (12-15)

Junior outfielder Vince Fernandez is looking to build of his breakout season in 2015. The Highlanders’ offensive leader in nearly every category has 14 multi-hit games to his credit this season. Fernandez, a second-team all-Big West selection last year, enters Friday’s series against UC Irvine on a 15-game hitting streak. Though UC Riverside ranks in the middle of the Big West in scoring, the conference-high 211 strikeouts is cause for concern.

UC Davis (8-15)

Not a lot has gone right for the Aggies this spring. UC Davis ranks last in the Big West in runs (115), hits (200), RBI (95) and walks drawn (67). Senior outfielder Tanner Bily has been one of the few bright spots for a team that’s lost five of its last seven games. Bily is batting .265 with 12 RBI and is tied with Mark Cardinalli for the team lead in hits with 22.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Cal Poly baseball opens Big West play against defending champion Cal State Fullerton."