CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State baseball team, fighting for a CCAA Tournament berth and still very much in the mix to earn one of four NCAA Championship Tournament West Region spots, take a break from conference play this weekend as the ’Cats welcome Grand Canyon University to Nettleton Stadium for a four-game series beginning Friday.
The Wildcats, 24-19 on the season and 14-14 in the CCAA, return home to try to shake off a disappointing doubleheader sweep Monday at the hands of Sonoma State. The two losses dropped Chico State into a tie for seventh in the conference standings, but the ’Cats enter the weekend just two games out for the CCAA’s fourth and final conference tournament slot. Four of the six teams Chico State is trying to catch have conference match-ups this Friday and Saturday, so the Wildcats have a chance to make up some ground in the CCAA standings before returning to conference play next weekend against Cal State Stanislaus.
Chico State continues to be the best hitting team in the CCAA, batting .341 as a team. The ’Cats also lead the conference in runs scored (302), hits (492), home runs (50), RBI (278), on-base percentage (.415) and slugging percentage (.509). The Wildcats have fared well at The Nett, winning 16 of their 25 home games this season.
Grand Canyon University, a member of the Pacific West Conference, comes to Chico 13-25 on the year with a 7-9 record in conference play. The Antelopes, managed by former major league pitcher (and Grand Canyon alum) Dave Stapleton, enter play this weekend having lost nine of their last 11; Grand Canyon dropped three straight last week to UC San Diego.
Against Grand Canyon, the Wildcats have won 27 of 33 meetings since 1994. Last season in Phoenix, the ’Cats swept the Antelopes in a four-game series March 14-16. Chico State has not lost to Grand Canyon since Feb. 14, 2004.
The series gets underway with a single game Friday at 6:00 p.m., followed by doubleheader action Saturday beginning at noon. The set concludes with a single game Sunday, with the first pitch slated for noon.
