March madness may be referring to basketball, but the Chico State baseball team has gone a little crazy this spring as well. The Wildcats offense has put up double figures 11 times in 20 games and scored 20 or more four times to key a 15-5 start. The Wildcats will try to keep up their insane offensive pace against Cal State Stanislaus in a four-game series this weekend. They’ll play Friday at 3 and Saturday at noon in Turlock before coming back home for a Sunday noon doubleheader at Nettleton Stadium.
The task will not be easy for Chico State as the Warriors boast the top pitching staff in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Stanislaus leads the CCAA with a team ERA of 3.08 and opponents are hitting just .241 against Warriors pitching this season.
On the other hand, this week may give an opportunity to the Wildcats’ pitching staff to right the ship a bit following an inconsistent start to the season. Cal State Stanislaus is third to last in the CCAA in hits and second to last in home runs. The Wildcats rank in the middle of the pack among CCAA staffs, but Dave Taylor’s squads are usually at or near the top, which is where he believes this group should be as well.
Chico State’s offense has bought its pitching staff some time to straighten things out. The Wildcats are threatening to re-write the program’s record books 20 games into a 51-game regular season. They are hitting .377, which is 34 points higher than any Chico State team has hit over the course of the season. They are also on pace to break school records in runs and hits per game, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, doubles, home runs and RBI.
Chico State, 11-5 in the CCAA, is ranked No. 10 in the national in one poll and No. 17 in two others. Cal State Stanislaus is 10-11 overall and 6-6 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats are also off to one of their hottest home starts in Chico State history at 11-1. The last time a Chico State team was 11-1 at home was in 2005.
The Warriors will also try to stay hot at home where they are 9-3 thus far this season.
All four games will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM and 1340 AM and on the Chico State Web site webcast link.
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