CHICO – This late in the season, with so much at stake, the Chico State baseball team can hardly afford a letdown. For the Wildcats, who sit atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings, own the No. 9 ranking in the country by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and occupy the No. 2 spot in the just-released NCAA West Region poll, it’s “pedal to the metal” time from here on out. With a pair of huge series against conference heavyweights UC San Diego and Sonoma State looming, Head Coach Dave Taylor’s squad doesn’t have the luxury of looking past its next opponent, Cal State East Bay, which hosts the ’Cats in a four-game set Thursday through Saturday at Pioneer Field in Hayward.
The series gets underway Thursday with a single game at 3 p.m., followed by another single game Friday afternoon at 3:00. A Saturday doubleheader wraps up the set, with the first pitch slated for 11:00 a.m.
Chico State enters the series 25-8 on the season and 19-7 in CCAA play. The Wildcats have won two straight and four of their last five contests, including three out of four last weekend against Cal State L.A. Cal State East Bay, meanwhile, has struggled this season, going 13-30 so far in 2011 and sitting in 10th place in the conference standings. The Pioneers have looked good of late, though, winning three of their last five games including a four-game series split versus Cal State Monterey Bay last weekend.
The ’Cats, averaging 5.8 runs and 10 hits a game, come into the weekend as the CCAA’s top-hitting team, sporting an impressive .308 team batting average. Chico State also owns the fourth-ranked pitching staff in the conference, with a team earned run average of 3.50. The Wildcats travel to Hayward knowing they can win consistently on the road – Chico State is 13-5 this year away from the friendly confines of Nettleton Stadium.
Individually, third baseman Adrian Bringas leads the CCAA with a .405 batting average and ranks second in the conference in on-base percentage (.470). Thanks to his big weekend against Cal State L.A. (.588 batting average, 10 hits, six runs scored and six RBI), Bringas was named Wednesday the NCBWA’s West Region Player of the Week. The Wildcats’ two freshmen righthanders, Nick Baker and Ryan O’Shea, have also put up some impressive numbers – Baker is tied for the most wins (7) by a CCAA pitcher this year, and his 2.82 ERA is ninth best in the conference. O’Shea is tied for fifth among CCAA hurlers with a 2.45 ERA.
Cal State East Bay is 9-14 at Pioneer Field entering Thursday’s series opener with the ’Cats. The Pioneers hasn’t generated a whole lot of offense this season, averaging less than four runs and seven hits a game, and as a team is hitting just .230 on the year. East Bay’s pitching staff hasn’t met with a whole lot of success, either – the Pioneers are ranked last in the CCAA with a 5.71 team ERA.
East Bay’s top player is senior infielder Nick McManus, who leads the Pioneers in batting (.329), home runs (3) and RBI (21). Charlie Sharrer is East Bay’s other offensive standout – despite a .244 average, the sophomore outfielder has hit two home runs and driven in 17. On the mound, the Pioneers are led by junior righthander Brandyn Bell (4-2, 3.18 ERA including a pair of shutouts) and sophomore righty Bryce Miller (3-6, 3.71 ERA). Zachary Wong (2-1, 3.16 ERA, four saves) heads up the East Bay bullpen.
Chico State holds a commanding 18-2 lead over East Bay in the all-time series between the two teams. Last season, the Wildcats swept the Pioneers four straight April 30-May 2 at Nettleton Stadium.
CLICK HERE to follow the action of all four Chico State-Cal State East Bay games live on the Internet via Live Stats.
