The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, which means it must be time for college baseball’s stretch run. Chico State hopes to crack the whip this weekend in a home-and-away series with Sonoma State that will decide their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament fate and help determine which teams will be invited to the NCAA Championship Tournament that follows.
Chico State is currently in second place in the CCAA, but the Wildcats are nearly neck-and-neck with their closest pursuers, third-place Cal State San Bernardino and fourth-place Sonoma State. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. also have an outside shot at catching the Wildcats. The Wildcats hold a one-game lead on Cal State San Bernardino and Sonoma State and can clinch a spot in the CCAA Championship Tournament with any combination of two wins and Cal Poly Pomona losses in its four-game set against Cal State L.A.
The Wildcats play at Sonoma State Friday at 2 PM and Saturday at 11 AM before returning home for a noon doubleheader Sunday at Nettleton Stadium to wrap up the regular season.
All four games will be broadcast on local radio. Friday’s game will be on AM 1340 ESPN, while the games on Saturday and Sunday will be on AM 1290 KPAY. All four will also be streamed online at www.chicowildcats.com via the Wildcat Webcast link.
CLICK HERE for livestats for Friday and Saturday's games.
CLICK HERE for livestats for Sunday's doubleheader.The links may not be active until a few minutes prior to first pitch.
This final weekend and any CCAA Championship Tournament competition will also help decide which four West Region teams earn NCAA Championship Tournament berths. The newest regional rankings released today show the Wildcats No. 3 in the West behind No. 1 UC San Diego and No. 2 Western Oregon. Cal Poly Pomona is No. 4, Cal State San Bernardino No. 5, Sonoma State No. 6, Dixie State No. 7, and Northwest Nazarene No. 8.
The official NCAA Championship Tournament announcement will take place on Sunday, May 15, at 7 PM on NCAA.com.
The Wildcats got out of the gates fast this season and were out front in the CCAA standings for much of the regular season. They took a rough turn, though, dropping six straight to fall into second before rebounding with a 12-6 win against Cal State Stanislaus Tuesday night. Now there are four games left to regain their momentum.
Down the stretch they come!
