The math is simple for the Chico State baseball team this weekend but Cal State Stanislaus will do its best to make the task a challenge when the teams square off for a four-game series in Turlock beginning Friday afternoon. One win nets the Wildcats a berth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament, three a conference co-championship, and a four-game sweep the outright CCAA title.
The Wildcats are gunning for their 17th trip to the postseason in the last 18 seasons and their first regular season conference crown since 2005. Meanwhile, Cal State Stanislaus needs a sweep to keep its conference championship tournament hopes alive.
The series kicks off with a single game Friday at 3 p.m., continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 11 a.m., and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. All four games will be broadcast locally on FOX Sports 101.7 FM and 1340 AM. The games will also be streamed online. Just click the Wildcat Webcast link on the right side of this page.
The Wildcats enter the weekend on a five-game winning streak and winners of seven of their last eight. However, those results haven’t seemed to help their positioning in the race for one of the West Region’s four NCAA Championship Tournament berths. They remained at No. 4 this week despite
winning four straight while No. 2 UC San Diego split a four-game series and No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino won three of four.
At 33-13 overall and 23-13 and in second place in the CCAA, the Wildcats boast five more wins and seven fewer losses in region than UC San Diego and 10 more wins and one fewer loss in-region than Cal State San Bernardino. They enter this weekend a game ahead of Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA standings and two behind conference leader UC San Diego.
Cal State Stanislaus, ranked No. 8 in the West, is 26-20 overall, but just 19-17 in the CCAA. The Warriors lost three of four last weekend against Sonoma State after positioning themselves nicely for a postseason push by winning 10 of 13.
So the Wildcats and Warriors will be playing for more than just a CCAA Championship Tournament berth this weekend. They enter the series ranked atop the CCAA in runs per game (6.9), second in runs allowed (4.5) and second in fielding percentage (.970). Cal State Stanislaus ranks fifth in runs per game (5.8), third in runs allowed (4.6) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954).
The Wildcats also rank second in the nation in hit-by-pitches, having been plunked 99 times. The school record is 122, set in 1999. The next time Blake Gibbs gets hit will be the 20th this season, which would make him fifth player in school history to reach that mark, joining Robby Poole (28 in 2002), Jerin Harper (23 in 2006), Tim Hairston (22 in 1996) and Shanin Veronie (20 in 1999). Gibbs and TJ Yasuhara are also just two away from tying Harper and Erik Lazerus for 10th on the school’s career list.
A number of Wildcats are in the hunt to make history on the mound as well. Sean Martin’s ERA of 1.79 would be the fifth lowest in a Chico State season and the lowest since 2000 (Alex Carbajal – 1.43). Mike Botelho’s 10 saves are the 10th most by a Wildcat in a season. And a win this weekend would give Nick Baker a career record of 15-3, which would be the third highest winning percentage by a Wildcat with at least 18 decisions, behind only Phil Derryman (17-2) and Josh Osborn (24-3).
