When a team is rolling, the last thing it wants is a bunch of days off. The Chico State baseball team has no such problem. Beginning Saturday, the Wildcats will play five-plus games in four days.
 
Their three-game series at Cal State San Marcos starts with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11. After returning home late Sunday night, the Wildcats will get their traveling shoes back on Monday to head to Cal State East Bay where they will complete a game halted by rain in the bottom of the eighth in early March at 10 a.m., and then complete that four-game series with a doubleheader.
 
This weekend's games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY and online. Tuesday's games will be broadcast online only. Fans can listen online and/or follow the livestats via links provided in the calendar section and on the baseball schedule page at www.chicowildcats.com.
 
Chico State has won six straight to take over first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division. The Wildcats have turned heads on a national level by sweeping Cal State L.A. and UC San Diego in back-to-back weekends while outscoring them by a combined 54-22.
 
The Wildcats moved up to No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings, climbed to No. 15 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, and rose from the realm of the unranked all the way up to No. 10 at d2baseballnews.com.
 
At 20-6 overall and 10-4 in the CCAA, the Wildcats lead Cal State Monterey Bay by a half-game in the North Division standings. Sonoma State (8-5) is in third and Stanislaus State (7-9) fourth. The top three teams from the North and South Divisions will advance to the CCAA Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, where an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament will be on the line.  
 
Cal State San Marcos, ineligible for postseason play because it is in its first year as a full-fledged member of the CCAA and Division II, is 15-16 overall and 7-12 in the CCAA.
 
The Cougars rank second in the CCAA in hitting at .314, eighth in ERA (4.37) and seventh in fielding percentage (.955).
 
Chico State leads the CCAA in hitting (.332) and ranks second in ERA (3.00) and fourth in fielding (.964).
 
The Wildcats lead NCAA Division II with seven shutouts. Five of those have come in Clayton Gelfand's starts. He leads the CCAA in wins, ERA and innings pitched. His 1.27 ERA is the 18^th lowest in the nation.