If ever there was a hint that the end of the regular season is drawing nigh, it comes this Sunday at Nettleton Stadium when the team's eight seniors will be honored before their final home game.
 
The Wildcats still have 12 games remaining, but following this weekend's four-game series with rival Sonoma State, they'll play the rest of their games on the road.
 
The series is scheduled to start Friday with a single game at 6 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader will start at noon. And first pitch for Sunday's series finale is also scheduled for noon. However, fans will want to arrive early to help celebrate the careers of the team's eight seniors:
 
Cody Bistline
Andy Burschinger
AJ Epstein
Ben Gamba
Peter Lecce
Braxton Phillips
Tony Roque
Torgen Soderlund
 
Chico State enters the weekend with a half-game lead in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division. But Sonoma State is one of three teams within a game-and-a-half of the Wildcats, who are 15-11 in the CCAA. Cal State Monterey Bay is 15-12, Cal State East Bay 14-12 and Sonoma State 13-12.
 
The top three teams in the North Division at the end of the regular season will advance to the CCAA Championship Tournament.
 
Chico State is 25-13 overall, but the Wildcats have dropped six of their past nine games. After allowing just four runs per game over their first 29, they've given up 7.8 runs per game in their last nine.
 
They'll try to regain their footing on the mound against Sonoma State, which is 15-21 overall and had lost five in a row before sweeping a doubleheader from Cal State Monterey Bay on Monday.
 
The Seawolves rank 11^th out of 12 teams in the conference in hitting at .251.
 
All four games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Fans can also watch and listen online and/or follow the livestats via links provided in the calendar section and on the baseball schedule page at www.chicowildcats.com.