After winning both of its non-conference series to start the season, the Chico State baseball team now turns its attention to conference play as the Wildcats begin their quest for a third straight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship.
Chico State's conference slate begins with a four-game series against Stanislaus State with each team hosting two games. The series begins Friday in Turlock with a 5 p.m. contest and then a Saturday matinee set for noon. Chico State's Nettleton Stadium will be home to a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday to finish the set.
All four games will be broadcast locally on AM 1290-KPAY. Links to the online stream and live stats are available at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section on the homepage and on the baseball schedule page.
The ninth-ranked Wildcats (4-2) have received outstanding performances from starting pitchers Casey Costello, Grant Larson and Hilario Tovar thus far. In six starts, they have combined to strike out 46 batters while walking a mere three in 30.2 innings to compile a 2-0 record with a 2.45 earned runs average.
Those three are a big reason why the 'Cats top all CCAA teams in ERA at 3.42. Cal State East Bay's mark of 3.71 is second while Stanislaus State is third at 3.91.
Larson and Tovar each have 17 strikeouts, topping all CCAA hurlers. The team total of 68 is No. 1 in the conference as well.
The Wildcats could add to their tally as Stanislaus State's lineup has fanned 48 times, second among CCAA teams behind Sonoma State's 53.
Offensively, Dustin Miller has been swinging Chico State's hottest bat, posting a .450 batting average on the season by going 9 of 20 at the plate. His three-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning lifted the Wildcats to a 6-5 victory over Northwest Nazarene in their last game. Miller shares the team lead in both runs scored with four and runs batted in (RBI) with five.
Cameron Santos has a hit in all six games this season as the senior continues his push up the program's all-time ranks. His 164 hits have him eighth on the career list in program history, six away from tying the 170 of Daniel Code (2006-07) for seventh and two more away from the 172 of Steve Gotowala (1996-97) for sixth.
Santos is batting .381 (8 of 21) with four runs scored and four RBIs.
Alex DeVito's .571 average (4 of 7) is tied for third among CCAA players, and he also leads the team in slugging percentage at .857. Casey Henderson is the third Wildcat with four runs scored and his five walks lead the team. Trevor Steinman's five RBIs tie him with Miller as the top 'Cat.
Like Chico State, Stanislaus State is also 4-2 on the season after taking two of three games from the same Northwest Nazarene team that the Wildcats did. The Warriors then went to Los Angeles and took two of three from Cal State LA last weekend in a non-conference series.
The Wildcats swept Stanislaus State in last year's four-game series, which also featured each team hosting a pair of contests. Since 1994, Chico State leads the all-time series with Stanislaus State at 86-30.
Friday's game can be heard on AM-1290 KPAY, starting at 5 p.m. while Saturday's broadcast begins at 11:35 a.m. and Sunday's airing at 12:35 p.m.
