Sometimes, second chances do happen. The Chico State baseball team wants to take advantage of the one that awaits Thursday.
 
Chico State returns to the NCAA Tournament's West Regional with the Wildcats (31-22) the No. 6 seed and taking on top-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay (38-16) at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Azusa Pacific, the host of the six-team event.
 
All of Chico State's postseason games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to live stats, audio, and video can be found on the baseball team's schedule page and the calendar section of the homepage for Wildcats Athletics. The pregame show starts at 2:35 p.m. or 25 minutes prior to first pitch if the day's first game goes long enough to affect the scheduled time of the Wildcats' contest.
 
The double-elimination tourney begins with second-seeded Azusa Pacific (39-9) against No. 5 California Baptist (33-17) at 11 a.m. while third-seeded UC San Diego (38-15) takes on No. 4 Point Loma (33-16) at 7 p.m. Thursday in the third and final game of the first day.
 
The top-seeded Otters couldn't host the West Regional because their field doesn't have lights. That allowed the second-seeded Cougars to host in back-to-back seasons.
 
Last year, the Wildcats entered the Cougar Baseball Complex as the West Regional's top seed thanks to a 45-9 overall record that included a 34-4 mark in the CCAA while winning 25 of 26 games played at Nettleton Stadium. But an 8-7 setback in 10 innings to Cal Poly Pomona sent them to an elimination game against Cal Baptist (Chico State had beaten Pomona a week earlier in the CCAA Tournament in that same manner, 8-7 in 10 innings). The Lancers then won 14-2, ousting the No. 1 Wildcats much sooner than they hoped.
 
"It's a shot at redemption," said senior relief pitcher Jae Wagner, one of 12 returning players from the 2017 squad.
 
While this year's team didn't have as smooth of a ride in the regular season, the Wildcats' resolve was tested. A 4-10 stretch during March did that as they dropped back-to-back series to Monterey Bay and then Cal State East Bay. After falling in the first two games at Cal State LA, they found themselves 12-12 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and 16-12 overall.

 

"We realized we had our backs against the wall," outfielder Kyle Blakeman said, "and we had to figure something out if we wanted to make this run we knew we were capable of making."
 
Chico State responded by beating LA in the final two games of the series and won 14 of its final 20 regular-season games, rising to third place in the CCAA.
 
That gave the Wildcats a chance to earn a West Regional bid. Pitted against Cal Poly Pomona, the fourth-place team in the CCAA and one of the teams that could leapfrog past Chico State for a West Regional berth, the Wildcats earned a walk-off win in the conference tournament as pinch-runner Michael Lagier raced home on a wild pitch for a 4-3 victory.
 
Then the good news came Sunday night with the release of the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament that had the Wildcats receiving one of the four at-large berths in the West.
 
"We're excited," said reliever Dan Beavers, another two-year standout on the Wildcats. "We found out that we got that sixth spot, and so we're super excited to go down there and make the community proud, and we're looking forward to the opportunity to prove ourselves in this region."
 
While the Otters took three of four games between the teams in the regular season, each squad scored 22 runs in the series. Monterey Bay won a pair of one-run contests including a 12-11 marathon that lasted 15 innings, the longest game in program history that started that 4-10 stretch.
 
The Otters then handed Chico State its second defeat in the double-elimination conference tournament, 8-2 on May 11 as Monterey catcher Jacob Tonascia hit two home runs in windy Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton.
 
"We played them tough in the series," said Blakeman, who's batting .423 and reaching base at a .494 clip in his last 20 games while mostly hitting from the leadoff spot. "We like the matchup. If we go out there and play like we know we can, I think we'll have a good game."
 
One reason for the Wildcats' optimism is their pitching. Buoyed by starters Casey Costello, Grant Larson, and Hilario Tovar, the Wildcats also boast relievers Anthony Baleto, Beavers, Andrew Lopez, Andrew Schantz, and Wagner, giving Head Coach Dave Taylor an assortment of arms to bring in from the bullpen at any point.

 

"Our pitching staff is deep and as talented as anyone's," Wagner said.
 
Wagner earned First Team All-CCAA honors as he compiled a 0.58 earned-run average in 31 innings among 22 appearances. Costello and Larson were second-team selections.
 
That many arms are needed to make a run through a gauntlet of a double-elimination tourney like the West Regional, which has the top three teams from the CCAA and the Pacific West conferences. But that's exactly why the Wildcats like their chances.
 
"We know how good we are when we play to our potential," Beavers said.
 
Costello came within one out of a no-hitter against Pomona in the seven-inning game of the teams' series in April. He then went eight innings against the Broncos in that crucial victory against them in the CCAA tournament, finishing his outing with seven no-hit innings. 
 
"We know our pitching is going to be there," Blakeman said. "Our pitching is one of the best in the region if not the best. We just have to score some runs for them."
 
The Wildcats and Cal State Monterey Bay were originally the first game to be played Thursday but were switched with the matchup of Cal Baptist and host Azusa Pacific. Chico State's contest is still considered "Game 1" for the tournament bracket.
 
If Chico State wins Thursday, the Wildcats play at 3 p.m. on Friday against the UC San Diego-Point Loma loser. If Chico State loses, then the Wildcats play at 11 a.m. Friday against the Azusa Pacific-California Baptist loser in an elimination game.
 
The last time Chico State won the West Regional to advance to the College World Series in Cary, North Carolina, was 2014.
        
2018 NCAA Championship Tournament | West Region
Cougar Baseball Complex | Azusa
Double-elimination
Thursday, May 17
Game 2: No. 2 Azusa Pacific vs. No. 5 California Baptist, 11 a.m.
Game 1: No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. No. 6 Chico State, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 3 UC San Diego vs. No. 4 Point Loma, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 18
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (elimination game), 11 a.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3 (possible elimination), 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 19
Game 7: Teams TBD, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Teams TBD, 3 p.m.
Game 9: Teams TBD, 7 p.m.

Monday, May 21
Game 10: Teams TBD, noon
Game 11: Teams TBD, if necessary