STOCKTON—Sometimes the story goes beyond the game. That was certainly the case for the Chico State baseball team Thursday. The Wildcats' season came to an end with a disappointing 17-4 loss to Cal Poly Pomona on the second day of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark, but following the lead of head coach Dave Taylor, the Wildcats were quick to turn their focus toward the bigger picture—a season and the careers of their eight seniors marked by lifelong friendships, personal growth, and great memories.
 
"This program's about playing well here, playing well next week (at the NCAA Championships West Regional), and getting to a National Championship environment. So, we've got a lot of work in front of us. So, we'll talk about that next week," Taylor said. "But today is about the seniors and them going out feeling good about what they've done the last two-to-four years. I'm proud of these guys for all that they've done representing the name across their chest every day, off the field and in the classroom. That's what it's about—our guys being successful all around. This group certainly has been."
 
The game marked the end of the collegiate careers of eight Wildcats: Alex DeVito, Dustin Miller, Andrew Lopez, Michael Lagier, Trenton Stowe, Myles Moran, Brandon Hernandez, and William Curless.
 
Miller and DeVito, who was selected to the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District team earlier in the day, led the offense with three hits apiece Thursday.
 
"…the guys on and off the field, we feel like a family," DeVito said. "Being able win games and have a really fun atmosphere on and off the field is why I wanted to come here."

 
DeVito finished the season with 19 hits in his final 42 at-bats to raise his average to .350. Miller homered Thursday and went 4-for-8 in the Wildcats' two tournament games.
 
Cody Wissler went 2-for-4 Thursday, Tyler Grissom 2-for-2, and another senior, Brandon Hernandez went 1-for-4 and scored twice.
 
The Wildcats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Miller singled with two down and nobody on to get things started, and DeVito doubled him to third with a shot down the left-field line. Wissler's infield hit plated Miller for the lead.
 
It was short-lived. The Broncos scored twice in the first inning and four more times in the third to take control of the game. 
 
Hernandez was hit by a pitch and came around to score on Griffin Hennessey's single to right in the fourth, but again the Broncos quickly wrestled away the momentum, plating three in the bottom half of the inning.
 
It was a similar scene in the fifth. After Miller's high-arching homer over the wall in right-center, the Broncos responded with two more runs.
 
Chico State's final run came across in the eighth. Hernandez led off with an infield single, Lagier drew a walk, and Grissom singled to left to load the bases. Hernandez came home on Eddie Zavala's groundout.
 
Told of his academic honor during the postgame interview session, DeVito was pleasantly surprised.
 
"It feels great," he said. 
 
It feels great to Taylor as well.
 
"When I came back in 2006 (academic success) was an area we were going to improve in and I'm proud to say we have," said Taylor, the program's pitching coach from 1997–2004 and the head coach since the fall of 2006. "You have to check all the boxes in this program in order to put on that uniform. I'm proud of the guys we put out there today. We'll have a good bus ride home."
 
They only wish the ride could last a little bit longer.