Chico State Baseball Coach Dave Taylor knew his team needed to dive right in to experience what Chico State baseball is like during the non-conference portion of its slate. With only Wednesday's doubleheader against Simpson University at Nettleton Stadium remaining, the Wildcats have surfed a wave of wins and suffered some serious wipeouts. In other words, they're encountering the range of emotions every team in the always-tough California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is bound to have ahead of time. Now it's time to see how the Wildcats respond after losing two of three at Fresno Pacific over the weekend.
 
Chico State enters Wednesday's action—their last until the CCAA-opening series against Sonoma State on February 25–27 at Nettleton Stadium—with a record of 5-2 and ranked No. 2 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region rankings. Redding-based Simpson is 5-9 following a four-game sweep at the hands of Menlo College over the weekend in Atherton.
 
Chico State is 9-2 all time against the Red Hawks, including 8-1 at Nettleton Stadium.
 
Both games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY Sports and streamed online. The audio is available by itself and through the CCAA Network Broadcast. Links to all streaming audio and video, as well as live stats, are available at www.chicowildcats.com on the baseball schedule page and in the calendar section on the homepage.
 
The Wildcats lead the CCAA with a team ERA of 2.65 and rank second in hitting at .340 as a team. They are fielding at a .975 clip, which ranks fifth. The Wildcats also lead the league in shutouts, times hit by pitches, walks drawn, and doubles per game.
 
Catcher Jarret Lindsay leads the CCAA with a .571 batting average, while Willie Lajoie (.440) and Andrew Crane (.440) are tied for ninth. Lajoie leads the conference in runs scored.