It's the time of year when hearts start beating a bit faster, cheers get a little bit louder, every pitch feels a little more important, and every at-bat a little bit larger. The banner chase and the race for postseason berths is on, and the Chico State baseball team is in the thick of all of it. And in no place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association will the tension be thicker this weekend then it is at Nettleton Stadium, home of the Wildcats.
Chico State, in second place in the CCAA standings and ranked No. 4 in the NCAA West Region rankings (which were released for the first time in 2022 Wednesday), hosts first-place and No. 3-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay for a four-game series beginning Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at noon. Chico State is 29-11 overall and 22-9 in the CCAA. Cal State East Bay is 33-12 overall and 28-8 in the CCAA.
Prior to Sunday's game, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Chico State's six-man senior class of Jack Murphy, Tyler Chivens, Braeden Gowdy, Austin McFarlane, Willie Lajoie, and Andrew Renteria will be celebrated.
All four matchups, and the senior ceremony, will be streamed on the CCAA Network. Mike Baca, who provides play by play on the CCAA Network broadcasts, will also be calling all four games for Deer Creek Broadcasting on AM-1290 and FM-102.9 KPAY Sports. Links to the audio stream, CCAA Network broadcasts, and live stats are all available at
www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section of the website's homepage, and on the Chico State baseball schedule page.
The Wildcats, who are hosting the 2022 CCAA Baseball Tournament, can ensure that it won't be there last time playing in front of the home fans with at least two more wins in their final eight games. Their magic number to clinch their 20th CCAA Tournament berth in 22 seasons is down to two. Sonoma State and Cal State East Bay are tied for sixth place in the CCAA standings at 16-16. The top six teams earn berths in the CCAA Tournament, and the top two avoid the opening-day elimination games.
Third-place Cal Poly Pomona (No. 5 in the West) is a half-game behind the Wildcats in the CCAA standings at 21-10. Cal State San Bernardino (18-14) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (17-15) are in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Wildcats aren't just interested in getting in to the tournament, however. They still have an outside change of raising the CCAA's regular-season championship banner. It won't be easy, however. The Wildcats would need to either sweep this weekend's series against the Otters (who haven't lost a conference series all season) and then win at least two of four the following week at Cal State East Bay, or win three of four against the Otters and then sweep the Pioneers the following week.
The Wildcats have flashed the firepower to make it happen this season. They lead the CCAA and rank among the top eight in the nation in both batting average (.346) and on-base percentage (.447). And defensively, the lead the nation in double plays turned per game.
The Wildcats are currently on pace to break school records in team season batting average, on-base percentage, and runs scored per game (9.8).
Chivens, Gowdy, McFarlane, Lajoie, and Renteria are all set to graduate in May, while Murphy, a graduate transfer from Saint Mary's, will continue his graduate studies. They've all played crucial roles in Chico State's 2022 success. Murphy has started a team-high 39 games while hitting .335 with a team-high 14 doubles. Gowdy enters this weekend tied for second in the CCAA with six wins. Chivens has struck out 17 hitters in 14-plus innings of work while pitching to a 1.88 ERA and a save. McFarlane has posted a 3.32 ERA over his last four starts. Lajoie has a .393 career batting average entering the weekend, which ranks third in Chico State history. And Renteria has hit a combined .429 over the past three seasons, including .462 this season.
