The good news for Chico State is mathematically the Wildcats are still in the hunt for a spot to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Championships. The bad news is there is no more margin for error.
With eight games remaining, ninth-place Chico State, at 16-21 overall, 10-17 in the CCAA with a .370 conference percentage, will not only have to win out but needs other conference results to go the Wildcats way in order to catch sixth-place Cal Poly Pomona, which holds the final spot to the tournament with a .516 conference percentage. The 'Cats finish the road part of the regular season in Carson taking on Cal State Dominguez Hills (19-23, 14-18 CCAA), which enters the weekend on the outside looking in at seventh place with a .438 conference percentage.
The series begins Friday at 3 p.m. Saturday will be the 9/7-inning doubleheader beginning at noon. Before the 'Cats hopped on the bus for Los Angeles County, head coaches Dave Taylor and Tyler Wright agreed to push Sunday's finale to noon. It was originally scheduled for 11 a.m.
All four games can be seen on the CCAA Network. For $9.95 per month, face can access every Chico State – home and away – along with all live and archived CCAA matchups. Fans can also listen to the game live on AM-1290 KPAY with Mike Baca on the call.
For Chico State and Dominguez Hills, this series could keep one team's postseason hopes alive.
While both the Chico State and Dominguez Hills ballclubs will be focusing on what's going on at Toro Field, they are also going to be scoreboard watching. For Chico State in particular, one score to watch will be Cal Poly Pomona, which will finish the regular season on the road at San Francisco State. The Broncos are 16-15 in conference play and will be on a bye weekend in the regular season finale, meaning they have only four games to add breathing room to the final spot and hope it holds.
There are other matchups both teams will look at on the out-of-town scoreboard. Third-place Stanislaus State (.548 conference percentage) hosts Sonoma State, SF State and Cal State East Bay are neck-and-neck for fourth place at .531. While the Gators entertain the Broncos, the Pioneers are on the road at Cal State San Marcos, which is tied with the 'Cats at 10-17 (.370).
Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino, which are distance from the crowded CCAA field, have locked up spots to the conference tournament.
The Wildcats took a sigh of relief Sunday when it outslugged the Yotes to snap a 12-game conference freefall. Dominguez Hills has lost six of its last eight games. Most recently, the Toros lost 3-of-4 to then-No. 18 Cal State Monterey Bay.
