Big West baseball teams are a combined 42-18 over the last two weeks and face opponents from three rival western regional conference this weekend in an attempt to finish out the bulk of non-conference play with a flourish.
AROUND THE BIG WEST
Big West Starting To Hit Stride
With conference play looming, Big West baseball teams are starting to gain momentum as the cumulative non-conference record over the past two weeks is an outstanding 42-18 (.700). The league went 20-11 last week as six of the eight members won weekend series. Eight of the nine schools boast records of .500 or better.
Prior to the recent burst, the Big West had compiled a 48-48 non-conference record.
This is the final week of full non-conference competition, giving the Big West one more chance to prove its case as one of the nation’s top baseball conferences. The two highest profile series will take place against a pair of ranked Pac-10 opponents as Cal Poly travels to No. 3 UCLA and Long Beach State visits No. 9 Oregon State. Additionally, the Big West will play five teams from the Western Athletic Conference and two more from the West Coast Conference in a schedule with a decidedly western flavor this week.
Four Big West Catchers Named To Johnny Bench Watch List
The Big West has four players on the watch list for the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award presented by The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. Fifty-three catchers have been selected this year, as nominated by their coaches. The list will be updated to include other candidates until May 5, 2010.
The award is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher in the nation and will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists on May 19, 2010, with the winner announced during the 2010 College World Series on July 1.
Cal Poly’s Ross Brayton, Cal State Northridge’s Dominic Piazza, UC Irvine’s Francis Larson and Pacific’s Joe Oliveira were among the 53 catchers named to the watch list. This is the third straight year that Oliveira was selected to the watch list.
Cal State Fullerton’s Kurt Suzuki was the recipient of the Johnny Bench award in 2004. He is now the starting catcher on the Oakland A’s.
College Baseball Foundation Names Six To Watch Lists
The College Baseball Foundation released the first watch lists for the Brooks Wallace Award and Pitcher of the Year, and the Big West was represented by six players. The Brooks Wallace Award, which recognizes the nation’s top shortstop, includes Cal State Fullerton junior Christian Colon, UC Santa Barbara senior Matt Valaika and Pacific senior Ben Gorang on the list of 54 players being considered by the CBF. On the 49-player Pitcher of the Year Watch List, UC Irvine seniors Danny Bibona and Eric Pettis join UC Santa Barbara junior Mario Hollands as Big West representatives.
Colon was one of two finalists for the 2009 Wallace Award that appeared on the initial 2010 list. The other player was Jedd Gyorko of West Virginia.
Both awards will be presented on July 2 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Awards Show.
Gillespie Reaches Century Mark
Head coach Mike Gillespie earned his 100th career win at UC Irvine in front of the home fans with Sunday’s 8-5 triumph against Gonzaga. In his third year as the Anteater skipper, Gillespie is 100-39 overall. UCI posted a 4-0 record last week to bring Gillespie to his milestone 100th win and leave him just seven victories shy of 900 for his entire coaching career. In his 23rd year of coaching at the Division I level, Gillespie boasts an overall mark of 893-510-2.
Weathers Forecasts 300 Wins
With two road wins against UNLV last week, Long Beach State head coach Mike Weathers inched closer to his 300th career win at the school. The ninth-year mentor is 297-190. The 49ers play four games this week in search of the minimum three wins needed to achieve the milestone. LBSU hosts Hawai’i in a single game on Wednesday before heading to the northwest for a three-game series against Oregon State this weekend.
Poll Position
UC Irvine climbed up the national rankings for the second consecutive week, settling in at No. 13 in the Baseball America poll. The Anteaters, winners of six straight and nine of their last 11 games, also are slotted at No. 18 in the NCBWA poll, No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings. Cal State Fullerton moved above .500 for the first time this season but fell out of the rankings after a four-week stay. The Titans are receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN and NCBWA polls. Meanwhile, Cal State Northridge’s 13-6 start earned the program some notice as the Matadors are receiving votes by the NCBWA this week.
Mittlestaedt New Triples King
Long Beach State senior T.J. Mittlestaedt became the school’s leader in triples when he hit his 17th career three bagger in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 10-1 victory at UNLV. Mittlestaedt also sits in third place all-time in the Big West record with his 17 triples, well within reach of the top spot. He needs one more to tie Cal State Fullerton’s Dante Powell (1992-94) for the No. 2 spot, and is four away from equalling UC Santa Barbara’s Wynter Phoenix (1993-96) for the record of 21.
Pointer On Point
Pacific ace Marcus Pointer moved to a Big West best 5-0 on the year after throwing seven strong innings and shutting down USC in an 8-2 victory on Friday. The performance put the junior at fourth in the conference in ERA at 2.02. He has allowed just 17 hits in 35.1 innings and is a key reason for the Tigers’ 12-7 start to the season, considering the team’s ERA is 5.02.
Highlander Home Streak Snapped
UC Riverside had posted its longest home winning streak of seven games since making the move to Division I, and looked to extend it to eight, but San Francisco foiled the plan with Sunday’s 9-3 win. The Highlanders play five on the road before coming home for Big West play on Apr. 1.
Two Games To Appear On ESPNU
ESPNU will televise two Big West baseball games as the Sunday, April 11 Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine and Sunday, May 9 UC Irvine at Cal Poly games will appear on the 24-hour college sports network with 2:00 p.m. start times.