CSF, UCI Head To Postseason Play
The Big West Conference advanced two teams to the 2010 NCAA Baseball Tournament, as announced by the Division I Baseball Committee. Joining the 64-team field was Big West Champion and NCAA Regional host Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.
The Titans are making their 19th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, 32nd overall, and the Anteaters earned their fifth straight bid, sixth overall. Cal State Fullerton owns the third-longest active streak in the nation behind Miami (38 years) and Florida State (33 years).
A year removed from hosting their first NCAA Regional, the UC Irvine Anteaters are back in tournament play but this time traveled to Los Angeles to kickoff the postseason. The Anteaters (37-19) drew the third seed in the Los Angeles Regional hosted by Pac-10 Champion UCLA (43-13) and were joined by defending National Champion and SEC Tournament Champion LSU (40-20) and MAC Tournament Champion Kent State (39-23). This marks the second straight year UC Irvine has to battle through a Regional that includes the defending national champion.
Titans Clinch Outright Title
Cal State Fullerton (37-15, 18-3) captured its eighth Big West title in the last 12 seasons. In that stretch, the Titans earned outright crowns in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010, while sharing the title in 2000 and 2008. It is CSF's 24th league championship in the program's 36-year Division I history.
Defending champion UC Irvine concluded the 2010 season ranked second in the league with a 17-7 mark, followed by UC Riverside, who placed third with a 13-11 record.
MLB Drafts 49 Players
The Big West witnessed 22 players selected in the final day of the three-day Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft to increase its 2010 draft total to 49.
The conference saw action right from the start as a pair of Cal State Fullerton Titans were selected in the first round. Christian Colon became the fifth-highest overall selection for the Big West after going fourth overall by the Kansas City Royals. Gary Brown went to the San Francisco Giants as the 24th pick. In all, Big West Champion Cal State Fullerton had a league-leading nine players drafted.
Long Beach State and UC Irvine each had eight selections to finish second in the conference. Jake Thompson, the first Big West player selected on day two, was this highest 49er drafted, going in the second round to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 2010 Big West Pitcher of the Year, Daniel Bibona, was the first Anteater named, going in the eighth-round to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was followed by Ryan Fisher, who was taken in the 15th round by the Florida Marlins, and Jeff Cusick, an 18th-round choice by the Philadelphia Phillies.
UC Santa Barbara added five selections on the third day to bring the Gauchos' total to six, finishing fourth in the Big West. Pacific's total number of draftees improved to five after the final day. UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge each had four players chosen, Cal Poly had three players selected and two draft picks came from UC Davis.
Ramirez Closed-In On Doubles Mark
First baseman Nick Ramirez concluded the 2010 season one double away from breaking the record of 29 set by Cal State Fullerton alum John Eccles in 1986. The league-best 28 two-baggers by Ramirez ties him with Shane Costa (2003) for No. 2 in league history. In addition to Eccles and Costa, Titans monopolize the top of the single-season doubles list. Aaron Rowand (1998), Jason Moler (1992) and Mark Kotsay (1996) are all No. 3 with 27.
Yoder Leaves His Mark At Cal Poly
Cal Poly senior Luke Yoder concluded the 2010 season with a .347 batting average, becoming the first Mustang to hit above .300 in four straight seasons at the Division I level. Yoder finishes his tenure at Cal Poly with school career records for runs scored (189) and doubles (51) and is No. 2 in home runs (32), No. 3 in walks (104), No. 3 in hits (231), No. 4 in at-bats (705), No. 5 in triples (12), No. 5 in RBIs (137) and No. 10 in stolen bases (43).
Success At Forty
Cal State Fullerton closed out the regular season registering its 11th consecutive series win, which improved their overall mark to 41-15. Following postseason play, the Titans registered a 46-18 record. The Titans reached the 40-win mark for the 25th time in their 36-year history, 17th while competing in the Big West. This is also the third straight season they reached the 40-win plateau.
Matadors Post Winning Season
Cal State Northridge recorded one of its best seasons in recent memory. The Matadors concluded the 2010 season with a 29-27 overall to tally a winning record for the first time since 2002 when the Matadors finished 41-17 overall and in first place in the Big West with a 19-5 mark. The Matadors finished one win shy of the 30-win mark, a feat they last accomplished in 2002 when they recorded 41 wins.
Colon Scores Top 10 Runs Ranking
Cal State Fullerton junior Christian Colon led the Big West with 73 runs scored on the season. The consistent run-producing machine at the top of the Titan lineup also added to the Big West record book. Colon ends his collegiate career ranked fourth in Big West career runs scored with 214.
UC Irvine's Bibona Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Winner
Five-time all-American and Big West Conference pitcher of the year Daniel Bibona from the University of California, Irvine, has been selected as the Lowes Senior CLASS Award winner for baseball. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I baseball coaches, national media and fans, is awarded annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I baseball.
Bibona graduated this year with a degree in sociology and a 3.25 grade point average. He was the 2010 Big West Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to being a regular visitor at the Childrens Hospital of Orange County and coaching youth baseball, Bibona is a member of a non-profit organization called American Home Dream, which assists children with terminal illnesses.
Hot Bats Lead To School Records
The bats were hot in Riverside and San Luis Obispo the last weekend of play as both teams set new single-game school records. On Saturday, the Highlanders downed conference foes UC Davis, 26-7, tying the team record for runs in a game originally set against Chico State back on February 8, 1996. The Highlanders also finished with 30 hits to establish a new single-game mark in that category.
Not to be outdone, the following day the Mustangs were unstoppable at the plate knocking in 25 runs in their win over Cal State Bakersfield. On its way to a 25-8 victory, Cal Poly shattered a school Division I baseball record with 32 hits as all nine Mustang starters collected at least two hits.
Starter Pettis Still Saving
UC Irvine's Eric Pettis was converted from one of the nations top closers into a starter for his senior season. The right-hander responded well to his starting role in 2010, compiling an 9-5 record with a 3.62 ERA in a league-high 124.1 innings pitched. On top of that, the normally scheduled Sunday starter retained the closer tag on Fridays. With that opportunity, Pettis recorded six saves on the season to increase his career total to 41. He is only the third player in Big West history to amass 40 saves.