Cal Poly to Visit Kansas State for Three-Game Weekend Series
3/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NOTES: CAL POLY | KANSAS STATE | BIG WEST
LIVE STATS | AUDIO: FRIDAY (1) | FRIDAY (2) | SATURDAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY (1) | FRIDAY (2) | SATURDAY
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (11-1, 0-0 Big West), which won its first seven games for the first time in 32 years, claimed two of three games at Washington over the weekend, swept Holy Cross in a two-game midweek series and is off to its best 12-game start in the school's 19-year Division I history, visits Kansas State (8-3, 0-0 Big 12) for a three-game non-conference series this weekend in Tointon Family Stadium (2,331).
Because of impending weather in Manhattan, Kansas, the two teams will open the series with a noon PST doubleheader Friday followed by a noon PST single game Saturday. All three games will be aired live on ESPN Radio 1280 with Eric Burdick calling the play-by-play. The series also will be available via audio and video streams as well as live stats at GoPoly.com.
Cal Poly, 36-20 a year ago and winner of 14 of its final 17 games, returns 23 letter winners, including seven position starters and 11 pitchers (four starters), off its 2012 squad which swept six series, won nine of 14 weekend series, finished one game behind champion Cal State Fullerton in the Big West and ended atop the conference in most key offensive categories, including average, runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI.
The Mustangs produced a perfect weekend in the Bay Area to open the 2013 season, sweeping San Francisco by scores of 5-3, 1-0 and 10-5 victories followed by a 5-4 triumph at Santa Clara on Presidents Day. In its first games at Baggett Stadium two weeks ago, Cal Poly swept Seattle 2-1, 1-0 and 4-1.
The Mustangs went back out on the road last weekend and, after falling 2-1 in the opener at Washington, bounced back for 5-3 and 5-1 victories to capture the series despite scoring just 11 runs on 21 hits. Cal Poly beat Holy Cross twice earlier this week by scores of 6-1 and 11-6, hitting .319 with 22 hits in two games.
Cal Poly hit .321 in the quartet of Bay Area games, but the mark fell to .234 in the Seattle series and .210 in the Washington series. Sophomore right fielder Nick Torres (pictured above) provided a major portion of the offensive spark for the Mustangs against the Huskies with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI, going 5-for-12 at the plate. Torres extended his hitting streak to six games with four more hits against Holy Cross and is 11-for-26 during the run. Senior second baseman Denver Chavez also is swinging a hot bat, hitting .444 for the year with hits in 11 of Cal Poly's 12 games this season.
The Mustang starting rotation of senior right-hander Joey Wagman (2-1, 1.93 ERA), sophomore southpaw Matt Imhof (2-0, 1.37 ERA) and sophomore righty Bryan Granger (3-0, 1.42 ERA) has allowed just 10 earned runs in 12 games while relievers Reed Reilly, Michael Holback, Chase Johnson and Taylor Chris have combined for seven saves in the first three-plus weeks of the season.
"We have pitched extremely well in the three weekend series," 11th-year Mustang head coach Larry Lee said, noting the 1.60 staff ERA. "We've had great starting pitching and there has been no decline with the guys we've brought in for relief."
Lee earned his 300th win last May 5 in a 12-7 decision at UC Davis. Lee (318-254-2) surpassed Berdy Harr (297-249-6 from 1973-83) as Cal Poly's winningest head baseball coach during the Pacific series a week earlier. Steve McFarland was 290-257 in 10 seasons (1984-93) at the helm of the Mustangs while Ritch Price was 217-228-1 in Cal Poly's first eight years of play in Division I (1995-2002).
Lee has guided Cal Poly to a quartet of 3-0 starts with season-opening series sweeps over San Diego in 2005, Fresno State in 2006, Oklahoma State in 2012 and San Francisco this year. The Mustangs won their first seven games for the first time since 1981. The 1954 and 1974 Mustangs started 8-0 and the school record start to a season was 10-0 by the 1951 team coached by Robert Mott.
Kansas State, coached by Brad Hill (10th season at Kansas State (301-227-3), 19th season overall (719-318-3), Emporia State '85), returns 15 lettermen, including six position starters and eight pitchers, off a team which went 27-31 a year ago and finished tied for eighth place in the Big 12 at 7-17.
The Wildcats split six games to open their 2013 season before sweeping Oakland of Michigan in a three-game series at Manhattan, Kansas, last weekend. Kansas State also earned two wins in a midweek series at home against Niagara by scores of 10-2 and 10-1.
Top hitters for the Wildcats after 11 games are first baseman Shane Conlon (.465, eight RBI), designated hitter Damion Lovato (.318, five RBI), second baseman Ross Kivett (.359, five RBI), catcher Joe Goodwin (.357, two RBI) and third baseman RJ Santigate (.311, eight RBI). The Wildcats' pitching staff is paced by right-handers Nate Williams (2-1, 1.35 ERA) and Matt Wivinis (1-0, 5.28 ERA) along with southpaw Joe Flattery (1-1, 6.39 ERA).
Kansas State is hitting .318 as a team with 16 doubles, nine triples and seven home runs, while the pitching staff has surrendered just 2.81 earned runs per game. The Wildcats have committed 14 errors in 11 games for a .967 fielding percentage.
Kansas State, playing its 113th season of baseball has made three NCAA appearances, the last time in 2011 at the Fullerton Regional. All three Kansas State appearances in the NCAA postseason are in the last nine years under Hill.
Cal Poly and Kansas State are meeting in baseball for the first time this weekend. Last time Cal Poly faced a Big 12 school was Oklahoma State in three-game series in 2012 at Baggett Stadium and in 2011 in Stillwater, Okla. The home team swept both series.
Cal Poly, which climbed six positions to No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll this week and also is ranked No. 25 in both the USA Today Coaches and National College Baseball Writers Association polls, last year was ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after its 7-1 start and No. 27 after sweeping UC Irvine in early April.
Cal Poly has won at least 30 games eight times in the last 13 seasons, in 2012 posted its 10th winning season since 2000 and has finished in the upper half of the conference standings nine times in the last 11 years.
The Washington series started a run of eight games in 10 days and 12 in 16 days for the Mustangs. Beginning March 12 against San Jose State, Cal Poly will play 10 of 11 in Baggett Stadium after playing 10 of its first 15 games on the road.
