Cal Poly Returns Home for Three-Game Series vs. Utah Valley

Friday, March 5

San Luis Obispo, CA

6 p.m.

Utah Valley

Larry Lee set another Big West record last week with his 548th career victory at Cal Poly, surpassing Fresno State's Bob Bennett.

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Returns Home for Three-Game Series vs. Utah Valley

3/2/2021 8:54:00 AM | Baseball

WEEKLY NOTES: CAL POLY | UTAH VALLEY | BIG WEST
AUDIO STREAM: FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY
LIVE STATS: FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY
VIDEO STREAM | GAME PROGRAM

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (3-4 overall, 0-0 Big West), which bounced back from its season-opening 1-3 mark in a four-game series against Nevada by winning a three-game set against USC for the first time in 27 Division I seasons, returns home to host Utah Valley (2-2, 0-0 WAC) of the Western Athletic Conference for a three-game series inside Baggett Stadium (cap.: 3,138).

Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs and the Wolverines of 13th-year head coach Eric Madsen clash Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

First two games of the series will be available on an audio stream while the series finale will be broadcast on ESPN Radio (1280 AM and 101.7 FM) with Chris Sylvester providing the play-by-play. Links for live stats and audio and video streams are available on the baseball schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.

Coming off a 5-14 performance in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, Utah Valley returned 28 of 32 letter winners, including eight position starters and 14 pitchers. Top returnees are first baseman Kade Poulsen (.357, four RBIs in 2020), second baseman Mitch Moralez (.329, nine RBIs) and shortstop Garrett Broussard (.298, five RBIs). The pitching staff is paced by Jesse Schmit (2-0, 1.08 ERA in 2020), Jaxson Otis (1-2, 5.03 ERA) and Mason Gray (1-2, 5.30 ERA), all right-handers. Schmit, Gray and Nick Sims (0-0, 7.24 ERA in 2020), also a righty, are scheduled to start the three games against Cal Poly.

Coached by Madsen (13th season, 304-334, Bellevue '03), Utah Valley opened its 2021 season by splitting four games at Saint Mary's, taking the first two games 2-1 and 3-2 before falling 2-5 and 2-0. The Wolverines were scheduled to visit CSU Bakersfield last weekend, but were forced to cancel the games due to COVID-19 issues within their program.

Schmit (1-0) and two relievers combined on a five-hitter in the opener while Sims (1-0) teamed with two more relievers on a seven-hit victory in the first game of a doubleheader. The Gaels, however, parlayed nine hits into the 5-2 win in the nightcap as three pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, and rode the combined three-hit pitching of six hurlers to the 2-0 shutout in the finale, thanks in part to 14 more strikeouts.

Drew Thorpe and Dylan Villalobos combined on a two-hitter in Cal Poly's season-opening 4-0 win over Nevada, but the Mustangs stranded 38 runners on the base paths in the remaining three games of the series, falling 2-1, 11-8 (10 innings) and 12-6. Junior third baseman Tate Samuelson and senior catcher Myles Emmerson led the way at the plate for Cal Poly, Samuelson going 7-for-16 (,438) with a double, triple and four RBIs and Emmerson going 6-for-14 (.429) with two doubles and three runs scored.

Last weekend was a different story as Cal Poly won two of three games at USC. Thorpe and Andrew Alvarez combined on a three-hitter in a 2-1 victory Friday night at Dedeaux Field and the Mustangs parlayed 16 hits into a 9-4 triumph Saturday afternoon, Samuelson, freshman shortstop Brooks Lee and junior designated hitter Matt Lopez all collecting three hits and driving in two runs. The Trojans jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings Sunday and held on for a 7-6 win to salvage one victory in the series. Samuelson and Lee both hit solo home runs in the setback.

Utah Valley has played baseball in Division I for 16 seasons, making one NCAA regional appearance in 2016 at the Baton Rouge Regional hosted by LSU. The Wolverines are 397-493 all-time in Division I.

Located in Orem, Utah, Utah Valley Community College became Utah Valley State College in 1993, elevated its athletics program to Division I in the Fall of 2003, changed its name once again to Utah Valley University in 2008 and officially gained NCAA Division I membership in 2009 after a seven-year provisional process. A member of the Great West Conference for four years, the Wolverines began their membership in the Western Athletic Conference in 2013.

Perhaps best known for a 32-game baseball winning streak in 2012, Utah Valley and Cal Poly have met just once in baseball. In 2010, the Mustangs earned an 8-6 victory in the Coca-Cola Classic held in Surprise, Ariz.

Madsen, who guided the Wolverines to a 47-12 record in 2012 but was denied an NCAA regional berth, compiled a 123-51 record (70.7 winning percentage) during a three-year run from 2010-12, claiming three straight Great West Conference regular season and tournament championships. Utah Valley qualified for the Baton Rouge Regional by going 4-0 in the Western Athletic Conference's postseason tournament in Mesa, Ariz.

Before becoming head coach at Utah Valley, Madsen was a Wolverine assistant for five seasons. He spent seven years (1996-2003) as head coach at the College of Eastern Utah (now USU Eastern), compiling a 146-160 record. He was an assistant at Eastern Utah for three seasons and also was an assistant coach for the Zion Pioneerz, a former independent baseball club in St. George, Utah.

Madsen played baseball at both Eastern Utah and Southern Utah as a pitcher and infielder and later earned his bachelor's degree from Bellevue University in 2003.

Before the 2020 season was halted last March 11 due to COVID-19, Cal Poly won two of three games in the MLB4 Tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz., rallying for two runs on sacrifice flies in the bottom of the ninth inning for a walk-off 9-8 triumph over defending national champion Vanderbilt and also shutting out Connecticut 5-0 behind the combined two-hit pitching of Taylor Dollard and Dylan Villalobos.

The Mustangs, however, won just three of their next 13 contests to finish 5-11. One of those victories was a 10-inning 5-4 decision over No. 5 Michigan inside Baggett Stadium as Taison Corio singled with one out and the bases loaded.

Lee welcomed back 20 lettermen off last year's squad, including seven position starters. The 2021 Mustang roster also has been bolstered by the addition of three transfers from Boise State, which dropped its baseball program last summer, and one from Washington State, first baseman/designated hitter Matt Lopez.

Catcher Myles Emmerson led the squad a year ago with his .317 average, but no other Mustang starter finished above .280. Emmerson is the only one of the five seniors on last year's squad who is returning this season under the NCAA rule allowing every 2020 spring sport athlete another year of eligibility due to COVID-19.

Last year's freshman class, which includes the likes of shortstop Brooks Lee, infielder Nick Marinconz and pitchers Drew Thorpe, Derek True and Kyle Scott, is considered one of Lee's strongest and the lineup also will feature the likes of veterans Cole Cabrera in center field, Taison Corio at second base and Tate Samuelson, who has moved from first base across the diamond to third base this year.

In addition to Thorpe, Scott and True, the pitching staff will be led by returnees Andrew Alvarez and Bryan Woo in the starting rotation and Dylan Villalobos out of the bullpen. Thorpe is the Friday night starter, with either Alvarez or Woo on Sundays.

All three Boise State transfers figure to play prominent roles with the Mustangs this spring. Southpaw Travis Weston will be Cal Poly's Saturday starter, Joe Yorke is penciled on the depth chart No. 1 at first base and Reagan Doss will roam the grass in left field.

Leading the squad's hitters are Samuelson and Lopez, both with .429 averages. Samuelson has three doubles, a triple and a home run for a .714 slugging percentage and .514 on-base percentage. Emmerson is hitting .367 and Lee .333.

Thorpe (1-0, 0.66 ERA) and Weston (0-1, 2.89 ERA) have anchored themselves in the starting rotation while six relievers — Chase Walter, Derek True, Zach Button, Kyle Scott, Villalobos and Bryce Warrecker — have ERAs under 2.00.

For the second time in the last five years, Cal Poly is playing all of its games in the Golden State. The 2017 squad also played all 56 games in California, going 28-28. The Mustangs also will play 33 of its 56 games inside Baggett Stadium, opening the season with 17 of their first 23 games at home.

Cal Poly won the Big West title in 2014 and has placed second six times, third four times and fourth six times since 2000, posting a combined record of 310-258 in 23 years as a member of the Big West.

Cal Poly has had just three losing seasons since 2000 and has reached the 30-win mark 12 times this century. The Mustangs have won 188 of their last 274 home games for a 68.6 winning percentage.

Lee (549-434-2) surpassed Fresno State's Bob Bennett for the Big West record for overall wins with last week's 2-1 series-opening win at USC. During the UC Davis series in 2019, Lee surpassed Cal Poly alum and former Long Beach State head coach Dave Snow with his 219th conference win. Snow guided the Dirtbags to 218 Big West wins from 1989-2001.

Lee reached the 500-victory milestone on April 20, 2018, with a 5-4 triumph over Long Beach State. He earned 460 wins in 16 seasons at Cuesta College and notched his 460th Mustang victory on March 13, 2017 against Gonzaga and his 1,000th career victory with a 3-0 triumph at UC Santa Barbara on May 23, 2019. He currently has a 1,009-675-5 record over 34-plus seasons as a head coach.

Next week, Cal Poly remains home to host UCLA for a three-game non-conference series. Games will start Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 o'clock.