Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly Baseball Team Picked Again to Finish Fourth in Big West
2/14/2022 10:53:00 AM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- For the fourth time in the last six years, the Cal Poly baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Big West Conference baseball standings.
In 2017, 2019 and 2021, Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs also were chosen by the league's head coaches to finish fourth. Cal Poly finished second in both 2017 and 2019 and rallied late in the season to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in 2021.
Long Beach State earned seven of the 11 first-place votes and 97 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. Defending Big West champion UC Irvine picked up three first-place votes and 92 points for the No. 2 spot while UC Santa Barbara, last year's runner-up, obtained the remaining first-place vote and 81 points for the third position in the preseason poll.
Cal Poly returns 21 lettermen, including seven position starters and 10 of the 13 pitchers, from last year's squad which won seven straight and 11 of its last 12 games to close out the season 31-25 overall and 21-19 for a share of fourth place with UC San Diego and CSUN.
Sophomore shortstop Brooks Lee headlines the list of Mustang returnees. He was named Big West Co-Player of the Year, Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year and earned a spot on the first team en route to five All-American accolades for his stellar efforts in 2021.
After a season in which he broke the school record for doubles (27) and hit .342 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in 55 games, Lee has been named to all five preseason All-America teams leading up to the 2022 season.
Over the summer, he hit .405 for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League — the first player in 19 years to hit over .400 in a league comprised of college baseball's elite players as he collected six home runs, four doubles and 13 RBIs in 21 games. He also tried out for a spot on Team USA last summer.
Lee was recently ranked as the No. 1 shortstop in the country by D1Baseball.com.
Long Beach State was 28-15 in 2021, including a 26-14 mark in Big West action. Devereaux Harrison, a preseason All-American selection by three publications, is expected to highlight the Dirtbags' bullpen. He posted a 1.57 ERA, the lowest by a Long Beach State pitcher since 2016, in 34.1 innings of work and held opponents to a .175 average, fanning 42 batters. The righty finished the season as one of 23 relievers nationally to notch double-digit saves (10).
Harrison is joined on the 2022 Dirtbags' roster by fellow Big West first-team selection in first baseman Chase Luttrell and second-team pick in reliever Matt Fields.
UC Irvine finished last season at 43-18 with a loss in the regional final to host Stanford, and a Big West record of 32-8. The Anteaters return eight players who made the Big West postseason awards lists. Outfielder Nathan Church will be joined on the 2022 roster by three fellow first-team All-Big West picks from the bullpen: starting pitcher Michael Frias, reliever Gordon Ingebritson and closer Jacob King. Also back for the Anteaters are second-team picks Justin Torres and Nick Pinto.
UC Santa Barbara (41-20, 29-11 BW in 2021) lost four Big West first teamers from a season ago, but return shortstop Jordan Sprinkle, the 2021 Big West Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year, and reliever Carter Benbrook to the roster, along with a pair of second-team selections.
Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i and CSUN occupy the Nos. 5-7 positions, followed by CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego, UC Riverside and UC Davis.
Since and including 2011, Cal Poly is the only Big West team to have a winning or .500 overall record each year (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Also since 2011, Cal Poly is the only Big West team to finish at least fourth or higher every year, including one first place, five seconds, one third and three fourths. Since 2003, Cal Poly has finished below fourth place in the Big West only twice (2008, 2010). Cal Poly went from 2011-15 without being swept in a Big West series until Long Beach State swept the Mustangs at Blair Field in 2016.
Cal Poly opens its 2022 season by hosting Washington for a three-game weekend series inside Baggett Stadium. Friday's game begins at 6 p.m., followed by first pitches Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 o'clock.
Big West Conference
Preseason Baseball Poll
1. Long Beach State (7) 97
2. UC Irvine (3) 92
3. UC Santa Barbara (1) 81
4. Cal Poly 75
5. Cal State Fullerton 58
6. Hawai'i 51
7. CSUN 50
8. CSU Bakersfield 35
9. UC San Diego 33
10. UC Riverside 22
11. UC Davis 11
(first-place votes)
In 2017, 2019 and 2021, Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs also were chosen by the league's head coaches to finish fourth. Cal Poly finished second in both 2017 and 2019 and rallied late in the season to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in 2021.
Long Beach State earned seven of the 11 first-place votes and 97 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. Defending Big West champion UC Irvine picked up three first-place votes and 92 points for the No. 2 spot while UC Santa Barbara, last year's runner-up, obtained the remaining first-place vote and 81 points for the third position in the preseason poll.
Cal Poly returns 21 lettermen, including seven position starters and 10 of the 13 pitchers, from last year's squad which won seven straight and 11 of its last 12 games to close out the season 31-25 overall and 21-19 for a share of fourth place with UC San Diego and CSUN.
Sophomore shortstop Brooks Lee headlines the list of Mustang returnees. He was named Big West Co-Player of the Year, Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year and earned a spot on the first team en route to five All-American accolades for his stellar efforts in 2021.
After a season in which he broke the school record for doubles (27) and hit .342 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in 55 games, Lee has been named to all five preseason All-America teams leading up to the 2022 season.
Over the summer, he hit .405 for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League — the first player in 19 years to hit over .400 in a league comprised of college baseball's elite players as he collected six home runs, four doubles and 13 RBIs in 21 games. He also tried out for a spot on Team USA last summer.
Lee was recently ranked as the No. 1 shortstop in the country by D1Baseball.com.
Long Beach State was 28-15 in 2021, including a 26-14 mark in Big West action. Devereaux Harrison, a preseason All-American selection by three publications, is expected to highlight the Dirtbags' bullpen. He posted a 1.57 ERA, the lowest by a Long Beach State pitcher since 2016, in 34.1 innings of work and held opponents to a .175 average, fanning 42 batters. The righty finished the season as one of 23 relievers nationally to notch double-digit saves (10).
Harrison is joined on the 2022 Dirtbags' roster by fellow Big West first-team selection in first baseman Chase Luttrell and second-team pick in reliever Matt Fields.
UC Irvine finished last season at 43-18 with a loss in the regional final to host Stanford, and a Big West record of 32-8. The Anteaters return eight players who made the Big West postseason awards lists. Outfielder Nathan Church will be joined on the 2022 roster by three fellow first-team All-Big West picks from the bullpen: starting pitcher Michael Frias, reliever Gordon Ingebritson and closer Jacob King. Also back for the Anteaters are second-team picks Justin Torres and Nick Pinto.
UC Santa Barbara (41-20, 29-11 BW in 2021) lost four Big West first teamers from a season ago, but return shortstop Jordan Sprinkle, the 2021 Big West Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year, and reliever Carter Benbrook to the roster, along with a pair of second-team selections.
Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i and CSUN occupy the Nos. 5-7 positions, followed by CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego, UC Riverside and UC Davis.
Since and including 2011, Cal Poly is the only Big West team to have a winning or .500 overall record each year (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Also since 2011, Cal Poly is the only Big West team to finish at least fourth or higher every year, including one first place, five seconds, one third and three fourths. Since 2003, Cal Poly has finished below fourth place in the Big West only twice (2008, 2010). Cal Poly went from 2011-15 without being swept in a Big West series until Long Beach State swept the Mustangs at Blair Field in 2016.
Cal Poly opens its 2022 season by hosting Washington for a three-game weekend series inside Baggett Stadium. Friday's game begins at 6 p.m., followed by first pitches Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 o'clock.
Big West Conference
Preseason Baseball Poll
1. Long Beach State (7) 97
2. UC Irvine (3) 92
3. UC Santa Barbara (1) 81
4. Cal Poly 75
5. Cal State Fullerton 58
6. Hawai'i 51
7. CSUN 50
8. CSU Bakersfield 35
9. UC San Diego 33
10. UC Riverside 22
11. UC Davis 11
(first-place votes)
Players Mentioned
SS
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