Cal Poly Opens Six-Game Home Stand with March 26-27 UC Riverside Series

Saturday, March 19

Northridge, CA

1 p.m.

CSUN

Allman-Barrett Celebration Nevada (Main)

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Opens Six-Game Home Stand with March 26-27 UC Riverside Series

3/22/2022 2:23:00 PM | Softball

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly softball program begins a six-game home stand and plays the first of its four Big West Conference home series when hosting UC Riverside for Saturday, March 26 doubleheader and Sunday, March 27 single matchup. First pitch both days from Bob Janssen Field is 1 p.m. for Cal Poly (5-18, 0-3), which was swept at CSUN to open Big West play last weekend. The Mustangs, however, trail UC Riverside (9-15, 1-2) – one of four programs sharing sixth place in the early Big West standings – by just a game.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Dan Gillman provides the play-by-play for ESPN+ and streaming audio of Cal Poly's March 26-27 series against UC Riverside via GoPoly.com HERE … live stats will also be available through GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: After dropping two of three series games to UC Riverside in each of the last four Big West seasons (2017-19, 2021), Cal Poly seeks its first series victory against the Highlanders since producing a three-game road sweep to close 2016. Cal Poly leads the all-time series, 94-39, dating to the first meeting – a 4-1 Mustangs win – on April 16, 1976.

CLEMENTS DEBUT A HIT: Having hit safely in 17 of 23 games – including career best four-hit outings against San Diego State (Feb. 13) and San Jose State (Feb. 25) – freshman left fielder Jessica Clements ranks sixth among Big West players with a team leading .400 (30-for-75) batting average. Cal Poly's leader with nine multi-hit games, Clements also ranks seventh among Big West players with 30 hits and 12th with 14 runs and a .432 on-base percentage. The Feb. 14 Big West Freshman Player of the Week honoree, Clements is one of four Mustangs to start all 23 games alongside senior shortstop Maddie Amos, senior designated player Lily Amos and junior second baseman Xiara Diaz.

AMOS ROUNDING OFF STANDOUT CAREER: Cal Poly's second leading hitter and ranked eighth among Big West players with a .384 (28-for-73) mark, senior shortstop Maddie Amos enters the March 26-27 series versus UC Riverside having hit safely in seven straight games and reached base safely in 13 successive outings. Cal Poly's leader for RBI (14) doubles (four), homers (three), extra-base hits (seven) and total bases (41), Amos has struck out just six times in 79 plate appearances, averaging one every 12.2 at-bats. Owner of seven multi-hit games thus far, Amos – the March 7 Big West Field Player of the Week honoree – is a .313 (101-for-323) career hitter who has started 113 of a possible 132 games during her career and all 58 since the start of the 2021 season.

ALLMAN IN THE CIRCLE: Having conceded just seven earned runs in her last 33.2 innings worked, senior lefthander Krystyna Allman (4-8) ranks fourth among Big West pitchers with a 2.12 ERA, fifth with 72.2 innings pitched and seventh with 46 strikeouts. Earning her four victories in the last seven appearances, Allman struck out a season best nine against Penn (March 5).

SIBLINGS IN THE FOLD: Among the 293 Division I programs for the 2022 season, Cal Poly – alongside Indiana State and IUPUI – is one of just three teams to feature multiple pairs of siblings on the roster. With seniors Maddie and Lily Amos each starting all 23 games, freshman third baseman Caroline Allman – a starter in 10 of 18 appearances – has entered the starting lineup alongside senior lefthander Krystyna Allman.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Three of Cal Poly's opening 13 games occurred versus programs ranked or receiving votes in the Feb. 15 edition of the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. After falling against Stanford (receiving votes) on Feb. 13, the Mustangs sustained setbacks versus No. 5 UCLA (March 3) and No. 23 Arizona State (March 4).

CAL POLY SELECTED SIXTH IN BIG WEST POLL: Earning one first-place vote in the 2022 Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Cal Poly was selected for a sixth-place finish following Monday's release. The Mustangs, who finished seventh in the standings last year, earned 42 votes in Monday's poll to finish seven points behind Hawai'i and UC San Diego and one point ahead of UC Santa Barbara. Cal State Fullerton was selected first in the poll with 77 points and five of 10 first-place votes.

LOOKING AHEAD (APRIL 2-3): Cal Poly plays just one of its ensuing three Big West series at home, closing its lengthiest home stand of 2022 – six games – against UC Santa Barbara. Swept at UC Santa Barbara last spring, Cal Poly seeks its first series victory against the Gauchos since taking two of three matchups during the 2017 season.