Cal Poly third baseman Tate Samuelson tags out a UC Santa Barbara runner trying to steal third base in Sunday game at Baggett Stadium.
Photo by: Photo by Connor Lau
Cal Poly to Visit Fresno State for Midweek Game Tuesday Night
5/2/2022 10:10:00 PM | Baseball
WEEKLY NOTES: CAL POLY | FRESNO STATE
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (24-19, 11-7 Big West), which held leads or was tied late in each of its three Big West Conference games against first-place UC Santa Barbara but was swept by the Gauchos, steps away from conference play Tuesday night, visiting Fresno State (22-22, 11-10 Mountain West) for a single game inside Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium (cap.: 3,575).
First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio (1280 AM and 101.7 FM) with Chris Sylvester providing the play-by-play. The games also will be available on the Mountain West Network. Links for video and audio streams as well as live stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.
After a 7-9 start, Cal Poly put together five- and six-game winning streaks, moving 10 games above the .500 mark for the first time since the 2016 season by taking two of three games in back-to-back Big West series on the road at UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
The Mustangs slipped into third place in the Big West following 10-7 (11 innings), 8-3 and 7-3 losses to No. 13 UC Santa Barbara at home. The Mustangs hit just .220 against the Gauchos with Ryan Stafford, Collin Villegas and Joe Yorke each collecting four hits. The series drew 8,250 fans, No. 2 on Cal Poly's all-time list for attendance in a series and included 3,032 for the middle game of the series, the fourth-largest crowd ever to see a game in Baggett Stadium.
Also last week, Cal Poly dropped a 9-1 midweek decision at Santa Clara.
Cal Poly opened the 2022 season by dropping a pair of one-run decisions against Washington, 6-5 and 4-3, before claiming the series finale. Following an 8-4 midweek win over Fresno State, the Mustangs went out on the road and took two of three games from Missouri State in Arlington, Texas, before losing two of three contests at UNLV.
The early season slide continued as Cal Poly fell 3-1 to San Jose State and split a four-game weekend set against the Ivy League's Harvard. That series included Drew Thorpe's three-hit shutout in the opener, a grand slam by Brett Borgogno and Brooks Lee's first four-hit game as a Mustang.
On March 18, Cal Poly rallied from a 4-0 deficit with a decisive five-run eighth-inning outburst for a 6-4 Big West-opening triumph over CSUN, providing a turning point for the Mustangs as they have lost just five times since. Cal Poly completed the sweep against the Matadors, earned a series win at UC San Diego highlighted by a combined 20-strikeout effort from Thorpe and Jason Franks, won all five games versus Santa Clara and Dixie State five weeks ago and won Big West series against Long Beach State, defending conference champion UC Irvine and UC Riverside, all two games to one, to stay within striking distance of the first-place Gauchos.
The Mustangs are back above the .500 mark after the 0-2, 4-5, 5-7 and 7-9 starts, going 17-10 since the start of Big West play March 18.
Fresno State has won five series while also losing five and is fourth in the seven-team Mountain West Conference at 11-10. The Bulldogs have won series against UC Riverside, Portland, Nevada, San Diego State and New Mexico while losing series versus New Mexico, Air Force, Abilene Christian, Air Force and San Diego State. Fresno State has lost each of its last three weekend series.
Fresno State is hitting .295 as a team with 84 doubles, eight triples and 51 home runs, scoring 281 runs in its 44 games so far. The Bulldogs are first in the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (28), shutouts (3), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.73), strikeouts per nine innings (9.3) and WHIP (1.45) but are last in double plays (25), sacrifice flies (13) and triples (8). The pitching staff has compiled a 5.08 ERA with 404 strikeouts over 393 innings, and the Bulldogs have committed 50 errors for a .970 fielding percentage.
Fresno State is coming off a 20-25 campaign, finishing fifth in the Mountain West Conference at 16-18. The Bulldogs, who claimed the 2008 national championship, have made 34 NCAA tournament appearances, including four in the College World Series. The 2019 Mountain West regular season title and tournament championship was Fresno State's 36th conference championship.
The Bulldogs return 15 letter winners, including four position starters and six pitchers. Top returnees include infielder Andrew Kachel (.328, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs in 2021) and outfielders Ivan Luna (.310, 19 RBIs) and Vinny Bologna (.288, 16 RBIs). Topping the list of returning pitchers are right-hander Kyle Pruhsmeier (3-1, 9.33 ERA in 2021) and southpaws Robbie Peters (1-3, 6.04 ERA, one save) and Jake Dixon (6-3, 5.81 ERA).
Junior right-hander Trevor Garcia (3-1, 3.16 ERA), who was Fresno State's starting pitcher against Cal Poly in the first meeting between the two Central California rivals Feb. 28 in Baggett Stadium, will start Tuesday's game against the Mustangs as well. The graduate of Santa Maria High School and Hancock College earned 14 wins and compiled a 2.79 ERA in three Bulldog seasons, also hitting .309 when not pitching, and led the Saints to the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 title in 2017 as a junior.
Garcia allowed a run and three hits over two innings in the February game and was not involved in the decision.
Cal Poly will counter with freshman right-hander Steven Brooks (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Cal Poly and Fresno State, which didn't play each other in 2018, are meeting for the 186th time Tuesday night. The Mustangs prevailed 8-4 in this year's first meeting as Matthias Haas belted a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Brooks Lee added a three-run double in the sixth. The win, snapped a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs that stretched back to 2016.
The Bulldogs won both midweek games in 2019 by 16-6 and 8-6 victories and also won both midweek games in 2017. Fresno State owns a 118-67 advantage in the series.
In 2005 Cal Poly swept Fresno State in a three-game series for the first time in the then-60-year history of the rivalry and duplicated the feat opening the 2006 campaign in Baggett Stadium and again in 2007 at Beiden Field. The Mustangs have won 23 of their last 33 games against the Bulldogs, including three of five games during Fresno State's national championship season in 2008.
Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee is 25-12 against Fresno State while Bulldog mentor Mike Batesole sports a 21-30 mark against Cal Poly, including a 9-5 record while he was at CSUN.
Batesole (20th year at Fresno State (634-495-1), 27th year overall (890-653-2), Cal State Fullerton '90), who coached at CSUN for seven years prior to becoming coach of the Bulldogs in 2003, is a two-time National Coach of the Year. His Bulldogs won seven straight conference titles from 2006-12 and made six NCAA appearances in that time, advancing to the regional title game three times before winning the national championship in 2008.
Under Batesole, Fresno State produced its fourth straight 30-win season in 2018 and Batesole has produced a total of 87 players who have been selected in the annual Major League Baseball draft during his previous 19 years at the helm.
During his tenure at CSUN from 1996-2002, the Matadors captured a Western Athletic Conference (1996) and Big West Conference title (2002). The Matadors made two NCAA Tournament appearances under Batesole and his record of 256-158-1 at Northridge ranks him second all-time in program history. His .620 winning percentage also ranks as the best ever in school history. In Batesole's seven years at CSUN, 37 of his players made it to the professional ranks.
A graduate of Garden Grove High School, Batesole played collegiately at Oral Roberts at third base and spent four seasons playing professionally in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system from 1985-88.
Fresno State's top hitters this season are catcher Zach Morgan (.396, 19 doubles, four home runs, 31 RBIs), first baseman Ivan Luna (.341, 15 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs) and third baseman Ben Newton (.315, 15 RBIs). The pitching staff is paced by southpaws Ixan Henderson (7-3, 3.86 ERA) and Jake Dixon (1-5, 4.20 ERA) and right-hander Roman Angelo (3-2, 4.68 ERA). Closer Cooper Bergman (0-2, 2.62 ERA), also a righty, has four saves.
Lee welcomed back 22 lettermen off last year's squad, including seven position starters and all but three pitchers. The 2022 Mustang roster, bolstered by the addition of three transfers from Boise State and one from Washington State a year ago, added a pair of graduate students this spring in infielder Brett Borgogno (Cal State Fullerton and Louisiana-Lafayette) and outfielder John Lagattuta (Cal) along with utility player Matthias Haas, a transfer from Brown.
Topping the list of returnees is five-time 2021 All-American Brooks Lee, a preseason All-American five times as well this spring. Projected to be a top-five draft pick in July, Lee hit a team-leading .342 with 10 home runs, 57 RBIs and a school-record 27 doubles as a redshirt freshman in 2021 en route to Big West Co-Field Player of the Year and Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year honors.
The group of returnees also includes designated hitter Matt Lopez, third baseman Tate Samuelson, first baseman Joe Yorke, second baseman Nick Marinconz, utility player Taison Corio and pitchers Drew Thorpe, Travis Weston, Bryce Warrecker, Kyle Scott and Dylan Villalobos, among several others.
The entire infield is back as Yorke made 54 starts at first base, Marinconz (27) and Corio (23) combined for 50 starts at second base, Lee started 54 games at shortstop and Samuelson was in the starting lineup 53 times at third base.
As the team's designated hitter, Lopez was second on the team in hitting at .341 with 26 RBIs in 39 games.
The outfield continues to be a work in progress with the loss of Cole Cabrera in center field, Sam Biller in left and Nick DiCarlo in right. Reagan Doss, who started 21 games in the outfield last year and hit .258 with six doubles and 13 RBIs in 37 games, replaces Cabrera in center field. A pair of catchers lead the depth chart in left field — Ryan Stafford of Folsom High School and returnee Collin Villegas — while Haas of Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High School and Brown and Lagattuta of Davis Senior High School and Cal likely will share duties in right field. Stafford has made 33 starts behind the plate and Villegas 10 with 24 additional starts in the outfield.
On the mound Drew Thorpe was 6-1 with a 3.15 ERA in home games last spring, finishing with a 6-6 mark and 3.79 ERA. He led the squad in strikeouts with 104, which is No. 10 all-time in the Cal Poly record book, and compiled double-digit strikeouts three times in 2021. Travis Weston (5-6, 3.28 ERA) earned three complete games, the most by a Mustang pitcher since Joey Wagman also collected three complete games in 2013. Weston was a starter in Saturday doubleheaders.
Thorpe and Weston will start Friday and Saturday, respectively, for the second year in a row. Sophomore Kaden Sheedy (1-2, 5.40 ERA in 2021) got the nod for the first four Sunday games this season with freshman right-hander Steven Brooks of Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, Calif., starting the midweek contests. Sheedy made four starts in the final six weeks of the 2021 season, including a complete-game three-hitter with six strikeouts in the series finale at UC Davis.
So far this season, Lee leads all Mustang hitters with a .367 mark, fourth in the Big West, which includes 19 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 39 RBIs. He is on pace to surpass his own school doubles record (27) set last year as well as his 57 total RBIs in 2021, and had a career-long 19-game hitting streak snapped by Long Beach State five weeks ago. Sophomore second baseman Nick Marinconz sports a .336 average with seven doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs while Yorke is hitting .288 with 27 RBIs, Villegas .287 with 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 33 RBIs and Stafford .286 with 13 doubles and 17 RBIs.
The Mustangs have a combined 342-284 conference record (.547 winning percentage) in 24-plus years as a member of the Big West (no conference games were played in 2020), the last 18-plus under Lee. Cal Poly has had just three losing seasons since 2000 and has reached the 30-win mark 13 times this century, including 2021. The Mustangs have won 222 of their last 328 home games for a 68.3 winning percentage.
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 2011, Lee has guided the Mustangs to wins in 63 of 97 Big West series with a pair of 2-2 splits for a 65.2 winning percentage. The Mustangs won seven of eight conference series in both 2014 and 2017 and is 5-1 so far this spring. Cal Poly is the only Big West team to have a winning overall record in each full season since 2011 and the Mustangs are the lone Big West team to finish fourth place or higher every year. Since 2003, Cal Poly has finished below fourth place only twice.
Cal Poly has had 19 MLB draft picks in the top 10 rounds since and including 2011. Only Cal State Fullerton has had more with 22. The next tier are three teams with a total of 10 in that time span. Cal Poly has had a total of 34 top-10 round MLB draft picks in the last 18 years. Since 2012, Cal Poly has had eight Division I All-Americans. Also, since 2003, Cal Poly has had 11 players make it to the Major Leagues. In the rest of the history of the program, there were nine to have made it to The Show.
Cal Poly is seventh among 25 California Division I schools and 10th in the West Region (47 schools) with 299 wins over the last nine years (2012-21, not counting 2020).
Lee (20th season, 601-474-2, Pepperdine '83) surpassed Fresno State's Bob Bennett for the Big West record for overall wins with a 2-1 series-opening win at USC in February 2021. During the UC?Davis series in 2019, Lee eclipsed 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 and earned win No. 600 on April 22 with a 9-3 nod over UC Riverside. 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 1,061-715-5 record over 35-plus seasons as a head coach and coached his 1,000th game as Cal Poly's head coach on April 1, 2021, a 10-1 win over UC San Diego.
Cal Poly returns to Big West play over the weekend by hosting CSU Bakersfield (Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 1).
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (24-19, 11-7 Big West), which held leads or was tied late in each of its three Big West Conference games against first-place UC Santa Barbara but was swept by the Gauchos, steps away from conference play Tuesday night, visiting Fresno State (22-22, 11-10 Mountain West) for a single game inside Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium (cap.: 3,575).
First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio (1280 AM and 101.7 FM) with Chris Sylvester providing the play-by-play. The games also will be available on the Mountain West Network. Links for video and audio streams as well as live stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.
After a 7-9 start, Cal Poly put together five- and six-game winning streaks, moving 10 games above the .500 mark for the first time since the 2016 season by taking two of three games in back-to-back Big West series on the road at UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
The Mustangs slipped into third place in the Big West following 10-7 (11 innings), 8-3 and 7-3 losses to No. 13 UC Santa Barbara at home. The Mustangs hit just .220 against the Gauchos with Ryan Stafford, Collin Villegas and Joe Yorke each collecting four hits. The series drew 8,250 fans, No. 2 on Cal Poly's all-time list for attendance in a series and included 3,032 for the middle game of the series, the fourth-largest crowd ever to see a game in Baggett Stadium.
Also last week, Cal Poly dropped a 9-1 midweek decision at Santa Clara.
Cal Poly opened the 2022 season by dropping a pair of one-run decisions against Washington, 6-5 and 4-3, before claiming the series finale. Following an 8-4 midweek win over Fresno State, the Mustangs went out on the road and took two of three games from Missouri State in Arlington, Texas, before losing two of three contests at UNLV.
The early season slide continued as Cal Poly fell 3-1 to San Jose State and split a four-game weekend set against the Ivy League's Harvard. That series included Drew Thorpe's three-hit shutout in the opener, a grand slam by Brett Borgogno and Brooks Lee's first four-hit game as a Mustang.
On March 18, Cal Poly rallied from a 4-0 deficit with a decisive five-run eighth-inning outburst for a 6-4 Big West-opening triumph over CSUN, providing a turning point for the Mustangs as they have lost just five times since. Cal Poly completed the sweep against the Matadors, earned a series win at UC San Diego highlighted by a combined 20-strikeout effort from Thorpe and Jason Franks, won all five games versus Santa Clara and Dixie State five weeks ago and won Big West series against Long Beach State, defending conference champion UC Irvine and UC Riverside, all two games to one, to stay within striking distance of the first-place Gauchos.
The Mustangs are back above the .500 mark after the 0-2, 4-5, 5-7 and 7-9 starts, going 17-10 since the start of Big West play March 18.
Fresno State has won five series while also losing five and is fourth in the seven-team Mountain West Conference at 11-10. The Bulldogs have won series against UC Riverside, Portland, Nevada, San Diego State and New Mexico while losing series versus New Mexico, Air Force, Abilene Christian, Air Force and San Diego State. Fresno State has lost each of its last three weekend series.
Fresno State is hitting .295 as a team with 84 doubles, eight triples and 51 home runs, scoring 281 runs in its 44 games so far. The Bulldogs are first in the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (28), shutouts (3), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.73), strikeouts per nine innings (9.3) and WHIP (1.45) but are last in double plays (25), sacrifice flies (13) and triples (8). The pitching staff has compiled a 5.08 ERA with 404 strikeouts over 393 innings, and the Bulldogs have committed 50 errors for a .970 fielding percentage.
Fresno State is coming off a 20-25 campaign, finishing fifth in the Mountain West Conference at 16-18. The Bulldogs, who claimed the 2008 national championship, have made 34 NCAA tournament appearances, including four in the College World Series. The 2019 Mountain West regular season title and tournament championship was Fresno State's 36th conference championship.
The Bulldogs return 15 letter winners, including four position starters and six pitchers. Top returnees include infielder Andrew Kachel (.328, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs in 2021) and outfielders Ivan Luna (.310, 19 RBIs) and Vinny Bologna (.288, 16 RBIs). Topping the list of returning pitchers are right-hander Kyle Pruhsmeier (3-1, 9.33 ERA in 2021) and southpaws Robbie Peters (1-3, 6.04 ERA, one save) and Jake Dixon (6-3, 5.81 ERA).
Junior right-hander Trevor Garcia (3-1, 3.16 ERA), who was Fresno State's starting pitcher against Cal Poly in the first meeting between the two Central California rivals Feb. 28 in Baggett Stadium, will start Tuesday's game against the Mustangs as well. The graduate of Santa Maria High School and Hancock College earned 14 wins and compiled a 2.79 ERA in three Bulldog seasons, also hitting .309 when not pitching, and led the Saints to the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 title in 2017 as a junior.
Garcia allowed a run and three hits over two innings in the February game and was not involved in the decision.
Cal Poly will counter with freshman right-hander Steven Brooks (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Cal Poly and Fresno State, which didn't play each other in 2018, are meeting for the 186th time Tuesday night. The Mustangs prevailed 8-4 in this year's first meeting as Matthias Haas belted a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Brooks Lee added a three-run double in the sixth. The win, snapped a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs that stretched back to 2016.
The Bulldogs won both midweek games in 2019 by 16-6 and 8-6 victories and also won both midweek games in 2017. Fresno State owns a 118-67 advantage in the series.
In 2005 Cal Poly swept Fresno State in a three-game series for the first time in the then-60-year history of the rivalry and duplicated the feat opening the 2006 campaign in Baggett Stadium and again in 2007 at Beiden Field. The Mustangs have won 23 of their last 33 games against the Bulldogs, including three of five games during Fresno State's national championship season in 2008.
Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee is 25-12 against Fresno State while Bulldog mentor Mike Batesole sports a 21-30 mark against Cal Poly, including a 9-5 record while he was at CSUN.
Batesole (20th year at Fresno State (634-495-1), 27th year overall (890-653-2), Cal State Fullerton '90), who coached at CSUN for seven years prior to becoming coach of the Bulldogs in 2003, is a two-time National Coach of the Year. His Bulldogs won seven straight conference titles from 2006-12 and made six NCAA appearances in that time, advancing to the regional title game three times before winning the national championship in 2008.
Under Batesole, Fresno State produced its fourth straight 30-win season in 2018 and Batesole has produced a total of 87 players who have been selected in the annual Major League Baseball draft during his previous 19 years at the helm.
During his tenure at CSUN from 1996-2002, the Matadors captured a Western Athletic Conference (1996) and Big West Conference title (2002). The Matadors made two NCAA Tournament appearances under Batesole and his record of 256-158-1 at Northridge ranks him second all-time in program history. His .620 winning percentage also ranks as the best ever in school history. In Batesole's seven years at CSUN, 37 of his players made it to the professional ranks.
A graduate of Garden Grove High School, Batesole played collegiately at Oral Roberts at third base and spent four seasons playing professionally in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system from 1985-88.
Fresno State's top hitters this season are catcher Zach Morgan (.396, 19 doubles, four home runs, 31 RBIs), first baseman Ivan Luna (.341, 15 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs) and third baseman Ben Newton (.315, 15 RBIs). The pitching staff is paced by southpaws Ixan Henderson (7-3, 3.86 ERA) and Jake Dixon (1-5, 4.20 ERA) and right-hander Roman Angelo (3-2, 4.68 ERA). Closer Cooper Bergman (0-2, 2.62 ERA), also a righty, has four saves.
Lee welcomed back 22 lettermen off last year's squad, including seven position starters and all but three pitchers. The 2022 Mustang roster, bolstered by the addition of three transfers from Boise State and one from Washington State a year ago, added a pair of graduate students this spring in infielder Brett Borgogno (Cal State Fullerton and Louisiana-Lafayette) and outfielder John Lagattuta (Cal) along with utility player Matthias Haas, a transfer from Brown.
Topping the list of returnees is five-time 2021 All-American Brooks Lee, a preseason All-American five times as well this spring. Projected to be a top-five draft pick in July, Lee hit a team-leading .342 with 10 home runs, 57 RBIs and a school-record 27 doubles as a redshirt freshman in 2021 en route to Big West Co-Field Player of the Year and Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year honors.
The group of returnees also includes designated hitter Matt Lopez, third baseman Tate Samuelson, first baseman Joe Yorke, second baseman Nick Marinconz, utility player Taison Corio and pitchers Drew Thorpe, Travis Weston, Bryce Warrecker, Kyle Scott and Dylan Villalobos, among several others.
The entire infield is back as Yorke made 54 starts at first base, Marinconz (27) and Corio (23) combined for 50 starts at second base, Lee started 54 games at shortstop and Samuelson was in the starting lineup 53 times at third base.
As the team's designated hitter, Lopez was second on the team in hitting at .341 with 26 RBIs in 39 games.
The outfield continues to be a work in progress with the loss of Cole Cabrera in center field, Sam Biller in left and Nick DiCarlo in right. Reagan Doss, who started 21 games in the outfield last year and hit .258 with six doubles and 13 RBIs in 37 games, replaces Cabrera in center field. A pair of catchers lead the depth chart in left field — Ryan Stafford of Folsom High School and returnee Collin Villegas — while Haas of Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High School and Brown and Lagattuta of Davis Senior High School and Cal likely will share duties in right field. Stafford has made 33 starts behind the plate and Villegas 10 with 24 additional starts in the outfield.
On the mound Drew Thorpe was 6-1 with a 3.15 ERA in home games last spring, finishing with a 6-6 mark and 3.79 ERA. He led the squad in strikeouts with 104, which is No. 10 all-time in the Cal Poly record book, and compiled double-digit strikeouts three times in 2021. Travis Weston (5-6, 3.28 ERA) earned three complete games, the most by a Mustang pitcher since Joey Wagman also collected three complete games in 2013. Weston was a starter in Saturday doubleheaders.
Thorpe and Weston will start Friday and Saturday, respectively, for the second year in a row. Sophomore Kaden Sheedy (1-2, 5.40 ERA in 2021) got the nod for the first four Sunday games this season with freshman right-hander Steven Brooks of Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, Calif., starting the midweek contests. Sheedy made four starts in the final six weeks of the 2021 season, including a complete-game three-hitter with six strikeouts in the series finale at UC Davis.
So far this season, Lee leads all Mustang hitters with a .367 mark, fourth in the Big West, which includes 19 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 39 RBIs. He is on pace to surpass his own school doubles record (27) set last year as well as his 57 total RBIs in 2021, and had a career-long 19-game hitting streak snapped by Long Beach State five weeks ago. Sophomore second baseman Nick Marinconz sports a .336 average with seven doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs while Yorke is hitting .288 with 27 RBIs, Villegas .287 with 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 33 RBIs and Stafford .286 with 13 doubles and 17 RBIs.
The Mustangs have a combined 342-284 conference record (.547 winning percentage) in 24-plus years as a member of the Big West (no conference games were played in 2020), the last 18-plus under Lee. Cal Poly has had just three losing seasons since 2000 and has reached the 30-win mark 13 times this century, including 2021. The Mustangs have won 222 of their last 328 home games for a 68.3 winning percentage.
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 2011, Lee has guided the Mustangs to wins in 63 of 97 Big West series with a pair of 2-2 splits for a 65.2 winning percentage. The Mustangs won seven of eight conference series in both 2014 and 2017 and is 5-1 so far this spring. Cal Poly is the only Big West team to have a winning overall record in each full season since 2011 and the Mustangs are the lone Big West team to finish fourth place or higher every year. Since 2003, Cal Poly has finished below fourth place only twice.
Cal Poly has had 19 MLB draft picks in the top 10 rounds since and including 2011. Only Cal State Fullerton has had more with 22. The next tier are three teams with a total of 10 in that time span. Cal Poly has had a total of 34 top-10 round MLB draft picks in the last 18 years. Since 2012, Cal Poly has had eight Division I All-Americans. Also, since 2003, Cal Poly has had 11 players make it to the Major Leagues. In the rest of the history of the program, there were nine to have made it to The Show.
Cal Poly is seventh among 25 California Division I schools and 10th in the West Region (47 schools) with 299 wins over the last nine years (2012-21, not counting 2020).
Lee (20th season, 601-474-2, Pepperdine '83) surpassed Fresno State's Bob Bennett for the Big West record for overall wins with a 2-1 series-opening win at USC in February 2021. During the UC?Davis series in 2019, Lee eclipsed 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 and earned win No. 600 on April 22 with a 9-3 nod over UC Riverside. 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 1,061-715-5 record over 35-plus seasons as a head coach and coached his 1,000th game as Cal Poly's head coach on April 1, 2021, a 10-1 win over UC San Diego.
Cal Poly returns to Big West play over the weekend by hosting CSU Bakersfield (Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 1).
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