Saturday, March 25
Riverside, CA
1 p.m.
at
UC Riverside
Photo by: Maddie Harrell
Cal Poly Opens Six-Game Road Trip at UC Riverside March 25-26
3/20/2023 1:33:00 PM | Softball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly softball program plays the first of two successive Big West road series when visiting UC Riverside for a three-game, March 25-26 set. Action at Amy S. Harrison Field begins with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, March 25 and closes with another 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday, March 26 for Cal Poly (8-10, 1-2), which opened Big West action by dropping two of three home matchups to CSUN (March 18-19). UC Riverside (13-15, 0-3) was the only Big West program swept during the opening weekend of conference play with the Highlanders falling three times at Long Beach State.
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Streaming video via ESPN+ and live stats for all three of Cal Poly's series games at UC Riverside will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: After dropping two of three series games to UC Riverside in each of the last five Big West seasons (2017-19, 2021-22), Cal Poly seeks its first series victory against the Highlanders since producing a three-game road sweep to close 2016. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 95-41, dating to the first meeting – a 4-1 Cal Poly win – on April 16, 1976.
LEADOFF BY EXAMPLE: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in all 66 games since the start of her career last spring, sophomore center fielder Jessica Clements enters the program's March 25-26 series at UC Riverside leading Cal Poly and ranked ninth among Big West hitters with a .352 (19-for-54) mark. She also tops Cal Poly with 19 hits, five multi-hit games, five doubles, 24 total bases, 11 runs and a .485 on-base percentage. Having reached base in all but one game this season, Clements has hit safely in 14 of 18 appearances. The leading hitter in Cal Poly's 49-year program history with a .385 (82-for-213) mark, Clements has produced 23 collegiate multi-hit outings.
BARNETT'S STRONG START: The fourth toughest Division I player to strike out, sophomore catcher Julia Barnett has been fanned just once in 53 at-bats and 61 plate appearances. Having reached base in 13 of 18 games and hit safely in all but seven matchups this season, Barnett – limited to just four hits in 15 appearances last year – ranks second in Cal Poly's lineup with a .302 (16-for-53) batting average, 16 hits, four multi-hit games, 20 total bases 20 and a .377 slugging percentage. With career high three-hit efforts during wins against North Dakota (Feb. 11) and Idaho State (Feb. 21), Barnett belted her first career homer during an opening-day victory versus North Dakota. Defensively, Barnett owns a .982 mark in 109 chances.
RAMUNO RISES IN THE CIRCLE: With 67 strikeouts – the third highest total among Big West pitchers and 34 shy of leader Myka Sutherlin (Cal State Fullerton) in four fewer appearances – Cal Poly freshman righthander Sophia Ramuno ranks eighth among conference pitchers in victories (five) and ninth in innings pitched (65.2). Featuring a 2.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Ramuno is averaging 1.03 strikeouts per inning. She produced a career best eight strikeouts against Nevada (Feb. 12) before matching the total against Fresno State (March 3) and CSUN (March 19).
CONDON ON VERGE OF HISTORY: Ranked seventh in Big West Conference history with 438 career victories, 19th-year head coach Jenny Condon requires just six more Mustang wins to overtake Lisa Boyer (1989-04) for total victories by a Cal Poly softball head coach. Condon (438) and Boyer (443) have combined for 76.7 (881 of 1,148) percent of the victories in Cal Poly softball history. In Cal Poly Athletics Department history, only current baseball head coach Larry Lee (2003-) has overseen more victories (618) than Boyer or Condon.
CAL POLY SELECTED SIXTH IN BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL: With sophomore outfielder Jessica Clements earning a position on the preseason coaches' team, the Cal Poly softball program was selected for a sixth-place finish in the 2023 Big West Preseason Poll. Cal Poly collected 40 total points in the poll and one first-place vote to finish just one point behind CSUN. Defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton was selected to retain its title with 80 points and eight of 10 first-place votes. Last year's runner-up, Long Beach State, finished second with 68 points and the remaining first-place vote. Hawai'i (59 points) and UC San Diego (56) finished third and fourth in the poll, respectively.
ETC.: Now in its 49th year of varsity competition, Cal Poly played the program's 2,200th game during a 6-5, eight-inning home win against Idaho State (Feb. 21) … Cal Poly has lost six scheduled games to rain: a Feb. 24 matchup with Iowa State (Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic) and five games at the program's March 10-12 Mustang Classic (two each versus Loyola University Chicago and South Dakota State and one against Saint Mary's).
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Streaming video via ESPN+ and live stats for all three of Cal Poly's series games at UC Riverside will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: After dropping two of three series games to UC Riverside in each of the last five Big West seasons (2017-19, 2021-22), Cal Poly seeks its first series victory against the Highlanders since producing a three-game road sweep to close 2016. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 95-41, dating to the first meeting – a 4-1 Cal Poly win – on April 16, 1976.
LEADOFF BY EXAMPLE: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in all 66 games since the start of her career last spring, sophomore center fielder Jessica Clements enters the program's March 25-26 series at UC Riverside leading Cal Poly and ranked ninth among Big West hitters with a .352 (19-for-54) mark. She also tops Cal Poly with 19 hits, five multi-hit games, five doubles, 24 total bases, 11 runs and a .485 on-base percentage. Having reached base in all but one game this season, Clements has hit safely in 14 of 18 appearances. The leading hitter in Cal Poly's 49-year program history with a .385 (82-for-213) mark, Clements has produced 23 collegiate multi-hit outings.
BARNETT'S STRONG START: The fourth toughest Division I player to strike out, sophomore catcher Julia Barnett has been fanned just once in 53 at-bats and 61 plate appearances. Having reached base in 13 of 18 games and hit safely in all but seven matchups this season, Barnett – limited to just four hits in 15 appearances last year – ranks second in Cal Poly's lineup with a .302 (16-for-53) batting average, 16 hits, four multi-hit games, 20 total bases 20 and a .377 slugging percentage. With career high three-hit efforts during wins against North Dakota (Feb. 11) and Idaho State (Feb. 21), Barnett belted her first career homer during an opening-day victory versus North Dakota. Defensively, Barnett owns a .982 mark in 109 chances.
RAMUNO RISES IN THE CIRCLE: With 67 strikeouts – the third highest total among Big West pitchers and 34 shy of leader Myka Sutherlin (Cal State Fullerton) in four fewer appearances – Cal Poly freshman righthander Sophia Ramuno ranks eighth among conference pitchers in victories (five) and ninth in innings pitched (65.2). Featuring a 2.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Ramuno is averaging 1.03 strikeouts per inning. She produced a career best eight strikeouts against Nevada (Feb. 12) before matching the total against Fresno State (March 3) and CSUN (March 19).
CONDON ON VERGE OF HISTORY: Ranked seventh in Big West Conference history with 438 career victories, 19th-year head coach Jenny Condon requires just six more Mustang wins to overtake Lisa Boyer (1989-04) for total victories by a Cal Poly softball head coach. Condon (438) and Boyer (443) have combined for 76.7 (881 of 1,148) percent of the victories in Cal Poly softball history. In Cal Poly Athletics Department history, only current baseball head coach Larry Lee (2003-) has overseen more victories (618) than Boyer or Condon.
CAL POLY SELECTED SIXTH IN BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL: With sophomore outfielder Jessica Clements earning a position on the preseason coaches' team, the Cal Poly softball program was selected for a sixth-place finish in the 2023 Big West Preseason Poll. Cal Poly collected 40 total points in the poll and one first-place vote to finish just one point behind CSUN. Defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton was selected to retain its title with 80 points and eight of 10 first-place votes. Last year's runner-up, Long Beach State, finished second with 68 points and the remaining first-place vote. Hawai'i (59 points) and UC San Diego (56) finished third and fourth in the poll, respectively.
ETC.: Now in its 49th year of varsity competition, Cal Poly played the program's 2,200th game during a 6-5, eight-inning home win against Idaho State (Feb. 21) … Cal Poly has lost six scheduled games to rain: a Feb. 24 matchup with Iowa State (Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic) and five games at the program's March 10-12 Mustang Classic (two each versus Loyola University Chicago and South Dakota State and one against Saint Mary's).
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