Cal Poly Hosts CSU Bakersfield for Three-Game, April 15-16 Series

Saturday, April 15

San Luis Obispo, CA

1 p.m.

CSU Bakersfield

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Hosts CSU Bakersfield for Three-Game, April 15-16 Series

4/11/2023 1:34:00 PM | Softball

FAN NOTE: Cal Poly will be celebrating the University's annual Open House for prospective students April 13-15. With the influx of visitors, fans are asked to budget extra time in getting to Bob Janssen Field for the Cal Poly softball program's Saturday, April 15 doubleheader against CSU Bakersfield.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Three of the Cal Poly softball program's final five Big West series take place at home, a stretch that begins when the Mustangs host CSU Bakersfield for a Saturday, April 15 doubleheader and Sunday, April 16 single matchup at Bob Janssen Field. First pitch each afternoon is 1 p.m. for Cal Poly (11-16, 4-8), which snapped a six-game slide with a 7-0 home victory against Hawai'i (April 8) and enters Saturday's doubleheader in eighth place in the Big West standings – but trailing joint leaders Long Beach State (19-17, 9-3) and UC Santa Barbara (22-11, 9-3) by just five games. With only one conference victory – a 10-2 home decision versus UC San Diego (March 17), CSU Bakersfield (6-29, 1-11) sits bottom of the Big West standings, coming into Saturday's doubleheader have dropped nine straight.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Max Milander (Saturday) and Daniel Gillman (Sunday) return to provide play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ of each CSU Bakersfield series game HERE … live stats will also be available for each matchup via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS CSU BAKERSFIELD: California Collegiate Athletic Association foes from 1985-94, CSU Bakersfield leads the all-time series against Cal Poly, 39-38. Last year's series – the first between the two programs as Big West opponents – finished in a Cal Poly sweep with former shortstop Maddie Amos hitting two grand slams in a 14-2, series-finale victory (April 16, 2022). CSU Bakersfield's upcoming visit marks its first trip to San Luis Obispo since a March 25, 2017 doubleheader split.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Half of Cal Poly's 12 Big West matchups have been decided by two runs or fewer with the Mustangs holding a 2-4 mark after edging CSUN (March 18) and UC Riverside (March 25) in 1-0 decisions. Cal Poly's 6-2, eight-inning win at UC Riverside (March 25) was decided by a grand slam from sophomore center fielder Jessica Clements.

LEADOFF BY EXAMPLE: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in all 75 games since the start of her career last spring, sophomore center fielder Jessica Clements enters the program's April 15-16 series versus Hawai'i having reached base in 17 straight games, with a 10-game hitting streak and ranked fourth among Big West players with a .385 (35-for-91) mark and .477 on-base percentage, sixth with seven doubles and seventh with 35 hits while also leading Cal Poly with eight multi-hit games, 45 total bases, 16 runs and a .495 slugging percentage. Having reached base in all but one game this season, Clements has hit safely in 23 of 27 appearances – including a 5-for-5 effort against Hawai'i (April 8) that matched an all-time Big West record for single game hits. The leading hitter in Cal Poly's 49-year program history with a .392 (98-for-250) mark, Clements has produced 26 collegiate multi-hit outings.

RAMUNO RISES IN THE CIRCLE: With 91 strikeouts – the fifth highest total among Big West pitchers and shy 60 of breaking into the top 10 single season leaders list in program history – Cal Poly freshman righthander Sophia Ramuno ranks sixth among conference pitchers in starts (15) and victories (seven) and ninth in innings pitched (89.0). Featuring a 2.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Ramuno is averaging 1.02 strikeouts per inning. She produced a career best 10 strikeouts during a March 25 victory at UC Riverside while enjoying eight-strikeout performances against Nevada (Feb. 12), Fresno State (March 3) and CSUN (March 19).

BARNETT'S SUPERB SOPHOMORE EFFORT: The 87th toughest Division I player to strike out, sophomore catcher Julia Barnett has been fanned just five times in 85 at-bats and 95 plate appearances. Having reached base in 20 of 27 games and hit safely in all but nine matchups this season, Barnett – limited to just four hits in 15 appearances last year – ranks second in Cal Poly's lineup with 26 hits, 33 total bases, six multi-hit games, four multi-RBI games and a .388 slugging percentage and third with a .306 (26-for-85) batting average. With career high three-hit efforts during wins against North Dakota (Feb. 11), Idaho State (Feb. 21) and at UC Riverside (March 25), Barnett belted her first career homer during an opening-day victory versus North Dakota and second at UC Santa Barbara (April 1). Defensively, Barnett owns a .988 mark in 160 chances.

ALLMAN JOY: Now second in Cal Poly's lineup with a .308 (24-for-78) batting average, sophomore designated player Caroline Allman has hit .333 (10-for-30) during her current eight-game hitting streak. Cal Poly's leader with 17 RBI and five multi-RBI games, Allman has enjoyed six multi-hit games in 2023 – including three-hit efforts versus California (March 25) and Fresno State (April 3).

CONDON ON VERGE OF HISTORY: Ranked seventh in Big West Conference history with 441 career victories, 19th-year head coach Jenny Condon requires just three more Mustang wins to overtake Lisa Boyer (1989-04) for total victories by a Cal Poly softball head coach. Condon (441) and Boyer (443) have combined for 76.9 (884 of 1,150) 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 (624) 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).