Cal Poly Baseball Opens 2024 Season This Weekend Hosting Missouri

Friday, February 16

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

2 P.M.

Missouri

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Cal Poly Baseball Opens 2024 Season This Weekend Hosting Missouri

2/14/2024 11:37:00 AM | Baseball

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly baseball is opening its 2024 season hosting Missouri this weekend inside Baggett Stadium. Due to anticipated weather in the San Luis Obispo area, Friday will be a doubleheader with games at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Currently, other games are scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, weather permitting. Stay tuned to GoPoly.com and follow us on social media for the latest updates on games. All the games will be broadcast on ESPN + and locally on ESPN Radio 1280. In 2023, the Mustangs were 21-35 and went 11-19 in conference play, ending the season eighth in the Big West. Head Coach Larry Lee said that it was a rebuilding season as it was a team full of underclassmen. Cal Poly returners to keep an eye this season are junior catcher Ryan Stafford, a two-time All-Conference honoree, who batted .313 with a team-leading 20 doubles to go with seven home runs and 44 RBIs. Senior shortstop Aaron Casillas was a second team All-Conference honoree who had a batting average of .329 with 76 hits, 15 doubles and 40 RBIs. Junior third baseman Ryan Fenn earned All-Conference honors last year after hitting .344, producing 56 hits in 49 games including eight doubles and a triple. Senior outfielder Jake Steele was also All-Conference hitting .318 with 27 RBIs in 49 games, primarily as Cal Poly's leadoff hitter. Senior first baseman Joe Yorke had a batting average of .282 with 61 hits, 46 RBIs and 21 runs scored. Returning on the pitching side includes Friday night starter Jakob Wright. Wright missed the first half of last season before returning to pitch 18.2 innings, striking out 30 batters. His most notable game was against UCSB where he pitched five innings, striking out 11 batters and only allowing two hits and one run. Other pitchers taking the mound this weekend are right handed junior Steven Brooks, who is pitching in the Saturday game against Missouri. Brooks had 61 strikeouts in 71 innings last season. Sunday's opening pitcher is right handed senior Ryan Baum who pitched in 62.2 innings with 59 strikeouts last year. The Tigers were 30-24 last season. They are the first of four power five conference teams the Mustangs will face this year. The others include traveling to University of Texas the winningest team in college baseball history with six national championships a part of the Big-12, then hosting Utah from the Pac-12, and lastly Ohio State out of Big Ten. The Mustangs have 19 newcomers and 19 returners on this year's roster, led by 22nd year head coach Larry Lee, the longest tenured coach in the Big West. This is the first time the Mustangs have played Missouri since 2011 when they faced the Tigers in a tournament at USC. Missouri won that game 10-9. After this weekend's series, Cal Poly will host North Dakota State at Baggett Stadium on Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. before heading to Austin for a three game series against No. 16 Texas.