Friday, March 8
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
6 P.M.
vs
Ohio State
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Mustangs to Host Fourth Power-5 Opponent with Ohio State Series
3/6/2024 8:30:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After a 4-3 midweek win over Pepperdine, the Mustangs (4-7) are currently enjoying their first win streak of 2024 and will look to continue that trend against a tough Big-10 foe on the rise: the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-4).
The Mustangs host the Buckeyes, their fourth power-5 conference opponent of 2024, for a four-game series over four days from March 8-11. The series follows Cal Poly's usual home gametime schedule of 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday, while the extra Monday game will follow Friday's schedule at a 6 p.m. start.
All games (except Saturday due to a clash with basketball) will be broadcast on ESPN+ while also available to listen on EPSN Radio 1280 AM. Stay tuned to GoPoly.com and follow us on social media for the latest updates on games.
Last Time vs... Pepperdine
Catcher and de facto on-field leader Ryan Stafford has been enjoying a recent resurgence, especially after Tuesday against Pepperdine when the junior tallied a pair of doubles and RBIs to help Cal Poly defeat the Waves 4-3. Meanwhile, Jake Steels continued to pace the Mustangs with a .425 average on the season, going 2-5 with a double and a run scored against the Waves.
On the pitching end, freshman Josh Volmerding made his first career start, allowing just one run through two innings pitched. Griffin Naess also tossed 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and collecting four K's in his first career win. Tanner Sagouspe, with his team-leading 1.80 ERA, threw three strikeouts in the final two innings to get his second save of the season.
Steels and Stafford took no time getting the game started as a lead-off single Steels quickly turned into a run thanks to Stafford's double during the very next at-bat. Casey Murray Jr.'s well-hit ground ball later that inning scored another pair of runs after a Pepperdine throwing error.
A grounder during the second inning, paired with two bunts in a small-ball style, scored Pepperdine's first run of the game before the Waves added a one-run homer in the third to cut the deficit.
After five innings of unanswered scoring, Stafford picked up his second double of the day to give Cal Poly a 4-2 cushion. The Waves finally responded again with an RBI single to left field during the seventh inning, but Sagouspe entered the game and shut down Pepperdine that inning and through the remainder of the game.
Looking Forward To... Ohio State
Ohio State is coming off its own two-game win streak against some formidable opponents in the California Golden Bears and Oklahoma Sooners at the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic.
A team currently looking to continue its standing in Division I baseball, the Buckeyes have turned their fortunes around after three straight sub-.530 seasons from 2020-2022 when they posted a 31-25 record in 2023.
Surprisingly, the Mustangs and Buckeyes have played just one series, which was a 1-1 split back in 1990 before Cal Poly made the transition to Division I. They will be looking to take advantage of Ohio State's travel fatigue as the Buckeyes have not played a single home game yet in 2024, splitting time in Nevada, Arizona, and California thus far.
Despite solid offensive statistics from Ohio State with its .263 batting average led by Mitchell Okuley (.432 avg, 16 hits), the Buckeyes have a bullpen problem at the moment with a team ERA of 5.55 despite a sub-4.00 ERA from the starting pitchers.
Cal Poly has been steadily improving everywhere, especially with help from a recently fired-up Ryan Stafford who has a five-game hit streak, going 9-for-18 (.500) in that span while collecting 4 doubles and 2 RBIs.
For the second week in a row, the Mustangs have risen their team batting average (.235) and lowered their pitching staff's ERA (4.31). Cal Poly's ERA currently places 64th in Division I baseball while also 5th in the Big West.
Next Week... UNLV Midweek Game and Conference Opener vs. CSUN
The Mustangs have games 9-12 of the March home stretch, first with UNLV on Wednesday, March 13 before finally kicking off Big West play against CSUN with a three-game series from March 15-17.
The Mustangs host the Buckeyes, their fourth power-5 conference opponent of 2024, for a four-game series over four days from March 8-11. The series follows Cal Poly's usual home gametime schedule of 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday, while the extra Monday game will follow Friday's schedule at a 6 p.m. start.
All games (except Saturday due to a clash with basketball) will be broadcast on ESPN+ while also available to listen on EPSN Radio 1280 AM. Stay tuned to GoPoly.com and follow us on social media for the latest updates on games.
Last Time vs... Pepperdine
Catcher and de facto on-field leader Ryan Stafford has been enjoying a recent resurgence, especially after Tuesday against Pepperdine when the junior tallied a pair of doubles and RBIs to help Cal Poly defeat the Waves 4-3. Meanwhile, Jake Steels continued to pace the Mustangs with a .425 average on the season, going 2-5 with a double and a run scored against the Waves.
On the pitching end, freshman Josh Volmerding made his first career start, allowing just one run through two innings pitched. Griffin Naess also tossed 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and collecting four K's in his first career win. Tanner Sagouspe, with his team-leading 1.80 ERA, threw three strikeouts in the final two innings to get his second save of the season.
Steels and Stafford took no time getting the game started as a lead-off single Steels quickly turned into a run thanks to Stafford's double during the very next at-bat. Casey Murray Jr.'s well-hit ground ball later that inning scored another pair of runs after a Pepperdine throwing error.
A grounder during the second inning, paired with two bunts in a small-ball style, scored Pepperdine's first run of the game before the Waves added a one-run homer in the third to cut the deficit.
After five innings of unanswered scoring, Stafford picked up his second double of the day to give Cal Poly a 4-2 cushion. The Waves finally responded again with an RBI single to left field during the seventh inning, but Sagouspe entered the game and shut down Pepperdine that inning and through the remainder of the game.
Looking Forward To... Ohio State
Ohio State is coming off its own two-game win streak against some formidable opponents in the California Golden Bears and Oklahoma Sooners at the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic.
A team currently looking to continue its standing in Division I baseball, the Buckeyes have turned their fortunes around after three straight sub-.530 seasons from 2020-2022 when they posted a 31-25 record in 2023.
Surprisingly, the Mustangs and Buckeyes have played just one series, which was a 1-1 split back in 1990 before Cal Poly made the transition to Division I. They will be looking to take advantage of Ohio State's travel fatigue as the Buckeyes have not played a single home game yet in 2024, splitting time in Nevada, Arizona, and California thus far.
Despite solid offensive statistics from Ohio State with its .263 batting average led by Mitchell Okuley (.432 avg, 16 hits), the Buckeyes have a bullpen problem at the moment with a team ERA of 5.55 despite a sub-4.00 ERA from the starting pitchers.
Cal Poly has been steadily improving everywhere, especially with help from a recently fired-up Ryan Stafford who has a five-game hit streak, going 9-for-18 (.500) in that span while collecting 4 doubles and 2 RBIs.
For the second week in a row, the Mustangs have risen their team batting average (.235) and lowered their pitching staff's ERA (4.31). Cal Poly's ERA currently places 64th in Division I baseball while also 5th in the Big West.
Next Week... UNLV Midweek Game and Conference Opener vs. CSUN
The Mustangs have games 9-12 of the March home stretch, first with UNLV on Wednesday, March 13 before finally kicking off Big West play against CSUN with a three-game series from March 15-17.
Players Mentioned
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