Mustangs Visit Cal State Bakersfield for Revised April 12-13 Series

Friday, April 12

Bakersfield, CA

12 noon

Cal State Bakersfield

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Visit Cal State Bakersfield for Revised April 12-13 Series

4/11/2024 11:41:00 AM | Softball

Just one-and-a-half games out of first place in the Big West standings, the Cal Poly softball program completes a six-game road trip when visiting Cal State Bakersfield for a three-game, April 12-13 series. With the series moved ahead one day due to impending rain, Cal Poly opens action at Roadrunner Softball Complex on Friday, April 12 with a 12 noon doubleheader before competing play on Saturday, April 13 with a 10 a.m. matchup. Cal Poly (18-12, 8-3) enters the series trailing first place Cal State Fullerton (24-14, 10-2) by one-and-a-half games and second place Long Beach State (14-24, 9-3) by just a half-game (the Mustangs still have a game in hand after their April 6 series finale at Hawai'i was cancelled due to weather). Second among Big West programs with a .299 team batting average, Cal Poly closes the month with successive series against Long Beach State (April 20-21) and at Cal State Fullerton (April 27-28). With a 6.27 staff ERA, Cal State Bakersfield (4-30, 2-10) shares the bottom spot in the Big West standings alongside CSUN.

FOLLOW CAL POLY AT CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: ESPN+ coverage and live stats for each series game at Cal State Bakersfield will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly has delivered road (2022) and home (2023) sweeps of Cal State Bakersfield as a Big West opponent and won seven successive against the Roadrunners. California Collegiate Athletic Association foes from 1985-94, Cal Poly leads the all-time series against Cal State Bakersfield, 41-39.

THE WINNING EDGE: Fueling Cal Poly's third-place Big West start is a 7-2 record in conference games decided by one or two runs. Six of Cal Poly's eight Big West victories have been decided by a single run with the seven conference wins occurring by 1.5 runs per triumph.

CLEMENTS REMAINS CAL POLY'S CATALYST: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in 101 of 120 career outings, junior center fielder Jessica Clements enters the Cal State Bakersfield series as the leading hitter in Division I with a .510 (53-for-104) batting average while ranking sixth nationally with a .571 on-base percentage and 20th with 53 hits. Also the Big West leader for total bases (78), slugging percentage (.701) and triples (three) and ranked second in doubles (seven) and runs (26), Clements has hit safely in 26 of 30 matchups this season with 20 multi-hit efforts (including seven three-hit games). Averaging 1.8 hits per game, Clements ranks as the 40th toughest player to strike out in Division I, averaging just one per 26 at-bats. Through 121 career games, Clements remains the top batter in program history with a .422 (176-for-417) career mark that doubles as the second best figure in Big West history. She also ranks 15th in Cal Poly history with 176 hits, remaining 60 shy of All-American Lisa Modglin's program record of 236 set from 2004-07.

RAMUNO ON THE RISE: Matching a career best with 10 strikeouts during Cal Poly's March 17 series finale against CSUN and equalizing it against UC Riverside (March 23), sophomore righthander Sophia Ramuno leads all Big West pitchers with 102 strikeouts while ranking third with a .233 opposing batting average and eight complete games, fifth with a 2.57 ERA and seventh with 98.0 innings pitched. The March 18 Big West Pitcher of the Week honoree, Ramuno owns a 1.49 conference ERA with just 11 earned runs conceded in 51.2 Big West innings. Averaging 1.04 strikeouts per inning and 5.1 per appearance, Ramuno has also struck out eight against UC Riverside (March 24) and at CSUN (March 16).

DIAZ'S SUPERB SENIOR SEASON: Batting 102 points higher than her .254 career average entering the season, senior shortstop Xiara Diaz heads into Cal Poly's April 12-13 series at Cal State Bakersfield ranked fourth among conference players with a .356 (32-for-90) mark. Having reached base in all but three appearances, Diaz also sits eighth among Big West players with a .435 on-base percentage and ninth with 20 runs. She remains the only Mustang with a four-hit game this season after a 4-for-4 performance at CSUN (March 16). A starter in 117 successive games for Cal Poly, Diaz remains third in program history with 33 steals.

GOOD JUJU: Helping to provide Cal Poly four of the Big West's top 18 hitters is senior right fielder Juju Sargent, who has reached base in 26 of 30 matchups and takes a .324 (33-for-102) batting average into the April 13-14 series at Cal State Bakersfield. Having hit safely 22 times, Sargent also sits sixth among Big West players with 22 runs scored and 11th with 33 hits.

BLANCHARD'S SUPER SOPHOMORE EFFORT: Having hit safely in 10 of her last 12 games, sophomore left fielder Kiara Blanchard has improved her season batting average to .337 (33-for-98) to now rank 12th among Big West hitters. She's also hitting .395 (15-for-38) in Big West play after batting just .176 overall last spring. One of six Mustangs to start all 30 games, Blanchard – the only Cal Poly player with a four-RBI outing this season after recording the mark against Saint Mary's (Feb. 10) – ranks third among conference players with a team leading 22 RBI.

PEREZ'S CAREER YEAR: Owner of just 10 career hits entering her senior season, designated player and second baseman Mia Perez has produced 22 this year alone – and a career best .297 (22-for-74) batting average. One of five Mustang starters batting above .290, Perez has hit safely 15 times.

CAL POLY SELECTED SEVENTH IN BIG WEST POLL: Despite returning starters at all 10 positions and welcoming back all three All-Big West selections from 2023, Cal Poly was selected seventh in the conference preseason coaches' poll. The Mustangs received 31 total points in the poll – 15 behind sixth place Hawai'i. Cal State Fullerton – second in the Big West standings a season ago – was selected to capture the 2024 title with 77 points and six first-place votes. Defending champion Long Beach State was second in the poll, right behind the Titans on 75 points and with the remaining four first-place votes.

LOOKING AHEAD (APRIL 20-21): Cal Poly faces the top two programs in the Big West standings on successive weekends, beginning with second-place Long Beach State as the Mustangs host The Beach for a Saturday, April 20 doubleheader and Sunday, April 21 single matchup.

ETC.: The Cal Poly program is in its 50th varsity season in 2024, 27th season as a Big West member and in its 20th year under head coach Jenny Condon … Cal Poly's 5-0 start to the year was its best since beginning the 2005 season 5-0 … Cal Poly's Big West-opening series sweep of CSUN (March 16-17) was its first to start conference play since 2013 … Cal Poly's scheduled April 6 series final at Hawai'i was cancelled due to rain. A determination as to when and if the game will be rescheduled has not yet been determined … the series at Hawai'i marked Cal Poly's only scheduled games outside of California and the Pacific Time Zone this season.