Friday, April 19
Manoa, HI
9:35 P.M.
at
Hawai'i
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Mustangs Fight to Retain First Place in Big West Against Hawai’i
4/18/2024 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly (21-14, 11-4 BW) continues proving the preseason predictions wrong after being pegged to finish 7th in the Big West coaches' poll. After another successful series win against Cal State Bakersfield and a dominant midweek victory, the Mustangs look to not only nab a sixth consecutive conference series but also sole possession of first place.
Cal Poly, with the help of solid and consistent offensive production, remains one of the best complete defensive programs in all of Division I. Of the 35 games they've played this season, the Mustangs have yielded four runs or less on 22 occasions. As a result, their ERA seems to get better week-over-week and Cal Poly now sits comfortably at 18th in the nation with a 4.05 team ERA. For the third straight week, the Mustangs are also top-10 for K/BB ratio (8th) and BB/9 (6th).
Friday starter Jakob Wright, ranked as the 147th best starting pitcher in D1Baseball's midseason rankings, is beginning to build a legitimate case for his 2024 draft status. The redshirt sophomore took the Cal Poly pitching staff by storm this season after struggling to find consistency last year. Since taking over as the ace, Wright has compiled a 6-2 record, 2.81 ERA, and .232 opponent batting average while 43rd in Division I with 64 strikeouts. Wright is also top-3 in the conference for strikeouts, K/9, wins, and ERA.
On the offensive end, Jake Steels (.409 avg) seemingly refuses to give up his firm hold as top batter in the Big West after still hovering above .400 for yet another week. The center fielder has yet to go a single game this season without reaching base, currently on a 35-game streak, while holding a perfect 1.000% fielding efficiency from one of the most athletic and demanding fielding roles.
Turning to Hawai'i (20-14, 4-8 BW), it has been a paradoxical season for the Rainbow Warriors. Despite a winning record, they have not found a foothold in the conference, which includes road sweeps against both UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara book-ending the last three weeks.
Even so, the Rainbow Warriors outscored San Diego State 38-10 in a three-game non conference sweep and even took a 7-5 win from #13 NC State earlier in the season. Despite winning five of their nine series thus far in 2024, tougher conference competition has still gotten the better of Hawai'i.
Cal Poly holds a 23-8 record over Hawai'i over the last decade with the Mustangs also controlling a 30-14 all-time record, having played each other since 1995. The Mustangs will be looking to avenge their sole series loss against Hawai'i in over 10 years after last season's series ended in a 1-0 extra innings loss.
Hawai'i ranks sixth in the Big West for both team batting average (.283) and ERA (4.60). Cousins Jordan (48 hits, .390 avg) and Kyson Donahue (23 RBIs, .340 avg) lead amongst Rainbow Warrior batters, both respectively inside the top-15 of the conference for batting average.
The Rainbow Warriors had just one dedicated starting pitcher, but he is currently holding a 6.25 ERA and the rest of the starting rotation has changed hands between seven different other pitchers. Where Hawai'i lacks consistency in the starters, there are eight regular relievers with under a 4.00 ERA.
Cal Poly, with the help of solid and consistent offensive production, remains one of the best complete defensive programs in all of Division I. Of the 35 games they've played this season, the Mustangs have yielded four runs or less on 22 occasions. As a result, their ERA seems to get better week-over-week and Cal Poly now sits comfortably at 18th in the nation with a 4.05 team ERA. For the third straight week, the Mustangs are also top-10 for K/BB ratio (8th) and BB/9 (6th).
Friday starter Jakob Wright, ranked as the 147th best starting pitcher in D1Baseball's midseason rankings, is beginning to build a legitimate case for his 2024 draft status. The redshirt sophomore took the Cal Poly pitching staff by storm this season after struggling to find consistency last year. Since taking over as the ace, Wright has compiled a 6-2 record, 2.81 ERA, and .232 opponent batting average while 43rd in Division I with 64 strikeouts. Wright is also top-3 in the conference for strikeouts, K/9, wins, and ERA.
On the offensive end, Jake Steels (.409 avg) seemingly refuses to give up his firm hold as top batter in the Big West after still hovering above .400 for yet another week. The center fielder has yet to go a single game this season without reaching base, currently on a 35-game streak, while holding a perfect 1.000% fielding efficiency from one of the most athletic and demanding fielding roles.
Turning to Hawai'i (20-14, 4-8 BW), it has been a paradoxical season for the Rainbow Warriors. Despite a winning record, they have not found a foothold in the conference, which includes road sweeps against both UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara book-ending the last three weeks.
Even so, the Rainbow Warriors outscored San Diego State 38-10 in a three-game non conference sweep and even took a 7-5 win from #13 NC State earlier in the season. Despite winning five of their nine series thus far in 2024, tougher conference competition has still gotten the better of Hawai'i.
Cal Poly holds a 23-8 record over Hawai'i over the last decade with the Mustangs also controlling a 30-14 all-time record, having played each other since 1995. The Mustangs will be looking to avenge their sole series loss against Hawai'i in over 10 years after last season's series ended in a 1-0 extra innings loss.
Hawai'i ranks sixth in the Big West for both team batting average (.283) and ERA (4.60). Cousins Jordan (48 hits, .390 avg) and Kyson Donahue (23 RBIs, .340 avg) lead amongst Rainbow Warrior batters, both respectively inside the top-15 of the conference for batting average.
The Rainbow Warriors had just one dedicated starting pitcher, but he is currently holding a 6.25 ERA and the rest of the starting rotation has changed hands between seven different other pitchers. Where Hawai'i lacks consistency in the starters, there are eight regular relievers with under a 4.00 ERA.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
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