Cal Poly Looks to Keep Pace in Big West Title Race at Cal State Fullerton

Saturday, April 27

Fullerton, CA

1 p.m.

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Looks to Keep Pace in Big West Title Race at Cal State Fullerton

4/25/2024 2:19:00 PM | Softball

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Nine regular season matchups remain for the Cal Poly softball program as the Mustangs – trailing Big West leader Cal State Fullerton by two-and-a-half games in the conference standings – visit the Titans for a Saturday, April 27 doubleheader and Sunday, April 28 single matchup. First pitch each day from Anderson Family Field on ESPN+ is 1 p.m. for Cal Poly (22-14, 12-5), which enters the series in third place in the standings while also trailing second-place Long Beach State (19-26, 14-4) by one-and-a-half games (Cal Poly still has a game in hand after their April 6 series finale at Hawai'i was cancelled due to weather). The Mustangs will need to reverse recent results against Cal State Fullerton (29-15, 15-3) to stay in the 2024 championship race with Cal Poly having dropped 12 straight matchups against the Titans dating to 2019 and 14 of the previous 15 meetings. The two leading offensive sides atop the Big West, Cal State Fullerton ranks 45th among NCAA Division I programs with a .306 team batting mark while Cal Poly is second in the conference with a .295 figure. The Titans also lead the Big West with a 2.39 staff ERA while Cal Poly sits third with a 3.03 team mark.

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

CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE FULLERTON: Looking to snap a 12-game slide against Cal State Fullerton after being swept in three successive series from 2021-2023 and in 2019, Cal Poly's last victory against the Titans was a 3-0 home win on May 6, 2018. Cal Poly's last series win against Cal State Fullerton came in 2018 with the Mustangs taking two of three road matchups. Cal Poly, which trails in the all-time series, 59-31, since the first meeting on March 4, 1980, has won just one of the last eight series against Cal State Fullerton.

THE WINNING EDGE: Fueling Cal Poly's third-place Big West start is a 9-3 record in conference games decided by one or two runs. Seven of Cal Poly's 12 Big West victories have been decided by a single run with the 12 conference wins occurring by 2.3 runs per triumph.

CLEMENTS REMAINS CAL POLY'S CATALYST: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in 107 of 126 career outings, junior center fielder Jessica Clements enters the Long Beach State series as the third leading hitter in Division I with a .472 (59-for-125) batting average while ranking 11th nationally with a .538 on-base percentage and 42nd with 59 hits. The Big West leader for total bases (87), slugging percentage (.696) and triples (four) and ranked fourth for doubles (eight) and runs (30), Clements enters the Cal State Fullerton series having reached base in 22 straight games and hit safely in 32 of 36 matchups this season with 20 multi-hit efforts (including seven three-hit games). Averaging 1.6 hits per game, Clements ranks as the 18th toughest player to strike out in Division I, averaging just one per 31.3 at-bats (entering the Cal State Fullerton series, she's struck out just once in her last 86 at-bats and not since March 16). Through 126 career games, Clements remains the top batter in program history with a .416 (182-for-438) career mark that doubles as the second best figure in Big West history. She also ranks 12th in Cal Poly history with 182 hits, remaining 54 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 ranks second among Big West pitchers and 62nd among NCAA Division I players with 126 strikeouts. She also ranks third in the Big West with a .232 opposing batting average, fifth with a 2.42 ERA and sixth with nine complete games and 121.1 innings pitched. The March 18 Big West Pitcher of the Week honoree, Ramuno owns a 1.59 conference ERA with just 17 earned runs conceded in 75.0 Big West innings. Averaging 1.04 strikeouts per inning and 5.0 per appearance, Ramuno has also struck out eight against UC Riverside (March 24) and at CSUN (March 16) and seven on four additional occasions.

DIAZ'S SUPERB SENIOR SEASON: Batting 98 points higher than her .254 career average entering the season, senior shortstop Xiara Diaz heads into Cal Poly's April 27-28 series at Cal State Fullerton ranked fifth among conference players with a .352 (38-for-108) mark. Having reached base in all but four appearances, Diaz also sits sixth among Big West players with 26 runs and ninth with a .432 on-base percentage. She remains one of only two Mustangs with a four-hit game this season after a 4-for-4 performance at CSUN (March 16). A starter in 122 of Cal Poly's last 123 games (she saw a streak of 119 straight starts snapped at Cal State Bakersfield April 13), Diaz remains third in program history with 35 steals.

BLANCHARD'S STELLAR SOPHOMORE EFFORT: Having hit safely in 14 of her last 18 games, sophomore left fielder Kiara Blanchard has improved her season batting average to .322 (37-for-115) to now rank 15th among Big West hitters. She's also hitting .345 (19-for-55) in Big West play after batting just .176 overall last spring. One of five Mustangs to start all 36 games, Blanchard – also one of just two Cal Poly players with a four-RBI outing this season after reaching the mark against Saint Mary's (Feb. 10) – ranks fourth among conference players with a team leading 25 RBI.

GOOD JUJU: Helping to provide Cal Poly four .300 hitters this season is senior right fielder Juju Sargent, who has reached base in 31 of 36 matchups and takes a .311 (38-for-122) batting average into the April 27-28 series at Cal State Fullerton. Having hit safely 25 times and with 11 multi-hit efforts, Sargent also sits sixth among Big West players with 26 runs scored and 11th with 38 hits.

PEREZ'S CAREER YEAR: Owner of just 10 career hits entering her senior season, designated player and second baseman Mia Perez has produced 27 this year alone – and a career best .287 (27-for-94) batting average. One of five Mustang starters batting above .280, Perez has hit safely 18 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.

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.