Mustangs Open Pivotal Stretch at Hawai’i April 5-6

Friday, April 5

Honolulu, O'ahu

9 p.m.

Hawai'i

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Open Pivotal Stretch at Hawai’i April 5-6

4/3/2024 3:03:00 PM | Softball

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Off to its best Big West start since capturing the 2009 conference title, the Cal Poly softball program plays three of its ensuing four Big West series against the top third in the conference standings – a 12-game stretch that begins with an 9 p.m. PT (6 p.m. HT) matchup at Hawai'i on Friday, April 5 and continues with a 5 p.m. PT (2 p.m. HT) doubleheader on Saturday, April 6. Despite taking two of three series games from UC Santa Barbara (March 28-29), Cal Poly (17-11, 7-2) slipped to second place in the Big West standings after new co-leaders Cal State Fullerton (22-12, 8-1) and Long Beach State (12-23, 8-1) swept their respective series. Sitting just one game off the top spot, Cal Poly – second among conference programs with a .300 team batting average – then closes a six-game road trip at ninth-place Cal State Bakersfield (April 13-14) before hosting Long Beach State (April 20-21) and visiting Cal State Fullerton (April 27-28). This week's series marks Cal Poly's only scheduled games outside of California and the Pacific Time Zone this season. Hawai'i (13-16, 6-3), meanwhile, enters Friday's matchup with the Mustangs trailing Cal Poly by just a game in the Big West standings.

FOLLOW CAL POLY AT HAWAI'I: ESPN+ coverage and live stats for each series game at Hawai'i will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS HAWAI'I: The Mustangs have twice swept Hawai'i on the road in four visits as Big West opponents, taking all three series games in 2014 and 2022. The Rainbow Wahine, however, took two of three matchups in San Luis Obispo last season. Hawai'i leads the all-time series, 21-14, dating to the first matchup on Feb. 24, 1995 – a 4-0 Hawai'i victory. The two programs first met on three occasions in 1995, then not again until Hawai'i joined the Big West for the 2013 season.

THE WINNING EDGE: Fueling Cal Poly's second-place Big West start is a 6-1 record in conference games decided by one or two runs. Five of Cal Poly's seven Big West victories have been decided by a single run with the seven conference wins occurring by 1.6 runs per triumph.

CLEMENTS REMAINS CAL POLY'S CATALYST: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in 99 of 118 career outings, junior center fielder Jessica Clements enters the Hawai'i series as the leading hitter in Division I with a .505 (49-for-97) batting average and 17th nationally with 49 hits. Also the Big West leader for total bases (68), ranked second in on-base percentage (.568), slugging percentage (.701) and triples (three) and fourth for runs (23) and doubles (seven), Clements has hit safely in 24 of 28 matchups this season with 19 multi-hit efforts (including six three-hit games). Averaging 1.8 hits per game, Clements has also struck out just four times in 113 plate appearances. Through 118 career games, Clements remains the top batter in program history with a .420 (172-for-410) career mark that doubles as the second best figure in Big West history. She also ranks 15th in Cal Poly history with 172 hits, remaining 64 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 with 93 strikeouts, third with a .235 opposing batting average, fifth with seven complete games, sixth with 89.1 innings pitched and seventh with a 2.74 ERA. The March 18 Big West Pitcher of the Week honoree, Ramuno owns a 1.63 conference ERA with just 10 earned runs conceded in 43.0 Big West innings. Averaging 1.04 strikeouts per inning and 5.2 per appearance, Ramuno has also struck out eight against UC Riverside (March 24) and at CSUN (March 16).

DIAZ'S SUPERB SENIOR SEASON: Batting 111 points higher than her .254 career average entering the season, senior shortstop Xiara Diaz heads into Cal Poly's April 5-6 series at Hawai'i ranked sixth among conference players with a .365 (31-for-85) mark. Having reached base in all but three appearances, Diaz also sits sixth among Big West players with a .471 on-base percentage, ninth with 17 runs and 10th with 11 walks. 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 115 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 12 hitters is senior right fielder Juju Sargent, who has reached base in 25 of 28 matchups and takes a .337 (32-for-95) batting average into the April 5-6 series at Hawai'i. Having hit safely 21 times, Sargent also sits sixth among Big West players with 21 runs scored and eighth with 32 hits.

BLANCHARD'S SUPERB SOPHOMORE EFFORT: Having hit safely in nine of her last 10 games, sophomore left fielder Kiara Blanchard has improved her season batting average to .337 (31-for-92). She's also hitting .406 (13-for-32) in Big West play after batting just .176 overall last spring. One of six Mustangs to start all 28 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 21 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 .324 (22-for-68) batting average. One of five Mustang starters batting above .300, 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 13-14): Cal Poly closes a six-game road trip when visiting Cal State Bakersfield for a Saturday, April 13 doubleheader and Sunday, April 14 single matchup on ESPN+. 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.

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.