Mustangs Close 2024 Regular Season May 10-11 at UC San Diego

Friday, May 10

La Jolla, CA

5 p.m.

UC San Diego

Photo by: Ayden Gregory

Mustangs Close 2024 Regular Season May 10-11 at UC San Diego

5/8/2024 12:53:00 PM | Softball

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Looking to secure its best finish in the Big West standings for a decade, the Cal Poly softball program completes the 2024 regular season when visiting UC San Diego May 10-11. The three-game set on ESPN+ opens with a 5 p.m. matchup on Friday, May 10 before closing with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 11. Cal Poly (25-17, 15-8), having already achieved its highest victory total since winning 38 times in 2017, requires just one win at Triton Softball Field to clinch third place in the final Big West standings – the program's highest finish since a runner-up placement in 2014. Cal Poly's 15 Big West victories are also the program's most since an 18-3 finish in 2009. With the Big West's second highest ERA (4.57), seventh place UC San Diego (16-32, 9-14) has won just one of its four previous Big West home series this season.

FOLLOW CAL POLY AT UC SAN DIEGO: ESPN+ coverage and live stats for each series game at UC San Diego will be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: Cal Poly and UC San Diego met on 18 occasions between 1987 and 1994 as Division II opponents and then not again until the Tritons joined the Big West ahead of the 2021 season. UC San Diego captured the first two Big West series against Cal Poly, prevailing twice in 2021 and 2022 before Cal Poly won two of three home matchups last spring. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 22-5.

CLEMENTS CAL POLY'S CATALYST IN 2024: Cal Poly's leadoff batter in 113 of 132 career outings, junior center fielder Jessica Clements enters the UC San Diego series as the eighth leading hitter in Division I with a .451 (65-for-144) batting average that ranks as the second highest mark in Cal Poly single season history. She also ranks 33rd nationally with a .509 on-base percentage and 50th with 65 hits. The Big West leader for total bases (97) and slugging percentage (.674) and ranked second for triples (four), fifth for doubles (eight) and sixth for homers (five) and runs (31), Clements enters the UC San Diego series having reached base in 26 of her last 28 appearances. Clements has also hit safely in 36 of 42 matchups and recorded 21 multi-hit-efforts (including eight three-hit games). Averaging 1.6 hits per game, Clements ranks as the 40th toughest player to strike out in Division I, averaging just one per 24.0 at-bats (entering the UC San Diego series, she's struck out just three times in her last 105 at-bats). Through 132 career games, Clements remains the top batter in program history with a .411 (188-for-457) career mark that doubles as the second best figure in Big West history. She also ranks ninth in Cal Poly history with 188 hits, remaining 48 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 69th among NCAA Division I players with 140 strikeouts. Leading the Big West with five shutouts, she also sits third among conference pitchers with a 2.44 ERA, fourth with 146.1 innings pitched and fifth with 11 complete games. The March 18 and May 6 Big West Pitcher of the Week honoree, Ramuno owns a 1.82 conference ERA in 19 appearances. Averaging 0.96 strikeouts per inning and 4.8 per appearance, Ramuno has also struck out eight against UC Riverside (March 24) and at CSUN (March 16) and seven on four additional occasions. In Cal Poly program history, Ramuno already ranks eighth with 282 career strikeouts.

DIAZ'S SUPERB SENIOR SEASON: Batting 77 points higher than her .254 career average entering the season, senior shortstop Xiara Diaz enters Cal Poly's May 10-11 series at UC San Diego ranked 12th among conference players with a .331 (41-for-124) mark. Having reached base in all but six appearances, Diaz also sits 12th with a .411 on-base percentage and 13th with 25 runs. 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 128 of Cal Poly's last 129 games (she saw a streak of 119 straight starts snapped at Cal State Bakersfield April 13), Diaz remains third in program history with 36 steals.

BLANCHARD'S STELLAR SOPHOMORE EFFORT: One of five Mustangs to start all 42 games this season, sophomore left fielder Kiara Blanchard remains fourth in the lineup with a .295 (39-for-132) batting average after hitting just .176 last spring. Blanchard, 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 fifth among conference players with a team leading 25 RBI.

TAKE YOUR CHANCES: Starting all 42 games behind the plate for Cal Poly, junior catcher Julia Barnett ranks second among Division I players having thrown out 18 would-be base stealers this season. With only Monmouth's Abby Warner (20) having thrown out a higher total, Barnett owns a .992 fielding percentage with just two errors in 258 chances.

GOOD JUJU: Helping to provide Cal Poly three .300 hitters this season is senior right fielder Juju Sargent, who has reached base in 37 of 42 matchups and takes a .319 (43-for-135) batting average into the May 10-11 series at UC San Diego. Having hit safely 29 times and with 12 multi-hit efforts, Sargent also sits 10th among Big West players with 27 runs scored and 14th with 43 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 .265 (27-for-102) batting average. Perez has also 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 … Jenny Condon became just the sixth head coach in Big West history to reach 200 conference victories during Cal Poly's 2-0 home decision versus Long Beach State (April 20).