Hawai'i
Cal Poly Wraps Up Eight-Game Homestand Against Hawai’i and Santa Clara
4/10/2025 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
Upcoming Schedule
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Mustangs are approaching a gauntlet of three opponents predicted in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll to finish along with Cal Poly in the top four this season: UC Santa Barbara (1), UC Irvine (2), and Hawai’i (4).
The first of those opponents comes to Baggett Stadium this weekend with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, tied with Cal State Fullerton for third in the Big West at 9-6 thus far.
Led by Rich Hill, one of NCAA Division I Baseball’s ten winningest active coaches, Hawai’i enters the three-game series with an identical 23-8 record to Cal Poly.
As of this release, Cal Poly is still comfortably in the top 20 for RPI (19) and is the only Division I program in the country still unbeaten in its conference.
Cal Poly has won nine consecutive games to tie LSU for the third-longest active win streak in Division I baseball, during which the Mustangs tallied double-digit hits in every game.
With a fourth straight series sweep last weekend, the Mustangs are off to the 2nd best start in Big West history! ??
— Cal Poly Baseball (@CalPolyBSB) April 9, 2025
Cal Poly needs six more wins to tie the all-time record of 18-0 (Fresno State ‘88)#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/izaG28uUfo
Coach Lee spent some time with @3DDingers talking about the team's red hot start to the Big West slate ???
— Cal Poly Baseball (@CalPolyBSB) April 10, 2025
Take a listen to their podcast and hear Coach Lee's decades of baseball knowledge and wisdom in action!#RideHigh https://t.co/LWSEHd7AOI
Mustangs Riding High
The Mustangs pace the Big West for hits (355) and doubles (79), with their 2.52 doubles per game sitting at 9th in Division I baseball. They are also 9th for fielding percentage (0.982).
Alejandro Garza increased his hitting streak to 14 games during the 8-5 midweek win over San Jose State on Tuesday. Garza tallied his team-leading 17th multi-hit game against the Spartans, while Ryan Fenn notched his sixth three-hit game this year.
Garza, the reigning Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year and finishing as the second toughest batter to strike out in Division I baseball last season, is still battling hard in every at-bat while 6th in those rankings this year.
Of all Mustang batters with at least 40 at-bats this season, ten are hitting above a .280 clip with Zach Daudet, Jake Downing, Jack Collins, Alejandro Garza, Cam Hoiland, Nate Castellon, Ryan Fenn, and Dante Vachini all at a .300 average or higher.
Over the weekend, Garza surpassed Collins for the team lead in hits (45), but the catcher still paces the team for home runs (10), doubles (13), and RBIs (41). Collins’ home runs total ties for first in the conference, while his 13 doubles are solely in the lead.
What was thought to potentially be a weakness after losing the Friday and Saturday starters from 2024, the Mustang pitching staff has been a pleasant surprise as the season continues.
Mustang pitchers who have started at least one game this season combined for a 14-5 record. Bolstering the starting rotation of Griffin Naess, Josh Volmerding, and Etham Marmie are three relievers with double-digit games played already.
Chris Downs has gifted Cal Poly scoreless baseball in 10-of-14 appearances this season and leads all Mustang pitchers with a 0.94 WHIP. Jake Torres also holds a sub-1.00 WHIP (.98).
Tanner Sagouspe, tied for second in the Big West with five saves, has made 16 appearances on the mound and is tied for third on the team with 31 strikeouts.
Ready for battle at Baggett! ??#RideHigh ???? https://t.co/oDczinjjIP
— Cal Poly Baseball (@CalPolyBSB) April 10, 2025
Vs… Hawai'i
Hawai’i is as dangerous of an opponent as Cal Poly will face this season and represents the first of the three “final bosses” in the Big West. The Rainbow Warriors have surrendered double-digit runs in just three games this season.
The Rainbow Warriors, led by ace starter Liam O’Brien, are one of the country’s premier pitching staffs, 13th in Division I baseball for ERA (3.73). O’Brien, himself, is 17th for individual ERA (2.04) and stands alone at the top of the college baseball landscape with the best H/9 (3.31).
Just as impressive is top reliever Isaiah Magdaleno who boasts an eye-popping 0.71 WHIP (#1 in Division I) through 13 appearances and 34 innings. The sophomore has posted strikeouts in every single appearance this season and is third in the country with a 0.79 BB/9 ratio.
Though not as astonishing at their pitching, the Rainbow Warriors are also dangerous at the plate, third in the conference for team batting average (.301).
With an arsenal of consistent contact hitters led by Ben Zeigler Namoa (40 hits, .339 avg.), Hawai’i has six regular starters with at least a .320 batting average and 30+ hits.
Hawai’i is coming off a hard-fought 5-3 midweek win at Santa Clara after dropping two of three to Long Beach State in the islands. Before losing that series, Hawai’i strung together series wins over CSUN, UC Davis, and formerly #15 UC Santa Barbara.
Since their first meeting against Hawai’i in 1995, the Mustangs are 31-16 all-time over this weekend’s opponents and 19-9 over the last decade. Hawai’i has taken each of the last two series in 2023 and 2024.
Vs… Santa Clara
Against Santa Clara, the Mustangs trail 44-52 in the all-time series and 6-11 in the last ten years. Cal Poly split the home-and-home series in 2024, winning the game at Baggett 9-3.
This year, the Broncos are 13-16 (2-4 WCC) heading into the weekend. They have lost five of their last six but recently beat UC San Diego 3-1 in a series.
The Broncos are slightly struggling offensively with a .245 team batting average and just three consistent starters over a .270 average. Dylan Joyce leads Santa Clara batters with 34 hits, 5 home runs, and 28 RBIs.
Victor Martinez holds a 2.87 ERA as a semi-consistent starter, but the limelight is mostly on Max Bayles who is 17th in the country with 64 strikeouts and 5th for K/9 (15.03).
All games this weekend, including the midweek affair against Santa Clara, will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
Poly Gives has begun! This yearly university-wide giving campaign brings together alums, parents, students, and friends to support the Mustang legacy of “Learn by Doing.”
