UC Santa Barbara Record: 26-12 (17-7)
Cal Poly Record: 19-17 (9-11)
Tale of the Tape:
Precursor for a Giant Series…
The Gauchos come into the series versus the Mustangs after having split the series with Long Beach State. This series is huge, as they will want to rack up conference wins before they play conference leaders UC Irvine the following weekend. Before the previous series, the Gauchos had won 4 straight conference series and will look to start a new streak this weekend.
Turn the tables…
The Mustangs come into the series in a bit of an unfortunate run of games. They face the Gauchos on a 2-game losing streak, winning just 4 of their last 10 games. Although the Mustangs have been sliding as of late, they will look to turn it around with 20 more conference games to play for.
Series Implications:
First Place Is Within Striking Distance…
With a series sweep the Gauchos could possibly overtake first place, assuming they get a little help with some UC Irvine losses. Nonetheless, this game will build momentum for their next series versus UC Irvine.
Time To Turn it Around…
Being two games under .500 in conference play, the Mustangs could use this series as momentum, with much of the season to play. With a sweep of the Gauchos, the Mustangs could jump to 2 games above .500 in league play and jump to fifth place in the conference.
Players To Watch: UCSB
The Walk-Off Winner…
Christian Kirtley showed up big in game four against Long Beach State (LBSU). To the tune of 2 homeruns, reaching base safely 4 of 5 plate appearances, including a three-run go ahead homer to win the game.
Big-Time Player…
Look for Clayton Hall to have a significant impact in the next series as a reliever. Thrown into the ninth inning and extra innings in game four, Hall provided 4 shutout innings.
Win No. 9…?
More shutout innings may be on the horizon for Rodney Boone as he looks for win No. 9 on the year, coming off 6 shutout innings against LBSU.
Players To Watch: Cal Poly
Keeps the Ball in the Park…
With the Gauchos averaging a couple extra base hits every game, starter Drew Thorpe does a great job at minimizing the extra base hits. In 56 innings, he has only given up 1 home run and 12 doubles.
The Standout…
With most of the Mustang’s hitters hovering around a .350 – .400 slugging percentage, one player stands out in the pack. Brooks Lee is slugging an amazing .664 on the season.
Bullpen Struggles…
Look for the bullpen to factor into this series in order to make a significant run for the Mustangs. A 5.29 earned run average will need to be improved upon in order to keep the Gauchos off the board in the latter innings.
Three Keys for a Gauchos win:
Starter’s Efficiency…
Look for the Gauchos dominant starting pitchers to go into at least the sixth inning in order to minimize the use of the bullpen.
Key Man…
For the Gauchos to win, they’ll need success from their clean-up hitter. In their 2 losses versus LBSU, Zachary Jacob Rodriguez only managed 1 hit. Look for that to change come this series.
Unsung Hero…
In the last series, Hall was thrown into the fire with only two prior conference appearances. He came out sharp and had a huge contribution to the victory. The Gauchos will need to have help from another unsung hero, the bottom of their lineup, in order to produce a series, win or sweep.
Where To Watch the Games…
Game 1: Friday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, May 2 at 1:00 p.m.
All games will be at our home stadium, Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
