California State University Northridge Athletics
CSUN Top 10 - No. 2 Baseball Posts Most Wins Since 2002
7/21/2023 11:00:00 AM | Baseball, General
From June 20 to July 24, GoMatadors.com will present its top 10 CSUN sports moments from the 2022-23 year. At No. 2, CSUN Baseball completes its best season in two decades, winning 34 games and finishing second in The Big West.
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Under the direction of first-year head coach Eddie Cornejo, CSUN Baseball came away with its most overall wins and best Big West finish in 21 years this past season. The Matadors finished with an impressive 34-17 record and a 20-10 conference record, falling one game short of a Big West title.Â
In Big West play, the Matadors won eight of 10 conference series. CSUN notched its first series win at Long Beach State since the 2001 season while the Matadors would pick up an impressive road series win at eventual Big West champion UC San Diego. The Matadors secured nine wins over its last 11 league games, highlighted by series victories over UC Irvine and Hawai'i.
At the plate, the Matadors possessed one of their best offensive lineups, from top to bottom, in recent memory. As a team, CSUN hit .311 at the plate, good enough for first in the Big West and 16th overall in the nation. The Matadors' hitting average was the team's highest in 22 seasons while they hit over the .300 mark for just the second time in two decades. CSUN also ranked second in The Big West in runs (.388), hits (552), RBI (360), slugging percentage (.472) and on-base percentage (.396).
The team's running game was also among the best in The Big West, leading the conference with 69 stolen bases in 85 chances.
Pitching and defense also was a key part of the team's success. CSUN allowed the fewest hits of any Big West team (427) while it limited the opposition to the third-lowest batting average (.254). On defense, the Matadors held a .975 fielding percentage and committed just 49 errors, both third-best in the conference.
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Individually, the Matadors saw big jumps from an array of players this season. Center fielder Jakob Simons may have seen the biggest jump with his offensive production, improving his batting average from .227 in 2022 to .356 this season while he smacked a team-high 14 home runs after hitting none the previous year. Outfielder Kevin Fitzer batted a robust .339 and led the team with 50 RBI following a season where he played just 20 games. Shortstop Ali Camarillo improved his batting average 101 points to a team-high .371 clip. Shunsuke Sakaino earned the starting second base job this season and raised his hitting average from .185 to .310. Other big producers were catcher Graysen Tarlow, who hit .311 in a career-high 49 games, and Nathan Barraza, who took over first base duties at the start of Big West play and hit .319. Mason Le, a veteran infielder, would also hit a personal-best .292 in 48 games.
On the pitching side, several Matadors had career years as well. Friday starter Lucas Braun stuck out a career-high 100 batters while picking up six wins. Newcomer Thomas Bainton racked up a team-best seven wins. Southpaw Jon Mocherman worked his way from middle reliever to reliable Sunday starter by season's end, winning three games and posting a 3.33 ERA. In relief, Joshua Romero made Matador history by breaking the school's single-season save record with 13 in his first opportunity as a closer while Xavier Martinez posted a career-best 2.29 ERA and 45 strikeouts as a setup man.
Seven Matadors earned All-Big West awards headlined by Simons earning Big West Co-Field Player of the Year honors, becoming the second Matador in team history to win the honor. Simons and Camarillo collected first-team accolades while Romero, Braun and Fitzer were placed on the second team and Sakaino and Martinez were honorable mention.
After the season, two Matadors were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, the most for the team since 2018. Braun was selected in the sixth round by the Atlanta Braves while Graysen Tarlow was chosen in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Wentz also agreed to a free-agent deal with the San Diego Padres after the draft.
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Under the direction of first-year head coach Eddie Cornejo, CSUN Baseball came away with its most overall wins and best Big West finish in 21 years this past season. The Matadors finished with an impressive 34-17 record and a 20-10 conference record, falling one game short of a Big West title. In Big West play, the Matadors won eight of 10 conference series. CSUN notched its first series win at Long Beach State since the 2001 season while the Matadors would pick up an impressive road series win at eventual Big West champion UC San Diego. The Matadors secured nine wins over its last 11 league games, highlighted by series victories over UC Irvine and Hawai'i.
At the plate, the Matadors possessed one of their best offensive lineups, from top to bottom, in recent memory. As a team, CSUN hit .311 at the plate, good enough for first in the Big West and 16th overall in the nation. The Matadors' hitting average was the team's highest in 22 seasons while they hit over the .300 mark for just the second time in two decades. CSUN also ranked second in The Big West in runs (.388), hits (552), RBI (360), slugging percentage (.472) and on-base percentage (.396).
The team's running game was also among the best in The Big West, leading the conference with 69 stolen bases in 85 chances.
Pitching and defense also was a key part of the team's success. CSUN allowed the fewest hits of any Big West team (427) while it limited the opposition to the third-lowest batting average (.254). On defense, the Matadors held a .975 fielding percentage and committed just 49 errors, both third-best in the conference.
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Individually, the Matadors saw big jumps from an array of players this season. Center fielder Jakob Simons may have seen the biggest jump with his offensive production, improving his batting average from .227 in 2022 to .356 this season while he smacked a team-high 14 home runs after hitting none the previous year. Outfielder Kevin Fitzer batted a robust .339 and led the team with 50 RBI following a season where he played just 20 games. Shortstop Ali Camarillo improved his batting average 101 points to a team-high .371 clip. Shunsuke Sakaino earned the starting second base job this season and raised his hitting average from .185 to .310. Other big producers were catcher Graysen Tarlow, who hit .311 in a career-high 49 games, and Nathan Barraza, who took over first base duties at the start of Big West play and hit .319. Mason Le, a veteran infielder, would also hit a personal-best .292 in 48 games.
On the pitching side, several Matadors had career years as well. Friday starter Lucas Braun stuck out a career-high 100 batters while picking up six wins. Newcomer Thomas Bainton racked up a team-best seven wins. Southpaw Jon Mocherman worked his way from middle reliever to reliable Sunday starter by season's end, winning three games and posting a 3.33 ERA. In relief, Joshua Romero made Matador history by breaking the school's single-season save record with 13 in his first opportunity as a closer while Xavier Martinez posted a career-best 2.29 ERA and 45 strikeouts as a setup man.
Seven Matadors earned All-Big West awards headlined by Simons earning Big West Co-Field Player of the Year honors, becoming the second Matador in team history to win the honor. Simons and Camarillo collected first-team accolades while Romero, Braun and Fitzer were placed on the second team and Sakaino and Martinez were honorable mention.
After the season, two Matadors were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, the most for the team since 2018. Braun was selected in the sixth round by the Atlanta Braves while Graysen Tarlow was chosen in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Wentz also agreed to a free-agent deal with the San Diego Padres after the draft.
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