Friday, May 17
Northridge, Calif.
3:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
#22 UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Hosts First-Place UCSB in Final Home Series
5/16/2024 2:11:00 PM | Baseball
GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (29-19, 15-9 Big West) hosts its final home series this weekend as the Matadors square off with Big West-leading UC Santa Barbara. The series opens on Friday at 3 p.m. before continuing on Saturday at 2 p.m. and concluding on Sunday with Senior Day at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
UC Santa Barbara at CSUN
RHP Ryan Gallagher (7-1, 2.34 ERA) vs. RHP Kenji Pallares (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
LHP Mike Gutierrez (8-0, 3.31 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Halamicek (5-13, 5.16 ERA)
TBA vs. TBA
LEADING OFF
After going 1-5 over the last two weekends, CSUN has dropped from first to fifth in the Big West standings. The Matadors (15-9) are five games back of first-place UC Santa Barbara (20-4) while UC Irvine is two back at 18-6, Cal Poly is three back at 17-7 and Hawai'i is tied with CSUN at 15-9.
Heading into the weekend, CSUN is on the doorstep of another 30-win season as the team comes in with a 29-19 overall record. The Matadors have posted back-to-back 30-win seasons over the last two years and looks to make it three straight seasons for the first time since 1996-98. CSUN has already secured its fifth consecutive winning season in 2024, which is a new Division I program record, and the most for the program since 1980-85 when the team played at the Division II level.
LAST TIME OUT
CSUN suffered a series loss to defending Big West champions UC San Diego last weekend at Matador Field. In the opener, UCSD opened up two different leads before CSUN tied the game in the seventh, however, the Tritons prevailed in extra innings by scoring six runs in the 10th for an 11-5 win. The Matadors bounced back in game two, scoring five runs in the sixth on key hits from Will Linberg, Shunsuke Sakaino and Jakob Simons while Ryan Wentz tossed 2.2 scoreless innings to nail down a 6-4 win. In the rubber game, UCSD jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back in a 9-2 win to claim the series.
SENIOR SALUTE
CSUN will honor a 10-member senior class prior to Sunday's 2024 home finale. Scheduled to be honored will be pitchers Hayden Cody, Ryan Wentz and Joshua Romero, first baseman Nathan Barraza, third baseman Kamau Neighbors, shortstop Mason Le, catcher Ben Griffin and outfielders Jakob Simons, Kevin Fitzer and Andrew Sojka.
Le is the longest tenured Matador among the senior crop with 181 games played since 2020. The quartet of Cody, Wentz, Barraza and Fitzer joined the team in 2021 followed by Simons and Sojka in 2022 and Griffin, Neighbors and Romero last season. The group has helped the Matador produce five-straight winning seasons along with a pair of 30-plus win campaigns over the past two seasons.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Matadors' defense has been one of the team's strengths all season long. Sporting a season .980 fielding percentage, the Matadors are ranked 18th in the nation in the category. Should CSUN keep at that same mark by season's end, the Matadors would set a new school record for season fielding percentage. CSUN previously set a new benchmark in fielding in 2016 with a .978 clip. Speaking of defense, CSUN has also turned 42 double plays this season, which ranks 36th in the nation.
CSUN also remains sixth in Division I baseball in sacrifice hits with 46 on the season. Mason Le tops the Matadors and the Big West with 11 sacrifice hits on the season, which are tied for the fifth most in a season in school history. In his career, Le has posted the eighth-most in team history with 19.
TEAM LEADERS
Kevin Fitzer remains the team leader in batting at a .347 clip to go with ranking first in the Big West in slugging (.688), second in OPS (1.149) and third in homers (10). Jakob Simons, who is batting .324, has homered a Big West-best 16 times this season while he also ranks second in the conference in runs scored (54), slugging (.665) and RBI (56). The team leader in walks with 34, Kamau Neighbors has hit .322 with 43 runs scored, 11 doubles and 27 RBI. On the pitching side, Thomas Bainton tops CSUN with 60 strikeouts to go with a 4.30 ERA. Joshua Romero ranks third in the Big West in wins (8) and fourth in saves (7).
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos (36-12, 20-4 Big West) are ranked in the top-25 in five different national polls and as high as No. 10 by Perfect Game. Winners of eight in a row and 15 straight in conference, the Gauchos are coming off a sweep at Cal State Bakersfield and a 4-3 win over Saint Mary's on Tuesday. UCSB's pitching staff is among the nation's best, posting a team 4.08 ERA, which ranks 11th-best in Division I while the team's WHIP (1.28) is also ranked ninth in the country. The team's hitting ranks near the top in several Big West categories with the Gauchos leading the conference with 63 homers and ranking second with 353 runs scored. Tyler Bremner tops the Big West with a 2.31 ERA and a perfect 10-0 record to go with 82 strikeouts. Ryan Gallagher, who starts Friday, sports a 2.34 ERA with seven wins and 82 strikeouts. On the hitting side, UCSB boasts six with at least five homers led by Ivan Brethowr with 10 while Aaron Parker tops the team with a .366 batting average along with nine homers and 44 RBI.
Series History: UCSB leads CSUN 96-70-3 in the all-time series. The Gauchos have won 11 of the past 13 meetings with four consecutive series victories. CSUN's last series win was in 2018 at UCSB. Since a walk-off home run from Nolan Bumstead in 2017, the Gauchos have won six consecutive games at Matador Field.
#GoMatadors
Â
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (29-19, 15-9 Big West) hosts its final home series this weekend as the Matadors square off with Big West-leading UC Santa Barbara. The series opens on Friday at 3 p.m. before continuing on Saturday at 2 p.m. and concluding on Sunday with Senior Day at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan on the call.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
UC Santa Barbara at CSUN
RHP Ryan Gallagher (7-1, 2.34 ERA) vs. RHP Kenji Pallares (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
LHP Mike Gutierrez (8-0, 3.31 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Halamicek (5-13, 5.16 ERA)
TBA vs. TBA
LEADING OFF
After going 1-5 over the last two weekends, CSUN has dropped from first to fifth in the Big West standings. The Matadors (15-9) are five games back of first-place UC Santa Barbara (20-4) while UC Irvine is two back at 18-6, Cal Poly is three back at 17-7 and Hawai'i is tied with CSUN at 15-9.
Heading into the weekend, CSUN is on the doorstep of another 30-win season as the team comes in with a 29-19 overall record. The Matadors have posted back-to-back 30-win seasons over the last two years and looks to make it three straight seasons for the first time since 1996-98. CSUN has already secured its fifth consecutive winning season in 2024, which is a new Division I program record, and the most for the program since 1980-85 when the team played at the Division II level.
LAST TIME OUT
CSUN suffered a series loss to defending Big West champions UC San Diego last weekend at Matador Field. In the opener, UCSD opened up two different leads before CSUN tied the game in the seventh, however, the Tritons prevailed in extra innings by scoring six runs in the 10th for an 11-5 win. The Matadors bounced back in game two, scoring five runs in the sixth on key hits from Will Linberg, Shunsuke Sakaino and Jakob Simons while Ryan Wentz tossed 2.2 scoreless innings to nail down a 6-4 win. In the rubber game, UCSD jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back in a 9-2 win to claim the series.
SENIOR SALUTE
CSUN will honor a 10-member senior class prior to Sunday's 2024 home finale. Scheduled to be honored will be pitchers Hayden Cody, Ryan Wentz and Joshua Romero, first baseman Nathan Barraza, third baseman Kamau Neighbors, shortstop Mason Le, catcher Ben Griffin and outfielders Jakob Simons, Kevin Fitzer and Andrew Sojka.
Le is the longest tenured Matador among the senior crop with 181 games played since 2020. The quartet of Cody, Wentz, Barraza and Fitzer joined the team in 2021 followed by Simons and Sojka in 2022 and Griffin, Neighbors and Romero last season. The group has helped the Matador produce five-straight winning seasons along with a pair of 30-plus win campaigns over the past two seasons.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Matadors' defense has been one of the team's strengths all season long. Sporting a season .980 fielding percentage, the Matadors are ranked 18th in the nation in the category. Should CSUN keep at that same mark by season's end, the Matadors would set a new school record for season fielding percentage. CSUN previously set a new benchmark in fielding in 2016 with a .978 clip. Speaking of defense, CSUN has also turned 42 double plays this season, which ranks 36th in the nation.
CSUN also remains sixth in Division I baseball in sacrifice hits with 46 on the season. Mason Le tops the Matadors and the Big West with 11 sacrifice hits on the season, which are tied for the fifth most in a season in school history. In his career, Le has posted the eighth-most in team history with 19.
TEAM LEADERS
Kevin Fitzer remains the team leader in batting at a .347 clip to go with ranking first in the Big West in slugging (.688), second in OPS (1.149) and third in homers (10). Jakob Simons, who is batting .324, has homered a Big West-best 16 times this season while he also ranks second in the conference in runs scored (54), slugging (.665) and RBI (56). The team leader in walks with 34, Kamau Neighbors has hit .322 with 43 runs scored, 11 doubles and 27 RBI. On the pitching side, Thomas Bainton tops CSUN with 60 strikeouts to go with a 4.30 ERA. Joshua Romero ranks third in the Big West in wins (8) and fourth in saves (7).
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos (36-12, 20-4 Big West) are ranked in the top-25 in five different national polls and as high as No. 10 by Perfect Game. Winners of eight in a row and 15 straight in conference, the Gauchos are coming off a sweep at Cal State Bakersfield and a 4-3 win over Saint Mary's on Tuesday. UCSB's pitching staff is among the nation's best, posting a team 4.08 ERA, which ranks 11th-best in Division I while the team's WHIP (1.28) is also ranked ninth in the country. The team's hitting ranks near the top in several Big West categories with the Gauchos leading the conference with 63 homers and ranking second with 353 runs scored. Tyler Bremner tops the Big West with a 2.31 ERA and a perfect 10-0 record to go with 82 strikeouts. Ryan Gallagher, who starts Friday, sports a 2.34 ERA with seven wins and 82 strikeouts. On the hitting side, UCSB boasts six with at least five homers led by Ivan Brethowr with 10 while Aaron Parker tops the team with a .366 batting average along with nine homers and 44 RBI.
Series History: UCSB leads CSUN 96-70-3 in the all-time series. The Gauchos have won 11 of the past 13 meetings with four consecutive series victories. CSUN's last series win was in 2018 at UCSB. Since a walk-off home run from Nolan Bumstead in 2017, the Gauchos have won six consecutive games at Matador Field.
#GoMatadors
Â
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballA Conversation With Dave Serrano
Friday, May 15
Baseball HC reveal 2019
Sunday, June 23
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - Jayson Newman
Friday, April 05
CSUN Baseball - 27 Miles
Friday, November 09