Thursday, February 12
Riverside
6 PM
California Baptist University
vs
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Photo by: Andrew Shortall
Bring on the Toros
2/11/2015 10:14:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- After rebounding from a season-opening loss to win its first series against Cal State Los Angeles, California Baptist University is ready to face another CCAA opponent, Cal State Dominguez Hills, in a three-game set. The Lancers host the Toros twice at James W. Totman Stadium Thursday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and noon, respectively. CSUDH plays host in Carson Friday at 1 p.m.
While both the Toros (4-1) and Lancers (2-1) come into this week with one loss each, CBU will likely present Cal State Dominguez Hills with the toughest competition it has seen this season. The Toros have played all five of their games at home, taking three of four from the NAIA's College of Idaho and then edging first-year program Providence Christian College, 5-3, last Friday.
It has been two years since the Lancers and Toros faced each other, with CBU sweeping a two-game set at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2012 by scores of 10-7 and 6-5. These two teams also combined for a rare tie, just one of three in CBU's history, when they played to a 7-7 stalemate in 2002. The Lancers own the longest winning streak in this series, as they won three games in a row from 2003 to 2004.
CBU's last game was a momentum changer, as it compiled 23 hits and three home runs in a 16-1 victory over CSULA on Saturday. It was also a career day for many Lancers: Andrew Montoya had a career-high five hits, three runs batted in, two doubles and homered for the second time in his career, while transfer Brian Ruhm continued his torrid start, with four hits, five RBI and two runs.
Ruhm, Nathan Antoun, Zack Norris and Andy Crowley have all produced base hits in each game so far this year, and will look to keep those streaks alive against the Toros. Ruhm boasts a .462 batting average (6-for-13), six RBI and two home runs through three games.
The Toros are hitting at a .321 clip (44-for-137) through five games this year, with 13 extra base hits that include six home runs. CSUDH has held its opponents to a .225 average (31-for-138) with its pitching staff boasting a 2.19 earned-run average.
There is some question of who will get the start on the mound for the Lancers. Will Coach Gary Adcock replicate last series, going with Adam Hofacket, Jeremy McDonald and David Herd for these three games, or give someone else a chance at claiming the fourth spot in the rotation? Herd is responsible for the best start out of the rotation early on in the season for CBU, as he allowed just four base runners (three hits, one walk) through five innings on Saturday.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
After graduating six players and having three chosen in the MLB Draft, including one senior, the Lancers bring a 34-man roster into 2015. CBU returns 20 players and 14 newcomers (seven freshmen, seven transfers). Nine regulars return for the Lancers, including three outfielders -- Zack Norris (left), Andy Crowley (center) and Stephen Lohr (right). Nathan Antoun and Antonio Chavarria each had experience at first base and designated hitter last year, while Andrew Montoya will anchor the infield at shortstop. CBU also returns three of its four regular starting pitchers from last year, Adam Hofacket, Tyson Miller and David Herd, who also spent time in the bullpen.
POWER SURGE
CBU has homered at least once in every game this season, with five in all. Brian Ruhm leads the Lancers with two bombs, including a grand slam. Nathan Antoun, Andrew Montoya and Taylor Wetzel have also left the yard at one point for CBU. The Lancers will look to keep it up, as they build on their No. 20 ranking in the NCBWA and No. 30 standing in the Collegiate Baseball Division II poll.
A LOOK AT THE TOROS
The winningest coach in the history of the Cal State Dominguez Hills program, George Wing, has returned to lead the team on an interim basis. After losing eight of their top-nine players from last year, the Toros return 15 players and welcome 15 newcomers, as they look to build on their seventh-place finish in the CCAA last year after being picked to finish last out of the 11 teams in the preseason poll. Kamran Young, an All-CCAA first teamer and all-region player last year, is expected to leads the team's offense, while two other Toros with regular playing time have started the year hitting above .300 -- Young (.357, 5-for-14), Brady Conlan (.368, 7-for-19) and Brandon Polizzi (10-for-19). Left-hander Jeffrey Gogue is the No. 1 pitcher for CSUDH after posting a 3.97 ERA in 2014. He has not allowed an earned run yet this season in two starts and eight innings. Winston Lavendier has yet to give up a run for the Toros, as well, through two appearances including a shutout and 10 innings. Fernando Gallegos and Albert Flores also round out the have also earned starts for Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kevin Brown and submariner Bryce Shea have each been called on to close out games this year, with each logging a save without allowing an earned run this year.
RECORD WATCH
Quite a bit of history was made by CBU in 2014 -- a program-best winning streak (24 games) after the team won its first 15 games of the year and last nine of 2013. Gary Adcock also won his 400th win with the program and Trevor Oaks became the new career leader in ERA (1.68) after he was drafted in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Dodgers after one season at CBU. More history is set to be made in 2015, as Andy Crowley is 261 at-bats, 73 hits and five triples shy of being the all-time record holder in those categories. David Herd is eight wins and five complete games away from setting new career bests in those standards, while he is also in the mix of becoming the program's career earned-run average leader, along with Adam Hofacket.
LAST YEAR
CBU relied on a dominant pitching staff that posted a 3.14 ERA and small-ball approach, with a lineup that hit .309 with just 22 home runs (tied for second least in program history) to help it go 39-15, 20-12 in the PacWest last year. It was a far cry from the Lancers' power surge in 2013 when it hit 65 homers, but just as effective. CBU went on to qualify for the NCAA Division II postseason in its first shot and reached the West Region semifinals after entering as the third seed. The Lancers had a flair for the dramatic a year ago, with three walk-off victories from three different players -- Zack Norris, Nathan Antoun and Andy Crowley, who all return this year.
ADCOCK AT A GLANCE
CBU has been a perennial power under coach Gary Adcock, who is in his 12th season coaching the team. He owns a winning percentage of .673 (408-197-1) and has the most wins in program history by 291 games. Ten of his 11 teams have qualified for the postseason, the lone exception being in 2009, with four reaching the national bracket and three winning national titles, including the NAIA World Series title in 2010 and NCCAA Championships in 2012 and 2013. The Lancers reached the NCAA Division II West Region semifinals last year. His teams have won five conference championships, including a four-year run from 2010 to 2013. Nineteen of his players have been All-American, 19 were named national scholar-athletes, 14 were selected in the MLB Draft and 12 of his athletes have been conference Player (six) or Pitcher of the Year (six), with 56 athletes earning all-conference selection.
MULTIMEDIA
Portal.stretchinternet.com/cbulancers is your one-stop shop for live coverage of CBU athletics. Every home Lancers baseball game will have live stats, with Thursday and Saturday's games including a radio broadcast, as well. Complimentary access for this live coverage is given at portal.stretchinternet.com/cbulancers for all CBU home games. The links will be made available about 15 minutes before the game is scheduled to begin. Fans can also follow along on Twitter at twitter.com/cbulancers. Cal State Dominguez Hills will have a live stats feed made available for its home game on Friday.
FULL GAMES NOTES
While both the Toros (4-1) and Lancers (2-1) come into this week with one loss each, CBU will likely present Cal State Dominguez Hills with the toughest competition it has seen this season. The Toros have played all five of their games at home, taking three of four from the NAIA's College of Idaho and then edging first-year program Providence Christian College, 5-3, last Friday.
It has been two years since the Lancers and Toros faced each other, with CBU sweeping a two-game set at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2012 by scores of 10-7 and 6-5. These two teams also combined for a rare tie, just one of three in CBU's history, when they played to a 7-7 stalemate in 2002. The Lancers own the longest winning streak in this series, as they won three games in a row from 2003 to 2004.
CBU's last game was a momentum changer, as it compiled 23 hits and three home runs in a 16-1 victory over CSULA on Saturday. It was also a career day for many Lancers: Andrew Montoya had a career-high five hits, three runs batted in, two doubles and homered for the second time in his career, while transfer Brian Ruhm continued his torrid start, with four hits, five RBI and two runs.
Ruhm, Nathan Antoun, Zack Norris and Andy Crowley have all produced base hits in each game so far this year, and will look to keep those streaks alive against the Toros. Ruhm boasts a .462 batting average (6-for-13), six RBI and two home runs through three games.
The Toros are hitting at a .321 clip (44-for-137) through five games this year, with 13 extra base hits that include six home runs. CSUDH has held its opponents to a .225 average (31-for-138) with its pitching staff boasting a 2.19 earned-run average.
There is some question of who will get the start on the mound for the Lancers. Will Coach Gary Adcock replicate last series, going with Adam Hofacket, Jeremy McDonald and David Herd for these three games, or give someone else a chance at claiming the fourth spot in the rotation? Herd is responsible for the best start out of the rotation early on in the season for CBU, as he allowed just four base runners (three hits, one walk) through five innings on Saturday.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
After graduating six players and having three chosen in the MLB Draft, including one senior, the Lancers bring a 34-man roster into 2015. CBU returns 20 players and 14 newcomers (seven freshmen, seven transfers). Nine regulars return for the Lancers, including three outfielders -- Zack Norris (left), Andy Crowley (center) and Stephen Lohr (right). Nathan Antoun and Antonio Chavarria each had experience at first base and designated hitter last year, while Andrew Montoya will anchor the infield at shortstop. CBU also returns three of its four regular starting pitchers from last year, Adam Hofacket, Tyson Miller and David Herd, who also spent time in the bullpen.
POWER SURGE
CBU has homered at least once in every game this season, with five in all. Brian Ruhm leads the Lancers with two bombs, including a grand slam. Nathan Antoun, Andrew Montoya and Taylor Wetzel have also left the yard at one point for CBU. The Lancers will look to keep it up, as they build on their No. 20 ranking in the NCBWA and No. 30 standing in the Collegiate Baseball Division II poll.
A LOOK AT THE TOROS
The winningest coach in the history of the Cal State Dominguez Hills program, George Wing, has returned to lead the team on an interim basis. After losing eight of their top-nine players from last year, the Toros return 15 players and welcome 15 newcomers, as they look to build on their seventh-place finish in the CCAA last year after being picked to finish last out of the 11 teams in the preseason poll. Kamran Young, an All-CCAA first teamer and all-region player last year, is expected to leads the team's offense, while two other Toros with regular playing time have started the year hitting above .300 -- Young (.357, 5-for-14), Brady Conlan (.368, 7-for-19) and Brandon Polizzi (10-for-19). Left-hander Jeffrey Gogue is the No. 1 pitcher for CSUDH after posting a 3.97 ERA in 2014. He has not allowed an earned run yet this season in two starts and eight innings. Winston Lavendier has yet to give up a run for the Toros, as well, through two appearances including a shutout and 10 innings. Fernando Gallegos and Albert Flores also round out the have also earned starts for Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kevin Brown and submariner Bryce Shea have each been called on to close out games this year, with each logging a save without allowing an earned run this year.
RECORD WATCH
Quite a bit of history was made by CBU in 2014 -- a program-best winning streak (24 games) after the team won its first 15 games of the year and last nine of 2013. Gary Adcock also won his 400th win with the program and Trevor Oaks became the new career leader in ERA (1.68) after he was drafted in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Dodgers after one season at CBU. More history is set to be made in 2015, as Andy Crowley is 261 at-bats, 73 hits and five triples shy of being the all-time record holder in those categories. David Herd is eight wins and five complete games away from setting new career bests in those standards, while he is also in the mix of becoming the program's career earned-run average leader, along with Adam Hofacket.
LAST YEAR
CBU relied on a dominant pitching staff that posted a 3.14 ERA and small-ball approach, with a lineup that hit .309 with just 22 home runs (tied for second least in program history) to help it go 39-15, 20-12 in the PacWest last year. It was a far cry from the Lancers' power surge in 2013 when it hit 65 homers, but just as effective. CBU went on to qualify for the NCAA Division II postseason in its first shot and reached the West Region semifinals after entering as the third seed. The Lancers had a flair for the dramatic a year ago, with three walk-off victories from three different players -- Zack Norris, Nathan Antoun and Andy Crowley, who all return this year.
ADCOCK AT A GLANCE
CBU has been a perennial power under coach Gary Adcock, who is in his 12th season coaching the team. He owns a winning percentage of .673 (408-197-1) and has the most wins in program history by 291 games. Ten of his 11 teams have qualified for the postseason, the lone exception being in 2009, with four reaching the national bracket and three winning national titles, including the NAIA World Series title in 2010 and NCCAA Championships in 2012 and 2013. The Lancers reached the NCAA Division II West Region semifinals last year. His teams have won five conference championships, including a four-year run from 2010 to 2013. Nineteen of his players have been All-American, 19 were named national scholar-athletes, 14 were selected in the MLB Draft and 12 of his athletes have been conference Player (six) or Pitcher of the Year (six), with 56 athletes earning all-conference selection.
MULTIMEDIA
Portal.stretchinternet.com/cbulancers is your one-stop shop for live coverage of CBU athletics. Every home Lancers baseball game will have live stats, with Thursday and Saturday's games including a radio broadcast, as well. Complimentary access for this live coverage is given at portal.stretchinternet.com/cbulancers for all CBU home games. The links will be made available about 15 minutes before the game is scheduled to begin. Fans can also follow along on Twitter at twitter.com/cbulancers. Cal State Dominguez Hills will have a live stats feed made available for its home game on Friday.
FULL GAMES NOTES
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