Adcock Wins 500th in Big Game

Thursday, March 30

San Diego, Calif.

3:00 PM

California Baptist University

21-10, 12-5

Point Loma

16-9, 8-5

Cal Baptist

Point Loma

Photo by: Andrew Shortall

Adcock Wins 500th in Big Game

3/30/2017 6:34:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

SAN DIEGO – Plenty was on the line for California Baptist University on Thursday as Coach Gary Adcock was sitting on career win No. 500 with the Lancers, entering a pivotal PacWest series at Point Loma.

CBU both completed a historic milestone for Adcock and improved its conference standing with a 6-2 win at Carroll B. Land Stadium. It moved Adcock's all-time record with the Lancers to 500-242-1, with a .674 winning percentage, and was praised as one of the team's most well-rounded performances of the season.

"It took a complete effort, any time you're playing a team that good it's going to take a complete effort," Adcock said. "Our complete effort was just enough today."

While it was certainly quite the historic feat for Adcock, he pushed the praise to the CBU family and focused on what's ahead for his team.

"It's cliché-ish but it's true, it's not Gary Adock's 500^th win, it's all the players who came before, it's administration, coaching staff and family," Adcock said. "Honestly, I don't fixate on that number, it's just a number. I've been fortunate to be in the dugout for 750 games in a Lancer uniform. The losses have taught me more than probably the wins."

While he's already achieved tremendous success with the Lancers, Adcock and CBU were focused on the future and not the past Thursday. The Lancers were up against one of the top teams in the PacWest, including the conference's Preseason Pitcher of the Year Kellen Sheppard.

"We are kind of in playoff mode right now, every game we play, we are treating it as a playoff push," Adcock said. "We knew Kellen was going to be tough, and seven left-handed hitters in this ball park, which is tiny in right field, is a challenge."

Nevertheless, the Lancers won the matchup between the third and fourth-place teams in the PacWest. CBU improves to 21-10, 12-5 in conference and PLNU dropped to 16-9, 8-5. The series continues Friday at 3 p.m. and wraps up with a noon doubleheader Saturday, with both squads looking to move up on conference leaders Azusa Pacific (24-3, 11-2) and Dixie State (24-6, 13-3).

Luke Navigato batted 4-for-4 in the game, while Andrew Bash (2-for-3), Bryce Macy (2-for-4) and John Glenn (2-for-4, two runs batted in) all collected two hits Thursday. Ryan Williams landed the big blow of the contest with a three-run homer in the fourth giving the Lancers half of their runs on the day.

Fresh off being named the Pitcher of the Week in the PacWest, West Region and NCAA Division II at large, Garett King turned in another strong performance on the mound for the Lancers. The junior struck out eight on 126 pitches over eight innings, and allowed five hits, one walk, a hit batter and one run.

Point Loma did score first, however, and went up 1-0 on a solo home run in the second inning. CBU responded with a three-run fourth to jump in front 3-1. Navigato started the inning off with a double to left center and Macy put runners at the corners, with no outs, on a single into left. It set the table for Williams' bomb to deep center field.

Another leadoff single in the fifth got CBU some more breathing room, as Glenn lined one past a diving third baseman. Bash moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Navigato laced a two-out single up the middle to make it 4-1.

Singles from Macy, Nick Plaia and a walk to Williams loaded the bases with one out in the sixth for the Lancers. Glenn clutched up and singled through the left side again to score two with two outs and make it 6-1.

"Our freshmen did some great things they didn't do early on," Adcock said. "John Glenn got that two-out base hit after we didn't get a bunt down, and Plaia extended that inning with a base hit."

Outside of its solo homer in the second, Point Loma put together its best offensive display in the sixth. The Sea Lions loaded the bases with one out on two hits and a hit by pitch in the frame. King got out of the jam unscathed, with a strikeout and foul out to Bash at third.

PLNU threatened again in the seventh, with a hit by pitch and single starting things off for the Sea Lions. King got three-straight outs to end the inning without allowing a run, but the pitcher got a big hand from Williams in center field.

The junior outfielder helped keep the Lancers in front, with two great catches in the game. Williams first ran down a liner in the left-center gap to record the second out of the fourth inning. Then, with two men on and one out in the seventh, he tracked down a hard shot near the same exact spot to save at least one run from scoring and keep the runners at first and second.

"It's probably the cleanest game defensively we've played all year," Adcock said. "There were some game-changing plays in the outfield where we ran the ball down."

King threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning to end his day, striking out the first two batters he faced. Despite giving up a solo homer, reliever Seth Kaneen threw a strong ninth inning and recorded all three outs with strikeouts.

All the pieces came together for the Lancers to help their coach claim another bit of history on Thursday. CBU has enjoyed great success in Adcock's 14 seasons at the helm. Twelve of his 13 teams have qualified for the postseason, with four reaching the national bracket and two winning national titles. His teams have won six conference championships, 19 of his players have been All-American and 19 were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.