Thursday, May 18
Azusa, Calif.
11:00 AM
California Baptist University
at
Azusa Pacific
Photo by: Andrew Shortall
CBU Reloads for Regional Run
5/16/2017 4:40:00 PM | Baseball
AZUSA, Calif. – Playoffs officially begin on Thursday, but it feels more like the fifth or sixth round of the postseason for California Baptist University Coach Gary Adcock.
With 12 games left in the regular season, the Lancers knew they needed to finish strong if they wanted to advance to the NCAA playoffs for the fourth year in a row. CBU won 10 of its last 12, including a 3-1 series win over then top-ranked and eventual PacWest champion Azusa Pacific, to secure the fifth seed for the NCAA Division II West Regional.
"This is an exciting time of the year," Adcock said. "You get a chance to play past the regular season and we don't take it for granted, we don't want to waste the opportunity."
The Lancers drew conference rival and West Regional host APU for the tournament opener Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Cougar Baseball Complex.
Both teams are coming into the week with some momentum, as CBU is now ranked as high as 15th in Division II and has won seven of its last eight. Ninth-ranked APU rebounded from its series loss to the Lancers and won the PacWest by going 9-3 down the stretch.
CBU was pleased with how the regional played out, considering its return to the Cougar Baseball Complex where it has had success over recent years. The field is a bit of a launching pad, with dimensions of 305 feet to right field, 310 to left field and 405 in center, and that's something that plays into CBU's strengths.
"It's an offensive park, there's no secret to that, but it's a park we're familiar with," Adcock said. "To be honest, we're kind of built for a park like that. We pride ourselves on having swing-and-miss stuff on the mound and being able to drive the ball offensively. We're excited about the opportunity to play at APU."
Balance has been key for the Lancers this season. They rank 27th in NCAA Division II in hits allowed per nine innings (8.51), 32nd in earned-run average (3.86), 37th in WHIP (1.36) and 51st in D-II in strikeouts per nine innings (7.9).
Offensively, CBU has flashed a lot of power and ranks 52nd in home runs (47) and homers per game (0.94), 68th in doubles per game (1.94) and 71st in doubles (97) and 8th in slugging percentage (.444).
On the mound, CBU has started seven different pitchers due to injuries. Garett King has anchored the staff, with a 2.33 ERA, and Andrew Bernstein has transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation and posted a 3.26 ERA, going 4-0 over 30.1 innings in his four starts. Late in games, Matt Amrhein (2.32 ERA), Seth Kaneen (2.56) and Morgan Earman (3.00) have been familiar faces out of the bullpen, while Brody Robinson has logged a team-high 21 appearances and made seven saves this year.
CBU returns two All-West Region Tournament players from last year in Ryan Williams and Bryce Macy. Williams batted .471 (8-for-17) with 10 runs batted in, eight runs scored and three homers for a 1.000 slugging percentage and .565 on-base percentage in the playoffs last year. Macy was .364 (8-for-22) with four homers, eight RBIs and seven runs for a .909 slugging percentage in the 2016 West Regional.
This year, Williams and Macy are the only two position players to play and start in all 50 games for CBU. Macy has been a consistent force at the plate offensively and defensively, with the junior catcher batting .313 and slugging .472 with 13 doubles, six homers, 38 runs and 26 RBIs. Williams has been the most powerful figure in the lineup, slugging .517 with a team-high 37 RBIs and 10 home runs, along with 39 runs, 10 doubles and a .283 batting average.
Several newcomers figure to play a big part for the Lancers, as well. Redshirt senior Tommy Bell comes in hitting .436 with 28 runs, 26 RBIs and slug .709 on 12 doubles and six homers in 29 games. John Glenn, the freshly-minted PacWest Freshman of the Year, is batting .329 with 36 RBIs and 16 extra-base hits (11 doubles, five homers).
"It's a rush, there's just a different atmosphere to [the playoffs] and we're all excited to play," Glenn said. "It's definitely more comfortable knowing we've had success at APU in the past. The park plays well to us and if we just go out there and play our game we'll do well."
Luke Navigato (.298), Zack Norris (.295), DJ Porter (.285), Andrew Bash (.279) and Nick Plaia (.278) give CBU three more players batting .275 or better. Plaia has been even better over the last two months when he became a regular starter, hitting .298 over his last 25 games.
This time of year, it's still a one-game-at-a-time approach and it's impossible to predict what awaits any team after day one. A Thursday victory would move the Lancers into Friday's 7 p.m. game to face the winner between third-seeded and 10th-ranked Dixie State and fourth-seeded, No. 14-ranked UC San Diego. A loss would put CBU into Friday's 11 a.m. elimination game against the loser of top-seeded, second-ranked Chico State and sixth-seed Cal Poly Pomona.
With 12 games left in the regular season, the Lancers knew they needed to finish strong if they wanted to advance to the NCAA playoffs for the fourth year in a row. CBU won 10 of its last 12, including a 3-1 series win over then top-ranked and eventual PacWest champion Azusa Pacific, to secure the fifth seed for the NCAA Division II West Regional.
"This is an exciting time of the year," Adcock said. "You get a chance to play past the regular season and we don't take it for granted, we don't want to waste the opportunity."
The Lancers drew conference rival and West Regional host APU for the tournament opener Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Cougar Baseball Complex.
Both teams are coming into the week with some momentum, as CBU is now ranked as high as 15th in Division II and has won seven of its last eight. Ninth-ranked APU rebounded from its series loss to the Lancers and won the PacWest by going 9-3 down the stretch.
CBU was pleased with how the regional played out, considering its return to the Cougar Baseball Complex where it has had success over recent years. The field is a bit of a launching pad, with dimensions of 305 feet to right field, 310 to left field and 405 in center, and that's something that plays into CBU's strengths.
"It's an offensive park, there's no secret to that, but it's a park we're familiar with," Adcock said. "To be honest, we're kind of built for a park like that. We pride ourselves on having swing-and-miss stuff on the mound and being able to drive the ball offensively. We're excited about the opportunity to play at APU."
Balance has been key for the Lancers this season. They rank 27th in NCAA Division II in hits allowed per nine innings (8.51), 32nd in earned-run average (3.86), 37th in WHIP (1.36) and 51st in D-II in strikeouts per nine innings (7.9).
Offensively, CBU has flashed a lot of power and ranks 52nd in home runs (47) and homers per game (0.94), 68th in doubles per game (1.94) and 71st in doubles (97) and 8th in slugging percentage (.444).
On the mound, CBU has started seven different pitchers due to injuries. Garett King has anchored the staff, with a 2.33 ERA, and Andrew Bernstein has transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation and posted a 3.26 ERA, going 4-0 over 30.1 innings in his four starts. Late in games, Matt Amrhein (2.32 ERA), Seth Kaneen (2.56) and Morgan Earman (3.00) have been familiar faces out of the bullpen, while Brody Robinson has logged a team-high 21 appearances and made seven saves this year.
CBU returns two All-West Region Tournament players from last year in Ryan Williams and Bryce Macy. Williams batted .471 (8-for-17) with 10 runs batted in, eight runs scored and three homers for a 1.000 slugging percentage and .565 on-base percentage in the playoffs last year. Macy was .364 (8-for-22) with four homers, eight RBIs and seven runs for a .909 slugging percentage in the 2016 West Regional.
This year, Williams and Macy are the only two position players to play and start in all 50 games for CBU. Macy has been a consistent force at the plate offensively and defensively, with the junior catcher batting .313 and slugging .472 with 13 doubles, six homers, 38 runs and 26 RBIs. Williams has been the most powerful figure in the lineup, slugging .517 with a team-high 37 RBIs and 10 home runs, along with 39 runs, 10 doubles and a .283 batting average.
Several newcomers figure to play a big part for the Lancers, as well. Redshirt senior Tommy Bell comes in hitting .436 with 28 runs, 26 RBIs and slug .709 on 12 doubles and six homers in 29 games. John Glenn, the freshly-minted PacWest Freshman of the Year, is batting .329 with 36 RBIs and 16 extra-base hits (11 doubles, five homers).
"It's a rush, there's just a different atmosphere to [the playoffs] and we're all excited to play," Glenn said. "It's definitely more comfortable knowing we've had success at APU in the past. The park plays well to us and if we just go out there and play our game we'll do well."
Luke Navigato (.298), Zack Norris (.295), DJ Porter (.285), Andrew Bash (.279) and Nick Plaia (.278) give CBU three more players batting .275 or better. Plaia has been even better over the last two months when he became a regular starter, hitting .298 over his last 25 games.
This time of year, it's still a one-game-at-a-time approach and it's impossible to predict what awaits any team after day one. A Thursday victory would move the Lancers into Friday's 7 p.m. game to face the winner between third-seeded and 10th-ranked Dixie State and fourth-seeded, No. 14-ranked UC San Diego. A loss would put CBU into Friday's 11 a.m. elimination game against the loser of top-seeded, second-ranked Chico State and sixth-seed Cal Poly Pomona.
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