Friday, April 9
Fullerton, Calif.
5 PM
California Baptist University
at
Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Matt Schumacher
BASE PREVIEW: CBU Prepares for Highly Anticipated Non-Conference Series at Cal State Fullerton
4/6/2021 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University baseball returns to its home state but will stay on the road for a three-game non-conference series at four-time national champion Cal State Fullerton this week. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Lancers are still in first place in the Western Athletic Conference and receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division I Top-30 poll, with an 18-7 overall and 11-1 conference records. CBU has won seven of its last eight games, coming off a 3-1 series win at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a home sweep of Tarleton State, and has won every WAC series so far.
Cal State Fullerton comes in with a 10-14 and 5-3 Big West Conference record for top-four standing in the league. The Titans had last week's series versus CSU Bakersfield canceled, but split a two-game set with San Diego with a 3-1 home win and 8-2 road loss.
Prior to that, CSUF won its road series at UC Riverside and split a series at home versus UC Santa Barbara. The Titans have played a difficult schedule so far and own impressive wins over USC (5-0), Utah (15-1 and 3-1) and San Diego (3-1 and 5-1).
Pepperdine is the one common opponent between CBU and CSUF so far this season. The Waves defeated the Titans 10-4 in a one-off game, while the Lancers won their three-game series against Pepperdine, with 9-1 and 6-2 wins.
LANCERS CONTINUE TO REAP WAC AWARDS
Harrison Spohn was named the WAC Hitter of the Week on Monday. It's the third weekly conference award for the Lancers this season and the second-straight Hitter of the Week honor after John Glenn earned it on March 30. Chris Burica was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on March 16.
Spohn earned the honor after he batted .500 in CBU's 3-1 series win at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Spohn went 6-for-12 at the plate with two doubles, two runs and two runs batted in. He had a hit in every game and went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the series finale Saturday. Overall, Spohn slugged .667 and maintained a .567 on-base percentage and had a perfect fielding percentage on 13 attempts.
BURICA'S BRINGING IT
Ace pitcher Chris Burica has been on an incredible run of late, as he threw his second complete-game shutout in his last three outings in a 3-0 win at UTRGV last Thursday. This time, Burica allowed just four hits, no walks and struck out six. He's allowed just one run over his last 41 innings pitched.
He has thrown at least through the seventh inning in his last six starts and won his last five to improve his season record to 5-1. His 51.1 innings pitched are a WAC best by seven and his five wins are tied for first in the conference, as well. He also ranks third in the WAC in ERA and third in strikeouts (45). Thursday's outing lowered his season ERA to 1.93, his WHIP to 0.78 and his opposing batting average to .188.
CULPEPPER'S RECORD PACE
Closer CJ Culpepper added two more saves to his season total in CBU's 3-1 series win at UTRGV last week to give him nine this year. It is five more than the next WAC pitcher and is tied for the NCAA Division I lead with Miami's Carson Palmquist, while there are five other D-I pitchers with at least seven.
Culpepper is one off the Lancers' all-time record for saves in a season, which Charlie Eckenrod set at 10 in 2001. He overtook Caleb Dirks' team NCAA-era record of eight from back in 2014.
Culpepper is already tied for the fourth most in any CBU season, and just three off the season record of 10 set by Charlie Eckenrod in 2001. Caleb Dirks holds the Lancers' NCAA-era record for saves in a season at eight from back in 2014.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Cal State Fullerton
Dates/Times: Friday, April 9 (5 p.m.); Saturday, April 10 (12 p.m.); Sunday, April 11 (12 p.m.)
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Goodwin Field)
CBU Radio: Sidearm – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Presto Sports – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Video: Big West TV – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
TITANS AT A GLANCE
CSUF is one of the most storied baseball programs in not only California but the country. The Titans have made 40 NCAA Tournaments, with 27-straight appearances from 1992-2018, and reached 18 College World Series (last in 2017) with national titles won in 1979, 1984, 1995 and 2004. Cal State Fullerton has also won 30 Big West Conference championships, with its most recent in 2018.
Offense has been the strength of CSUF this season, as it is hitting .271 as a team offensively. As a pitching staff, the Titans have a 5.68 ERA and .271 batting average against.
Five Titans come in hitting .320 or above: Omar Veloz (.366), Carter White (.353), Jason Brandow (.351), Caden Connor (.338) and Deylan Pigford (.323). Brandow and Connor have the leaders among the lineup mainstays. Both played in 20 of 24 games. Brandow is slugging .544 with a team-high 14 RBI and .391 on-base percentage. Connor has a .405 OBP and 13 RBI. Pigford (.645) and Veloz (.561) also slugs above .500.
Tanner Bibee and Kyle Luckham are the two primary starting pitchers with a team-high seven starts this year. Bibee has been the ace with a 2.74 ERA, .230 BAA and 35 strikeouts to seven walks over 46 innings pitched. Luckham has a 5.88 ERA and .245 BAA over 41.1 innings. Michael Knorr, Landon Anderson and Peyton Jones have are the other Titans who have made multiple starts this season.
Cameron Repetti is Cal State Fullerton's closer. He has a team-high two saves and a .120 BAA over five appearances and 7.2 innings. Ryan Hare has made a team-high nine appearances out of the bullpen, while Anderson and Michael Weisberg have eight.
The Lancers are still in first place in the Western Athletic Conference and receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division I Top-30 poll, with an 18-7 overall and 11-1 conference records. CBU has won seven of its last eight games, coming off a 3-1 series win at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a home sweep of Tarleton State, and has won every WAC series so far.
Cal State Fullerton comes in with a 10-14 and 5-3 Big West Conference record for top-four standing in the league. The Titans had last week's series versus CSU Bakersfield canceled, but split a two-game set with San Diego with a 3-1 home win and 8-2 road loss.
Prior to that, CSUF won its road series at UC Riverside and split a series at home versus UC Santa Barbara. The Titans have played a difficult schedule so far and own impressive wins over USC (5-0), Utah (15-1 and 3-1) and San Diego (3-1 and 5-1).
Pepperdine is the one common opponent between CBU and CSUF so far this season. The Waves defeated the Titans 10-4 in a one-off game, while the Lancers won their three-game series against Pepperdine, with 9-1 and 6-2 wins.
LANCERS CONTINUE TO REAP WAC AWARDS
Harrison Spohn was named the WAC Hitter of the Week on Monday. It's the third weekly conference award for the Lancers this season and the second-straight Hitter of the Week honor after John Glenn earned it on March 30. Chris Burica was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on March 16.
Spohn earned the honor after he batted .500 in CBU's 3-1 series win at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Spohn went 6-for-12 at the plate with two doubles, two runs and two runs batted in. He had a hit in every game and went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the series finale Saturday. Overall, Spohn slugged .667 and maintained a .567 on-base percentage and had a perfect fielding percentage on 13 attempts.
BURICA'S BRINGING IT
Ace pitcher Chris Burica has been on an incredible run of late, as he threw his second complete-game shutout in his last three outings in a 3-0 win at UTRGV last Thursday. This time, Burica allowed just four hits, no walks and struck out six. He's allowed just one run over his last 41 innings pitched.
He has thrown at least through the seventh inning in his last six starts and won his last five to improve his season record to 5-1. His 51.1 innings pitched are a WAC best by seven and his five wins are tied for first in the conference, as well. He also ranks third in the WAC in ERA and third in strikeouts (45). Thursday's outing lowered his season ERA to 1.93, his WHIP to 0.78 and his opposing batting average to .188.
CULPEPPER'S RECORD PACE
Closer CJ Culpepper added two more saves to his season total in CBU's 3-1 series win at UTRGV last week to give him nine this year. It is five more than the next WAC pitcher and is tied for the NCAA Division I lead with Miami's Carson Palmquist, while there are five other D-I pitchers with at least seven.
Culpepper is one off the Lancers' all-time record for saves in a season, which Charlie Eckenrod set at 10 in 2001. He overtook Caleb Dirks' team NCAA-era record of eight from back in 2014.
Culpepper is already tied for the fourth most in any CBU season, and just three off the season record of 10 set by Charlie Eckenrod in 2001. Caleb Dirks holds the Lancers' NCAA-era record for saves in a season at eight from back in 2014.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Cal State Fullerton
Dates/Times: Friday, April 9 (5 p.m.); Saturday, April 10 (12 p.m.); Sunday, April 11 (12 p.m.)
Location: Fullerton, Calif. (Goodwin Field)
CBU Radio: Sidearm – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Presto Sports – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Video: Big West TV – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
TITANS AT A GLANCE
CSUF is one of the most storied baseball programs in not only California but the country. The Titans have made 40 NCAA Tournaments, with 27-straight appearances from 1992-2018, and reached 18 College World Series (last in 2017) with national titles won in 1979, 1984, 1995 and 2004. Cal State Fullerton has also won 30 Big West Conference championships, with its most recent in 2018.
Offense has been the strength of CSUF this season, as it is hitting .271 as a team offensively. As a pitching staff, the Titans have a 5.68 ERA and .271 batting average against.
Five Titans come in hitting .320 or above: Omar Veloz (.366), Carter White (.353), Jason Brandow (.351), Caden Connor (.338) and Deylan Pigford (.323). Brandow and Connor have the leaders among the lineup mainstays. Both played in 20 of 24 games. Brandow is slugging .544 with a team-high 14 RBI and .391 on-base percentage. Connor has a .405 OBP and 13 RBI. Pigford (.645) and Veloz (.561) also slugs above .500.
Tanner Bibee and Kyle Luckham are the two primary starting pitchers with a team-high seven starts this year. Bibee has been the ace with a 2.74 ERA, .230 BAA and 35 strikeouts to seven walks over 46 innings pitched. Luckham has a 5.88 ERA and .245 BAA over 41.1 innings. Michael Knorr, Landon Anderson and Peyton Jones have are the other Titans who have made multiple starts this season.
Cameron Repetti is Cal State Fullerton's closer. He has a team-high two saves and a .120 BAA over five appearances and 7.2 innings. Ryan Hare has made a team-high nine appearances out of the bullpen, while Anderson and Michael Weisberg have eight.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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RHP
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1B
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