Photo by: Drew Brager
BASE Preview: CBU Heads to Texas for Meeting with Mavericks
5/4/2023 9:30:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist will hit the road after an exciting week at home to take on the University of Texas Arlington Mavericks in their second to last road series of the regular season. CBU comes into the weekend 24-21 after pulling out an impressive win over the Gauchos of UCSB on Tuesday evening and coming up big at home with a 2-1 WAC series win against Abilene Christian.
UTA holds third place in the conference standings with a 13-8 record and is 23-20 overall. California Baptist currently sports a 23-21 overall record while maintaining a 12-9 conference record.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
After falling to Hawaii, California Baptist opened the weekend against Abilene Christian in a WAC series as both squads were vying for the outright fourth-place standing. Liam Rocha opened the weekend on Friday night from the mound and had another great stat line, carrying the Lancers to their first win of the weekend. Abilene Christian forced a rubber match game on Sunday after taking the middle game 5-4 in ten innings. CBU came out swinging and tallied a 10-5 win against the Wildcats for a 2-1 series win.
The Lancers opened this week with a Tuesday evening contest against #9 UCSB (Collegiate Baseball) and earned the midweek tilt 6-4. CBU put up four runs in the first inning and continued to add to a lead the Gauchos ultimately couldn't catch. The significant win over the Big West second-place squad marked the first time the Lancers had beaten a team ranked in the top ten nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
As a team, the Lancers are hitting .281 collectively, slugging .461, and have an on-base percentage of .368. Garret Ostrander remains at the top of the offensive stats, leading with a batting average of .353 and slugging .413. Rising in the ranks is designated hitter Cole Howarth, who currently owns a .330 batting average. Michael Carpentier checks in with 26 RBI on the year and 21 extra-base hits. The junior is hitting .328 and has been consistent in the box this season. Mitchel Simon rounds out the offense with his incredible 15-home-run season, tied for most homers in the WAC. The third baseman is hitting .319, slugging .654, and leads the team with 46 RBI.
Liam Rocha sits at the top on the pitching front after earning his third WAC Pitcher of the Week award for his performance against Abilene Christian. The right-handed pitcher holds a 2.44 ERA, ranking first in the WAC and 21 in NCAA Division I. Rocha also leads the Western Athletic Conference in strikeouts at 80 and maintains a .200 batting average against. Spencer Bengard holds a 5.82 ERA across 55 innings of action. The junior has thrown 52 Ks on the season and is 3-1 overall. As a pitching staff, the Lancers own a 5.61 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and a .277 batting average against.
THREE-TIME PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Liam Rocha was named WAC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on Monday after his incredible performance on the mound against Abilene Christian over the weekend. The junior pitched seven innings, dealt eight strikeouts, and allowed just five hits, earning his sixth win of the season. Rocha's outstanding performance helped CBU take the first game of a significant series win 7-2.
The right-handed pitcher started on Friday against the Wildcats, sitting down the first three ACU batters right from the start. Rocha held the Wildcats scoreless through four innings and allowed a single earned run in the fifth. In his last four starts, he's only allowed two earned runs in 26.1 innings and dealt 33 strikeouts, holding a .68 ERA. Rocha currently owns the lowest overall ERA on the Lancers and the WAC at 2.44. He also leads both CBU and the WAC with 80 Ks on the season.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: University of Texas, Arlington
Dates/Times: Friday, May 5th (4:30 p.m. PST); Saturday, May 6th (12:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, May 7th (10:00 a.m. PST)
Location: Arlington, TX (Clay Gould Ballpark)
Video: WAC International: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
This is the first time the squads will battle on the diamond, as UTA is a first-year member of the WAC. The Mavericks have done well this season in the conference, maintaining a third place standing behind Grand Canyon and Sam Houston. The squad has picked up big series wins in the conference and impressive victories against nonconference teams like #10 TCU.
Regarding common opponents, UTA has fallen to both Abilene Christian and Seattle University 2-1. The Lancers have secured series wins against the Wildcats and Redhawks, putting themselves in fourth place in the WAC standings.
THE MAVERICKS AT A GLANCE
The Mavericks come into the weekend after a big win at home against UTRGV and no midweek tilt. UTA started the weekend well with a 12-5 win on Friday but fell to the Vaqueros on Saturday 11-2. The Mavs secured the series win with an 8-7 dub during the rubber match on Sunday afternoon. UTA is 9-6 at home and will be looking to maintain their third-place standing in WAC.
As a team, the Mavericks are hitting .295 and slugging .463 with a .392 on-base percentage. Four UTA batters are hitting above .300, including Wilson Galvan, Tyson Pointer, Garrison Berkley, and Ryan Black. Galvan is maintaining a .308 batting average in the box, logging 27 RBI across 40 games this season. Pointer holds a .311 batting average with nine home runs and a .575 slugging percentage. Berkley follows with 31 RBI of his own, hitting .368, and leads his team in doubles. Black leads the squad offensively, citing a .371 batting average with 49 RBI on the season. The freshman has started in nearly every game for the Mavericks and holds 11 doubles as well as seven home runs this year.
Leading the UTA pitching staff is Gabe Starks, a junior from Arkansas. The right-handed pitcher sits with a 4.92 ERA and has a perfect 5-0 record from the mound. Starks owns 59 strikeouts and has only allowed five home runs across 56.2 innings of action. Following suit, Connery Peters holds a 6.35 ERA with 45.1 innings under his belt. Peters has thrown 42 strikeouts with a 1-4 record this season. As a staff, the Mavericks own a 6.92 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and have a .306 batting average against.
Lancer baseball tickets are on sale now at CBULancers.com/baseballtickets for all games at Totman Stadium.
UTA holds third place in the conference standings with a 13-8 record and is 23-20 overall. California Baptist currently sports a 23-21 overall record while maintaining a 12-9 conference record.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
After falling to Hawaii, California Baptist opened the weekend against Abilene Christian in a WAC series as both squads were vying for the outright fourth-place standing. Liam Rocha opened the weekend on Friday night from the mound and had another great stat line, carrying the Lancers to their first win of the weekend. Abilene Christian forced a rubber match game on Sunday after taking the middle game 5-4 in ten innings. CBU came out swinging and tallied a 10-5 win against the Wildcats for a 2-1 series win.
The Lancers opened this week with a Tuesday evening contest against #9 UCSB (Collegiate Baseball) and earned the midweek tilt 6-4. CBU put up four runs in the first inning and continued to add to a lead the Gauchos ultimately couldn't catch. The significant win over the Big West second-place squad marked the first time the Lancers had beaten a team ranked in the top ten nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧.
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 3, 2023
California Baptist picks up a big win against #️⃣9️⃣ UCSB (Collegiate Baseball) on Tuesday night, marking the first time the Lancers have defeated a team nationally ranked in the top ten of the Collegiate Baseball weekly polls✅#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/UuPXWR8Lay
As a team, the Lancers are hitting .281 collectively, slugging .461, and have an on-base percentage of .368. Garret Ostrander remains at the top of the offensive stats, leading with a batting average of .353 and slugging .413. Rising in the ranks is designated hitter Cole Howarth, who currently owns a .330 batting average. Michael Carpentier checks in with 26 RBI on the year and 21 extra-base hits. The junior is hitting .328 and has been consistent in the box this season. Mitchel Simon rounds out the offense with his incredible 15-home-run season, tied for most homers in the WAC. The third baseman is hitting .319, slugging .654, and leads the team with 46 RBI.
𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐄>>>
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) April 30, 2023
Michael Carpentier hits his second homer of the day and puts three runs on the board for CBU💣#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lVOXm5ToMI
Liam Rocha sits at the top on the pitching front after earning his third WAC Pitcher of the Week award for his performance against Abilene Christian. The right-handed pitcher holds a 2.44 ERA, ranking first in the WAC and 21 in NCAA Division I. Rocha also leads the Western Athletic Conference in strikeouts at 80 and maintains a .200 batting average against. Spencer Bengard holds a 5.82 ERA across 55 innings of action. The junior has thrown 52 Ks on the season and is 3-1 overall. As a pitching staff, the Lancers own a 5.61 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and a .277 batting average against.
THREE-TIME PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Liam Rocha was named WAC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on Monday after his incredible performance on the mound against Abilene Christian over the weekend. The junior pitched seven innings, dealt eight strikeouts, and allowed just five hits, earning his sixth win of the season. Rocha's outstanding performance helped CBU take the first game of a significant series win 7-2.
👑𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒👑
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 1, 2023
Liam Rocha takes home his third WAC Pitcher of the Week award this season for his impressive outing on the mound against Abilene Christian amidst an outstanding last four starts ⚾️#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/WXvDsFrp0H
The right-handed pitcher started on Friday against the Wildcats, sitting down the first three ACU batters right from the start. Rocha held the Wildcats scoreless through four innings and allowed a single earned run in the fifth. In his last four starts, he's only allowed two earned runs in 26.1 innings and dealt 33 strikeouts, holding a .68 ERA. Rocha currently owns the lowest overall ERA on the Lancers and the WAC at 2.44. He also leads both CBU and the WAC with 80 Ks on the season.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: University of Texas, Arlington
Dates/Times: Friday, May 5th (4:30 p.m. PST); Saturday, May 6th (12:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, May 7th (10:00 a.m. PST)
Location: Arlington, TX (Clay Gould Ballpark)
Video: WAC International: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
This is the first time the squads will battle on the diamond, as UTA is a first-year member of the WAC. The Mavericks have done well this season in the conference, maintaining a third place standing behind Grand Canyon and Sam Houston. The squad has picked up big series wins in the conference and impressive victories against nonconference teams like #10 TCU.
Regarding common opponents, UTA has fallen to both Abilene Christian and Seattle University 2-1. The Lancers have secured series wins against the Wildcats and Redhawks, putting themselves in fourth place in the WAC standings.
THE MAVERICKS AT A GLANCE
The Mavericks come into the weekend after a big win at home against UTRGV and no midweek tilt. UTA started the weekend well with a 12-5 win on Friday but fell to the Vaqueros on Saturday 11-2. The Mavs secured the series win with an 8-7 dub during the rubber match on Sunday afternoon. UTA is 9-6 at home and will be looking to maintain their third-place standing in WAC.
As a team, the Mavericks are hitting .295 and slugging .463 with a .392 on-base percentage. Four UTA batters are hitting above .300, including Wilson Galvan, Tyson Pointer, Garrison Berkley, and Ryan Black. Galvan is maintaining a .308 batting average in the box, logging 27 RBI across 40 games this season. Pointer holds a .311 batting average with nine home runs and a .575 slugging percentage. Berkley follows with 31 RBI of his own, hitting .368, and leads his team in doubles. Black leads the squad offensively, citing a .371 batting average with 49 RBI on the season. The freshman has started in nearly every game for the Mavericks and holds 11 doubles as well as seven home runs this year.
Leading the UTA pitching staff is Gabe Starks, a junior from Arkansas. The right-handed pitcher sits with a 4.92 ERA and has a perfect 5-0 record from the mound. Starks owns 59 strikeouts and has only allowed five home runs across 56.2 innings of action. Following suit, Connery Peters holds a 6.35 ERA with 45.1 innings under his belt. Peters has thrown 42 strikeouts with a 1-4 record this season. As a staff, the Mavericks own a 6.92 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and have a .306 batting average against.
Lancer baseball tickets are on sale now at CBULancers.com/baseballtickets for all games at Totman Stadium.
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