By: Mariah Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Digital Media
RIVERSIDE --- The California Baptist baseball program will head north to Sacramento State this weekend for a Western Athletic Conference series. The Hornets and Lancers are both coming off a series loss to WAC foes and will be looking to right their sails this weekend at John Smith Stadium. Sacramento found their third away victory of the season on Tuesday evening after taking down Nevada on the road for an improved 13-17 overall record, while the Lancers fell to the Gauchos in a tight evening contest after CBU's comeback fell just short of an 8-7 loss.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
California Baptist is coming off a tough weekend of WAC play followed by a heartbreaker in Santa Barbara. CBU dropped their first conference series this year after falling to UT Arlington during the first two games of the weekend but avoided the sweep after taking the last game 7-1. UC Santa Barbara was a midweek challenge for the Lancers and quickly snagged a five-run lead that CBU managed to tie, but the contest ultimately went the Gaucho's way.
Michael Carpentier still hangs at the top of the stat sheet for the Lancers, boasting a .347 batting average and 42 hits this season. Following closely behind is Nicholas Dumesnil, a sophomore outfielder who has come in clutch consistently for the Lancers. Dumesnil is hitting .309 paired with 30 hits and six home runs this year. For the CBU pitching staff, Lukas Pirko still sits at the top with a 2.18 ERA after 33 innings of action for the freshman right-hander. Pirko leads the Lancers with 32 strikeouts, but not far behind is Brandon Downer with 28 of his own. Downer owns a 3.05 ERA across 38 innings from the mound and holds a 1.17 WHIP.
THE MICHAEL CARPENTIER SHOW
Michael Carpentier has been the most consistent and dominant Lancer on the diamond this season for head coach Gary Adcock. The graduate catcher leads CBU in nearly every hitting category, tallying 42 hits, 23 RBI, 21 runs, and a .347 batting average. Carpentier smoked his 17th double this season on Tuesday against UC Santa Barbara to make him the NCAA doubles leader in Division I baseball.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Sacramento State
Dates/Times: Friday, April 5th (4:00 p.m. PST); Saturday, April 6th (7:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, April 7th (12:00 p.m. PST)
Location: Sacramento, CA (John Smith Stadium)
Video: ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
The history between the two squads goes back as far as 2019 with Sacramento State leading the all-time record 7-6. After their most recent meeting, the Lancers snagged a series win in Riverside after taking down the Hornets 2-1. Contests between SAC and CBU have been predominantly competitive over the last five years, which should be the case during this weekend's WAC series.
THE HORNETS AT A GLANCE
Sacramento currently possesses a 13-17 overall record and has opened WAC play with a 5-7 record. The Hornets boast conference wins over GCU, ACU, and Utah Tech, but have found just a lone WAC series win over Utah Valley. Sacramento has proven to be more successful at home with a 10-10 record but is coming off a Tuesday evening road win against Nevada.
The go-to guys for the Hornets are Tyler Stewart and Evan Gibbons with both leading the team with seven starts from the mound this season. Stewart owns a 4.11 ERA across 35 innings of action paired with a 2-2 pitching record. Gibbons has worked through 32 innings this season, tallying 29 strikeouts and a 5.35 ERA. Kade Brown is another Hornet to know as the team's most dominant reliever. Brown leads the team in strikeouts with 31 across 12 appearances and five saves with a 3.13 ERA.
From the plate, JP Smith has been hot for Sacramento this season. The sophomore leads the squad with 13 home runs and 29 RBI, notching 33 hits season for a .282 batting average.
Lancer baseball tickets are on sale now at CBULancers.com/baseballtickets for all games at Totman Stadium.
