California Baptist University
#5 Tarleton State University
BASE Preview: CBU Heads to Arizona for Program's Second DI Postseason Appearance
5/20/2024 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist baseball program will embark on the program's second NCAA Division I postseason tournament beginning on Wednesday in Mesa, Arizona. The Lancers finished the regular season tied for second and will enter the Western Athletic Conference Tournament as a four-seed.
The victory over the Trailblazers secured a four-seed for the Lancers after ACU, UVU, and CBU all ended with a tied record. With all teams holding a series over each other, the Western Athletic Conference code dictates that the next tiebreaker would be how each team did against the next highest seed. With Abilene Christian and Utah Valley holding a win against #1 Grand Canyon, the Lancers solidified fourth place as ACU takes second after winning the head-to-head against UVU.
A four-seed will guarantee the Lancers a first-round bye and push their start of the tournament to Wednesday, facing off against the Tuesday evening winner of eight-seeded Sacramento State and five-seeded Tarleton. California Baptist had two quality showings against both squads during the regular season. The Lancers left Texas with a series win over the Texans after rallying for a pair of wins on Saturday and Sunday, going as far as to run-rule Tarleton 22-4 during the second contest of the weekend. CBU also picked up a pair of wins against Sacramento State after a dominant showing from Brandon Downer on Friday and back-to-back homers on Saturday secured the series.
Head Coach Gary Adcock's squad is coming off a recent series win against Utah Tech and will be looking to carry their offensive momentum into the WAC Tournament. All-WAC First Team honoree Nicholas Dumesnil leads the squad with a .365 batting average and has been unstoppable at the plate this season, citing 12 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs. Following suit is none other than Mitchel Simon, WAC home run leader. The third baseman was named to the All-Defensive First Team amidst the WAC Postseason awards for his phenomenal performance in the hot corner this season. Simon has also been solid offensively for the Lancers, tallying a conference-high 24 home runs while maintaining a .284 batting average.
On the pitching side, true freshman Lukas Pirko continues to boast his talent and maturity on the mound as he leads the Lancers with a 3.90 ERA. Pirko owns 69 strikeouts on the season and has allowed 68 hits across 64.2 innings, landing him a first-career All-WAC Second Team nod. Nathan Hemmerling has also been a solid reliever for the Lancers this season, as the graduate student owns a 2.61 ERA during his 51 innings of action.
A win on Wednesday would force a one-seeded Grand Canyon rematch, while a loss would drop California Baptist into the loser's bracket with the option to play against the loser of game three. The WAC Tournament information can be found below.
Game 4 - Game 2 winner vs. No. 4 seed - 4 p.m. PST | LiveStats | Tickets | ESPN +
