California Baptist University
#8 Utah Tech
BASE Preview: CBU Enters the WAC Tournament as the Five Seed, Will Face No. 8 Utah Tech During First Round
5/18/2025 12:05:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist baseball team completed its regular season on Saturday afternoon after falling to Abilene Christian 2-1 in the weekend series. The Lancers enter the Western Athletic Conference Tournament as the five-seed, set to take on No. 8 Utah Tech on Tuesday evening during the single-elimination round of the tournament.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
California Baptist enters the postseason with a 30-26 record, sitting 12-12 in WAC play. The Lancers' success has been in their impressive offense and extra bases, exploding with six home runs against ACU during CBU's walkoff win last week. In total, the team owns 59 homers on the season, but sits in the top-20 in the Nation for doubles. From the mound, the CBU pitching staff leads the WAC with the most strikeouts as a squad this season and has posted 489 this season with no signs of slowing down.
True freshman Chris Ramirez continues to pace the Lancers' offense with a .360 batting average. He is still on the hunt for his first collegiate home run, but does not lack on the extra bases, with nine doubles and two triples. Nicholas Dumesnil is currently maintaining a .350 batting average and 82 hits on the season, with a team-high 57 RBI. Dumesnil has also been a force in the outfield, picking up quite a few web gems in center field while also flexing his speed on the base paths with 27 stolen bases.
CBU's pitching staff currently owns a 5.33 ERA as a team, as Cody New continues to lead the staff with a 3.77 ERA. The sophomore owns 91 strikeouts on the season, leading the WAC strikeouts-looking, and a .221 batting average. Andrew Rudd has also held strong after earning a starting spot this season, posting a 4.43 ERA across 67 innings of work, while Ryan Kittredge has continued to show his dominance during his starts with 54 strikeouts across 71 innings this season.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 8 Utah Tech
Dates/Times: Tuesday, May 20th at 4 p.m.
Location: Mesa, AZ
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
SERIES NOTES
CBU secured the regular-season series over the Trailblazers earlier this year, going 2-1 after Utah Tech secured the Friday game in extra innings. The Lancers won Saturday in a close 8-7 victory to even the series before securing the weekend with a 10-2 Sunday win.
THE TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech enters the postseason on the heels of an impressive series win over No. 1 seed Sacramento State to secure their place in the WAC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. Despite a lopsided record, Utah Tech impressed after visiting Riverside earlier this season with their starting pitcher Cade Montgomery. Montgomery enters the postseason with a 2.35 ERA, the lowest in the WAC, and a 4-2 overall record. On the flipside, the offense effort stems from Ryan Kroepel, who maintains a .387 batting average with 72 hits and six home runs this season.
A win over Utah Tech would push the Lancers into the double-elimination rounds of the tournament, ensuring at least two more games for CBU. Gary Adcock's squad would face No. 4 Grand Canyon during the second game of the tournament, and the winner of that game would go on to face the No. 1-seeded Sacramento State, while the loser would drop into the loser's bracket. The California Baptist baseball squad will be on the hunt to return to the WAC Tournament Championship and avenge last year's loss after being just nine innings away from the program's first NCAA Tournament debut.
