Thursday, May 21
Mesa, AZ
11:00 AM
California Baptist University
vs
Utah Tech
Photo by: Madison Sardana
BASE Preview: Second Seed Lancers Open the WAC Tournament on Thursday
5/20/2026 4:54:00 PM | Baseball
MESA, AZ --- California Baptist is bound for the desert, as the 2026 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament got underway on Wednesday. As one of the top two seeds in the six-team field, the Lancers will begin their postseason push on Thursday, as they look to play into Saturday and secure the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lancers are the second seed in the WAC Tournament, and based on the first-round results, CBU will open against Utah Tech. The Trailblazers kicked off the WAC Tournament with a 4-0 shutout of UT Arlington.
Tarleton State is the top seed in the tournament after winning the WAC Regular Season Championship. The Texans await the winner of Wednesday's game between Sacramento State and Abilene Christian. The two losers from Wednesday will play an elimination game on Wednesday night, trimming the field to five before the Lancers ever step on Mesa's Hohokam Stadium.
The 2026 season has been a record-breaking year for the Lancers. With 43 wins so far, the Lancers have established the most wins of their DI era. Right-hander Michael Malki, the WAC Pitcher of the Year, has won a DI era record 11 games this season, which ties him for the most wins in the nation. Shortstop Chris Ramirez, the WAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, is second in the country with 91 hits. He will set a new CBU DI era record with his next base knock.
CBU took two of three from Utah Tech in their regular-season series at Totman Stadium. The Lancers outscored the Trailblazers 14-13 during those three games, including a 6-0 Sunday shutout to grab the series victory.
Right-hander Rhyne Palmer allowed one hit over six shutout innings on the mound. Zachary Yates, a First-Team All-WAC selection, also allowed just one hit in a nine-out save.
Should the Lancers win their conference tournament opening game, they will move into Friday and take on the winner from Tarleton State's game, which begins at 3 p.m. on Thursday. A loss to start Thursday puts the Lancers back on the field at 7 p.m. Thursday night in the second elimination game of the week.
The Lancers met up with Tarleton early in the conference season when the Lancers traveled to Stephenville. Malki tossed a seven-inning complete game in CBU's lone win, striking out 12 while allowing one run. The Lancers struck for five home runs in the 12-1 win. The Texans responded with back-to-back wins to hand CBU their first series loss of the regular season.
CBU finished 11-7 in WAC games this season. The Lancers scored 108 runs in conference play while hitting 29 home runs. The pitching staff struck out 178 batters during the conference season.
A win on Thursday puts the Lancers back on the field on Friday at 11 a.m. The championship round is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. Should the team with one loss win that game, a winner-take-all championship game will follow on Saturday evening.
All games this weekend from Hohokam Stadium will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Lancers are the second seed in the WAC Tournament, and based on the first-round results, CBU will open against Utah Tech. The Trailblazers kicked off the WAC Tournament with a 4-0 shutout of UT Arlington.
Tarleton State is the top seed in the tournament after winning the WAC Regular Season Championship. The Texans await the winner of Wednesday's game between Sacramento State and Abilene Christian. The two losers from Wednesday will play an elimination game on Wednesday night, trimming the field to five before the Lancers ever step on Mesa's Hohokam Stadium.
The 2026 season has been a record-breaking year for the Lancers. With 43 wins so far, the Lancers have established the most wins of their DI era. Right-hander Michael Malki, the WAC Pitcher of the Year, has won a DI era record 11 games this season, which ties him for the most wins in the nation. Shortstop Chris Ramirez, the WAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, is second in the country with 91 hits. He will set a new CBU DI era record with his next base knock.
CBU took two of three from Utah Tech in their regular-season series at Totman Stadium. The Lancers outscored the Trailblazers 14-13 during those three games, including a 6-0 Sunday shutout to grab the series victory.
Right-hander Rhyne Palmer allowed one hit over six shutout innings on the mound. Zachary Yates, a First-Team All-WAC selection, also allowed just one hit in a nine-out save.
Should the Lancers win their conference tournament opening game, they will move into Friday and take on the winner from Tarleton State's game, which begins at 3 p.m. on Thursday. A loss to start Thursday puts the Lancers back on the field at 7 p.m. Thursday night in the second elimination game of the week.
The Lancers met up with Tarleton early in the conference season when the Lancers traveled to Stephenville. Malki tossed a seven-inning complete game in CBU's lone win, striking out 12 while allowing one run. The Lancers struck for five home runs in the 12-1 win. The Texans responded with back-to-back wins to hand CBU their first series loss of the regular season.
CBU finished 11-7 in WAC games this season. The Lancers scored 108 runs in conference play while hitting 29 home runs. The pitching staff struck out 178 batters during the conference season.
A win on Thursday puts the Lancers back on the field on Friday at 11 a.m. The championship round is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. Should the team with one loss win that game, a winner-take-all championship game will follow on Saturday evening.
All games this weekend from Hohokam Stadium will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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