It’s a big weekend for Cal Poly softball.
Amidst a heated conference race, the third-place Mustangs will have to go through the top two teams in the Big West, both of whom made it to the 2023 NCAA Softball Championships.
They’ll host last year’s Big West champions and current second-place Long Beach State for a three-game series starting Saturday. Next weekend, they’ll travel south for another three-game series to take on Cal State Fullerton for what could be a first-place deciding series.
Last year, Beach made the NCAA Championships via an automatic bid by winning the Big West. Fullerton made it via an at-large bid.
For a team that hasn’t had a conference finish higher than seventh in the last five years, the next six matches will be critical for the Mustangs (21-12, 11-3 Big West) who are just one and a half games out of first place.
Catch Cal Poly defending Bob Janssen Field on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. followed by the series finale Sunday at the same time.
How has the Mustangs season gone so far?
It’s gone a different route than what most people expected as they were predicted to finish 7th in the conference in the preseason coaches’ poll.
Instead, the team won their first five games – their best start to a season since head coach Jenny Condon’s debut in 2005.
They’ve got a knack for pulling out close victories, with eight victories in conference games decided by one or two runs.
The team will head into the Big West showdown against the Beach, riding a four-game winning streak, fresh off the heels of a series sweep over CSU Bakersfield.
Key players on Offense
The Mustang offense has been a staple of their success as they have the second-best team average in the conference at .302.
Junior center fielder Jessica Clements is providing the spark at the lead-off position, whose .483 batting average is the second-best in all of Division I. She’s slashed 56 hits and scored 29 times, boasting the top slugging percentage in the conference (.707).
She has struck out in her last 77 at-bats just once.
Another offensive weapon is senior shortstop Xiara Diaz, whose .361 batting average is the fifth-best in the conference. On the basepaths, she’s stolen safely nine out of 11 times this year and sits third place among Cal Poly’s all-time stolen bases list with 35.
The Mustangs corner outfield field tandem of sophomore Kiara Blanchard and senior Juju Sargent are hitting .324 and .321, good for 17th and 19th in the conference. Blanchard has come consistently through in big situations, knocking in a team-leading 23 RBIs.
Entering the season, senior designated player and second baseman Mia Perez was a career .123 hitter. Now, her breakout campaign has resulted in a .291 average along with 21 RBIs and more hits this season than she’s produced in her last three seasons combined.
Another player to watch out for is senior catcher Kai Barrett, as she’s coming off a four-hit game against Bakersfield in a series where she earned Big West Field Player of the Week.
Key Players In the Circle
The Big West strikeout leader Sophia Ramuno will be in the circle come game No. 1 against the Beach. She leads all pitchers with 118 strikeouts after finishing fourth in the conference with 142 last year as a freshman.
On Sunday, the Mustang ace will most likely get the start again in game No. 3 as she’s thrown eight complete games and 109.0 innings. Beach will have their work cut out for them as she’s conceded just 13 earned runs in 62.2 innings of conference play.
Along with carrying the load in the circle, Ramuno’s three saves in relief work are good for the second most in the Big West.
The other pitchers for the team include two juniors who do a mix of relief work and starting. Kate Judy and Paige Maier have been rock solid for this squad all season long, as they sport two of the fifteen-lowest earned run averages (ERA’s) in the conference.
Judy’s eight wins in 61.1 innings of work is good for 9th most in the conference.
Scouting Long Beach State
Record: 17-24, 12-3 Big West
Last year’s Big West Champion won all five of its conference series. Similar to Cal Poly, they are no stranger to close victories with seven of their 11 home game wins coming via walkoff.
They are led by lead-off hitter and senior Sara Olson who’s currently hitting .287. She’s got a knack for getting on base and stealing, leading her team with 25 walks along with eight stolen bases.
Another key player for the Beach includes the defending Big West Freshman of the Year Makayla Medellin, who returned from a six-game absence and is now hitting .330.
As for their ace, senior Sophia Fernandez will most likely get the start in game No. 1 Saturday as she boasts a 6-2 Big West record along with a 1.27 ERA and seven complete games.
The Dirtbags have been battle-tested this season, playing eight top 25 nationally ranked opponents. In their non-conference play, they faced the second toughest strength of schedule across Division I, per Massey Ratings.
Scouting Cal State Fullerton
Record: 27-14, 13-2 Big West
The preseason coaches’ poll selected Fullerton as the top team heading into the season.
They are led by a lights-out pitching staff ranking No. 34th in all of Division I with a team ERA of 2.50. The anchor for the Titans is starter Hailey Rainey, who leads the Big West in ERA (1.71) and wins (14). She also sits just seven strikeouts behind Ramuno at 111.
Offensively, they are paced by Megan Delgadillo, who’s hitting at a .437 clip and leads the Big West in runs scored, hits, and steals.