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Big West Conference baseball ‘as good as it’s been in years’

April 14, 2023

If the midseason report on Big West Conference baseball is any indication, the stretch run might require the kind of detailed analysis one might find in politics trying to separate red and blue states.

Eight of the 11 teams are competing for the Big West regular-season title and the automatic NCAA postseason berth that comes with it. Three teams already have 21 wins, five teams have a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 77 or better, and the conference RPI was ranked eighth nationally, third-best among non-Power Five conferences.

Parity has become the league’s theme recently, but this jump for the conference as a unit recalls days when as many as four Big West teams were contending for an NCAA tournament berth.

Most notably, Cal State Fullerton has rebounded from the first real slump in program history and is getting local and national attention. Fullerton’s national reputation was a big part of Big West success in the past.

“The conference is a lot better,” said second-year Fullerton coach Jason Dietrich, a former Titans pitching coach. “I was gone for five years, and when I came back last year I thought it was a little light.

“The talent is better and we have so many good coaches who take pride in their program and the league. It’s so good to see.”

Fullerton (16-11 overall, 9-3 Big West), which visits UC Riverside (6-23, 0-9) this weekend, has won all four league series to date and is led by pitcher Flynn Chester (4-0, 2.73 ERA) and hitters Carter White (.416) and Brendan Bobo (five home runs).

Dietrich brought in 22 new players to the program for 2023, and they’ve jelled nicely with the returnees.

“I would never put it on any one player or pitcher,” he said. “It’s really about guys buying into the program. We really worked hard to build a roster of players who understood what we wanted.”

“It’s been a good year for the Big West,” UC Irvine coach Ben Orloff said Thursday as the Anteaters (19-10, 5-7) head north to play preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara (21-9, 6-3) this weekend. “We had one of the best nonconference records in the sport, so it’s not surprising to have so many good teams.

“I think we’re back to being the kind of conference that has multiple teams good enough to get a postseason bid.”

The Anteaters are led by first baseman Anthony Martinez (.350, six home runs, 33 RBIs), and have scored eight runs or more in 14 games. A program that has traditionally featured stingy pitching has been a bit unsettled after a good start.

Long Beach State (21-10, 8-4), which hosts Cal State Northridge (19-8, 6-3) at Blair Field beginning Friday night, has won 11 of its past 13 games and is having a prodigious season at the plate, with four starters batting over .300 including Johnathon Long (.318, nine home runs, 34 RBIs), while starting pitchers Graham Osman (5-0, 1.93 ERA) and Nico Zeglin (4-2, 2.44), transfers from Gonzaga and Arizona State, respectively, have been dominant.

“It’s been a fun run, and we’ve played a lot of one-run games,” LBSU coach Eric Valenzuela said. The Dirtbags have been involved in 10 walk-off games this season. “There’s no doubt that Blair is a pitcher’s park, but we finally have developed a hitting philosophy after two of the last four seasons were during COVID.

“The conference is as good as it’s been in years. No one is talking about them, but Northridge and Hawaii (14-12, 4-5) are tough teams to play.”

CSUN is leading the league in most hitting categories and has five starters hitting above .300, taking advantage of their home field’s modest dimensions. Oddly, the team leading the league is UC San Diego (21-10, 10-2), which Valenzuela said was the best team the Dirtbags have played this season. The Tritons are still transitioning from Division II and are not yet eligible for league titles or postseason play.

Long Beach State’s Jonathon Long celebrates his two-run home run during the third inning of a 10-inning victory over Cal Poly earlier this month at Blair Field. Long is hitting .318 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs for LBSU (21-10 overall, 8-4 Big West). (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Orange County Register

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Big West Conference baseball ‘as good as it’s been in years’

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