HAYWARD, Calif. — With half of their CCAA schedule complete, the Pioneer baseball team now has a week off from conference play. A home sweep of Cal State San Bernardino and four-game split with No. 4 Chico State vaulted Cal State East Bay into the national rankings for the first time in 36 years. This weekend, the Pioneers will attempt to justify the voters' decision against a local PacWest opponent, the Holy Names Hawks, which is fielding a baseball team for the first time in 2013. Friday's game is set for 2 p.m. at Laney College in Oakland, and then the teams travel south to Hayward for a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

WEEKEND RECAP
It was an extremely well pitched series between the Pioneers and the fourth-ranked Wildcats. Staff ace Nick Baker (the CCAA's leader with a 0.53 ERA) and Sunday starter Kagen Hopkins both shut East Bay's offense down as Chico won the opener and the finale. Defense hurt the Pioneers on Friday as three errors helped the Wildcats scored three unearned runs, grab an early 4-1 lead, and pile on late to run away with the 12-1 victory. Nick Hudson gave East Bay a solid effort on Sunday, but Hopkins held the Pioneers to nothing more than a pair of singles in a 3-0 shutout.

Saturday was when the magic happened for East Bay, however, as they managed to win both ends of the doubleheader despite scoring just four total runs and getting eight total hits. In the first game, Sean Becker turned in his fourth straight brilliant outing for the Pioneers. After an RBI triple put Chico up 1-0 in the third, the right-hander dominated the rest of the way, striking out eight in a complete game. East Bay managed just two hits off Wildcat starter Troy Neiman, but they were both big ones. Eren Miravalles connected on his first Pioneer home run, a solo shot that tied the game in the fourth. 

Head coach Bob Ralston's savvy substituting paid off two innings later, when senior Charlie Sharrer came off the bench and blasted a hanging breaking ball into the trees beyond left field to give East Bay a 2-1 lead. An outstanding play by Zac Chuvala saved a run in the seventh, and the Wildcats didn't threaten after that. For Becker, it was his fourth straight start going at least eight innings and giving up one run or less. During that time, he's 4-0 with a 0.26 ERA and three complete games, including a streak of 28 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.

Sophomore Michael Pope got the ball for the second game on Saturday, and he was just as effective. A solo home run was all the Wildcats could muster against the right-hander, who scattered six hits in a seven-inning complete game. The Pioneers scored a pair of runs in the third on RBI singles by Kyle Zozaya and Kenny Uyetake, and that was all they would need. Pope got the win to improve to 6-0, which ties him for the CCAA lead in wins, and ranks him third in the nation.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Charlie Sharrer (RHP/OF, Sr.) – Becker and Pope were obviously crucial to the two wins over Chico, but this week we recognize someone who's played several different roles during his four-year Pioneer career. In a low-offense week, Sharrer led the team with two runs scored and was second with a .286 batting average. He had the biggest hit of the weekend, a solo homer that was the difference in Saturday morning's win. Sharrer also pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and recording two strikeouts. In 15.0 innings this year, he has an ERA of 1.20 with 14 strikeouts, ranking fourth in the conference with four saves.

A four-year senior, Sharrer is starting to move up some of the all-time career lists. He already ranks third in Pioneer history with 39 career doubles and ninth with 151 career hits. This year, he has a decent chance to crack the all-time top-10 in runs, RBI, home runs, and saves.

AMONG THE ELITE
The Pioneer pitching staff used the series against Chico State to continue to prove that they're a force to be reckoned with in the conference. Through 27 games and 228 innings, East Bay leads the CCAA and ranks seventh in the nation with a 2.36 team ERA. They're holding opponents to a .216 batting average, second-best in the conference.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
For the first time since 1977, Cal State East Bay baseball is nationally ranked in Division II. After not receiving any votes the previous week, the Pioneers claimed the No. 22 spot in the ACBA/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top-30 poll for Mar. 18. They're tied with St. Edwards, receiving 112 vote points.

East Bay is one of four CCAA schools represented in this week's poll, joining No. 13 Chico State, No. 21 Cal State Monterey Bay, and No. 24 Sonoma State. Cal State L.A., Cal Poly Pomona, and UC San Diego are also receiving votes. Click here to view the full Collegiate Baseball rankings. 

NCBWA WEST REGION RANKINGS
The Pioneers also reached a new high in this week's NCBWA West Region Top-10 poll. They're in the No. 5 position, which is up one spot from last week and represents the program's highest ranking since joining the CCAA. Below are the full rankings:

Rank	School (1st place votes)	Record	Vote Points	Last Week's Rank
1.	Chico State (4)	15-5	49 pts	1st
2.	Cal State Monterey Bay (1)	18-8	42 pts	5th
3.	Cal State L.A.	16-11	36 pts	2nd
4.	Hawaii Pacific	17-5	34 pts	7th
5.	Cal State East Bay	19-8	28 pts	6th
6.	Sonoma State	15-7	25 pts	3rd
7.	Grand Canyon	16-5	20 pts	8th
8.	Dixie State	12-6	18 pts	4th
9.	Cal Poly Pomona	17-10	11 pts	9th
10.	Cal Baptist	14-8	8 pts	10th

Also receiving votes: UC San Diego (15-12), 4 pts.

SCOUTING HOLY NAMES
The Hawks have made strides in their first season of baseball, picking up wins against quality opponents like Hawaii Pacific. They won three out of four last weekend against Academy of Art. Holy Names has a .257 team avg and .356 team obp, matching up pretty closely with the Pioneers. Ben Gamba leads the team with a .325 average, 25 hits, and 15 RBI. Taylor Truitt paces them with a .448 obp, 23 runs, nine steals, eight extra base hits, and 35 total bases. Hunter Dodson (.333) and Austin Wood (.325) have also been swinging hot bats. On the pitching side, the Hawks' team ERA is 4.87, and opponents are batting .308 against them. Max Eggleston (1-2 3.42 ERA), Zach Korte (1-3, 3.81 ERA), and Ricky Torres (2-0, 4.26 ERA) have been the top starting pitchers for Holy Names.