HAYWARD, Calif. -- After a week off for final exams, the Cal State East Bay baseball team is back in action this weekend, welcoming in No. 30 UC San Diego for a four-game conference series. Due to rain in the forecast for Saturday, the teams will open with an 11 a.m. doubleheader on Friday. The schedule for the remainer of the series will be determined based on the weather. Check
eastbaypioneers.com and follow the Pioneers on Twitter
@CSUEBathletics for schedule updates throughout the weekend.
WEEKLY RECAP
East Bay hosted No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona two weeks ago and earned a four-game split with the Broncos. The Pioneers won the opener 6-3 behind 8.1 strong innings from
Nick Hudson. They split a doubleheader the following day, falling 7-2 in the morning despite banging out 12 hits, and topping CPP 5-2 in the afternoon thanks to
Ben O'Bryan's second complete game of the season. The Broncos came back to win the finale, 7-2, as the Pioneers managed just five hits.
PIONEER POINTS
The CSUEB pitching staff ranks third in the CCAA in ERA (3.22), second in opponents batting average (.242), and second in WHIP (1.23). Their four starting pitchers have combined to throw 151.1 of the team's 204 total innings this season, or 74 percent.
Hudson (5-1, 3.10 ERA) is tied for the league lead in wins.
Sean Becker (3-2, 2.91 ERA) ranks second in innings pitched (46.1). O'Bryan (2-2, 2.41 ERA) ranks sixth in the CCAA in strikeouts (33) and third in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.54).
The Pioneer offense is batting .272 with a .352 obp and ranks second in the league with 32 stolen bases. Marcus Wise leads the CCAA with 15 steals.
Eren Miravalles is batting .367 with a .436 on-base percentage in league play.
Brandon Alexander ranks fourth in the conference in RBI (21), sixth in walks (14), and seventh in doubles (7).
Kelly Starnes went 8-for-12 (.667 avg) in the series vs. Pomona with three multi-hit games, four total runs, four RBI, and the first two home runs of his career.
WHERE DO WE STAND
East Bay enters the weekend in fifth place in the CCAA with an 8-8 record, two games behind the Tritons (10-6) in fourth place. The Pioneers were ranked No. 6 in the West Region according to the latest NCBWA poll.
SCOUTING UCSD
UC San Diego is ranked No. 30 in the nation and No. 4 in the West Region. They split two games with Azusa Pacific earlier this week. The Tritons are batting .272 as a team and lead the CCAA in on-base percentage (.397). Justin Rahn (.337 avg, .444 obp), Michael Mann (.341 avg, .429 obp), and Erik Lewis (.321 avg, .471 obp) lead the Triton offense, and Nick La Face (.411 avg, .574 obp, 12 extra base hits) is one of the CCAA's top hitters.
UCSD has a 3.41 staff ERA. Their expected starting pitchers are Justin Donatella (4-1, 1.05 ERA), Blake Fassler (2-2, 3.03 ERA), Troy Cruz (2-2, 3.34 ERA) and Trevor Scott (2-2, 3.86 ERA).
