RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team is returning to the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time since 1977 after receiving at at-large berth as the No. 6 team in the West Region. The Pioneers open the Regional Thursday at 3 p.m. against the host and top seeded team California Baptist, which is ranked No. 7 in the nation after claiming the PacWest championship.

TICKETS
General admission tickets for the NCAA DII West Regional are $10. Students with identification and seniors (65 and over) are $5. Children (12 and under) and military personnel with ID get in for free. Tickets are good for an all-day pass. Visit CBU's Tournament Central for more information on the Regional. 

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The double-elimination tournament runs Thursday through Monday, with no games on Sunday. If the Pioneers win Thursday afternoon, they will take on the loser of Chico State vs. Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, May 20 at 3 p.m. If the Pioneers lose to Cal Baptist, they will play the loser of Dixie State vs. Cal State Monterey Bay in an elimination game Friday morning at 11 a.m.

The winner of the West Regional advances to the NCAA DII College World Series next week in Cary, N.C. 

RETURN TO RIVERSIDE
When the Pioneers last made the DII Regional 39 years ago, they traveled to the exact same city. In 1977, Cal State Hayward opened the tournament against top-seeded host UC Riverside. After losing to UCR in the opening game, the Pioneers won three times to make it back to the Regional championship, where they fell to UCR again. The Highlanders went on to win the national championship that year and have since moved up to Division I.

MAKING HISTORY
Cal State East Bay has seen several records fall at the hands of the historic 2016 squad. Last week with a 3-2 showing at the CCAA Tournament, the Pioneers became the first team in program history with 33 wins in a single season. 

East Bay has now posted three 30-win seasons in the past four years, the first time that's happened in program history. The Pioneers are 116-82 (.587) overall during that stretch with a 75-36 (.676) record at home.

CSUEB enters the Regional with 573 hits for the season, which breaks the school record previously held by the 1997 and 2010 teams. This season, they also set a school record with 26 hits in a single game, accomplished Feb. 19 in a 19-7 win over Fresno Pacific.

RUDY RAKING
Senior Rudy Navarro has also had a record-breaking season for the Pioneers, topping the program mark for hits in a single season with 85. His batting average of .419 is the highest by a Pioneer in the CCAA era, and he's the first East Bay player to win a CCAA batting title. Navarro was voted CCAA Most Valuable Player, making him the first Pioneer in any sport to win a CCAA Player of the Year award. He currently ranks 35th in the nation in average and 21st in hits. 

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Cal State East Bay defied preseason expectations in capturing a share of the CCAA North division title reaching the championship game of last week's CCAA Tournament. Coming off a 21-26 record in 2015 with just two returning All-CCAA players, the Pioneers were picked to finish in fifth place in the North and ninth overall in this year's preseason coaches poll. 

Head coach Bob Ralston was named CCAA Coach of the Year and voted West Region Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), both of which are firsts for Pioneer Baseball.

BLAZING HOT BATS
The Pioneers completed their best offensive season during Ralston's tenure, averaging 6.6 runs and 10.8 hits per contest. They lead the CCAA in batting average (.319) and stolen bases (83), rank second in on-base percentage (.392), and ranked third in runs scored (350). The Pioneers have 10 players with at least a .290 batting average and eight players batting over .300 heading into the Regional.

CSUEB also led the conference and ranked eighth in the nation in sacrifice flies (33). Individually, juniors Michael Thomas and Marcus Wise are tied for sixth in the country with seven sac flies.

A huge key to East Bay's offensive success this season has been their ability to put the ball in play. As a team, they have the fewest strikeouts in the CCAA, and they're one of just two squads in the league to total more walks than strikeouts. Individually, the Pioneer boast five of the 11 toughest hitters in the conference to strike out. Leading the way in that category is senior Myles Babitt, the eighth-toughest hitter in the nation to strike out with just five punchouts in 114 at bats. 

PITCHING PROWESS
Sophomores Alex Vesia (7-4, 2.59 ERA, 90.1 IP) and Jacob Call (4-1, 3.39 ERA, 77.0 IP) have carried the pitching load this season, making 30 combined starts. Vesia earned his second straight All-CCAA honor and owns the lowest career ERA in program history through two seasons (2.41). The southpaw defeated Cal State San Bernardino last week in the CCAA Tournament opener and has been dominant down the stretch, going 5-1 with a 1.69 ERA over his final six starts.

Two other hurlers turned in huge performances last week at the CCAA Tournament. Senior Angel Lara allowed two runs in 7.0 innings on Saturday against Chico State, exiting in a 2-2 tie. Junior Nick Sergi gave up just one run in 7.0 innings of relief in the semifinal game against Cal Poly Pomona, leading the Pioneers to a 7-4 win and a berth in the championship game. 

Vesia, Sergi, and Navarro (7-for-17, 6 BB, 5 R) were all named to the 2016 CCAA All-Tournament Team.

LEARN ABOUT THE LANCERS
California Baptist has been ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation the majority of the season. They have a powerful offense, with 110 doubles, 46 home runs, a .312 team batting average and eight players hitting over .300. Leading the way is PacWest Player of the Year Stephen Lohr (.413 avg, 20 2B, 8 HR, 48 RBI) along with AJ David (.365, 17 2B, 8 HR, 38 RBI) and Antonio Chavarria (.323, 14 2B, 12 HR, 42 RBI).

The Lancer pitching staff is among the best in the country, ranking second in the nation with a 2.39 ERA. They have a trio of aces in Dylan Stowell (9-0, 1.52 ERA, 82.2 IP, 81 K), Jeremy McDonald (7-0, 2.07, 78.2 IP, 84 K), and Tyson Miller (8-3, 2.38 ERA, 94.1 IP, 84 K). CBU's closer, Brody Robinson, has six saves and has allowed just one earned run all season in 20 appearances.