Whatever happens from this point onward, the UCSB Gauchos’ baseball team will be able to look back on a season to admire. Ranked as high as eighth in national polls heading into the regional round of the College World Series, the Gauchos finished the regular season on Saturday with a 3-2 loss to UC Riverside, yet still ended with a conference record of 16-8 and an overall record of 40-15-1, one win shy of the best winning percentage in the program’s history. UCSB finished second in the Big West; Cal State Fullerton took first due to its slightly superior in-conference record, though SB finished with a better overall record.
The Gauchos’ success this season can be attributed to stellar performances throughout the roster. On May 18th, sophomore center fielder Andrew Calica was named Big West Conference Field Player of the Week after going 5-13, in addition to collecting three walks, at the plate and providing stellar defense in the field, robbing UC Irvine of extra bases with spectacular diving catches on multiple occasions. Junior right-hander Dillon Tate, for his part, has been named one of 21 semifinalists for the prestigious Golden Spikes award, handed out annually to amateur baseball’s most outstanding player. He is the first Gaucho to be nominated for the award. The list of past winners includes names like Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Robin Ventura, and Buster Posey. You may have heard of a few of those guys. These two young stars, in addition to others, have served as catalysts for many of the gritty, hard-fought wins that characterized the 2015 season.
However, much of the credit for an outstanding season belongs to a starting rotation that features more than a couple top MLB prospects. Sophomore Shane Bieber (no relation to a similarly named, and far less talented, pop star) compiled a 2.26 ERA in 111.1 innings while striking out 95 batters and walking just nine. Junior Justin Jacome fanned 91 in 110.1 innings on his way to a 7-4 record. Tate, who will likely become the first Gaucho to ever be selected in the first round of the MLB First Year Player Draft in June, sat down a whopping 100 opponents on strikes in just 95.1 innings to go with his otherworldly 2.08 ERA. Those numbers would likely have been even better, but Tate was allowed to rest in preparation for the College World Series instead of starting the final game of the regular season. Junior Domenic Mazza rounds out the top four with a 6-1 record and a 2.69 ERA. Tate is fifth in the Big West in ERA and third in strikeouts, followed by Bieber and Jacome. Tate and Bieber are also tied for the conference lead in wins with eight. The squad’s 2.39 team ERA is third-best in the entire NCAA and would easily surpass the previous team record if the season ended today.
A rotation that strong could carry even the weakest hitting team through the first couple rounds of the CWS, and the Gauchos are anything but slouche-os (sorry, couldn’t resist) at the dish. The one through five hitters in the lineup finished the season batting at least .300. In the conference, infielder Robby Nesovic’s .344 batting average is good for fifth overall, and outfielder Cameron Newell leads Big West at .380. Nesovic is also fourth in the conference with 39 runs batted in. The aforementioned Calica ranks fourth with 14 steals. A certain amount of drop-off in production occurs after the five spot. Overall, however, the Gauchos, led by Nesovic, Newell, Calica, Woody Woodward, and Luke Swenson, claim the Big West’s best team batting average. They also hold the top spot in the conference in fielding percentage (.977).
On Monday, the NCAA announced the regional match-ups for the opening round of the College World Series. Santa Barbara, the number one seed in its region, will host the University of Southern California (the two seed), the University of Virginia (the three seed), and San Diego State University (the four seed).
Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, the Gauchos’ home turf and a fine place to watch day baseball, is not suitable for CWS play for several reasons, chief among them a lack of lights. UC Santa Barbara will host its regional at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, California. The Diamond, also known as Storm Stadium, is home to the Lake Elsinore Storm, the San Diego Padres’ Class-A Advanced affiliate. It is one of the top facilities in the minor leagues and seats about 6,000 fans. It was expected that a site around this location would be selected, as many of the Gauchos hail from nearby areas such as Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Because they were granted a regional, UCSB is guaranteed a spot in the 64 team field of the NCAA Tournament. Each regional field will feature four teams and is played in a double-elimination format. This marks the first time on program history that Santa Barbara has hosted a regional, and it is the second time that the Gauchos have gone to the postseason since Andrew Checketts was named head coach in 2011. Regionals begin on Friday, May 29.
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