Cal Poly baseball’s season has come to an end at the hands of the University of Arizona in the Eugene Regional finals, falling 14-0 on Sunday evening.
After an extra-innings walk-off win against Utah Valley earlier on Sunday, the Mustangs advanced to face the Wildcats in the regional finals, hoping to force a game two.
The Mustangs lost a close contest to the Wildcats on Friday, 3-2, holding Arizona to just two hits. On Sunday, the Wildcats’ offense broke out, hitting six home runs, including five two-run homers.
With two losses in the regional, both to Arizona, Cal Poly’s magical season concluded. Their final record was 43-19, the second-highest number of wins in the program’s Division I history. The team won the first Big West tournament championship in 27 years and showed an immense amount of resiliency to do so.
“We had a great run,” head coach Larry Lee said. “…[The players] can hold their heads high. I’m very proud of them, and our community is very proud of them.”
Cal Poly’s great season didn’t always look like it would end this way. The Mustangs started the year 1-5, including an opening series against UCLA that players called “embarrassing”. Just as they did in the Big West and regional tournaments, the Mustangs bounced back after facing adversity and formed an identity.
“We played super well all the way through, even this weekend, I thought. We were just really strong and kept our heads high,” redshirt senior Ryan Fenn said.
Cal Poly finished 23-7 in conference play, including a 12-0 start, which was the second-best streak to start a season in Big West history.
Senior Zach Daudet, whose last collegiate hit was the walk-off home run against Utah Valley, wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the year, but is thrilled with the season the team had.
“After that first weekend, we kind of turned it on as a group and started believing in each other and playing good baseball,” Daudet said. “I’m extremely proud of our team. It’s been awesome being the older guy on the team.”
The Mustangs were a relatively young team, with Fenn and Daudet the only two position player starters out of eligibility for next season.
Daudet and Fenn finished the season with a .360 and .365 batting average, respectively. The two were a staple at the leadoff and two-hole spots all season, a big reason for the offensive success that Cal Poly had.
Both infielders transferred to Cal Poly after success at other institutions. Fenn played three seasons for the Mustangs after transferring from nearby Cuesta College, while Daudet played two years in the green and white, coming over from D2 Regis University.
“This is the best decision I’ve ever made. Extremely grateful for the coaches and teammates that I made here. I couldn’t have asked for a better team and situation to be in,” Daudet said. “I’ve grown a ton as a player and as a human being. I’ll cherish these memories here and friends for a lifetime.”
Being at Cuesta before Cal Poly, Fenn spent all of his collegiate years in San Luis Obispo (SLO), and his impact was felt throughout the city.
“[I] love the culture that we built at SLO, and I really hope the guys next year can build off of what we did this year and continue it,” Fenn said.
Replacing Fenn and Daudet on the right side of the infield won’t be an easy task for Lee and his staff, with the footprint they’ve left on the program.
“Really proud of these guys, and we’re surely going to miss them,” Lee said, while patting Fenn and Daudet on the back. “Great baseball players and great human beings.”
The 2025 season was truly a spectacular one for the Mustangs, a great send-off for the seniors. Only 64 teams make a regional, with only 32 of those teams advancing to the regional finals. Cal Poly did both of those things.
Three Mustangs made the all-tournament team for the Eugene regional: senior pitcher Jacob Torres, senior center fielder Casey Murray Jr., and senior designated hitter Cam Hoiland.
Murray Jr. and Hoiland have another year of eligibility and will return for the 2026 season, great news for the Mustangs.
Fenn, Daudet, Torres, pitcher Tanner Sagouspe, and catcher Mack Higuchi have all played their last game in a Mustangs uniform and made tremendous impacts on the program and the school as a whole.
Cal Poly will be out for revenge next year, looking to build on the momentum that the team built this season, making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.