Cal Poly Baseball reached the 30-win mark for the third straight season in a midweek victory over Fresno State on Tuesday, 15-10.
For Head Coach Larry Lee, this is his 15th 30-win season in his 24th year at the helm for the Mustangs. It’s been a more tumultuous season than last year, but another successful one nonetheless.
The Mustangs (30-21) win over the Bulldogs (14-35-1) was the final midweek game of the season. Cal Poly went 3-0 over Fresno State this year, and 7-3 in midweek contests overall. The Mustangs scored in double digits in all three matchups with the Bulldogs.
Tuesday’s win was less comfortable than the previous matchups, however. The Bulldogs led by as many as four runs, and held a 10-7 advantage going into the eighth inning. There were six lead changes throughout the game, and 30 combined hits, 19 from Cal Poly.
Seven Mustangs’ had multi-hit performances, including three players with three-hit games, all batting consecutively in the lineup. 4-5-6 hitters Ryan Tayman, Casey Murray Jr., and Jake Downing combined for nine hits and five RBI.
Murray Jr. had the game-changing hit in the eighth inning, a two-run, go-ahead homer. That swing followed up a Dylan Kordic home run just two batters before. The Mustangs opened the eighth like this: double, home run, double, home run, giving them a lead they would not give back.
Kordic has been on a heater for well over a month after struggling offensively to start the year. The right fielder has hits in eight of his last nine games, sprinkling in three home runs. He’s seen his average climb to above .300 after sitting at just .207 on April 11. Kordic will be an important player for Cal Poly moving forward given his defensive prowess and power potential at the plate.
Cal Poly has five of the top-25 home run hitters in the Big West, the most of any school. Despite most players on the roster fitting into a “hit over power” mold, the Mustangs have been a powerful bunch, tied for second in the conference as a team in the category, while still leading in batting average.
With one weekend series to play, Cal Poly remains in a deadlock with UCSB at the top of the Big West. The Gauchos own the tiebreaker, meaning the Mustangs will need to gain a game in the standings when they face Long Beach State this weekend.
If UCSB sweeps UC Riverside, they secure the Big West regular season title and top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Gauchos control their own destiny, and the Mustangs will need some help from the Highlanders.
Cal Poly’s final series of the year will start on Thursday, May 14 at 6:05 p.m., back home at Baggett Stadium.