Cal Poly Baseball gets their first Big West road series of the season, taking on Long Beach State Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 16 at Blair Field.
The Mustangs (10-6, 3-0 Big West) are winners of their last five games, including a sweep of Cal State Fullerton where the offense exploded for 31 runs in the series.
The Dirtbags (6-10, 1-2 Big West) went 3-1 in the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament but have otherwise struggled this season.
Projected starters
Friday: RHP Griffin Naess (1-1, 3.98 ERA) vs RHP Kellan Montgomery (4-0, 4.87 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Josh Volmerding (2-1, 9.33 ERA) vs RHP Owen Geiss (0-1, 7.00 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Ethan Marmie (1-1, 4.61 ERA) vs RHP Ka’imi Kahalekai (0-3, 6.57 ERA)
Friday sees Mustang staff ace Naess going up against Dirtbag ace Kellan Montgomery, who has gotten the win in all four of his starts. Montgomery’s ERA number is inflated after giving up seven runs against UC Irvine.
Saturday has the southpaw Volmerding projected to face Donegan. However, Donegan drew the start against Pepperdine on Tuesday, so it could be someone like Owen Geiss or lining up opposite Volmerding.
Getaway day features Marmie, who has established himself as one of the better weekend starters in the Big West, going against Ka’imi Kahalekai. Marmie is 11th in the Big West in batting average against with a .222 mark.
Kordic breaks out in a big way
After a start to a season that could have ended up with senior Dylan Kordic tumbling down the outfield depth chart, Kordic has etched his name in stone at right field for the Mustangs.
Against San Jose State Kordic hit two home runs in the same inning, the first time in Division-I history for Cal Poly. It was just a continuation of a five game tear where he has gone 12-22 with three home runs.
Along with senior Casey Murray Jr. in center and freshman Dante Vachini in left, the outfield has not committed an error this season.
A look at the Dirtbags
Long Beach has a collection of hitters who can do damage if you are not careful. Armando Briseno leads the Dirtbags in long balls with three, and still has a solid batting average with .276.
Seniors Kyle Ashworth and Alex Champagne hit in the top third of the lineup and have been pivotal in the success of the Dirtbag offense by reaching base early and often.
Cal Poly travels to Long Beach to take on the Dirtbags, starting Friday, March 14 at 6 p.m. at Blair Field.
