Baylor
Cal Poly
Baseball Set for First Road Test at Cal Poly
3/4/2020 4:38:00 PM | Baseball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Don't let Cal Poly baseball team's record (4-9) fool you. The Mustangs have wins over No. 1 Vanderbilt and No. 5 Michigan on their resume and have played arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country.
In a return trip, Baylor (8-4) plays Cal Poly in a three-game series that begins at 8 p.m. CST Friday at Baggett Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
"The reason I like playing them is simple: they have really good pitching, they're going to be very well-coached and it's going to be a different kind of baseball than we play out here," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose team swept three games in the Shriner's Classic in Houston before losing to Texas State, 12-2, on Tuesday.
"I like the challenge, being able to go and play a different kind of baseball. I know (Cal Poly coach Larry Lee) is going to have his team coached really well. . . . They're going to be prepared for us, so we just have to make sure we're the same."
Like Rodriguez, Lee is a Pepperdine graduate who has led the Cal Poly program for 18 years, taking the Mustangs to NCAA regionals in 2009 and '14.
Playing a West Coast "small ball" game, the Mustangs have struggled offensively, hitting just .227 and averaging less than four runs per game.
Rodriguez said the Bears are already prepared for the bunt game, because "that's part of who I am and how I coach and the things we do offensively."
"I always tell our guys, 'If people can do it really well offensively, chances are they can defend it well,''' Rodriguez said. "I want to make sure we have the ability to play small ball when we need it. But, at the same time, we've got to be able to defend it as well."
With some new faces in the lineup for Baylor on Tuesday, a trio of Texas State pitchers held the Bears to four hits for the game and retired the last 17 batters in order.
"Our job is to make sure that we give those kids those opportunities, to make sure they have an opportunity to play," Rodriguez said. "If there's ever a situation where one of our starters goes down, I need to know who I can put in. That's what (Tuesday) was, being able to have a chance to get kids out there and play and see what they can do."
That midweek loss followed an impressive weekend that saw the Bears knock off Missouri (4-2), 11th-ranked LSU (6-4) and No. 6 Arkansas (3-2) on back-to-back-to-back days. Baylor won the tournament with a 3-0 record, while the Big 12 went 6-3 versus the SEC.
"It's something, especially early in the year, that you can look back on and see what you're capable of," said senior right-hander Hayden Kettler (2-1, 3.00 ERA), who will get the start in Sunday's 3 p.m. CST game and be opposed by Cal Poly freshman righty Drew Thorpe (1-0, 1.69). "Obviously, those are three great teams and three great wins, and I think that just gives us confidence going forward."
Led by freshmen Jared McKenzie (.375) and Kyle Nevin (.348) and junior shortstop Nick Loftin (.341), the Bears are hitting .266 with 13 homers and a .434 slugging percentage and have averaged better than five runs per game.
Assessing the first 12 games of the season, Rodriguez said there has been "some good and some bad and some inconsistent."
That's what you typically get "when you have a fairly new roster in regards to a lot of different kids and some older guys who are now getting opportunities to step in and play," he said.
"That's kind of expected," he said. "We've had some great additions in regards to things like Jared McKenzie and some other guys who have really stepped up in a big way, like Evan Godwin. It's been great seeing those guys come in an environment like this, and especially this past weekend, and do such a great job of us."
Senior left-hander Paul Dickens (0-0, 4.85) will get the start in Friday's 8 p.m. CST game, opposite Taylor Dollard (1-0, 1.71), while Godwin (1-0, 4.40) will start Saturday's 6 p.m. game against Andrew Alvarez (0-1, 2.16) in a matchup of lefties.
"Every team we play, we need to expect them to be the best team in the country," said Kettler, who got the win in Sunday's game against Arkansas. "We need to show up to play every day. Obviously, Cal Poly is a very respected program. They played us well down where in Waco last year, so I'm looking forward to going up there and getting a rematch with them."
SERIES INFO
Date: Friday, March 6 - Sunday, March 8
Game Times: 8 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. CT, 3 p.m/ CT
Site: San Luis Obispo, Calif./Baggett Stadium
TV: BigWest.tv
Radio: ESPN1660/92.3fm | TuneIn app
• Talent: Derek Smith (pxp), Hoot Johnigan (color)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter Updates: @BaylorBaseball.com
Series History: 7-1
Streak: Won 1
First Meeting: Feb. 13, 2015
Last Meeting: March 17, 2019
Under Rodriguez: 2-1
History: The Bears took the series last year at Baylor Ballpark over the Mustangs. The Bears won game one, 3-0, lost game two, 3-1, but took the rubber match, 14-3.
- Head Coach Steve Rodriguez and Cal Poly Head Coach Larry Lee and both Pepperdine baseball alums, Rodriguez a 2001 graduate after his playing career was over, Lee a 1983 graduate.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRI | SR LHP Paul Dickens (0-0, 4.85 ERA) vs. JR RHP Taylor Dollard (1-0, 1.71 ERA)
SAT | FR LHP Evan Godwin (1-0, 4.40 ERA) vs. JR LHP Andrew Alvarez (0-1, 2.16 ERA)
SUN | SR RHP Hayden Kettler (2-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. FR RHP Drew Thorpe (1-0, 1.69 ERA)
STORY LINES
• The Bears head out to California on their first true road test of the year as they visit Cal Poly for three games starting Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. CT.
• The Bears enter the weekend having won four of their last five games, including a 3-0 sweep of SEC foes at the Shriners College Classic, earning the tournament title with victories over Missouri, No. 11 LSU and No. 6 Arkansas.
•The Bears went 3-0 at the tournament for the first time since 2005 and blasted six home runs on the weekend, with Mack Mueller connecting on two of those in the Bears' 4-2 victory over Missouri to open up the tournament. The Bears boasted the a tournament-high four on the All-Tournament Team, including P Luke Boyd, SS Nick Loftin, 2B Ricky Martinez and OF Mack Mueller.
• Baylor has finished its home schedule with a .500 record or better in all 20 seasons at Baylor Ballpark (since 1999) and is 459-206 all-time at the park after starting off the 2020 season 5-4 at home.
• The Bears were 7-8 on the road last season and are 39-37 on the road over four seasons under head coach Steve Rodriguez, with winning records on the road in 2018 and 2017.
• The Bears return all members of its pitching staff from 2019 with the exception of All-American closer Kyle Hill. That includes Friday and Saturday starters Jimmy Winston and Paul Dickens. The Bears also add six talented newcomers to the pitching staff (five freshmen, one junior college transfer), highlighted by RHP Will Rigney, drafted in the 38th round by the San Francisco Giants in 2019 and LHP Evan Godwin.
