BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--The Bakersfield baseball team hits the road for the first time with a pair of games Tuesday and Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.
Tuesday's game against the Gauchos gets underway at 2 p.m. This is the 11th time Bakesfield and UC Santa Barbara are playing baseball. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series 6-4. The Gauchos travel to Bakersfield May 6.
UC Santa Barbara had its scheduled opening weekend series against North Carolina State cancelled when the Wolfpack could not make it to Santa Barbara due to last week's Winter storm. UCSB was ranked No. 39 in a preseason poll by Collegiate Baseball, the program's first preseason national ranking in over 25 years. College baseball website Perfect Game sees UCSB finishing second in the Big West once again, which would likely result in another postseason appearance.
Infielder Tyler Kuresa returned to the Gaucho program despite drafted in the 14th round of last year's First Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Kuresa led the team in extra base hits and slugging percentage while providing top-level defense. Sophomore Dylan Hecht, a 2013 freshman All-American moves from closer to the top of the starting rotation for UC Santa Barbara.
The Wednesday tilt at UCI begins at 6:30 p.m. The Anteaters went 1-2 against Fresno State on opening weekend. Justin Castro hit .500 for the series, scoring two runs. Kris Paulino drove in four runs.
UC Irvine swept the two-game series from Bakersfield last season to take a 9-2 all-time series lead. The Anteaters travel to Bakersfield Mar. 25.
The Roadrunners swept a season opening series for the first time since 2010 (four vs. Air Force) as Bakersfield defeated Milwaukee 9-3 Sunday. Right fielder Chance Gusbeth has been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week, for February 10-16.
Gusbeth, a sophomore from Lancaster, Calif. (Desert Christian HS), led the Roadrunners to a 3-0 series sweep over Milwaukee. Gusbeth hit .583 (7-for-12) on the week with three runs, six RBI, two walks, one double and a home run. Gusbeth posted a .917 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. He did not commit an error in eight fielding chances on the week.
~www.GoRunners.com~
