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Bakersfield Hosts UC Riverside in Big West Debut

Bakersfield, Calif. - CSU Bakersfield returns to Hardt Field this weekend, welcoming UC Riverside for a four-game conference series beginning at 6:00 p.m., Friday evening. The league series is CSUB's first ever as a member of the Big West Conference.

The Roadrunners were idle last weekend, but will look to carry the momentum of a two-game winning streak and a series split with Pacific into Friday's opener. UCR, meanwhile, limps into the series on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

Bakersfield dropped the first two games of their series with Pacific, and nearly let a late, game-three lead slip away. The Tigers came all the way back, grabbing a 9-8 lead in the top of the ninth, but CSUB's Tyler Jorgensen was the hero, belting a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the frame. The `Runners made it two-straight slipping past UOP, 2-1, in the series finale.

CSUB enters this weekend's four-game series, hitting .276 as a team and reaching base at a .349-clip. Jorgensen leads the `Runners with a .423 average, after hitting .600 with three extra-base hits and six RBI in the series with Pacific.

Sophomore outfielder Jacen Roberson is also red hot, opening the year with a .379 average, three doubles and a home run.

All told, eight `Runners are hitting over .300 early in the year.

Jack Lee will make his first career start in Friday's opener. Lee pitched 1.2 innings of relief in game three of the Pacific series, allowing three hits and an earned run. 

Aaron Charles and Roman Angelo will also start for Bakersfield, on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The `Runners game two starter for Saturday's double header is to be determined. 

Angelo has been dominant in the early going, tossing 12.0 IP across two starts, striking out ten and allowing just two earned runs. His .223 career BAA is the best in school history.

Bakersfield's defense has been brilliant through seven games. In addition to a parade of web gems, CSUB ranks second in the Big West with a .970 fielding percentage, trailing league leading Hawai'i by just .001. 

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS              
After taking two out of three in a non-conference series with UC Irvine, the Highlanders were swept in a four-game series at San Diego. UCR was outscored in the series, 37-8.

UCR is hitting .259 as a team, with a .326 on-base percentage, and only a .318 slugging percentage. The Highlanders have just 11 extra-base hits in seven games this season.

Travis Bohall leads UCR with a .407 average, while Dylan Orick is  batting .333 with four extra-base hits, including the Highlanders' lone home run. Orick leads the club with eight RBI.

Its been feast or famine for the UCR offense this season. The team is averaging over five runs per game, despite being shutout twice this year.

Abbott Haffar (5.29 ERA), Zach Jacobs (10.24) and Jake Lacheman (16.50) have each made two starts on the mound for the Highlanders. The team has allowed 53 ER in 60.1 IP.

BIG WEST BOUND       
The 2021 season is CSUB's first as a member of the Big West Conference, one of the elite leagues in all of college baseball. The `Runners open conference play this week, hosting UC Riverside for four games at Hardt Field. Bakersfield will host UCR, UC Davis, CSUN, Cal Poly ad UC Irvine, while traveling to Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, this season. 

FRIDAY FRUSTRATION        
Bakersfield has struggled on Friday's the past two seasons, dropping six straight series openers, dating back to a 4-3 win over Chicago State on May 16, 2019, in Chicago, Ill. Additionally, CSUB is just 5-for-19 in series opening match-ups since the start of the 2019 season.

CENTURY CLUB        
Evan Berkey tripled in game three versus Pacific for the 100th hit of his Roadrunner career. Berkey burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2018, when he totaled 49 hits. He added another 42 as a sophomore to pull within nine of the century mark, but its taken the La Quinta, Calif., native 369 days to get from 91 to 100 career hits as a result of the canceled 2020 campaign.

Berkey has six hits and five walks this season, for a .273 average and a .414 on-base percentage, and he's done so while playing all over the field for CSUB. He's started seven games this season, including at least one at 2B, 3B, RF, LF and DH.

FOUR BY FOUR        
Redshirt sophomore Jacen Roberson posted the first four-hit game of his career on Sunday, in a 2-1 win over visiting Pacific. Roberson's effort included a double, the game-tying RBI and a stunning defensive play that saw him crash face first into the wall in center field.

MULTIPLICITY          
Roberson wasn't the only `Runner to record a multi-hit game this past weekend. In fact, senior Tyler Jorgensen posted three multi-hit efforts this weekend. The Gilbert, Ariz., native now has 28th career multi-hit outings, in just 75 starts. Jorgensen hit .600 for the UOP series, with a 1.580 OPS.

ITS A WALK-OFF!          
In addition to his consistent approach, Tyler Jorgensen struck the big blow for CSUB, when he launched a two-run walk-off homer to win game three versus the Tigers, 10-9. It was just the fourth walk-off in Roadrunner history, and the first since Damian Henderson walked-off Utah Valley on Apr. 27, 2019.

WHEN IN ROMAN          
Junior Roman Angelo has been dominant through two starts for Bakersfield, striking out 10 in 12.0 IP, and limiting opposing hitters to a .223 batting average, while compiling a 1.50 ERA. Angelo earned the win in game three at Fresno State, but took a no-decision over 7.0 IP in game four against UOP.

GOING VIRAL           
Freshmen left-hander Jack Lee made an immediate name for himself, when he showcased his athleticism and athletic personality during a relief appearance in CSUB's 10-9 win over Pacific. Lee entered in the eighth and struck out the first two batters he faced to end a Tiger rally, before making a game-saving, diving catch on James' Arakawa's SAC bunt attempt.

Lee's catch went viral on social media, making nearly 370,000 unique impressions and being viewed over 20,000 times. Lee's catch was retweeted on Twitter by former Oakland Athletic Dallas Braden, @PitchingNinja Rob Friedman, and by Homeland and Billions actress Ellen Adair.

Tyler Jorgensen's walk-off HR tweet earned another 100K impressions and 10K views.

IN A PINCH          
Bakersfield is just 4-for-18 in pinch hit opportunities this season, but both CJ Rivers and Konner Kinkade boast a pair of pinch hit knocks. Rivers is 2-for-2 off the bench, including a key, two-out, two-strike, two-run double to tie game two versus Pacific at 3-3 in the seventh. Kinkade is 2-for-5, with 2 RBI in pinch hit spots, including the game-winning RBI on a ground out in the series finale versus the Tigers.

INTERNATIONAL WATERS            
Freshmen Jack Lee and Jo Stevens are the first non-North American student-athletes to suit up for CSUB Baseball. Both Lee and Stevens hail from Australia, where they were teammates on the country's 2019 U-18 WBSC Team.

Stevens became the first non-North American to appear in a CSUB Baseball game, when he entered as a pinch hitter on Mar. 6, versus Pacific. The following day he became the first non-North American to start, when he earned the nod at third base.

Lee made his debut on Mar. 6 as well, the first non-North American to appear on the mound for the `Runners, when he came out of the bullpen to pitch 1.2 innings and collect  the win.

HENDERSON SIGNS            
Outfielder Damian Henderson signed with the Cincinnati Reds following a stand-out 2020 season in Bakersfield. Henderson led the `Runners in nearly all offensive categories last season. He is the 23rrd Roadrunner to sign a professional contract after his collegiate playing career, and the third as a free-agent, in the program's 11-year history.

THE MASTERS        
Three `Runners are taking graduate level courses this year. Seniors Noah Cordova and Eric Charles are both taking advantage of the NCAA's COVID-related eligibility ruling and returned this season to begin pursuit of their master's degrees. Classmate Kenny Johnson was able to complete his undergraduate degree last Spring, thanks to a redshirt in 2018. Cordova is pursuing a degree in Environmental Resource Management, while Charles and Johnson are studying Psychology and Kinesiology, respectively.

HOME BOYS        
Eight Roadrunners hail from the city of Bakersfield, representing six local high schools, including one set of high school teammates in Stockdale's Cory Blackburn and Eli Brum. Newcomers Art Joven and Nick Salas each attended Highland, but did not play together. Additionally, Roman Angelo (Bakersfield Christian), Aaron Charles (Ridgeview),  Jacen Roberson (Garces Memorial), Kobe Silva (Frontier) are all local products.

CARDBOARD COPIES        
While fans will be unable to attend CSUB home games in 2021, the Bakersfield community has ensured they will be at Hardt Field in spirit, already purchasing more than 700 fan cutouts to be displayed in the Hardt Field grandstand this season. For more information on purchasing a cutout of your own, visit www.gorunners.com/cutouts.

BAKERSFIELD ONLINE         
All 28 Roadrunner home games will be carried live on local radio (101.1 FM / 1230 AM) and available online at www.bakersfieldespn.com.

Additionally, all CSUB home contests will be live streamed on WATCHESPN and the ESPN APP.
 
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Players Mentioned

Roman Angelo

#40 Roman Angelo

RHP
6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Cory Blackburn

#11 Cory Blackburn

OF
5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
R/R
Aaron Charles

#25 Aaron Charles

RHP
6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Eric Charles

#8 Eric Charles

OF
6' 0"
Senior
L/L
Noah Cordova

#33 Noah Cordova

RHP
6' 5"
Senior
R/R
Damian Henderson

#22 Damian Henderson

OF
6' 1"
Junior
L/L
Kenny Johnson

#35 Kenny Johnson

RHP
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Tyler Jorgensen

#10 Tyler Jorgensen

INF
6' 2"
Senior
L/R
Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
L/L
CJ Rivers

#39 CJ Rivers

1B
6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
Konner Kinkade

#6 Konner Kinkade

C
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
Eli Brum

#RS Eli Brum

C
5' 6"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Roman Angelo

#40 Roman Angelo

6' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Cory Blackburn

#11 Cory Blackburn

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
R/R
OF
Aaron Charles

#25 Aaron Charles

6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
RHP
Eric Charles

#8 Eric Charles

6' 0"
Senior
L/L
OF
Noah Cordova

#33 Noah Cordova

6' 5"
Senior
R/R
RHP
Damian Henderson

#22 Damian Henderson

6' 1"
Junior
L/L
OF
Kenny Johnson

#35 Kenny Johnson

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
RHP
Tyler Jorgensen

#10 Tyler Jorgensen

6' 2"
Senior
L/R
INF
Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
L/L
OF
CJ Rivers

#39 CJ Rivers

6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
1B
Konner Kinkade

#6 Konner Kinkade

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
C
Eli Brum

#RS Eli Brum

5' 6"
Freshman
R/R
C
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