Saturday, February 26 -- vs. Kansas State (Bakersfield, Calif.), 6:05 p.m.
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Sunday, February 27 -- vs. Kansas State (Bakersfield, Calif.), 1:05 p.m.
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Tuesday, March 1 -- vs. Fresno State (Bakersfield, Calif.), 6:05 p.m.
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The CSU Bakersfield Baseball (1-2, 0-0 Big West) team will look to rebound from a season opening series loss, when it welcomes Kansas State (0-3, 0-3 Big12) to Hardt Field for a three-game set beginning Friday night, Feb. 25 at 6:05 p.m. The Roadrunners also face the Wildcats on Saturday evening (6:05 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (1:05 p.m.), before welcoming Central Valley rival Fresno State (3-1, 0-0 Mountain West) to Bakersfield for a single game on Tuesday, March 1. All four games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, while Sunday's series finale against Kansas State will be the first game this season carried live on ESPN Radio Bakersfield (101.1 FM / 1230 AM). The FSU game will also be broadcast live on local radio, while the first two games with K-State can be found online through the KSU website. 

Redshirt sophomore catcher Angel Saldivar paced the Bakersfield offense in the Oakland series. Saldivar finished the opening series with six hits in 12 at bats to lead the `Runners. Freshman Andrew Allanson and Matthew Kurata also hit over .300 for the weekend series. All told, Bakersfield hit .283 as a team, with a .379 on-base percentage, eight doubles and eleven runs scored.

The Roadrunner pitching staff had an up and down weekend against Oakland, turning in some of the most promising performances and notable stumbles. CSUB limited Oakland hitters to a .247 batting average and fanned 31 Golden Grizzlies in 27 innings pitched, but surrendered 22 walks, struggling with inconsistent command at times.

Starters Benji Caggianelli and Kellen O'Connor each pitched into the fifth inning, combining to allow just one earned run.  Jaykob Acosta earned CSUB's lone win of the series with a dominant four inning outing in relief.

Caggianelli and O'Connor will start again this weekend, on Friday and Sunday, respectively, while newcomer Adrian Santa Cruz will start Saturday for the first time in his career.

PROMOTIONS...

• Feb. 25: Friday Night Meal Deal
• Feb. 26: Group Value Game  |  Kids Run the Bases (post-game)
• Mar. 1: Rally for the Valley  |  Two-for-Tuesday  |  CSUB Draft Series Baseball Card Giveaway (while supplies last)

Full Promotions Schedule

ROADRUNNER QUICK PITCHES...

BAKERSFIELD AT THE BAT:
Bakersfield was 28-for-99 against Oakland, hitting .283 for the series & opening the year w/ the second highest batting average among Big West programs. The Roadrunners did so without the services of likely starters Evan Rice and James Bell.

BAKERSFIELD ON THE BUMP:
The Roadrunners were up and down on the mound in the season opening series, finishing with a 5.33 ERA and 22 walks allowed, but just a .243 opponent's average and 10.30 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. CSUB's defense contributed a .958 fielding percentage.

ALLANSON DELIVERS IN DEBUT
Redshirt freshman Andrew Allanson became the first CSUB Roadrunner to reach base four times in his career debut, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk in the season opener.

FRESH FACES:
Sixteen Roadrunners made their first career appearances with the baseball program against Oakland, including nine position players and seven pitchers.

POWER ALLEYS:
Kansas State is the first opponent from the so-called Power 5 to play games at Hardt Field since Washington St., in 2020. The University of Utah will also travel to Hardt Field this season, after cancelling a series in Bakersfield a season ago.

STREETS OF BAKERSFIELD:
Kansas State will make its third trip to Bakersfield to face the `Runners this weekend. The Wildcats last visited in 2012, as CSUB took two of three from their guests in the series. Bakersfield dropped the opener in 11 innings, before winning the next two games by a combined score of 15-4.

The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 5-4 and the series at Hardt Field, 3-2.

FOUR OF A KIND
Bakersfield's Andrew Allanson became the first player in school history to reach base four times in a career debut, when he finished 3-for-4 with a walk in a season-opening win over Oakland University. Allanson contributed a pair of run scoring singles and also crossed the plate once himself on the night.

He breaks the previous record of reaching base three-times, shared by current teammate Kobe Silva, former teammate Jacen Roberson and CSUB alum Jeremy Rodriguez. Silva and Roberson accomplished the feat in the same game, the 2020 season opener versus Washington State, while Rodriguez turned the trick in the first game in CSUB history to kick off the 2009 campaign.

SWEET SIXTEEN
CSUB pitchers Cody Tucker, Gabe Ulloa, Matt Comnos and Davonte Butler combined for 16 strikeouts in last Saturday's 10-6 loss versus Oakland. That total was the most in a single game since the Roadrunners fanned 16 Northern Colorado hitters on April 18, 2019. Ironically, Bakersfield lost that game too, falling to the Bears 9-7 in ten innings. Butler pitched in both games, striking out two batters in each outing.

GOING DEEP
Roadrunner starting pitchers worked into the fifth inning just 17 times in 43 outings last season (39.5%). Last weekend against CSUB starters reached the fifth inning in two of their three starts, as both Kellen O'Connor and Benji Caggianelli reached the fifth innings, combining to allow just one ER.

FIRST TIME, LONG TIME
Jaykob Acosta came out of the bullpen to throw 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits, one walk and a single run, while striking out four and earning the first win of his CSUB baseball career.

The win was the first season opening victory for CSUB since a 2016 win over Utah, 6-5, at Hardt Field.

TRADING PLACES
Jashia Morrissey made 27 starts and 30 appearances at second base last season, but will move to center field as a sophomore and replace the drafted Jacen Roberson as the anchor of the CSUB outfield. Morrissey is a special athlete capable of playing anywhere on the field, and his speed should make him a natural fit in center.

HOME IS AT HARDT
The series with Oakland kicks off a 33-game home schedule for the `Runners, that includes nine home series and four individual midweek opponents. In addition to the Golden Grizzlies, Bakersfield will host series with Kansas State, Utah, Utah Valley and Big West opponents Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara. Midweek opponents include Saint Mary's, Fresno State, Pepperdine and California Baptists.

Season tickets and single-game tickets for all CSUB home games can be purchased on GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661.654.BLUE.

CSUB was 12-12 at Hardt Field last season, winning key Big West series against UC Riverside and Cal Poly, and splitting with UC Davis.

HOMERS AT HARDT
Bakersfield belted 23 home runs last season, tying for the third highest single-season mark in school history. The team also hit 23 long balls in 2011, and blasted 42 and 36 in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Roadrunners return just one of those 23 home runs; catcher Angel Saldivar homered on Opening Day at Fresno State.

CSUB adds several power hitters to the middle of its 2022 batting order via transfer, including Andrew Allanson, James Bell and AJ Miller, as the team looks to replace Jacen Roberson (7), Evan Berkey (4), Cody Holtz (4), Tyler Jorgensen (4) and Nick Grossman (3).

THE BUTLER'S DONE IT
Davonte Butler returns for his fifth season at CSUB in 2022 to lead a fresh-faced Roadrunner pitching staff. Butler leads all Bakersfield hurlers with 152.0 career innings pitched.

GRADUATE STUDENTS
Three Bakersfield scholar-athletes are working towards graduate degrees during the 2021-22 school year. Fifth-year seniors Kevin Altamirano, Daniel Carrizosa and Kenny Johnson are all taking advantage of COVID eligibility to pursue advanced degrees.

TEAMMATES AGAIN
James Bell and AJ Miller both signed with the University of Oregon out of high school and were teammates with the Ducks during the COVID shortened 2020 season. Bell played one season in Eugene and another at Fresno City College before joining the Roadrunners, while Miller spent three seasons at Oregon.

Newcomers Evan Rice and Adrian Santa Cruz were teammates at Phoenix College, leading the Bears to the NJCAA Division II World Series in 2021.

Benji Caggianelli and Gabe Ulloa played together at Bakersfield College in each of the last two seasons.

Four sets of `Runners were high school teammates. Andrew Allanson and Tyler Vargas played together at Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, Calif., while Matt Kurata and DJ Massey competed at Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif., Nick Salas and AJ Cleveland played at Highland High School in Bakersfield, Calif., and Aaron Casillas and Michael Pollard were teammates at Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo, Calif.

LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD
Bakersfield native and three-year Roadrunner outfielder Jacen Roberson became the 21st CSUB baseball player selected in the Major League Baseball Draft when he was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 468th choice in the 16th Round. Roberson hit .282 with 10 doubles, three triples and seven home runs last season, earning All-Big West Honorable Mention honors.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT(S)...

• Kansas State: Kansas State finished the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas 0-3 with losses to #10 Arizona (8-6), Michigan (10-2) and Auburn (12-1). The Wildcats hit .204 and pitched to a 9.35 ERA with a .300 batting average against. K-State received a strong start from Saturday starter Connor McCullough, who did not allow a run in 5 innings pitched in a loss to Michigan. Blake Adams and Christian Ruebeck will also start for the Wildcats at Hardt Field this weekend; both enter with 0-1 records. Adams went seven innings against #10 Arizona last weekend, while Ruebeck struggled in a loss to Auburn. Dominic Johnson was 4-for-10 with a double to lead the offense. Orlando Salinas Jr., hit .286 and Cash Rugely hit .273 for the Wildcats on opening weekend. KSU combined for just three extra-base hits and a team batting average of .204 in Texas. Kansas State was 34-23 during the 2021 season.

• Fresno State: Fresno State earned a season-opening three-game sweep of UC Riverside, but dropped to 3-1 with a midweek loss at Cal Poly on Feb. 22. The Bulldogs are hitting .313 as a team, with 17 extra-base hits, while pitching to a 3.09 ERA.

LAST TIME OUT...

Bakersfield won their season opener for the first time since since 2016, but struggled late in the weekend dropping the final two games and the series to visiting Oakland University. CSUB outhit the Golden Grizzlies, .283 to .247 and had eight extra-base hits to OU's two, but command on the bump eluded the `Runners, who allowed 22 walks, 12 of which came around to score. 

2022 Overall Statistics

NEXT WEEK...

The Roadrunners continue an early-season home stand when they welcome the University of Utah (2-0-1, 0-0 Pac12) to Bakersfield for a four game series at Hardt Field, beginning Friday, Mar. 4 with first pitch set for 6:05. The two schools will play a double header on Mar. 5, before wrapping up their season series on Sunday, Mar. 6 at 1:05 p.m. CSUB hosts California Baptist (3-0, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference) for game one of a home-and-home series between the two schools this season, on Tuesday, Mar. 8.