Saturday, March 26 -- vs. Utah Valley (Bakersfield, Calif.), 5:05 p.m.
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Saturday, March 27 -- vs. Utah Valley (Bakersfield, Calif.), 12:05 p.m.
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Bakersfield, Calif. - CSU Bakersfield hosts Utah Valley in the program's final non-conference series of the season, welcoming the Wolverines to Hardt Field for a four-game set, beginning Friday at 6:05 PM, and continuing with a double header Saturday and an afternoon matinee on Sunday at noon. The Roadrunners enter the weekend on a roll, winning three of their last four, including a series sweep of Big West rival UC Riverside to start conference play undefeated a top the league standings.

CSUB's offense hit its stride in the past week, with the team averaging 9.25 runs per outing over its last four games, while walking 33 times and belting six home runs. AJ Miller leads the team with a .348 batting average and a 1.012 on-base plus slugging percentage. The junior right fielder has hit four home runs in his last 44 at bats. Catchers Bailey Seeger and Angel Saldivar are hitting .325 and .326, respectively, while Evan Rice boasts a .424 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot. Jashia Morrissey and Andrew Allanson have exploded at the plate in recent days. Morrissey was the Big West Player of the Week after hitting .750 at UCR, while Allanson hit a pair of grand slams in a midweek loss to Pepperdine.

Benji Caggianelli continues to lead a CSUB pitching staff that ranks 57th nationally with a 4.11 earned run average. Caggianelli sports a 1.42 ERA with a .172 opponents batting average and 35 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched. Jaykob Acosta, Kellen O'Connor and Adrian Santa Cruz will also get starts for the Roadrunners this weekend.


ROADRUNNER QUICK PITCHES...

HOME IS AT HARDT
CSUB boasts a 33-game home schedule in 2022, including nine home series and four individual midweek opponents. Five of those series are against Big West opponents Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, UC San Diego, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, later in the year. 21 home games remain, with season tickets and single-game tickets for all CSUB home contests available for purchase 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, while splitting with UC Davis.

MORRISSEY NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CSUB centerfielder Jashia Morrissey was named as the Big West Conference's Player of the Week following the Roadrunners' sweep of UC Riverside. Morrissey reached in 11 of 14 plate appearances, hitting .750 with an .846 on-base percentage and a 1.375 slugging percentage. The Los Angeles native, reached in nine-straight plate appearances to end the series, and finished a double shy of the cycle in game three. He belted a triple, a home run, walked five times, scored five times and drove in four on the weekend.

SLAMS FROM EACH SIDE
Andrew Allanson became the first player in CSUB history to hit a pair of grand slams in a single game, belting one from each side of the plate in a thrilling loss to visiting Pepperdine. The switch-hitting, designated hitter finished 2-for-4 and also set a school record for RBI in a single game with eight. Allanson snapped Chance Gusbeth's school record of seven, set in a win over Northern Colorado in 2019.

He becomes the first CSUB hitter to hit two home runs in a game since Noah Barba did so against Chicago State on March 17, 2019, and the 11th to do so all-time. Allanson now has three home runs on the season, tied for second on the roster with James Bell and
Jashia Morrissey, trailing only AJ Miller. 

ON BASE EVAN
Bakersfield lead-off hitter Evan Rice has reached base in each of his 16 games played this season, with hits in 14 outings. The CSUB third-baseman is second on the team with a .424 on-base percentage and currently rides a season-high six game  hitting streak. Rice must reach at least once in each of his next eight games to crack the program's top-10 for all-time on-base runs.

MILLER STAYS HOT
Rightfielder AJ Miller continues to set the tone for the Bakersfield lineup, leading the club in most offensive categories, including average (.348), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.580), home runs (4) and runs scored (14). Miller opened the season just 3-for-25, but since homering against Fresno State has hits in 21 of his last 44 at bats, including four doubles and four home runs.

SETTING THE TABLE
The bottom third of the Roadrunner order, featuring Jashia Morrissey, Aaron Casillas and Nick Salas played a crucial role in a series sweep of conference rival UC Riverside. The trio was a combined 15-31 in the series with six walks, 11 runs scored and seven RBI. Morrissey was 6-for-8 with a triple and a homer, while Aaron Casillas was 5-for-10 and Nick Salas finished 4-for-11 with a pair of doubles.

BULLPEN DEPTH
CSUB starting pitchers, led by Benji Caggianelli, have been exceptional season, but the emergence of key bullpen depth has changed the equation over the last couple of weeks.

True freshman Ryan Verdugo has allowed just four hits in 7.0 innings pitched this season. In his last two outings, Verdugo has fanned six, while allowing just three hits and two earned runs in 4.2 innings. He picked up his first career save in the series finale versus UC Riverside.

Matt Comnos has 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings, with a .158 opponents batting average and a 1.46 ERA. Since moving to the bullpen Cody Tucker has been lights out. Tucker has a .180 opponents average and has allowed just two earned runs over his last 9.1 innings.

Graduate student Kevin Altamirano leads the team with a 0.93 earned run average in 9.2 innings of relief.

CAGGIANELLI'S CONSISTENCY
Ridgeview High and Bakersfield College product Benji Caggianelli will make his sixth-straight Friday night start in the opener with Utah Valley. Caggianelli picked up the first win of his CSUB career in his last outing against UC Riverside, while the `Runners improved to 4-1 in his outings this season. He's worked through the fifth in four of his five outings, produced three scoreless efforts and has allowed just four earned runs in 25.1 innings of work. Caggianelli leads Bakersfield with 35 strikeouts.

WALK THIS WAY
The Roadrunners have walked 33 times in the past four games, for an average of 8.25 bases on balls per contest. Free bases have directly contributed to more scoring for CSUB, with the team crossing the plate 37 times in the last four games. Leftfielder James Bell leads the team with 15 walks this season, while leadoff hitter Evan Rice is second on the club with 10 walks against just eight strikeouts.

EXIT POLLING
CSU Bakersfield was picked to finish eighth in the Pre-Season Big West Conference Coaches' Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Roadrunners finished with 35 points, sandwiched in a middle of the pack that also includes Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, CSUN and UC San Diego. Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly are among the pre-season favorites, while UC Riverside and UC Davis found themselves at the bottom of the poll. CSUB was picked to finish dead last in 2021, before spending most of the season in the top four. The `Runners stumbled at the finish and ended up in seventh place a season ago.

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)...

• UTAH VALLEY: Utah Valley dropped a 12-5 decision to crosstown rival Brigham Young, Tuesday, falling to 6-14 on the season after five-consecutive losses. The Wolverines are 2-7 in Western Athletic Conference play, dropping series with California Baptist and Dixie State and suffering a sweep at the hands of Grand Canyon.

UVU is hitting .248 as a team, with a .316 on-base percentage, 26 doubles and nine home runs. The Wolverines boast great speed with seven triples and 23 steals in just 20 games. Outfielder Mitch Moralez has been the team's best hitter, batting .364 with five doubles and a homer. Utah Valley pitchers have combined for a 7.28 ERA.
 

LAST TIME OUT...

Bakersfield dropped a heart breaking 10-9 decision to visiting Pepperdine on Tuesday night, despite a pair of grand slams from designated hitter Andrew Allanson. Last weekend, the Roadrunners opened Big West Conference play with a three-game series sweep on the road, at UC Riverside. CSUB currently sits in a tie for first-place with conference rivals UC Irvine and Cal Poly. 

2022 Overall Statistics


NEXT WEEK...

Following a four-game, non-conference set with Utah Valley the Roadrunners will return to Big West Conference competition with a three-game series against Cal State Fullerton. The two schools will be meeting for the first time as conference opponents, after last seasons's series in Fullerton was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. Saturday night's contest will be the first in a series of trading card giveaways featuring CSUB Baseball scholar-athletes. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive set #1 of 5. Tickets for all upcoming CSUB home games can be purchased at GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661.654.BLUE.