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Bakersfield, Calif. - CSU Bakersfield returns home to Hardt Field needing to right the ship, after losing 11 of their last 13 games. The Roadrunners wrapped a six-game road trip with a sweep in San Luis Obispo versus rival Cal Poly, and now prepare to close out the 2022 season with six of their last ten games at home. Bakersfield will host Long Beach State to open the stretch run, in just the second ever series meeting between the two schools, and the first at Hardt Field. CSUB dropped three of four games in Long Beach a season ago, losing the series in the 10th inning of game four on a Colin Kokx walk-off home run.

The 'Runner offense continues to work walks and slug for extra-base hits in 2022, already posting top-10 single-season program outputs in doubles (9th, 75), walks (5th, 181) and homers (3rd, 29). Rightfielder AJ Miller leads the club with 13 doubles and 10 home runs, the second highest single season total in CSUB history. He also boasts a team-high 33 RBI and 29 runs scored, while slugging a robust .576. Bakersfield's offensive attack will be tested by a Long Beach pitching staff that leads the Big West Conference, and ranks 26th nationally, in earned run average with its 4.01 mark. The Dirtbags are also the top defensive team in the league with a .975 fielding percentage.

CSUB's pitchers have also excelled in 2022, with Roadrunner starters contributing a 4.89 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 179.0 innings pitched. The staff could see an additional boost with the potential return to the rotation from Benji Caggianelli, who bounced back with 4.2 strong innings of work, Sunday against Cal Poly, and Kellen 'Connor who missed last weekend's series with injury. Sophomore Jaykob Acosta has anchored the rotation through the middle of the season  and now boasts the eighth-lowest ERA in the league with his 3.54.

Ryan Verdugo leads the CSUB bullpen with three saves and a 4.36 ERA, and has been especially strong of late allowing just four earned runs in his last 12.1 innings pitched.

Defensively, Bakersfield has raised its fielding percentage to .968 in 21 conference games.

ROADRUNNER QUICK PITCHES...

CAUGHT IN THE ACT
CSUB has cut down 47% of would be basestealers this season, best in the Big West Conference. Roadrunner catchers Angel Saldivar and Bailey Seeger have thrown out 50% and 30%, respectively, while CSUB pitchers have caught five more and picked off ten. Saldivar leads the league with his caught-stealing percentage, and has seen fewer and fewer stolen-base attempts as the season has progressed. Opponents have attempted just 32 steals since the start of conference play, successfully advancing just 15 times.

WALK THIS WAY
Bakersfield has also taken its bases on balls this season, walking 181 times, which already ranks 8th in program history. The program single-season record for bases on balls is 227, set in 2016. Second baseman Nick Salas leads the Roadrunners with 27 walks this season, the eighth highest total in single-season club history. He's nine free passes shy of Jordie Hein's standard, set in 2012.

SLUGGING FOR EXTRA BASES
CSUB has already accumulated 108 extra base hits through its first 43 games of the season, good for an average of 2.51 per game. Bakersfield has at least one extra base hit in 42 of their 43 games, and at least two in 32 contests. The Roadrunners already rank 3rd in program history with 29 homers and ninth in club history with 75 doubles.

MILLER TIME
CSUB right fielder AJ Miller homered for the fourth time in six games in a May 8 loss at Cal Poly. Miller now has 10 home runs on the year, the second-highest single-season total in program history, trailing only former slugger Martin Medina, who circled the bases 12 times during the 2010 campaign. Miller also moved into a tie for third all-time on CSUB's career home run list with his most recent blast.

CAREER YEAR
Bakersfield graduate student Kevin Altamirano has posted the best earned run average of his Roadrunner career this season with his team-leading mark of 2.12. Altamirano has fanned 19 batters in 17.2 innings pitched and limited opposing hitters to a .242 average.Altamirano pitched just 14.0 combined innings during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

MOVING ON UP
Sixth-year senior Kenny Johnson made his 62nd career pitching appearance in Sunday's finale at Cal Poly. Johnson sits in a tie for fifth-place in career appearances. Fifth-year 'Runners Kevin Altamirano (8th, 57) and Davonte Butler (T-10th, 51) have also moved into the top-ten in career appearances this season.

CAGGIANELLI COMEBACK
Right hander Benji Caggianelli made his first start since taking a loss at UC Davis on Apr. 8, and allowed just two hits over 4.2 innings pitched in Sunday's finale at Cal Poly. Caggianelli looked like his old self, striking out five and dropping his opponent's batting average to .175.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Sophomore shortstop Aaron Casillas has doubled in four-consecutive games, bringing his season total to 11 two-baggers. Casillas hit just six doubles over his first 55 games at CSUB. He has 44 total hits this season and is third on the club with his .289 average.

LEADER OF THE PACK
CSU Bakersfield alum Austin Davis made his 14th appearanace of the season for the Boston Red Sox, Sunday. At the time of that outing, Davis was tied for the major league lead in pitching appearances and sported a 2.70 earned run average with 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of action.

CARD SERVICE
CSUB Baseball trading card set #4 of 5 will be available to the first 250 fans through the gate for Saturday's (May 14) contest with Long Beach State. Hardt Field gates will open at 4:30 p.m.

A GRAND OLE TIME
Andrew Allanson became the first player in CSUB history to hit a pair of grand slams in a single game, and drove in a program record eight RBI in a loss to Pepperdine. Allanson hit one grand slam from each side of the plate, a feat accomplished just once in MLB history (Bill Mueller, Red Sox, 2003). He has 7 home runs in 2022, tied for the fifth most in CSUB single-season history. He needs one more to move into a T-3rd and two more to move into a T-2nd. Martin Medina holds the `Runner record with 12 in 2010.

BIG WEST SLUGGERS
CSUB centerfielder Jashia Morrissey was named Big West Player of the Week on Monday, Mar. 21, after a standout performance in a series sweep of UC Riverside. Morrissey was 6-for-8, with five walks, a triple, a home run, five runs scored and four RBI. Andrew Allanson made it consecutive weekly honors for Roadrunner sluggers, when he captured the Player of the Week award on Mar. 28. Allanson started his week with a pair of grand slams and eight RBI against Pepperdine, before homering three more times and driving in eight more in a series split with Utah Valley.

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. Nine 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.

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)...

• Long Beach State: After losing 10-straight, Long Beach has rebounded with wins in six of their last seven games, including a win over #8 UCLA and a sweep of UC Riverside. The Dirtbags have seven wins over ranked opponents this season.

Pitching leads the charge for LBSU, with a 4.01 ERA and consecutive Big West Pitcher of the Week honors for Marques Johnson and Jauron Watts-Brown. Brown tossed the first solo no-hitter in program history Sunday against the  Highlanders. Luis Ramos and Jack Noble have also excelled out of the rotation, while Matt Fields and Devereaux Harrison are two of the league's top relievers.

Rocco Peppi and Chase Luttrell lead the Dirtbag offense, with averages of .316 and .314, respectively. Luttrell boasts a team-high 15 doubles, 8 homers and 36 RBI. Jonathon Long has 34 runs driven in, while Chris Jimenez has 6 HR in just 76 at bats.
 

LAST TIME OUT...

Bakersfield was swept in a Big West series for the second time this season, falling in three games at Cal Poly. The Roadrunners were blown out on Friday night at Baggett Stadium, before rebounding to play well in games two and three losing on late Mustang rallies. On Saturday, CSUB grabbed an early 2-0 lead before CP came from behind with a five-run fourth, while on Sunday the 'Runners came from behind to tie the game at two in the sixth before surrendering a pair of 7th inning runs. 

2022 Overall Statistics


NEXT WEEK...

CSUB will complete a home-and-home series with a trip to Fresno State on Tuesday, May 17, and then make their final road trip of the year with a trek to UC Irvine for a three-game series May 20-22. The 'Runners will then close out the year with a senior weekend series against league leading UC Santa Barbara.