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Matthew_Kurata_AS_1
Arthur Smith

Baseball Written by James Tsitakis-Cecil

CSUB Baseball Stays Home to Host UC Irvine

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield baseball team will be looking to get back in the swing of things with a good series against UC Irvine after tough losses to Cal State Fullerton and Saint Mary's. The Roadrunners have continually played their conference series very close and will surely be motivated to get back in the winning column with steady pitching and hot bats.

This Weekend's Schedule
  • vs UC Irvine
    • Friday, Apr. 28, 6:05 p.m.
    • Saturday, Apr. 29, 6:05 p.m.
    • Sunday, Apr. 30, 1:05 p.m.
Quotes from Head Coach Jeremy Beard
  • "The Saint Mary's game does not define us. We wanted it to be a night to stay in-rhythm, but we didn't do a good job of that. Heading into the series against UC Irvine, we'll need to flush that game out and be better."
  • "At least we were able to get some rotational guys work in the Saint Mary's game. We'll get back into our normal setup for the series against UC Irvine. If we pitch better, it can be a whole different game."
`Runner Notes
  •  Jacob Ruley is on a six-game hit streak and has been a refreshing breakout player for the `Runners. Against Cal State Fullerton, Ruley went 6-for-12 with two RBIs, serving as the primary reason CSUB always had a chance in the series.
  • The top of the lineup continues to carry the load for the `Runners, with Riley Kasper, Matthew Kurata, and James Bell accounting for the top-three in hits on the team, along with almost a third of the team's total RBIs (54-of-165).
  • Despite losing the series 3-0 to Cal State Fullerton, CSUB was neck-and-neck with the Titans for the majority of all the games.
  • Jacob Gutierrez pitched another solid outing in the final 5-2 loss of the series, allowing just five hits and outlasting his Fullerton starter counterpart, but the `Runners were simply unable to find the offense needed.
Scouting the Anteaters
  • UC Irvine (24-13, 7-8) is led by fifth-year head coach Ben Orloff.
  • The Anteaters recently beat up on a ranked UCLA squad, but despite their overall record UC Irvine has struggled against Big West competition with series losses to Cal Poly who CSUB beat twice.
  • While the Irvine bats are not tremendously impressive, the pitching staff has clearly been the primary catalyst of the Anteaters' success this year. Reliever Michael Stanford leads the team in strikeouts and ERA, while UC Irvine also has four pitchers under a 4.00 ERA.
  • Although UC Irvine has the all-time series 21-5 record, CSUB has given the Anteaters trouble each of the last two years since joining the Big West. Each of the last seven games since 2021 have been decided by no more than four runs.
How to Follow the `Runners
Season ticket plans and individual game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661.654.BLUE or 661.654.GOLD.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

James Bell

#19 James Bell

C/OF
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Matthew Kurata

#8 Matthew Kurata

IF
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
Jacob Gutierrez

#36 Jacob Gutierrez

IF
6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
Riley Kasper

#5 Riley Kasper

IF
6' 1"
Graduate Student
R/R
Jacob Ruley

#45 Jacob Ruley

OF
5' 10"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

James Bell

#19 James Bell

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
C/OF
Matthew Kurata

#8 Matthew Kurata

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Jacob Gutierrez

#36 Jacob Gutierrez

6' 3"
Freshman
R/R
IF
Riley Kasper

#5 Riley Kasper

6' 1"
Graduate Student
R/R
IF
Jacob Ruley

#45 Jacob Ruley

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
OF
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