Cal Poly won its second straight Big West Baseball Championship with a 4-3 victory over UC San Diego on May 24 at Cicerone Field in Irvine, Calif. The win marks the first time in 32 years that the Mustangs have achieved back-to-back conference titles.
The achievement secures Cal Poly an automatic berth to the NCAA regionals for the second consecutive year, reflecting sustained success for head coach Larry Lee and his team. The Mustangs previously claimed the 2025 Big West tournament crown and now share the 2026 regular season title as well.
“It’s a relief to get it done,” said Lee. “It was a long, long, long week for us. We came out the way we wanted to and had our ups and downs, but were very resilient. We had a lot of special accomplishments by our players, both from a position player standpoint and pitching standpoint. It takes all of us to get through this.”
Key performances included Dylan Kordic’s three-run home run in the fifth inning and Corden Pettey’s five shutout innings after missing two starts due to arm fatigue. Nick Bonn secured his third save of the tournament and set a school record with his fifteenth save of the season. Casey Murray contributed three hits, including an RBI double, while Chris Downs provided solid relief pitching.
Lee credited freshman pitcher Pettey: “Corden was excellent today. He was the same guy we’ve counted on all year,” said Cal Poly pitching coach Seth Moir. “Corden pitched like an older guy… His demeanor was excellent, he wanted the ball and he stayed composed for all five innings of work.” Bonn also reflected on his journey: “I came in kind of expecting to just be a role player guy… The save season record? Unbelievable… Super grateful to be here.”
UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman responded after his team’s narrow loss, “We’ll be back. We’ll be back… And we will expect to keep getting better and play in the postseason and advance further.” The Mustangs now await their regional bracket placement, which will be announced Monday morning.