The Cal Poly baseball team will host Long Beach State for its final three home games of the 2026 season, with the regular season Big West Conference title and top tournament seed at stake, according to a May 13 announcement.
The outcome of this weekend’s series is important as Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara are tied for first place in the conference standings, both holding a 19-8 record. The results will determine which team secures the regular-season championship and top seeding in next week’s Big West tournament at UC Irvine. Only the top five teams qualify for the tournament.
First pitches at Baggett Stadium are scheduled for Thursday and Friday at 6:05 p.m., and Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Cal Poly has already clinched a spot in the tournament along with UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego. To claim the regular-season title outright, Cal Poly must win one more game than UC Santa Barbara this weekend.
Coach Larry Lee’s Mustangs lead the conference in several offensive categories, including batting average (.306), runs scored (343), hits (564), and doubles (139). Nationally, they rank among the leaders as well—25th in batting average, 15th in hits, and second in doubles. Junior catcher Ryan Tayman leads Cal Poly with a .340 batting average, 15 home runs, and 49 RBIs.
Long Beach State enters with a record of 17-32 after being swept by Oregon State last weekend. Head coach TJ Bruce announced his pitching rotation for this series will include Ka’imi Kahalekai on Thursday, Luke Howe on Friday, and Jason Gerfers on Saturday—all right-handers.
The history between these two programs spans back to their time as California Collegiate Athletic Association members starting in 1957. Long Beach State holds an overall advantage but Cal Poly swept them last year at Blair Field. Coach Lee recently earned his 1,200th career victory across tenures at both Cuesta College and Cal Poly.