Cal Poly will play a three-game baseball series against UC San Diego starting Friday, April 16, as both teams compete for first place in the Big West Conference at Triton Ballpark in La Jolla.
The outcome of this matchup could have a significant impact on the conference standings, with Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara currently one game behind leader UC San Diego. The Mustangs improved their record to 19-16 after defeating Pepperdine earlier this week, while the Tritons fell to 15-17 following a loss to San Diego State.
Games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. The first and third games will be streamed on ESPN+, with additional information available on GoPoly.com. Cal Poly’s offense is led by junior infielder Alejandro Garza, who has recently raised his batting average to .369 and leads the team with multiple-hit games. Other top hitters include Casey Murray Jr., Nate Castellon, and Ryan Tayman. On the mound, head coach Larry Lee will start Griffin Naess on Friday, Carson Turnquist on Saturday, and Corden Pettey on Sunday.
UC San Diego enters the series leading the conference but ranks last in team batting average (.232) and eighth in pitching (6.52 ERA). Shortstop Anthony Potestio leads Triton hitters with a .295 average. Head coach Eric Newman is in his fifteenth season guiding UCSD’s program.
Both teams have recent histories of success: Cal Poly won last year’s Big West tournament title under Lee’s leadership; UCSD claimed last season’s regular-season crown before announcing plans to join the West Coast Conference in July 2027 after seven years in the Big West. In previous meetings between these programs over six years, each has won eight games against each other.
The result of this weekend’s series may shape not only current standings but also momentum heading into postseason play.