For the second time ever, Cal Poly Baseball can call themselves Big West champions after defeating U.C. Irvine on Sunday in a 6-4 win.
“Seeing that ball going into the air, like your heart starts pounding and you just go like, it's like a walk-off feeling, like it just feels amazing," sophomore pitcher Ethan Marmie said of the final out to clinch the championship.
For the first time in 27 years, the Big West Conference has a postseason tournament champion after a big win down in Fullerton in Orange County over the weekend. Cal Poly beat three teams in a row, including Hawaii and U.C. Irvine twice, to win their first conference title since 2014.
“For our players, the amount of time they put in, and like I said, we've had a lot of teams like this, but this is a special team," said Head Coach Larry Lee.
It’s been over ten years since Cal Poly has tasted the postseason. This season, 23-year head coach Larry Lee surpassed 700 wins and now gets to lead another crop of Mustang players on the national stage.
“It doesn't matter how you win, doesn't matter if it's a high scoring affair or a low scoring affair or a sloppy affair, just at this time of the year, it's about winning baseball games," Lee stated.
The team will face the Big 12 Champions, the Arizona Wildcats. For sophomore pitcher Josh Murano, it's the school he just transferred from last year.
“I'm excited. Hopefully, I can touch the mound and then there will be a lot of energy, a lot of adrenaline. But hopefully just go out there and get the win and this new school pays off," Murano said.
As the Mustangs gallop further into postseason, the conference championship is a great achievement, but it’s not the end of the road for the team.
“Hopefully, they understand that it's unfinished business," Lee said. "We go about next week and see what we can do and hopefully come out of a regional and advance.”
The Mustangs take on Arizona on May 30 at 1 p.m. in Eugene, Oregon to begin the double elimination bracket. The other two teams in their Regional are Utah Valley and Oregon. You can watch their game on ESPN+,
