NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team makes the short drive south to take on CSUN in their final regular season road trip of the season this weekend, playing a three-game series against the Matadors. The Gauchos, who have swept CSUN in each of their last two visits to Matador Field, come into the weekend needing five wins over their final six games of the season to claim a fifth Big West Championship.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
This weekend's first pitch times from Matador Field in Northridge are set for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with an audio broadcast and live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Santa Barbara's bullpen collectively delivered a big-time performance in the Gauchos' final Tuesday game last time out, holding the powerful Saint Mary's offense to just three runs in a 4-3 Santa Barbara victory. Zander Darby was big with the bat in that game, hitting a double and a homer to finish with two RBI and two runs scored.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Santa Barbara will be looking for a third consecutive sweep at Matador Field this weekend, riding a six-game winning streak over CSUN in Northridge. The Matadors did grab a win over the Gauchos in Santa Barbara last season, thanks in part to a three-RBI day from Mason Le. The Gauchos managed to keep 2023 Big West Player of the Year and 2024 conference home run leader Jakob Simons quiet in that series, holding CSUN's center fielder to a 1-for-12 mark at the dish. The other half of the Matador's dynamic duo, Kevin Fitzer, went 5-for-12 with four RBI against the Gauchos in 2023.
 
THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE
With six games left in the conference season, the Gauchos hold a game-and-a-half lead atop The Big West standings. After taking on CSUN (5 games back) this weekend, Santa Barbara will round out the year at home against UC Riverside. UC Irvine (1.5 GB) are the Gauchos' closest pursuers; they play Cal State Fullerton this weekend and CSUN the next. Cal Poly (2.5 GB) is also in the mix; both the Mustangs and the Anteaters hold tiebreakers over the Gauchos. Hawai'i (5 GB), like CSUN, is mathematically still in the hunt, though Santa Barbara holds the tiebreaker over the Rainbow Warriors.  If Santa Barbara wins five of their remaining six games, they will claim the conference crown regardless of results elsewhere.
 
GAUCHOS HOPING TO HOST
Should they win out and lift The Big West trophy, Santa Barbara could be in the mix to host an NCAA Regional. D1Baseball's latest predictions have the Gauchos just outside the top 16, but Baseball America has Santa Barbara as the 16th and final regional host in their most recent mock bracket. There are logistical challenges, namely increasing the seating capacity at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, but the Gauchos will submit a bid. If successful, it would be Santa Barbara's first time as a host institution since 2015 and the first time ever hosting postseason games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, having played at the Lake Elsinore Diamond in 2015.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (32-12, 17-4 Big West)
An Abundance of Aces
In their weekend rotation of Ryan Gallagher, Mike Gutierrez and Tyler Bremner, the Gauchos have essentially a trio of aces, with a fourth waiting in the bullpen in the form of Matt Ager. Gallagher and Bremner, the Friday and Sunday starters, have been putting up video game numbers this season; Bremner ranks second in Division I with a 0.81 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and 10th with a 2.31 ERA. Gallagher is right behind him in both categories, with his 0.82 WHIP ranking third and 2.34 ERA 12th nationally. Both men have hurled a team-leading 82 strikeouts. Gutierrez, the man between them in the rotation, may have the highest ERA of the three, but his 3.31 would be the best mark among qualified pitchers on six of the 10 other Big West staffs. The veteran lefty comes into the weekend with a 21-3 career record in Blue and Gold, the best winning percentage and sixth-most total wins in program history. Behind them, Ager has returned to the form that saw him play the ace role last year as this year's closer. In his 14 2/3 innings of relief work since April 13, he has not allowed an earned run, collecting seven of his conference-leading eight saves in that span. He is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities in his career, giving him the sixth-most saves in program history despite starting 23 of his last 33 appearances.
 
Good Things Come from Those Who Wait
Juniors Jessada Brown and Justin Trimble have both had breakout years and taken up key roles in the Gauchos' lineup after spending much of their first two years on Santa Barbara's bench. After playing in just 35 games across his first two seasons, the now-first-choice left fielder Brown has started 40 games this year and come off the bench in seven more. He ranks 13th in The Big West for both average (.344) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.959). All seven of his career home runs have come this season, contributing to his 32 RBI. Likewise, Trimble has featured in every game this season after playing just 29 across his first two years, and after stints at first base and shortstop is now Santa Barbara's starting third baseman. His nine homers and 38 RBI are both second on the team, with the former tied as the fifth-most in The Big West. While he does have the most strikeouts on the team, his 22 walks and 15 hit-by-pitches have also earned him the most free passes to first.
 
SCOUTING THE MATADORS (29-19, 15-9 Big West)
CSUN was part of a three-way tie atop The Big West two weekends ago, but the Matadors' home stretch is without doubt the toughest in The Big West this year. In the month of May, they have already played on the road at Hawai'i, suffering a sweep, and hosted defending conference champions UC San Diego, losing two out of three. They will play second-place UC Irvine following this series. Over those last six conference games, the Matadors have been out-scored, 41-16, posting five runs or more only twice while allowing five or more on four occasions.
 
The CSUN offense is centered around the powerful duo of Jakob Simons and Kevin Fitzer, who own 26 of the Matadors' 43 home runs between them. Simons leads the offense in nearly every stat, including hit-by-pitches, having been plunked 26 times, the third-most in Division I. Kamau Neighbors adds a third head to CSUN's monster and can play excellent small ball when asked, which is often. Thanks to Neighbors' nine sac bunts plus Mason Le's 11, the Matadors have put down the sixth-most sacrifice bunts in the country this season. Neighbors, Le, Simons and Fitzer all have speed on the basepaths too; CSUN's 72 stolen bases and 94 attempts are both second-most in The Big West.
 
While Matador pitching has one of the highest ERAs in the conference, the defense behind them is one of the slickest, with their .980 fielding percentage ranking 18th nationally and their 42 double plays ranking 36th.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will conclude their 2024 regular season at home next week, hosting UC Riverside in a three-game series, May 23-25 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.