SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (16-10, 5-4 Big West) returns to Big West action this weekend, looking for a spark after eight losses in their last 10 games. A rivalry series win could just do the trick, as the Gauchos head north to take on eternal foes Cal Poly (17-10, 8-2 Big West) in a three-game series, starting on Thursday. The Gauchos then return home after the Easter weekend with a chance to avenge their narrow loss to No. 12 USC (27-3) from Tuesday night.
 
LAST TIME OUT
There is uncharacteristic, and then there is the slump that Santa Barbara is enduring currently. The Gauchos have lost eight of their last 10 games, something they have not done since 2017, and Tuesday night's defeat at No. 12 USC was the epitome of a "when you're in a slump and nothing can go right" game. Rowan Kelly and Colin Beazizo both had fly balls caught at the fence, with the evening rain a likely culprit in those early landings. As a team, the Gauchos struck out just twice, putting 36 balls in play, 10 of which for hits. They managed to manufacture six runs, a total that the national ERA leaders had only allowed five times in their previous 29 games. And they still lost.
 
That high contact rate and hit total are not the only signs of light at the end of the tunnel for Santa Barbara either. On Saturday, they were in complete control for an 8-2 win over No. 20 Oregon, and the pitching staff has never lost its shine, especially the weekend rotation of Jackson Flora, Nathan Aceves and Kellan Montgomery. Flora is the jewel, ranking third among all Division I pitchers with a 0.83 ERA, but the whole crown was sparkling against the Ducks, holding their potent offense to fewer runs all weekend than they usually score in a single game.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly was picked to finish just behind the Gauchos in this year's Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, and the Mustangs have started conference play hot, opening the campaign by sweeping Hawai'i on Oahu, becoming the first Big West team to do so since UC Irvine in 2024. Cal Poly has won seven of its nine conference games since then and have not dropped a series in Big West play this year. That was true coming into last year's Blue-Green Rivalry series too, and the Gauchos took two of three.
 
On paper, this weekend's matchup has shades of last weekend's visit from Oregon, as Cal Poly boasts the highest-scoring offense in The Big West, averaging seven runs per game, and are fresh off a 10-4 drubbing of Fresno State. Santa Barbara's elite pitching staff did its job against the Ducks, holding an offense that averaged 8.9 runs per game to just eight all weekend, and when Cal Poly faced USC's impressive collection of arms, the Mustangs managed just eight runs across 40 total innings.
 
Unlike the matchup with Oregon, Cal Poly's pitching is far more modest, with a 4.94 team ERA. The Mustangs also have only one nailed-down starter, right-hander Griffin Naess, who enters the weekend with a 3.69 ERA in his seven starts. Fellow righty Carson Turnquist leads Cal Poly's qualified arms with a 2.89 ERA, though that is in just four starts, and he was tagged for four runs in just 3 2/3 innings in his last start at UC Riverside.
 
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
No. 12 USC has its own rivalry series before their visit to Santa Barbara, heading across town to take on No. 1 UCLA in a set of three Big Ten conference games this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
 
When it comes time for the Gauchos' rematch with the Trojans on Tuesday, there will undoubtedly be some names circled on the scouting report, including leadoff hitter Abbrie Covarrubias, whose two-RBI triple swung the game in his team's favor on Tuesday night. Catcher Isaac Cadena should expect a loop around his name as well after going 2-for-3 at the plate, but the main thing for Santa Barbara will be leaving Trojans stranded when they get on base. Tuesday night only one USC batter failed to bring his teammates home.
 
Eye-ing up the potential pitching matchup, the Gauchos will hope they get to see Garren Rizzo again after hanging three runs on him in his one inning of work. Realistically, Santa Barbara will want to figure out how to get more than two runs off of Chase Herrell, USC's usual Tuesday starter who pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of Rizzo on Tuesday night. However, the Gauchos can take confidence from the scare they gave Trojan closer Adam Troy, coming just a few feet from handing him a blown save.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
With Easter on Sunday, Santa Barbara's series at Cal Poly will be played Thursday to Saturday, April 2-4. First pitch times from Baggett Stadium are set for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
The Gauchos' return home for the rematch with USC will start at 4:35 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. Tickets are on sale now at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.