NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (31-15, 16-8 Big West) now has just seven games left in its regular season, beginning with the final road trip of the year at CSUN (24-23, 11-13 Big West) this weekend. On Monday, the Gauchos will return home and host California Baptist (38-11, 10-5 WAC) for their final non-conference contest of the year.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Santa Barbara enters the weekend on a four-game winning streak powered by thunderous offense. The Gauchos scored 41 runs in their three-game sweep of Cal State Bakersfield on the road last weekend, then beat Pepperdine, 13-3, in a game that was shortened to eight innings by the NCAA ten-run rule on Tuesday night. Both Rowan Kelly and Corey Nunez hit .500 or better in that four-game stretch, with Liam Barrett and Nate Vargas both hitting over .400 behind them. William Vasseur's eighth-inning grand slam brings his RBI total up to eight in the last four games, though Kelly, Vargas and Noah Karliner all have seven, right behind him. Karliner's all came in the same game, a 5-for-6 day at the plate in Bakersfield on Sunday.
 
THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
Last weekend's sweep and some favorable results elsewhere have the Gauchos up to second place in The Big West standings with six conference games left to play, just one game behind Cal Poly. Santa Barbara swept the Mustangs this season, so own the tiebreaker over their arch-rivals. UC San Diego holds third place — the last spot that advances directly to the double-elimination portion of The Big West Championship, avoiding the play-in game — two games behind Santa Barbara, with the Gauchos also holding the tiebreaker over the Tritons.
 
For those interested in scoreboard watching, Cal Poly visits Cal State Fullerton this weekend. The Titans were swept by UC Davis last weekend and are now holding on to fifth place, the last position that earns an invite to the conference tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN is the biggest threat to catch Fullerton for that fifth and final place, entering the weekend two games behind the Titans but with the tiebreaker in hand. They will be motivated to take every chance they can against the Gauchos, as the Matadors' final series of the season is a visit to Hawai'i, the team currently in fourth place but still only two games ahead of CSUN. If that gap is the same entering the final weekend, a series win would put the Matadors into The Big West Championship.
 
And CSUN's resume must be taken seriously. Last Friday, they upset No. 6 Oregon State in Corvallis, scoring six runs against Ethan Kleinschmit, one of the best strikeout pitchers in the country, and then two more against Division-I saves leader Albert Roblez to win in 10 innings. On Saturday, they took the Beavers (and their ERA leader, Eric Segura) to extra innings again, only falling in the 11^th frame.
 
Within The Big West, CSUN has the third-best offense by runs scored, second-best by team batting average and best in slugging percentage. Junior outfielder Matthew Thomas has twice been named Big West Player of the week, ranks third in the conference with a .351 batting average and leads the conference with 14 home runs, though he is tied there with teammate Matthew Pena. Fellow teammates Andrew Becker and Kyle Panganiban have also earned Big West Player of the Week honors, and all four are among the eight qualified CSUN hitters with a batting average above .300.
 
The deciding factor in this weekend's series therefore appears to be whether the Gauchos' pitching staff can hold the Matador offense to fewer runs than the Santa Barbara offense can put up against CSUN's arms. The Matadors enter the weekend with a 5.52 ERA and only three pitchers whose individual ERAs are under 3.00. Only two of those three, Jaiden Turner and Kody King, have thrown double-digit innings and none have started a game.
 
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
Since the Gauchos' 11-6 win in Riverside, California Baptist has lost just once and enters the weekend on a six-game winning streak. They also poured on the runs in their last series, tallying 30 across a three-game sweep of Utah Valley. The Lancer offense remains one of the best in the country, ranking ninth in team batting average, third in total hits and sixth in total doubles. Cole Hansen and Chris Ramirez both are among the nation's top 20 hitters by average, and Ramirez is 13^th nationally in doubles and third in total hits. In the first meeting of the year, Hansen went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Ramirez was 2-for-5. Lancer home run leader Bryce McFeely also went yard in the game.
 
The Lancers are strong on the mound too, ranking 14^th nationally in ERA and ninth in strikeouts per nine innings. CBU's go-to weekend starters, Michael Malki and Bryan Peck, have carried the load for the staff, though they have a number of capable bullpen arms as well. In Riverside in April, the Gauchos made the most of a fast start, scoring two runs against Cameron Teper (4.79 ERA), three more against Luis Becerra (4.24) and the final two that they would need to win the game against Niko Urquidi (3.89). None of the seven Lancers who currently hold an ERA under 3.00 appeared in the first round of this matchup.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
First pitch times are set for 5 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday from Robert J. Hiegert Field in Northridge this weekend. When the Gauchos host CBU at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on Monday, first pitch will be at 4:35 p.m. Monday is also Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day.
 
Fans can catch all of the upcoming action from anywhere by watching live on ESPN+ or by following along with live stats at ucsbgauchos.com. This weekend's games in Northridge will also have a free, audio-only broadcast available at ucsbgauchos.com.