San Luis Obispo Region 2014 Baseball World Series Breakdown
Cal Poly, Arizona State, Pepperdine, Sacramento State
Cal Poly is making its second straight trip to the postseason and will be a host this season after an impressive 2014 campaign. The Mustangs finished 45-10 and were the winners of the Big West conference. The Mustangs feature a potent offensive attack as the team has a .300 batting average. Leading the way is junior Nick Torres, who is hitting .323 with 5 home runs and 47 RBI’s. The Mustangs also have a trio of talented starters in Casey Boomquist, Matt Imhof and Justin Calomeni. Imhof is the best of the bunch. He posted a 9-4 record and a 2.55 ERA while striking out 120 batters in 91.2 innings. Cal Poly also features an excellent closer in Reed Reilly, who has 10 saves and a 1.67 ERA on the season, and a solid team defensively that has an overall fielding percentage of .970.
Joining them in the field will be Arizona State, Pepperdine and Sacramento State. Arizona State features two talented starters in Ryan Kellogg and Brett Lilek, who are 8-3 with a 3.84 ERA and 4-4 with a 2.59 ERA respectively on the season. Ryan Burr has also been solid at the back end of their bullpen, picking up 12 saves this season. DH RJ Ybarra and 1B Nathaniel Causey have given the Sun Devils a solid 4-5 combo in the lineup. Ybarra leads the team with 45 RBI’s, while Causey has a .333 batting average, a team high 14 doubles and is tied for the team lead with 4 home runs. Pepperdine is a very dangerous team that could surprise some teams in this regional. The WCC regular season and conference tournament winner features one of the top players in the country in Aaron Brown. Brown is hitting .320 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI’s and is also 11-1 with a 2.24 ERA on the mound. Senior Corey Miller joins him in the rotation, sporting an 8-4 record and a 1.70 ERA. Together, they will have Pepperdine looking to contend. Rounding out the field is Sacramento State. The Hornets have a big time talent in outfielder Rhys Hoskins, who is hitting .330 with 12 home runs and 53 RBI’s this season, and he will look to lead Sacramento State to an upset. Cal Poly is a very talented team, but watch out for Pepperdine. With Brown and Miller, they have a serious shot to win the regional.
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