Game Notes

Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific baseball team visits Cal Poly to open a three-game road Big West series Friday evening in San Luis Obispo. The Tigers and Mustangs get underway with a 6 p.m. first pitch Friday at Poly's Baggett Stadium.

Senior SS/CF Josh Simms is hitting .350 in his last 26 games, while reaching base at a .408 clip. With 10 multi-hit games in that span, he is 35 for his last 100, with eight doubles, a triple and 18 runs scored, while reaching base safely in 22 of the 26 games.

On Tuesday, Simms tripled in two runs and scored another with a drive to the right-center field gap.

Simms is one of a handful of hot Tiger hits, joined by redshirt freshman 1B Erik Lockwood, who is second in the Big West in batting average at .364. He owns a .400 average (38 for 95) in his last 25 games, with hits in 22 of the 25 contests. Sophomore C Jason Taasaas is hitting .319 in his last 16 games with a home run and eight runs batted in.

As a team, the Tigers (11-28 overall, 1-8 Big West) are hitting .281, second in the Big West. The Tigers also rank second in doubles (69) while sitting third in hits (366), total bases (4472) and slugging percentage (.360). Pacific is fourth in the BWC in runs batted in (163), runs scored (175) and home runs (nine).

In game one, the Tigers will send RHP Michael Benson to the mound against Cal Poly RHP Joey Wagman.  Benson owns a 2.82 ERA in 58.0 innings pitched this season, but has only a 2-5 record to show for it. He's struck out 31 batters against 16 walks and has gone at least six innings in seven of his nine starts this season. In his last outing, he tossed seven innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out three in a no decision against UC Santa Barbara.

Wagman has a 2.75 ERA and a 5-3 record. In his 68.2 innings, he has 51 strikeouts against 15 walks. He's coming off a 5.0 inning stint in which he allowed four earned on seven hits in a no-decision to Fullerton.

Game two, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, will feature a pair of lefties; Tigers' sophomore Kyle Crawford and Cal Poly's senior Kyle Anderson. Crawford is 2-5 on the year with a 6.63 ERA. In 55.2 innings pitched, he's fanned 26. Anderson is 6-1 on the year with a 2.47 ERA. He has struck out 41 on the year, in 65.2 innings of work.

Sunday's 1 p.m. game three will be a matchup of Pacific RHP Michael Hager and Cal Poly's RHP Kyle Brueggeman. Hager saw his streak of 15-straight shutout innings snapped Sunday against UC Santa Barbara. He hadn't allowed a run in his previous two outings. On the year, Hager has a 4.47 ERA and a 3-3 record in 54.1 innings pitched. He ranks 16th in the NCAA in fewest walks per nine innings, issuing just six walks.

Brueggeman has a 4-3 record and a 4.81 ERA in 48.2 innings. He's struck out 35 against 14 walks. He lasted 3.1 innings in a no decision against Fullerton in his last time out.

Cal Poly enters at 22-17 overall, 6-6 in the Big West.