HAYWARD, Calif. – The CSUSB baseball team defeated the Pioneers on Saturday afternoon, earning the series win while improving to 27-9 on the season and 18-8 in CCAA play.
 
With it being their 27^th win of the season, the 2023 Yotes tie the 2022 squad for most wins during the Mike Nadeau era (2018-present). Owning a .750-win percentage with 13 regular season games to go, their win on Saturday also ensured that they will finish the 2023 season with a winning record, the first time they have finished above .500 since 2012.
 
In typical Yotes fashion, the team put nine runs on the board while collecting 13 hits. That is now their 19^th game of the season with 10 or more hits. Though they only hit one home run in the series against the Pioneers, CSUSB still collected 12 extra base hits with 22 RBI.
 
The Yotes' top four hitters - DeShawn Johnson, Daryl Ruiz, Giovanni Del Negro, and Danny Garcia – each collected two hits in the game, as well as DH Jeremy Giesegh. The top four hitters all own a batting average north of .350 on the season, with Del Negro leading the team at .402. Those four are also leading the team in OPS (On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage), with each sitting above the 1.000 mark. For comparison, only two players in the entire MLB had an OPS above 1.000 last season (Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez).
 
Garcia had the biggest hit of the game in the top of the first inning when he tripled down the right field line on a full count to unload the bases, giving CSUSB a quick 3-0 lead. They would maintain that lead for the entire game, giving starting pitcher Austyn Coleman the win. Coleman delivered a quality start, allowing just one earned run in 6.0 innings with four punch outs. He is now a perfect 6-0 on the season with a 2.79 ERA.
 

"It was a really good weekend for us against a gritty East Bay team. It was a tough loss on Thursday in extras, but the men bounced back. Quality starts from O'Connor and Coleman were huge for us, and Sandoval and Olguin set the tone for Saturday. Our offense got on track on the road and we need to build off that. We look forward to next weekend against Monterey Bay, it will be a good challenge as they are a very talented team.  We will see how they play at Fiscalini." - Head Coach Mike Nadeau

 
 
Up Next
The Yotes will have their biggest series of the season next weekend when they welcome No. 19 Cal State Monterey Bay to Fiscalini Field on Friday, April 14^th. CSUMB currently sits in first place in the CCAA standings with a 20-4 conference record, so CSUSB (18-8) would need to sweep the Otters in order to take over first place. However, a series split or series win would certainly help the Yotes keep Monterey Bay within reach as they head into the final two series of the regular season.
 
First pitch on Friday is set for 3:00 PM, you can purchase tickets here or catch the action on the CCAA Network at ccaanetwork.com.
 
To see the full CSUSB baseball schedule, click HERE.
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