NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Montgomery, Alabama Click logo for official site

06/03/06
Celebration planned to congratulate baseball team
Join us for a celebration on Monday, June 5 at 5:15 to congratulate the baseball team on its tremendous run for a national championship. The event will take place on the Kendall Hall (administration building) lawn on the Chico State campus, just at the end of Normal Street. Following the celebration everyone is invited to join the players and coaches at the Madison Bear Garden patio.

06/03/06
Wildcats lose well-fought NCAA championship title game in extra innings
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Chico State baseball team was one pitch away from winning the national championship. That strike never came.

The University of Tampa put together three two-out base hits in the ninth inning to tie the game, the last two hits coming with two strikes. The No. 1-ranked Spartans then plated the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to win the 2006 NCAA Division II College World Series 3-2 Saturday night in front of 1,821 fans at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.

“You’re down to the last strike and you feel like that should be good enough. Unfortunately, it’s not that way in baseball,” said Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs. “My heart just breaks for these guys. It really does. I wish I had the words to make it feel better.”

The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead on Daniel Code’s RBI-single in the eighth inning. Billy Spottiswood, who had already tossed two scoreless innings to bring his scoreless streak in the CWS to seven, emerged from the dugout to attempt to close out the victory in the ninth. He got the first two batters out before giving up a line single to Craig Corrado.

The next hitter, Roberto Mena, hit a two-strike smash at third baseman Jerin Harper, who knocked it down, picked it up, and threw low to first baseman Christopher Sweeney. Sweeney almost dug it out, but the ball popped out of his glove and the Spartans were still alive with their second two-out hit.

Spottiswood got ahead of the next hitter, Troy Ferguson, as well. But Ferguson grounded a 1-2 pitch past a diving Jesus Luna at shortstop to plate the tying run.

The Wildcats went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth, and Tampa scored the winning run in the 10th on Chris Rosenbaum’s pinch-hit, two-out single.

All-American pitcher Sergio Perez came on to close the game for the Spartans. Chad Williams breathed life into the Wildcats with a two-out double down the left field line, but Harper grounded out to the shortstop to end the game.

The Wildcats, who finished the season 46-21, were playing in their fourth national title game in 10 seasons under Meggs. According to Meggs, the 2006 Wildcats have as much to be proud of as the two national championship teams of 1997 and 1999.

“It’s tough for me not to consider this group of guys I coached this year to be anything other than champions,” said Meggs. “We’ve got some class kids in this program. They are first-rate. I’ve never been more proud of a team.”

Starting pitcher Nick Bryant and four Chico State relievers combined to limit the Spartans to just three runs on 12 hits, only one of which went for extra-bases. Tampa, which finished the season 54-6, entered the championship game hitting .377 with 281 extra-base hits and 582 runs in 59 games. But Bryant surrendered just one run in five-plus innings on only three days rest. Garrett Rieck then got the Wildcats out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth by educing two pop flies. Spottiswood, Elliott Tyson, and Ben Buker finished the game.

“I thought our pitchers showed great courage,” said Meggs. “That’s a team that has dismantled their opponents offensively all season, and we battled them all night long.”

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Tampa pitchers Ross Jackson, Aaron Cook, and Sergio Perez matched them pitch-for-pitch. Jackson got the start and allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings of work. Cook, who got the win to improve to 9-1, surrendered the go-ahead run in the eighth, but only allowed two hits while striking out three in two innings of work. Perez, the top-rated Division II prospect in the nation according to Baseball America, earned his first save of the season by pitching the 10th.

Both teams looked anxious at the plate early on, but the Wildcats opened the scoring in the second inning. Sweeney’s one-out double to right-center field set things up for Robby Scott, who singled through the right side to make it 1-0.

The teams combined for just two hits over the next three innings before the Spartans broke through in the sixth. Mena doubled to lead off the inning, and after moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, scored when Wildcats shortstop Jesus Luna couldn’t handle a hard-hit grounder with the infield pulled in to try to cut down the tying run at the plate. Two base hits later, the bags were juiced and Rieck was called in to quell the rally. He did just that, getting Third Team All-American Jose Jimenez and catcher J.R. Hopf to pop out to third. The score remained 1-1.

It stayed that way until the eighth. Greg Finazzo’s bunt single and Carl Fairburn’s walk gave the Wildcats their best chance to score since they stranded two runners in the third. Code took advantage with a sharp single through the right side that scored Finazzo, and the Wildcats could almost taste that national title.

But in the end, it was not to be.

06/02/06
Championship game to be televised
The championship game between Chico State and Tampa on Saturday at 5:00 will be televised. KHSL-TV Channel 12 is working on getting the feed. Comcast SportsNet is also scheduled to broadcast the game. Viewers in the Chico area can find Comcast SportsNet on Comcast Cable (channel 34), DIRECTV (channel 656) and Dish (channel 409). Pre-game broadcast with Mike Baca on KPAY Radio 1290 begins at 4:30 p.m.

06/02/06
Out of the parking lot and into the title game
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Chico State baseball team has gone from the parking lot to the penthouse in two short months.

The Wildcats will play the University of Tampa for the national championship in the finale of the Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama’s Riverwalk Stadium Saturday at 5 p.m., PST. But back in April, Wildcats head coach Lindsay Meggs kicked his team out of the locker room and told them to change somewhere else before and after practice because they were not living up to the legacy of those teams that had gone before them. For most of them, that place was the parking lot.

“That really lit a fire under our rear ends,” said Daniel Code. “Getting kicked out of the locker room was not fun.”

Though it felt like punishment to the players for the mediocre baseball they played during the middle part of the season (they were 16-16 during one stretch after beginning the year 17-3) it was actually an attempt to get them to focus on the present instead of the College World Series.

“We felt like they weren’t capable at that time of handling the expectations that go along with wearing our uniform,” explained Meggs. “First we took everything down off the walls. We took the pictures down, we took the banners down. We took the trophies down. But that didn’t work. So we decided to make it as simple as possible so they didn’t have to be reminded of all the expectations and told them to stay out of the locker room. The only thing we wanted them to focus on was practice that day.”

It worked. Something did anyway. It may have been getting kicked out of the locker room. They were let back in within a week after taking 3-of-4 games from Cal State Monterey Bay, by the way. Or it may have been the realization that if things continued the way they were going, there was a good chance the Wildcats would be on the outside looking in when it came to the postseason for the first time in 11 years.

Whatever it was, it caused the team to become one Meggs now says is more-than-worthy of the Chico State baseball legacy.

“We always say everybody wants to win. I’ve never had a player who didn’t want to win. But only certain people are willing to do what it takes to win,” said Meggs. “We had very few people doing what it took early on. We needed guys to play a position they didn’t necessarily want to play, hit in a spot they didn’t necessarily want to hit in, or do things at the plate they didn’t necessarily want to do. But once they bought in and started to do those things, we started to win some games. That’s why we’re here now. These guys have become a team that will help set the standard for future teams.”

The Wildcats have reeled off 13 wins in their last 14 games, outscoring their opponents 123-48 in the process. They breezed through the CCAA Championship Tournament with three dominating wins. They won three straight at the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional, and after taking their one mulligan, a 9-7 loss to Cal State L.A., they rebounded to crush the Golden Eagles 8-1 for the regional title. With that win, the Wildcats earned a spot at the Division II College World Series for the third straight season and seventh time in the last 10 years.

Now, Saturday, the Wildcats will play for the national title for the fourth time in 10 years. The Wildcats won in 1997 and 1999, and lost the title game in 2002. No other program in the nation has played for four national titles in the last decade. Tampa, Chico State’s opponent Saturday, comes closest. The Spartans will be playing for their third national title since 1997. They won a title in 1998 and fell in the 2003 championship game.

But that’s all in the past. Both teams are focused on Saturday night now. Tampa enters the game ranked No. 1 in the nation with a record of 53-6. No team has boasted a better winning percentage at the end of the season in the last five years of NCAA Division II baseball. What’s possibly even more impressive is that the Spartans have won 18 straight and 51-of-54 after starting the season 2-3.

The Spartans are led by a ferocious middle-of-the-batting order. Cleanup hitter Lee Cruz leads the nation with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and 101 total hits. He blasted two home runs against Franklin Pierce to break long-time New York Yankee Tino Martinez’s school record of 25.

But Cruz, recently named the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, is just one of four All-Americans on the team. He’s sandwiched in the batting order by First Team All-American Orlando Rosales in the third spot, and Third Team All-American Jose Jimenez in the fifth spot. Rosales is batting .414 with 14 home runs, 70 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. Jimenez, just a freshman, is hitting .394 with 17 home runs.

“They can really hurt you,” said Meggs. “You have to assume those three guys are going to get some hits, so you have to keep the guys hitting in front of them and behind them off the bases. We’re not afraid to pitch to them, though. People get in trouble trying to pitch around those guys. The only way to have success against them is to go after them. So as much as we can afford to go after them, we will.”

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they will likely see little or none of Tampa’s other All-American, ace Sergio Perez. The top-rated Division II professional prospect in the nation according to Baseball America, Perez started and threw 100-plus pitches in the Spartans’ win over Franklin Pierce. That doesn’t mean the Wildcats won’t see a formidable opponent, however. No one goes 53-6 without a number of good pitchers, and the Spartans are no exception. They’ll likely start Ross Jackson (11-0, 3.35 ERA) or Nick Peterson (3-1, 2.38 ERA).

Chico State will probably counter with either staff ace Nick Bryant (8-2, 2.44 ERA) on three days rest, or Billy Spottiswood (10-5, 4.43 ERA), who has been the team’s ace reliever in the tournament so far, collecting a win and a save in five shutout innings. Reid Horton, who has allowed just one run on seven hits in his last 14 innings of work, is a likely candidate to see some work out of the bullpen.

Win or lose, the Wildcats will have made their mark on the Chico State baseball program. Their legacy is as secure as that locker room door was in April.

06/01/06
Unbeaten Wildcats to play for national title
Championship game Saturday, 5:00 vs. Tampa
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Check the charcoal supply, make sure the fridge is stocked, and cancel those Saturday night plans. The Chico State baseball team is going to be playing for a national championship.

The Wildcats beat Montevallo 9-5 in a national semifinal game at Paterson field to advance to their fourth NCAA Division II national title game in 10 years. Greg Finazzo and Christopher Sweeney drove in two runs apiece and Billy Spottiswood tossed three scoreless innings for his first collegiate save as the Wildcats improved to 46-20.

They’ll play No. 1-ranked Tampa University (53-6) for the title at Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits Double-A team, Saturday at 5 p.m., PST. The game will be broadcast on Newstalk 1290 KPAY AM  and televised on CSTV.

“We talk all year about putting ourselves in a position to play for the national championship and it’s an honor and privilege to get the opportunity,” said Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs. “It’s what we talk about every day and it’s why we come to the yard every day, so we’re thrilled.”

Chico State won national titles in 1997 and 1999 and lost the national championship game in 2002. That loss, coupled with two straight losses in 2004 and consecutive losses in 2005, ran the team’s losing streak to five games. A 2-1 victory on Sweeney’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth Sunday broke that streak, though, and the Wildcats won again Tuesday with four runs in the 13th inning.

Today, the Wildcats struggled defensively, committing four errors. Starting pitcher Ben Buker, going on three days rest, also labored. He walked six batters and hit another in six innings. He allowed five runs, only two of which were earned. And though the game was tight throughout, this was the first game that didn’t take late-inning heroics for the Wildcats to win.

The lead changed hands four times in the first five innings before Chico State took control for good in the sixth. Daniel Code walked, moved to third on Sweeney’s single, and scored on a disputed balk call to tie the game 5-5. Jesus Luna then singled with two outs to plate Sweeney, who scored what proved to be the winning run.

After Montevallo pitcher John Chamblee picked off Code sneaking off of third base, first-base umpire Ruben Chavira called a balk - the seventh called at the tournament. What looked like a big out for Montevallo turned into the game-tying run for the Wildcats.

“For a guy to make that call in that situation...I don’t think it’s necessary,” said Montevallo head coach Greg Goff. “He gave the explanation that he thought he stepped toward home too far. John has made that pick four times this year and never been called for a balk.”

Goff later said: “That was the pivotal call of the game. I don’t know where he’s from, but that was the pivotal call of the game.”

Chavira is representing the west region at the tournament.

“I didn’t have a real good angle on the play from the dugout, but I will say that every team has gotten some calls they’ve liked and every team has had some they haven’t liked and in the end it all evens out,” said Meggs.

Code said it was obviously a balk.

Spottiswood entered in the bottom-half of the inning and went on to make a winner out of Buker (9-3) by holding the Falcons to just three ground-ball singles. He’s now tossed five scoreless innings of relief in Alabama. Those are his first two appearances in relief all season.

“I just feel as long as I’m helping out the team in some way, I’ll do it,” said Spottiswood. “I definitely like being out there at the end though.”

The biggest pitch Spottiswood made today ended the seventh. With one out and the bases loaded, he got Brantly Clay to ground into a double play for just the second time in 166 at-bats this season.

“We had the bases loaded and Brantly up there. He’s one of our fastest runners and he hits into a double play. It just wasn’t meant to be,” said Goff.

The Wildcats broke the game open with three runs on three straight two-out singles in the ninth. Finazzo was hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third on Jerin Harper’s single through the left side. With two away, Sweeney, Aaron Demuth, and Robby Scott notched RBI-singles to make it 9-5.

Code hit his second home run in three games leading off the second inning to open the scoring. Montevallo answered with two runs on two walks, two singles, and an error in the third.

Chico State tied the score 2-2 in the fourth. Harper singled, moved to third on Code’s base hit, and scored on Sweeney’s ground ball to the right side.

The Wildcats surged into the lead again with two runs in the fifth. Robby Scott led off the inning with a single, and after Trevor Weedon drew a walk, Finazzo ripped a two-run double to the wall in left-center to make it 4-2.

The lead was short-lived, however. Two errors, including Sweeney’s throwing error on a double-play ball, opened the gates for a three-run Montevallo inning that put the falcons back into the lead, 6-5.

It was Montevallo’s last lead. The Falcons finished their season with a record of 43-18.

“My hat’s off to Montevallo. That’s a well-coached team,” said Meggs. “I think they’re going to be getting back here a lot.”

Not this season, however. Instead, it’s the Wildcats who will be looking to win their third national championship.

“We showed up at the park at 6:30 on a lot of mornings,” said Finazzo. “This is the reason why. We didn’t talk about getting to the national championship game, we talked about winning it. I think we have the team to do it.”

The nation will soon find out.

NOTES – The game might be broadcast on the local CBS affiliate, but that could not be confirmed as of Thursday night...With his second-inning home run, Code became the 14th Chico State player to hit 10 in a season...Carl Fairburn went 0-for-5, ending his team season-high 15-game hitting streak...During a run in which they’ve won 13 of 14 games, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 123-48...Chico State and Tampa have faced each other just once. The Wildcats won 5-3 in a second-round winners’ bracket game at the College World Series in 1997...Chico State is now 8-1 in Buker’s last nine starts...The Wildcats are 8-1 this season when Finazzo leads off...Spottiswood has not walked a hitter in 12.1 innings of work...Sweeney has 11 multi-hit games in his last 21 starts.

05/31/06
Seasoned veteran Weedon withstands the test of time
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Days turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into years. Players came. Some left. Some were sent home.

Trevor Weedon has remained.

The fourth-year senior catcher has been the one constant in the recent history of the Chico State baseball program. Now, after failing to make the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and suffering through four consecutive losses in the College World Series during his sophomore and junior year, Weedon has the Wildcats are on the brink of the national championship game.

After showing bunt with Jesus Luna on second with no one out in the top of the 13th inning, Weedon pulled the bat back and slapped a single through the charging infield to plate the go-ahead run in an 8-4 victory over Ashland University Tuesday night in a winners’ bracket game in Montgomery, Alabama. That win, in the longest postseason game in Chico State history, leaves the Wildcats in need of just one more win to clinch a spot in the national championship game.

They will face the winner of Wednesday night’s Montevallo-West Chester game Thursday at 12:30 p.m., PST, and can claim a spot in the title game with a win. If they lose, they play again Friday with a spot in the national championship game on the line. The national championship will take place Saturday at 5 p.m.

Weedon almost left the program soon after arriving from Nordhoff High School in Ojai for his freshman season.

“We hadn’t had a lot of freshmen in this program when we signed Trevor. After the first two weeks of fall ball he was feeling overwhelmed by the pace,” explained Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs. “One day after practice we went up and sat down in the bleachers and he told me he didn’t know if he could handle it. He said he didn’t know if he was the right person for our program. He thought he might be better off going home.

“But he stuck around and I think that was a real turning point for him. He could have packed it in but he stayed and battled and he’s gotten better and better and better and better. He’s not only gotten so much better but he’s just grown as a person. He’s so much more confident when you talk to him and so much more of a leader.”

But that doesn’t mean it’s ever gotten easy for Weedon. Every year, Meggs has brought someone in to take Weedon’s job. Despite Weedon’s .276 average and 40-percent success rate throwing out attempting base stealers as a freshman, Meggs brought in James McCabe to take over for Weedon behind the dish in 2004. Weedon out-hit and outplayed McCabe, however, and the next season, Weedon was back in a Chico State uniform and McCabe was gone.

In 2005, Justin Jacque was to be the heir apparent. He faced a similar fate to McCabe, however, and did not return this season. Instead, it was Mark Gentry and Lorin Nakagawa who Meggs expected to battle to take away Weedon’s job this season. Gentry was supposed to be better offensively. Nakagawa was supposed to be better defensively. But Weedon has thrown out 11-of-22 would-be base stealers and is hitting a career-high .300.

“I just try to be consistent,” said Weedon, explaining how he’s won his job over and over. “I think when it comes down to it, coach knows what he’s going to get with me.”

His reputation among his teammates has helped as well.

“Trevor’s the steadiest guy. He’s never too up or too down. He’s ready to go every day,” said Chico State senior pitcher Ben Buker. “Through all of our ups and down as a team, he’s kind of what kept it together for us the whole year. For two years I’ve looked at him as our captain.”

Weedon has also been one of the team’s largest offensive contributors over the last month of the season. He’s always been a steady hitter with a career average of .273, but over his last 17 games, he’s hitting like he never has before. During that stretch, he’s batting .370 with nine RBI.

“I think he’s finally been able to relax,” said Meggs. “He feels like the position is his every day whether he has a good day or bad day. It’s really all come together for Trevor and it’s been fun to watch.”

There are a lot of Chico State fans who probably agree.

05/30/06
Cardiac 'Cats strike again Tuesday
Chico play 12:30 Thursday with championship game on the line
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Chico State baseball team scored four times in the 13th inning to win an 8-4 thriller over Ashland University Tuesday night in a winners’ bracket game of the NCAA Division II College World Series at Paterson Field in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Wildcats twice blew leads, survived a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the 11th, and had the potential winning run thrown out at home in the 12th inning in the longest postseason game in school history.

With a little help, the Wildcats were not to be denied in the 13th. Jesus Luna took advantage of a second chance when he doubled after his routine pop fly one pitch earlier was dropped by Ashland third baseman Justin Richards. Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs gave Trevor Weedon the bunt sign, but when the Eagles charged in to try to take the sacrifice away, Weedon slashed and sent a grounder through the infield to plate Luna. Jerin Harper’s two-run triple and Daniel Code’s RBI-grounder broke the game open.

“In my mind that’s what college athletics is all about,” said Meggs. “I told my guys in the top of the 13th to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment because this is one of the greatest baseball games anybody’s ever had the opportunity to play in. So try to enjoy it. Take a moment to look around and think about where you are because this is a pretty neat moment. Try not to be afraid of it and let’s relax, get the leadoff guy on, and anything can happen.”

Luna obliged his coach, and good things did happen. As a result, the Wildcats are just one win away from earning a spot in the national championship game for the fourth time in ten years. They’ll try to get that win Thursday at 12:30 p.m., PST, against the winner of Wednesday’s elimination game between West Chester and Montevallo. If they win, they will play for the national championship Saturday at 5 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. If they lose, they’ll play again Friday with a spot in the national championship game on the line.

 “People keep asking me if I think experience plays into this,” said Weedon, who had lost all four of the games he’d played in Alabama in 2004 and 2005. “But I’ve never been in this experience before. At this point, everything’s new to me. I’m excited. I just played 13 innings and I’m ready to play again. I can’t wait until Thursday.”

Chico State’s pitching staff could probably use the rest, however. After Nick Bryant tossed seven effective innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven, four relievers finished the game. All-American closer Marcus Martinez pitched a scoreless eighth, but got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth. He walked the leadoff hitter, and after a sacrifice bunt, lefty Steven Johns was called in to face lefty David Waters. Waters blooped a single off the end of his bat into right field to plate the tying run.

Reid Horton and Billy Spottiswood kept the Eagles hitless over the final four-and-a-third innings. Spottiswood earned the win to improve to 10-5 and become just the 13th 10-game winner in Chico State baseball history.

Just because the Eagles got no hits does not mean they weren’t on the brink of winning the game, however. Horton hit Chase Beatty with a pitch leading off the bottom of the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt that moved Beatty to second, Horton intentionally walked the next hitter and then walked another to load the bases. Ashland’s Justin Randall, a .422-hitting All-American, and Casey Jirsa, a .423-hitting All-American, both had a chance to win the game. But Horton struck out Randall with a high fastball and then got Jirsa to pop up to first base to end the inning.

“That’s a pretty tough loss to take, having our three and four hitters up there with the bases loaded,” said Ashland outfielder David Waters. “You’ve got to believe we’re going to win that ball game.”

Horton was quite possibly the only one at Paterson Field who didn’t expect the Eagles to win.

“You’ve got to give Reid Horton a lot of credit,” said Meggs with a chuckle, smile, and shake of the head. “He just made pitch after pitch after pitch. He has so much courage and we’ve seen it time and time again.”

The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead in the 12th, but Christopher Sweeney was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on Greg Finazzo’s double to left-center.

Chico State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning when Code blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall plating Chad Williams, who drew a leadoff walk. Code finished the night 3-for-6 with four RBI and two runs scored.

“He was trying to challenge me early on and he left the ball up,” said Code. “I was just trying to stay short but the ball hung and just kind of took itself out of the yard.”

Sweeney, who went 4-for-5, doubled high off the wall in right-center on the following pitch, but was stranded at second.

The Wildcats added a run in the fifth when Code walked and later scored on Sweeney’s base hit that made it 3-0.

Ashland, the 10th-ranked offense in the nation, finally got to Chico State starter Nick Bryant in the bottom of the fifth. Consecutive singles got things started for the Eagles, and Eric Zattlin’s double plated the first run. Waters’ RBI-grounder made it 2-0, and Zattlin tied the game by sliding in ahead of Bryant’s tag after a low fastball got past Weedon.

The runs against Bryant were the first he had yielded in 10-and-a-third innings of work in Montgomery spanning three seasons. They were also the last he gave up Tuesday.

He left after seven innings with a 4-3 lead thanks to Code’s RBI-grounder that scored Carl Fairburn in the seventh.

05/29/06
Closer Martinez receives All-American honor
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Jason Gillard describes Marcus Martinez as “kind of a hermit.” According to head coach Lindsay Meggs, he’s a “practical joker lurking in the dugout.” Billy Spottiswood doesn’t know how to describe him.

Here’s a hint: Try All-American.

Martinez, the quirky closer on the Chico State baseball team, earned Third Team All-American honors in the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association 2006 NCAA Division II All-American teams announced Monday.

Known almost as much for his unique personality as his pitching ability, Martinez is a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities this season. In those save situations, he’s allowed just seven hits and no runs in 14 innings. He boasts a 2-0 record and ERA of 1.59 on the season.

Martinez is hoping to improve on those numbers this week at the NCAA Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama. The Wildcats, winners of their first game in the tournament, will take on Ashland University Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., PST in the double-elimination tournament.

Martinez is the latest in a long line of Chico State relievers to earn All-American honors. John Soldate was a Second Team All-American in 1997. Brian Grover earned First Team honors in 1999. Dale Thayer was named Second Team All-American in 2002. Most recently, Nick Burger was a Second Team pick in 2004.

Martinez actually reminds Meggs of Grover, who ranks second on the school’s career saves list with 16.

“He’s a lot like Brian Grover. What makes him effective is he can throw three pitches for strikes – a fastball, cutter, and change,” said Meggs. “Now, a lot of guys can do that in the bullpen. But he can do it out on the mound almost every night. That’s rare. He doesn’t overpower you. For him, it’s all about location and changing speeds.”

Bullpen mate and roommate Jason Gillard is equally impressed with Martinez’s abilities.

“He hits his target every time. As a pitcher, that’s really impressive to me,” said Gillard.

Martinez’s personality has also left quite an impression on his teammates and coaches.

“Closers usually have a different kind of personality, and he fits the bill,” said Meggs. “He’s a little bit out there.”

“He’s kind of a hermit,” said Gillard. “I thought I didn’t do a whole lot, but he’s beyond me. I live with him and the only place I ever see him is in his bedroom or on the couch.”

“Marcus is his own personality, but on the mound, he’s as dialed in as his Greg Maddux look-alike goggles,” said James McCarthy.

Baja Bob, a Willie the Wildcat bobblehead doll, is Martinez’s main concern when he isn’t pitching. Baja Bob has accompanied Martinez to every game this season. Unfortunately, he’s taken a few spills along the way. Martinez is often seen begging graduate assistant athletic trainer Troy Ward for athletic tape needed for emergency surgery on Bob. He’s become quite the bobblehead physician, however, and Bob is currently bobbing and weaving as well as he has all season.

Bob always accompanies Martinez on the pitching rubber when he’s called to warm up down in the bullpen.

So two things are obvious: Martinez is a closer extraordinaire and possesses eccentric qualities, but he has a few other notable personality traits. According to teammate Daniel Code, Martinez can recite every line from every episode of South Park. He is also well-liked and well-respected by his teammates for his selfless attitude.

“I actually admire Marcus a lot for a lot of reasons,” said Gillard. “He is a little different, but he’s a great guy,” said Gillard. “He cares about others more than he does himself. He’s always willing to do something for you. He always puts himself last.”

Last. Where else would you expect an All-American closer to want to be?

05/28/06
Sweeney comes through in bottom of the ninth for win
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - It’s been four years since Lindsay Meggs felt this good after a baseball game. It’s been forever for Christopher Sweeney.

Sweeney singled through a drawn-in infield with the bases loaded to bring home Carl Fairburn in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Chico State baseball team to a 2-1 victory over Emporia State in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Division II College World Series Sunday night. The win, Chico State’s first in Montgomery since 2002, snapped a five-game CWS losing streak for the Wildcats.

 “This is a great night for us. I’m very excited,” said Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs. “The most important thing about game one is to win it and we hung in there and did that. It’s a great feeling.”

Sweeney, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts prior to the game-winning at-bat, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded after Fairburn led off the inning with a double, Jerin Harper was intentionally walked, and Daniel Code reached on a bunt single. He was down 1-2 in the count, but got a breaking ball and hit a wicked one-hopper toward second baseman Conner Crumbliss. Crumbliss went down on both knees to try to snare the ball, but it skipped off his glove and Fairburn scored with ease.

“This is definitely the biggest stage I’ve played on in my career so I’ve never had a bigger hit,” said Sweeney. “I just wanted to pick up the pitching staff.”

Wildcats starter Garrett Rieck and reliever Ben Buker certainly deserved as much. Rieck worked the first five innings and gave up just three hits. Bill Sharp’s solo home run in the third was the only blemish in his night. Buker was even better. He gave up just one hit in four innings to earn the victory and improve to 8-3.

“Their pitchers did a great job from start to finish,” said Emporia State head coach Bob Fornelli. “(Rieck) just continued to battle and battle. Then (Buker) came in and kind of shut the door on us.”

Rieck and Buker had to be that good because Emporia State starter Gabe Medina was nearly unhittable. The 6-3 senior allowed just two hits through the first eight innings and struck out nine in the process. He sat down Sweeney twice and Wildcats leading home run hitter Aaron Demuth all three times he stepped into the batters’ box. Only the bottom three hitters in the Chico State lineup – Robby Scott, Jesus Luna, and Trevor Weedon, avoided being struck out Sunday. Medina, the Central Region Pitcher of the Year, fell to 13-2 with the loss.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats, winners of 11 of their last 12 games, are now 44-20. Emporia State, ranked No. 2 in the nation entering the tournament, dipped to 48-12.

Medina had the Wildcats tied up with a steady diet of sliders all night because they were expecting more fastballs.

“We were geared up for his fastball. We were dead red on the fastball,” said Fairburn. “He just kept going slider, slider, slider. He had us pretty mixed up.”

Thus, it seemed as though the Wildcats would have to wait for their opportunity to break through until Medina tired and Fornelli was forced to go to his bullpen. That was only partially the case. Medina left the game after Fairburn smashed a double down the left-field line and Harper was intentionally walked to open the ninth.

“It was just a bad time to make a bad pitch,” said Medina. “It was a slider that hung up a little bit. I just hung it at a bad time.”

Just how bad the timing was even Medina didn’t know. A hanging slider is exactly what Fairburn was looking for.

“Before I came to the plate, coach Meggs grabbed me and said: if he hangs a slider up, go get it,” said Fairburn. “That’s exactly what I did.”

After Harper was intentionally walked, Fornelli went to his bullpen and left-hander Mickey Lara to face Code. Instead of giving his leading RBI-producer a chance to win the game, Meggs set up Sweeney for the heroics by asking Code to lay down his first sacrifice bunt of the season. After bunting through the first pitch badly, Code bunted the next one softly down the third base line. It flirted with going foul, but hugged the foul line and stayed fair for a base hit.

“We bunt for 20 minutes every day. Every guy out there bunts,” said Meggs. “He told me he felt comfortable doing it and he put a pretty good one down.”

Prior to Sweeney’s game-winning hit, neither team had scored since the third inning.

Sharp opened the scoring with his solo home run to left with two down in the third. But the Wildcats got production from the bottom of their order to answer back. Scott opened the inning with a single to center. He moved to second on Luna’s hit-and-run grounder to first. Weedon, batting ninth, doubled him home to knot the score 1-1.

Some great defensive plays and stellar pitching from the Wildcats kept the game tied. With two runners on in the fourth, Scott made a sliding, back-handed snare of a grounder ticketed to center field and threw out the speedy Eric Fischer to rob the Hornets of a run.

In the fifth, Luna ranged far to his left to grab a grounder, stepped on second, and fired to first for an inning-ending double play. Harper put an end to the sixth by leaping high to grab a line drive headed for left field with two runners on.

Chico State’s win sets the stage for a winners’ bracket showdown with Ashland University Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., PST. The winner of that game will play Thursday night with a spot in the national championship game on the line. The loser will play in an elimination game at 12:30 Wednesday.

The tournament’s other second round match-ups are also set. The nation’s top-ranked team, the University of Tampa, will face Montevallo in a winners’ bracket game on Monday at 4:30 p.m., PST. That game follows the tournament’s first elimination game featuring Francis Marion and West Chester at 12:30.

In the other half of the bracket, Franklin Pierce and Emporia State will kick off Tuesday’s action with an elimination game at 12:30 prior to the Chico State-Ashland affair.

Notes – The Wildcats are now 9-2 in when Rieck starts this season…This was the first meeting ever between the schools…Fairburn’s double extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Scott, who was undoubtedly the defensive player of the game, has not committed an error in 87 chances since March 27…Wildcats center fielder Greg Finazzo ended the third inning with a flourish by making a brilliant diving catch in shallow left-center field…Chico State is now 14-7 all-time in CWS play, including 4-3 in first-round games…The three times the Wildcats won their first-round games, in 1997, 1999, and 2002, they wound up playing in the national championship game.

05/27/06
Wildcats ready to rocket into College World Series
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Aaron Demuth swivels his hips, shifts his weight forward, and throws his hands all in one instant. His bat connects solidly with a baseball traveling upwards of 90 miles per hour. What results is a rocket.

Demuth, Daniel Code, Jerin Harper, Carl Fairburn, and Christopher Sweeney have all proven their ability to send a baseball into orbit. The Chico State baseball team is hoping to ride some of those rockets to a Division II College World Series title.

Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs and his suddenly-slugging Wildcats are in Montgomery, Alabama, May 27-June 3 for an eight-team tournament that will determine the NCAA Division II national baseball champion. The Wildcats, champions of the Western Region, open that effort Sunday at 4:30, PST, against Central Region champion Emporia State.

This is Chico State’s third consecutive trip to Alabama and the seventh in 10 years. The last two trips have not been kind to the Wildcats, however. They have been one of the first two teams eliminated from tournament play in back-to-back seasons, losing consecutive games both times. Last season, the Wildcats failed to score a run.

That prompted Meggs to make a change in his recruiting thought process. He decided the Wildcats needed to get more physical at the plate. In short, he wanted to find some guys who could change a game with one swing of the bat. Meggs found what he was looking for.

The Wildcats certainly look the part. Demuth is 6-5, 235. Sweeney is 6-6, 225. Code is 6-3, 220, and Fairburn is 6-3, 210. Early in the season, however, that size wasn’t necessarily paying off. Chico State had managed just 29 home runs through their first 47 games. Then, on April 28, rockets started flying. They haven’t stopped.

Chico State bashed four home runs to open a four-game series at Cal State San Bernardino and have now hit 29 in their last 16 games, including 12 in eight postseason games. Only three times in their last 16 games have they failed to go deep.

Demuth has led the charge with 14 round trippers, including 10 in the last 16 games and four in the postseason. That’s a Chico State single-season postseason record and matches the career postseason mark. His 14 home runs are the third most in Chico State single-season history. Fairburn has homered six times since April 28 and three times in the postseason. Harper has homered five times since April 28 and twice in the postseason. Nine of Code’s team-high 21 doubles have come in the last 13 games. Harper has doubled four times in the last five games and 18 times on the season.

That power, more than any other thing, gives Meggs and his Wildcats hope his team can turn around the CWS struggles of the past two seasons.

There is no time like Sunday’s matchup with Emporia State to make that happen. The Hornets, 48-11 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the nation, feature Central Region Pitcher of the Year Gabe Medina (13-1). The 6-4, 230-pound flame thrower from Venezuela has struck out 133 hitters in 97-plus innings of work and boasts a 2.50 ERA. He has surrendered just 77 hits and 29 walks and opponents are batting just .213 against him. There is one way to get to Medina, however, and that’s via the long ball. He’s given up nine home runs this season.

Medina will likely duel with Wildcats No. 1 starter Nick Bryant, who also has a few guns in his holster. Bryant, 8-2, has struck out 90 batters in 107-plus frames. The First Team All Region hurler boasts a 2.35 ERA and is 5-0 in his last 10 starts. In two prior appearances at the CWS, Bryant has not allowed a run and surrendered just four hits in six-and-a-third innings.

Bryant, or whoever starts for the Wildcats, will face a formidable Emporia State lineup. Outfielder Mark McBratney enters the championship tournament batting .400 with 13 home runs and 80 RBI. He’s one of 10 Hornets hitting .300 or better. As a team, they’re batting .330, they’ve bashed 53 home runs, and they’ve also stolen 100 bases.

The winner of Sunday night’s game will take on Sunday afternoon’s Ashland-Franklin Pierce winner at 4:30 Tuesday. The losers will play at 11:30 a.m. in an elimination game.

			05/24/06 Bryant, Martinez named First Team All-Region
Bryant	Martinez

The two anchors of Chico State’s pitching staff this season - No. 1 starter Nick Bryant and closer Marcus Martinez - were both named to the 2006 NCAA ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region First Team announced Wednesday. They join a strong fraternity of Chico State pitchers since Lindsay Meggs took over the program, becoming the 14th and 15th Wildcats pitcher to earn First Team All-West Region recognition since 1996.

Bryant boasts an 8-2 record and 2.35 ERA. In 17 appearances, 16 of them starts, he’s struck out 90 hitters in 107.1 innings, allowing 96 hits and just 22 walks in the process. His 90 strikeouts this season are the fourth most in Chico State history and his 4.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the fifth highest by a Wildcat.

Nearing the end of his third season in the program, Bryant also ranks high in many of Chico State’s career pitching categories. His 168 career strikeouts are second all-time, his 54 appearances are the third most, his 190.2 innings of work are the fifth most, and his 23 starts are the ninth most ever.

Martinez’s selection marks the third straight time and the sixth time in 10 seasons a Wildcat closer earned First-Team honors. Nick Burger earned First Team recognition in 2004 and 2005. Prior to that, closers Dale Thayer (2002), Brian Grover (1999), and John Soldate (1997) were First Team selections.

Martinez is 12-for-12 in save opportunities and has not given up a single run in a save situation. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. In 22.2 innings, he’s struck out 24 and allowed just 19 hits.

Cal State Dominguez Hills first baseman Jason Klug was named West Region Player of the Year. Western Oregon University pitcher Nick Waechter received Pitcher of the Year honors and WOU coach Jeremiah Robbins was named West Region Coach of the Year.

05/23/06
Wildcats leap to No. 5 in national rankings
When the Chico State baseball team will board a plane a the Chico Airport bound for the Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama, Wednesday morning, it will do so as the fifth-ranked team in the nation.

Thanks to 10 wins in their last 11 games, the Wildcats jumped 16 spots to No. 5 in the nation in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll released Monday. Their first-round opponent in Montgomery, Emporia State, moved up nine spots to No. 2 this week. Other World Series teams in the rankings are: No. 1 Tampa, No. 3 Francis Marion, No. 4 Montevallo, No. 6 Ashland, No. 10 West Chester, and No. 12 Franklin Pierce.

Seven of the country’s top eight teams in last week’s rankings lost during regional play and will not be making the journey to Alabama. Tampa, which has been ranked No. 1 for much of the season, was the lone exception.

Division II West Regional hosted by Western Oregon Click logo for official site Live stats available for all games

05/21/06
Wildcats headed to College World Series for seventh time in last ten years
Five Wildcats named to West Regional All-Tournament Team, Harper MVP
KEIZER, Ore. - The Chico State baseball team went from agony to Alabama in three hours Sunday.

The Wildcats watched a 7-1 lead evaporate into a 9-7 Cal State L.A. victory, capped by R.J. Brown’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, in the opening game. That forced a final game to crown the NCAA Division II West Region champion. The Wildcats responded with an 8-1 victory and punched their ticket to the College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama, for the seventh time in ten years.

“I told these guys after the game, if you can win this game, you can win any game,” said Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs. “Some day your kids or your grandkids are going to be doing something and they’re going to say I can’t do it. You are going to tell them about today.”

Making just his third start of the season, Reid Horton allowed one run in seven innings of work to earn the win. His energy and emotion also gave the Wildcats a desperately needed lift after the heartbreaking defeat in Sunday’s opener.            

“I like Reid’s stuff. He’s got good stuff,” said Meggs. “But that’s not why I put him out there. I put him out there for his makeup. It wouldn’t have mattered if we were up by ten, down by fifteen, or if he was getting the start – he would have been the same regardless. That’s what makes him Reid Horton. That’s what makes him special.”

Chico State catcher Trevor Weedon explained why Horton’s presence was crucial to the win.

“That was devastating to be out on the field watching them score all those runs to come back to win,” said Weedon. “But seeing this guy out there on the mound like a bulldog gave me a lift. I think it gave everyone a lift.”

Jerin Harper also gave the Wildcats a lift with a three-run home run that capped a six-run second inning that put Chico State in control for good. The MVP of the regional, Harper also made two great defensive plays at first base and finished the week 13-for-23 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Harper’s round-tripper was the final blow in a big inning that had some of its roots in a Cal State L.A. error.

“If we make a couple plays in that inning it’s a different ball game,” said Golden Eagles head coach Dave Taylor, Chico State’s pitching coach from 1997 to 2004. “I don’t know if it’s a different outcome, but it’s a different ball game. Before that, we had all of the momentum in our dugout. But they quickly recovered it. To get down 6-0 really took it out of us.”

The Golden Eagles gained the momentum by scoring eight runs in the final two innings to win the opener. They banged out six consecutive two-out singles – the first five against Wildcats starter Billy Spottiswood and the sixth against reliever Steven Johns – to trim the lead to 7-3 in the seventh and start their improbable comeback. Chico State’s third pitcher of the inning, Jason Gillard, forced home one run by walking Cody Ferris. Jeff Carroll then looped a single to right to plate two more runners and make it 7-6. Elliott Tyson then took the mound for the Wildcats and promptly walked Matt Winkelman to reload the bases before striking out Henry Contreras to end the threat.

Tyson was not as fortunate in the eighth. Shortstop Jesus Luna broke the wrong way and missed Adam Klein’s routine grounder with two down. Klein then stole second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Jack Roche tied the game by blooping a soft single just over second base. Ryan Harbaugh was then called in to make his first appearance since May 6 and Brown lined his 0-1 pitch over the wall in right.

“You’re always in the game in college baseball,” said Brown. “I just wanted to get the next guy up. I just got a good swing on it and hit it out.”

It was no happenstance. Brown was 4-for-5 with four RBIs in the game and finished the tournament 12-for-24.

The Wildcats threatened in the ninth when Carl Fairburn led off with a double, but Harper flew out and Daniel Code and Aaron Demuth struck out to end the game.

Leadoff hitter Greg Finazzo drew a seven-pitch walk to leadoff the first game. Carl Fairburn doubled down the third-base line to put runners on second and third, and Harper’s bloop single to right plated the day’s first run. Fairburn scored when Code grounded into a double play to make it 2-0 Wildcats.

The Golden Eagles answered back in the bottom-half of the inning. Jack Roche got things started with a one-out double and he came around to score on Brown’s base hit to right. Brown tried to advance to second on the throw home, but Weedon threw him out at second. That proved vital when Jacob Ferris doubled Spottiswood’s next pitch down the third-base line. Spottiswood got Jeff Carroll to hit a soft comebacker to get out of the inning. He cruised from there until the seventh.

It took just two pitches in the fourth inning for the Wildcats to make it 4-1. Code singled on the first pitch of the inning and Demuth hit the next pitch high over the left-field wall for his 12^th home run of the season and his first of three on the day.

Demuth later broke the game open in the seventh with a three-run homer well over the 12-foot wall in left-center field that gave the Wildcats a 7-1 lead. Harper singled and Code walked to set the table. The lead didn’t stand up, however, and the Wildcats entered game two a beleaguered bunch.

The Wildcats struck first in the second game. James McCarthy doubled with one out, and after Robby Scott walked, Luna reached on an error by Cal State L.A. third baseman Carroll to load the bases. Weedon’s pop fly to right fell just inside the foul line for a single that plated one run, and Finazzo grounded into a fielders’ choice to make it 2-0. Fairburn’s line-drive to right followed, scoring Luna. Harper’s 3-run shot followed, giving the Wildcats a 6-0 edge.

McCarthy’s solo shot to left in the sixth made it 7-0, but the Golden Eagles looked like they might have one more rally in them in the seventh. Ferris and Carroll notched back-to-back singles, the second plating Ferris and trimming the lead to 7-1. Horton got Matt Winkelman to ground out to end the inning, however.

The Wildcats capped the scoring with Demuth’s solo home run to right in the eighth.

Chico State will face Central Region Champion Emporia State next Sunday in their first-round game at the College World Series. The Wildcats have earned a trip to Alabama for three straight years now, but they came away without a victory in 2004 and 2005. Weedon believes this year will be different.

“This year we’ve got a pretty grounded team,” said Weedon. “The last two year’s we’ve pressed a little. We were pretty tight. But this team has a better understanding that the lights might be brighter and the stage might be bigger, but in the end, you’re just playing the game of baseball.”

The team’s offensive prowess won’t hurt either, according to Meggs.

“We can swing it this year. That’s the biggest difference between this team and the last two we’ve taken to Alabama.”

Sunday wasn’t the first time Chico State responded well to a devastating defeat this season. On May 5, the Wildcats led 5-1 but imploded with two errors in the eighth that led to six Cal State Stanislaus runs and a 7-6 loss. That loss, Chico State’s 16th in its last 32 games, dropped the Wildcats into fifth place in the CCAA standings. Only the top four CCAA teams qualify for the postseason, so Chico State was on the outside looking in.

The Wildcats responded with nine wins in a row, claiming the CCAA Championship Tournament title and earning a spot in the regional championship game in the process. Now, after bouncing back from their lone loss in the last 11 games, they’re headed back to Alabama.

West Regional All-Tournament Team:
P - Philip Springman, Cal State L.A.; Reid Horton, Chico State. C - Trevor Weedon, Chico State. 1B - R.J. Brown, Cal State L.A. 2B - Jack Roche, Cal State L.A. 3B - Jerin Harper, Chico State. SS - Paul Fisher, Western Oregon. OF - Daniel Code, Chico State; Jacob Ferris, Cal State L.A.; Jason Rees, Fort Hays State. DH - Aaron Demuth, Chico State.
MVP - Jerin Harper, Chico State.

05/20/06
Wildcats one win away from seventh trip to College World Series
Chico State plays for regional championship Sunday at noon
KEIZER, Ore. – The Chico State baseball team is one win from going back to 'Bama, and Western Oregon University is back to being frustrated in its attempts to beat the Wildcats. Starting pitcher Ben Buker allowed just one run in seven-plus innings, and Jerin Harper and Carl Fairburn homered as the Wildcats beat tournament-host and top seed Western Oregon 7-2 Friday. They earned a spot in the championship game of the NCAA Championship Tournament Western Regional with the win.

The Wildcats, 42-19, have now won nine straight games and 12 regional playoff games in a row. They’ll attempt to continue those streaks Sunday at noon against Western Oregon or Cal State L.A., pending the outcome of tonight's late game. If the Wildcats win that game, they are the regional champion for the seventh time in the last 10 years. If they lose, they will play another game approximately one hour later that will determine the champion.

“The thing I like about our group right now is that everybody’s pushing, pushing, pushing. That’s the key,” said Chico State head coach Linsday Meggs. “You keep applying pressure so you don’t feel pressure. I don’t think that’s going to stop win, lose, or draw. We’re just going to keep pushing and see how far we can go.”

Western Oregon, meanwhile cannot seem to push past the Wildcats. Chico State eliminated the Wolves from the playoffs in last season’s regional championship game. The Wildcats have won 23 of the last 26 meetings between the teams and hold a 37-8 lead in the overall series.

“They’re good. They get good players,” said Western Oregon head coach Jeremiah Robbins. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”

Already trailing 2-0, Western Oregon’s frustrations grew in the third inning. Daniel Code slid through Wolves catcher Ivan Munoz in a violent collision at the plate. Code was safe and Munoz was forced to leave the game with an undisclosed leg injury. Western Oregon’s coaching staff, players, and fans were clearly angered by the play. That was made especially clear when Western Oregon starting pitcher Matt Skundrick threw a high fastball behind Chico State’s Aaron Demuth in retaliation and both teams were warned.

“He won’t play the rest of the year,” said Robbins. “That’s all I’ll say about that.”

It was James McCarthy’s base hit that plated Code, giving Chico State a 3-0 lead. McCarthy entered the game in the top-half of the inning after Wildcats first baseman Christopher Sweeney left the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. McCarthy, who had advanced to second on a wild pitch, scored on Demuth’s base hit to make it 4-0.

Fairburn, Chico State’s second hitter of the day, opened the scoring with a home run to left field. It won not his first home run of the weekend. He also homered in the first inning of Friday’s 11-2 win against Cal State L.A. It was also not his first round-tripper against Skundrick, according to Fairburn. The pair played American Legion ball on opposing teams throughout high school.

“He found barrel and he earned it,” said Skundrick. “It’s a combination, of course. You leave a ball out over the plate against a good hitter like Carl and he’ll make you pay.”

About taking Skundrick over the wall, Fairburn simply shrugged and said, “I’ve done it before.”

Fairburn’s been making a habit out of hitting home runs recently. He’s hit five out of the park and driven in 14 runs during his current 11-game hitting streak.

The Wildcats built the lead to 2-0 when Harper reached on a bunt single and later came around to score on Demuth’s base hit.

They tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh to build the lead to 6-0. Demuth walked to lead off the sixth, moved to second on Robby Scott’s base hit, and then to third on Jesus Luna’s sacrifice bunt. Trevor Weedon single plated Demuth. Harper hammered a pitch from reliever Adam Hoffman over the wall in left-center field in the seventh.

Meanwhile, Buker was keeping the high-powered Wolves offense off the scoreboard. Western entered the game averaging over eight runs per game, but Buker limited the Wolves to just six hits and no runs through the first seven frames. He was pulled from the game after hitting Boo Christenson with a pitch with one down in the eighth. Christenson eventually came around to score the only run of the day charged to Buker to trim the lead to 7-1.

“Buker was phenomenal,” said Robbins. “He attacked our hitters and did a real good job of keeping our guys off balance. I really tip my hat to Ben Buker.”

Buker, who struck out five and walked just one, improved to 7-3 with the win. It was the 21st start of his Chico State career, and by far the most meaningful one.

“I’ve been waiting for this game for over a year now,” said Buker, who was bitterly disappointed after he did not get an opportunity to start an NCAA Tournament game as a junior last season. “I’m real hungry after getting a taste of the (Division II College) World Series. I’ve been waiting all season for this game. That’s why the results were what they were.”

Chico State answered Western Oregon’s first run with one of its own via some small-ball in the bottom-half of the inning. Robby Scott led off the inning with a single up the middle, moved to second when Jesus Luna walked, and went to third on Weedon’s second sacrifice bunt of the day. Scott scored to stretch the lead to 7-1 when Western Oregon shortstop Paul Fisher misplayed Fairburn’s ground ball.

Western Oregon scored a single run in the ninth, but Chico State closer Marcus Martinez got Christenson to fly out to end the game.

The next time a Chico State pitcher records an out in the ninth, it could mean a spot in the College World Series. Harper, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

“I’ve never really won a championship or been to anything like a College World Series,” said Harper. “I want this as bad as anyone does, and maybe even more.”

Notes – Buker is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in his last five starts...Weedon’s two sacrifice bunts give him 18 for his career, the third most in Chico State history...The Wildcats are 25-5 in Western Regional games under Meggs...Chico State is 15-6 all-time when Buker starts...In Chico State reliever Steven Johns’ last six appearances, he’s retired all six batters he’s faced...Code’s double in the third was his 20th this season, tying him with Luis Sanchez (1999) for the second most in Chico State single-season history...Fairburn has now hit three postseason home runs this season, putting him in a four-way tie for first in Wildcats postseason history.

05/19/06
Wildcats win eighth straight, beat Cal State L.A. 11-2
Chico State faces Western Oregon Saturday at noon
KEIZER, Ore. - Dave Taylor has been on the winning side of many Chico State postseason blowouts. He experienced what it’s like in to be in the opposing dugout in an 11-2 Wildcats victory in a winners’ bracket game at the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional Friday night at Volcano Stadium.

Taylor, the second-year head coach at Cal State L.A., was the Wildcats’ pitching coach and head assistant for a pair of College World Series titles and five regional championships between 1997 and 2004. That made the win somewhat bittersweet for Chico State head coach Lindsay Meggs.

“There is a time when you are a little kid when you like to play against your friends,” said Meggs. “But there’s so much at stake now. That’s one of my best friends in the other dugout and he’s a great coach. It’s not a lot of fun to compete against him.”

Chico State’s (41-19) victory sets up a matchup with the tournament’s top seed, Western Oregon University (40-14), Saturday at noon. The winner of that game will advance to championship Sunday and have two chances to win and claim the regional title and a trip to the Division II College World Series May 27-June 3 in Montgomery, Alabama.

Daniel Code went 3-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Chico State offense, which has now scored in double-figures in six games during its current eight-game winning streak. He also walked twice and stole a pair of bases. He’s now 5-for-his-last-5 at the plate and has reached base in seven consecutive appearances. Carl Fairburn and Robby Scott each hit two-run homers, and Jerin Harper drove in a pair of runs.

Code attributes better pitch selection to his recent success. He’s 17-for-32 over the last eight games and he’s struck out just twice in his last 11 starts.

“I’m just seeing the ball a lot better,” he explained. “My pitch selection has been helping a lot. I’m seeing the outside pitch a little longer and going that way. I’m seeing the inside pitches long enough to turn on them.”

Starting pitcher Garrett Rieck earned the victory to improve to 4-2. He allowed just two runs in six innings of work. He put five straight zeroes on the board after surrendering R.J. Brown’s two-run homer in the first.

“I made a mistake and he hit it,” said Rieck. “After that, I just wanted to throw strikes and let the defense work behind me, and they did a great job.”

Jason Gillard followed with a pair of scoreless innings, and Reid Horton put up another zero in the ninth for the Wildcats bullpen, which has now allowed just one run in seven innings of work during the tournament.

“They put the pressure on us early, which is something we like to do to other teams,” said Taylor. “Give them credit where credit is due.  Chico State is experienced and our guys are finding out what it takes to compete at this level.”

The Wildcats put three runs on the board before the game’s first out. Greg Finazzo, making his first start since May 7 and just his fourth since the beginning of April, led off the game with a triple to the right-center field gap. Fairburn then drew a walk, and Harper followed with his third double in the last two games to plate Finazzo. Code’s two-run bloop single to center followed, making it 3-0.

“I felt like if we were able to get it going early we could score a lot of runs,” said Finazzo. “I just wanted to do my part.”

The Golden Eagles answered back with two runs in the bottom-half of the inning on R.J. Brown’s two-run, opposite-field homer. Adam Klein led off the inning with a double.

Finazzo got things started for the Wildcats again in the second inning, this time with a two-out single to center. Fairburn followed and turned on Owsley’s belt-high pitch, sending it well over the left-field wall to stretch the lead to 5-2.

The Wildcats tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Jesus Luna drew a walk to lead off the frame. He moved to second on Trevor Weedon’s sacrifice bunt against Cal State L.A. reliever Nate Holguin, and then to third when Fairburn reached on a throwing error by Golden Eagles shortstop Felipe Gallo. Harper’s infield single plated Luna and then Code singled home Fairburn to give Chico State a 7-2 lead.

Scott sparked another two-run Chico State rally in the fifth with a leadoff triple. Luna singled him home with a line-drive to center field. He then moved to second on Trevor Weedon’s base hit to left. Fairburn was intentionally walked after Finazzo’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. After Harper struck out for the second out, Code drew a walk to force a run home and put the Wildcats in control 9-2.

Scott put an exclamation point on the night with a two-run homer off the scoreboard beyond the left-center field gap in the eighth. Chad Williams, pinch-running for Code, also scored on the play.

“We were joking in the dugout with Robby after that,” said Meggs. “He’s such a great student but it’s taken him all semester to figure out the geometry of putting the barrel of the bat squarely on the ball. When he does, he hits it off the scoreboard.”

Notes – If the Wildcats do advance to Alabama, one team they will not see is defending national champion Florida Southern, which was eliminated after losing for the second straight day in the South Regional…When Harper struck out with the bases loaded in the fifth, it marked the first time in his last 88 at-bats…The Wildcats are now 8-2 in games Rieck starts…The triples by Finazzo and Scott tied the Chico State record for most in a postseason game…Chico State has now won 16 of its last 20 contests against Cal State L.A….Code’s four RBI brings his season total to 60, tying him with Rich Gregory’s 1998 total for sixth in Chico State single-season history.

05/18/06
Demuth's walk-off homer in extra innings wins opening game of Division II West Regional
Wildcats play Cal State L.A. Friday at 7 p.m.
KEIZER, Ore. – As he left the batters’ box, Aaron Demuth was just hoping Christopher Sweeney was fast enough to score from first on a double off the wall. He had his doubts.

By the time he rounded first base, he was pumping his fist in the air and the game was over. Demuth’s long fly ball carried well and snuck over the 12-foot wall in right-center field for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.

The blast lifted the Wildcats to a 5-3 victory over Fort Hays State in the opening game of the 2006 NCAA Championship Tournament Western Regional hosted by Western Oregon University at Volcanoes Stadium.

“I knew Sweeney was going to have a hard time scoring, but I was still hoping he could,” said Demuth. “Then I saw it go over the wall. There’s no better feeling than hitting a walk-off home run.”

Demuth may change his mind if the Wildcats win their third straight regional and seventh in the last 10 years to advance to the Division II College World Series. The team will have to play better than it did Thursday to make that happen, however. The Wildcats committed a season-high five errors, made a pair of base running blunders, and failed to get a key sacrifice bunt down.

“It certainly wasn’t the way we drew it up, but it’s a sign of character to be able to win when you aren’t playing like you are capable,” said Head Coach Lindsay Meggs.

It’s also the sign of a good pitching staff. Starter Nick Bryant and relievers Elliott Tyson, Steven Johns, and Jason Gillard limited Fort Hays State to six hits in 11 frames. Bryant, who struck out a career-high 10 hitters, allowed just five hits and one earned run in seven innings. Gillard (1-1) did not allow a hit or walk in one-and-a-third innings of work to earn the victory. Tyson allowed one run in two innings, and Johns struck out the only batter he faced.

The win was the seventh straight for Chico State, which improved to 40-19. With the win they move into the winners’ bracket where they’ll face Cal State L.A. on Friday at 7 p.m. CSLA beat Mesa State 10-2 in today's second game. This is their eighth 40-win season in the last 11. The win was also the Wildcats’ 10th straight in Western Regional play. They swept through the tournament in 2002, 2004, and 2005, going 3-0 each time.

That streak was in serious jeopardy for much of the day, however. Fort Hays State starter and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Bobby Lewton, who entered the day 12-3 with a 1.95 ERA, kept Chico State’s hitters off balance through nine innings. He surrendered just three runs on 10 hits and one walk. Tom Goodwin pitched a scoreless 10th but surrendered a base hit up the middle to Sweeney leading off the 11th. Demuth then ended the Wildcats’ second-longest postseason game in school history by smacking a 2-1 thigh-high fastball out of the yard. It was Demuth’s team-leading 11th home run on the season and his eighth in his last 18 starts.

Fort Hays State, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, dipped to 45-16 with the loss. The Tigers will take on Thursday night’s Western Oregon-Colorado State-Pueblo loser.

The Wildcats, seeded No. 2, opened the scoring with a single run in the third. Trevor Weedon got things started with a one-out single and moved to second on Carl Fairburn’s bunt hit with two outs. Jerin Harper made it 1-0 with a base hit to left.

The lead didn’t last, however, thanks in part to some shoddy defense. Wildcats shortstop Jesus Luna let a leadoff grounder skid under his glove and the Tigers quickly had the tying run on second. After Jason Rees doubled the run home, he moved to third on a grounder and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.

Chico State knotted the score 2-2 in the sixth. Harper was again in the middle of the rally with a one-out double. He moved to third on Daniel Code’s single and scored on Sweeney’s infield hit.

Fort Hays State jumped back into the lead, 3-2, when Rees hammered a Tyson offering well beyond the wall in left field. Tyson had retired the first two batters of his opening inning of work, but left a ball up and Rees got all of it. Chico State got the run back in the bottom half of the inning. Harper led off the inning with a double and scored on Code’s double down the left-field line. Code was eventually stranded at second when Demuth flew out to center to end the inning. He would later get his redemption, however.

NOTES – Demuth has driven in 22 runs in his last 18 starts...Harper is hitting .411 (46-112) since the beginning of April, spanning 29 games...Chico State is now 13-1 this season with Robby Scott bats seventh...The Wildcats are now 4-0 in extra innings this season...Chico State is now 26-5 all-time in West Regional competition...Christopher Sweeney has two-or-more hits in nine of his last 16 games...Carl Fairburn extended his hitting streak to nine games with a bunt single.

05/14/06
Wildcats No. 2 seed in West Regional this weekend in Oregon
With an automatic bid in its back pocket and knowing, due to graduation ceremonies this weekend, that there was no possibility of hosting, the Chico State baseball team awaited the pairings and site selection of the upcoming regional. It was announced late Sunday night that Western Oregon will host the 2006 NCAA Division II West Region Baseball Championship this Thursday through Sunday (May 18-21) at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.

The Wolves held on to the No. 1 seed in the West, and will face No. 6 Colorado State-Pueblo on Thursday at 7 p.m. No. 2 seed Chico State will square off against No. 5 Fort Hays State in the opening game at noon, while No. 3 Mesa State will play No. 4 Cal State LA at 3:30.

The double-elimination tournament will continue with the same time slots on Friday and Saturday, with the championship contest set for Sunday.

The Wildcats are making their ninth regional appearance in the last 11 seasons and have earned the West Region title and a trip to the Division II College World Series six times (2005, 2004, 2002, 1999, 1998, 1997).

05/09/06
Wildcats take over No. 2 spot in latest West Region Poll
After taking three-of-four from Cal State Stanislaus last weekend, the Chico State baseman team jumped up a spot to No. 2 in the latest regional poll.

The final west region poll in on May 15 will in part determine the six teams that qualify for post-season play.  The conference tournament winners from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) will have automatic berths.  Those two conferences are holding their tournaments this weekend.  The next four highest teams in the poll will also qualify.

Chico State faces Dominguez Hills in the first game of the CCAA tournament on Thursday at 3:00. Host Cal State L.A. takes on UC San Diego at 7:00.

NCAA Division II west region poll - May 10, 2006

1.  Western Oregon 38-14
2.  Chico State  36-19
3.  Cal State L.A. 32-12 
4.  Mesa State 35-17
5.  Fort Hays State 43-13
6.  Cal State Dominguez Hills 31-16
7.  UC San Diego 34-22
8.  Colorado State-Pueblo 32-20
9.  Regis University 30-26
10.  Cal State San Bernardino 23-22