UCSB Baseball clinched the 2024 Big West title with a 12-3 win over the UC Riverside Highlanders on Thursday evening at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos were no strangers to adversity this season, especially in the early stages when they didn’t have a home field.
This fact only sweetened the jubilation the Gauchos experienced when Anthony Mata grounded out to Nick Oakley to end the game and cement UCSB as champions.
“It’s kind of ironic. After not having a field, we get one and then don’t lose on it,” Oakley said.
“We’ve all kind of kept our heads down and been on a mission. The resilience of the group with the challenges we had with the field,” UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts said.
“On a personal note, not having my dad here is pretty emotional,” Checketts added regarding his father, who passed away earlier this season. “My heart’s pretty heavy. I’m excited, happy, and really proud of the guys. Hard not to be emotional about my biggest fan not being here.”
The Gauchos played tensely in the first half of the game, perhaps feeling the pressure of not only securing the Big West title but also maintaining their perfect home record and making strides towards hosting a Regional.
UCSB trailed 3-1 at the halfway point of the game to a UC Riverside team that sits in dead last in the Big West.
“We were tight coming into it,” Checketts said. “The guys that were on the field were really wound up tight. You can see that affected some of our at-bats.”
“I think we put a little too much pressure on ourselves because we knew what was at stake,” Ivan Brethowr added. “Once we just settled down and played our game, nothing is going to beat us when we do that.”
The Gauchos’ offense scored 11 unanswered runs in the second half of the game while the pitching kept the Highlanders off the scoreboard after the fourth inning to win the game and clinch postseason baseball.
“You could kind of feel the tension of, ‘Hey, don’t screw this up,’ in the dugout,” Checketts said. “Once we got that stop in the third, and got back in the dugout and then were able to tie it up, you could kind of feel them all breathe a little bit.”
“I think we had to slow the game down early,” Oakley added. “We knew what each win at this point means to us. We were just kind of out of character to start.
“Getting the group together and slowing everything down and getting back to what we’re good at was huge for the momentum.”
Ryan Gallagher started on the mound for UCSB. He threw seven innings and allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits, two walks and seven punch outs en route to earning the win.
Cole Tryba pitched the last two innings, striking out five without allowing a run.
UC Riverside threw five pitchers on Thursday, with Alexander Rivas starting and Tyler Gebb picking up the loss.
The Gauchos opened the scoring in the second inning when Aaron Parker hit a first-pitch leadoff home run over the left-field wall.
UCSB had the chance to extend their lead in the third inning with runners at the corners.
However, Jessada Brown grounded into an inning-ending double play, with credit to Highlanders’ second baseman Zachary Chamizos incredible sliding stop to initiate the double play.
The double play that ended the third inning marked a shift in momentum in favor of UC Riverside. The Highlanders scored three runs in the fourth inning.
Cole Koniarsky singled into left field, and advanced to third base when Jayden Lopez singled into left field as well.
Sean Blandino then doubled into the right-field corner to score Korniarsky.
Lopez scored and Blandino advanced to third base when Jonathan Mendez committed an error on a Mason Grace groundball.
Blandino tagged up to score on Rudy Rodriguez IV’s sacrifice fly into right field, and UC Riverside took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning.
After UCSB went scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning, they tied the game in the fifth inning after keeping the Highlanders off the scoreboard in that same inning.
Justin Trimble led off the half-inning with a single into right field, and advanced to second base on Jonathan Mendez’s infield single.
Both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, and another 90 feet on a pass ball, with Trimble crossing home plate to score.
Mendez scored to tie the game at three on Zander Darby’s sacrifice fly into left field.
The Gauchos scored five more runs in the sixth inning on three home runs before the first out was even recorded to take an 8-3 lead.
Jonah Sebring led off the inning with a home run to left field. After LeTrey McCollum singled, Trimble homered into right field.
Mendez was then hit by a pitch, and came around to score when Brethowr hit a towering home run over the left-field wall.
UCSB added on one more run in the seventh inning. McCollum doubled to the left-field corner and came around to score on Trimble’s single to right-center field, giving the Gauchos a 9-3 lead.
UCSB scored three more runs for good measure in the eighth inning.
Brown led the inning off with a double into the left-field corner.
Parker drew a walk the next plate appearance, and Oakley brought the two of them home in addition to himself with a home run over the right-field wall, giving the Gauchos a 12-3 lead.
A befitting celebration ensued on the field upon the conclusion of the game, complete with t-shirts, photos and a trophy presentation.
“It’s so special,” Brethowr said. “Last year was my first year with these guys. It didn’t end how we wanted. It felt like we had it in the palm of our hands, and then it didn’t turn out how we wanted.
“This year, with this great group of guys and all of our talent and hard work, we knew that all we had to do was be ourselves and control what we can control. We ended up as Big West champs, that’s what happens.”
“When I was a freshman, we got coached hard. As a sophomore, we got coached hard. Now I’m a junior, and we got coached harder,” Parker said. “For it to pay off… It feels amazing to be rewarded.
“We’re such a good family. When one of us does well, we get so excited for the other person, just as much as you get excited for yourself. When one good thing happens, it’s just a snowball effect. Everybody hops on the train, all limbs inside the vehicle and everybody’s ready to go fast.”
UCSB advances to 40-12 on the season, including 24-4 in the Big West and 23-0 at home.
UC Riverside falls to 16-34 on the season, including 6-22 in the Big West.
The Gauchos still have plenty to play for in the final two games of the regular season.
Sweeping the Highlanders would not only give the Gauchos a perfect record at home for the regular season but also give UCSB a strong chance of hosting a Regional, the first portion of the NCAA baseball postseason tournament.
“They kind of go hand-in-hand now,” Checketts said in regards to finishing the regular season undefeated at home and earning the right to host a Regional.
“A month ago or three weeks ago, it’s like ‘Yeah, you’re undefeated at home. [But] it’s baseball, it’s not very realistic to anticipate or expect to do that… I would really like to go undefeated at home during the regular season.”
Many projections have the Gauchos hosting a Regional should they complete the sweep, but falling outside the top 16 and thus not hosting should they lose either game.
The Gauchos will learn Sunday who the 16 teams awarded hosting rights will be.
“It’s kind of hard to ignore the stands in right field,” Checketts joked, mentioning the newly-installed right-field bleachers in preparation for a potential regional. “I was staring at them all day. If we would’ve lost that one, I think I would’ve yelled at somebody. Not that I’m superstitious.
“That [completing the sweep] is the next goal. This [clinching the Big West] was the first one, and we’ve still got some meat on the bone.”
Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. and Saturday’s for 1:05 p.m., with both games to be played at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
“Santa Barbara is one of the best places in the world,” Parker said. “So when we get to play here, it’s just a joy.”