2016 College Conference Preview: Big West
BA breaks down the Big West Conference, including our projections for player of the year, pitcher of the year and top prospects.
| Baseball Members: Cal Poly, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Hawaii, Long Beach State. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team To Beat: Cal State Fullerton: The Titans came on strong at the end of last season to win the conference and continued their surge into Omaha. The losses of righthanders Thomas Eshelman (8-5, 1.58) and Justin Garza (4-3, 3.05) as well as DH David Olmedo-Barrera (team-leading 10 HR, 1.000 OPS) are significant, but the Titans also return eight position players who started last year, including junior shortstop Timmy Richards and seniors Tanner Pinkston, Tyler Stieb and Jerrod Bravo. Pitching-wise, both lefthander John Gavin (7-3, 3.66) and righthander Connor Seabold (5-4, 3.26) excelled as freshmen last season, and closer Chad Hockin will provide mid-90s velocity at the end of games. As a whole, it’s the most experienced group head coach Rick Vanderhook has had at Fullerton. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 25 Teams: (22) Cal State Fullerton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Projected Regional Teams: UC Irvine. A year removed from a College World Series appearance, the Anteaters were unable to repeat the magic in 2015, finishing third in the Big West and missing out on the NCAA tournament. Still, coach Mike Gillespie had Irvine playing well by season’s end, leading the Anteaters to a program-best 15 straight wins at one point. UCI returns the bulk of last year’s position players, led by sophomore center fielder Keston Hiura (.330/.392/.520), and senior shortstop Mikey Duarte (.345/.416/.429). Pitching will be more of a question mark, but the Anteaters do have a reliable rotation anchor in senior lefthander Elliot Surrey (6-6, 4.02). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player of the Year: Keston Hiura, of, UC Irvine. A first-team freshman All-American last season, Hiura quickly established himself as one of the top hitters in the conference, batting .330/.392/.520 with seven home runs and 18 doubles. The Valencia, Calif., product is a smart hitter who should play a prominent role in the veteran Anteaters lineup this season. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher of the Year: Shane Bieber, rhp, UC Santa Barbara. Bieber might have been overshadowed last year by his rotation-mates Dillon Tate and Justin Jacome (who were both drafted in the top five rounds), but he had an excellent season in his own right, going 8-4, 2.24. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior pounds the strike zone with an 88-92 mph sinker and has posted an outstanding 128-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 165 career innings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Freshman of the Year: Michael McAdoo, of, UC Santa Barbara. A football and baseball player at De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., the 6-foot-2 outfielder possesses tremendous athleticism and five-tool potential. He’ll slot in at right field for the Gauchos this season, but he’s the team’s center fielder of the future. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable Storylines: A young team last year, Long Beach State could make a bigger splash with the return of sophomore Luke Rasmussen (last year’s leading hitter, .315/.409/.556) and sophomore Chris Mathewson (last year’s leading pitcher, 6-6, 1.94). The Dirtbags also boast the conference’s top draft prospect with junior Garrett Hampson manning shortstop … Cal State Northridge expects a big season out of senior shortstop Yusuke Akitoshi. The Japanese-born Akitoshi has taken strides at the plate and has developed into a strong defender. He’s also taught himself English. The Matadors look to be strong on the mound, too, with a rotation led by sophomore righthander Joe Ryan, who has touched 96 mph … No team is younger than Cal Poly, who lost second baseman Mark Mathias, shortstop Peter Van Gansen, outfielder Zack Zehner, DH Brian Mundell and righthander Casey Bloomquist to the draft. The Mustangs project to start six underclassmen and could go through some early season growing pains. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BEST TOOLS Best Pure Hitter: Keston Hiura, UC Irvine Best Raw Power: Vince Fernandez, UC Riverside Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Jerrod Bravo, Cal State Fullerton Best Athlete: Andrew Calica, UC Santa Barbara Fastest Baserunner: Tyler Stieb, Cal State Fullerton Best Baserunner: Garrett Hampson, Long Beach State Best Defensive Catcher: Dylan Alexander, Cal State Northridge Catcher/Best Arm: Dylan Alexander, Cal State Northridge Best Defensive 1B: Branden Berry, Cal State Northridge Best Defensive 2B: John Brontsema, UC Irvine Best Defensive 3B: Taylor Bryant, Cal State Fullerton Best Defensive SS: Garrett Hampson, Long Beach State Infield/Best Arm: Garrett Hampson, Long Beach State Best Defensive Outfielder: Andrew Calica, UC Santa Barbara Best Outfield Arm: Scott Hurst, Cal State Fullerton Best Fastball: Chad Hockin, Cal State Fullerton Best Breaking Ball: Chris Mathewson, Long Beach State Best Changeup: John Gavin, Cal State Fullerton Best Control: Shane Bieber, UC Santa Barbara |
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| Tournament: None. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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