OFFICIAL CCAA RELEASE

POMONA – The two-time reigning CCAA Tournament champion Cal Poly Pomona baseball team is predicted to finish second in the 2023 CCAA Baseball standings, this according to a preseason vote of the league's coaches, it was announced Wednesday.
 
The Broncos, led by 13th-year head coach Randy Betten, welcome back 21 players from last year's roster, including five starting position players and four of their five starting pitchers. Of the returners, two were All-CCAA selections last season; first-team catcher Johnny Pappas hit .308 in 2022 with 18 doubles, 38 RBI, and a .442 on-base percentage, and Jacob Lopez (.337) will be the Broncos' top returning hitter.
 
CPP will have big shoes to fill offensively as nearly half of last year's production at the plate graduated. The 2022 season was a record-setting year for the offense, as the Broncos scored 7.72 runs per game, breaking the previous program record of 6.79 (1994) by nearly a full run. The 417 runs scored were the second-most in CPP history. In fact, the Broncos have not been shutout in a game since Feb. 23, 2019, a program-record 120 consecutive games.
 
Defense was also vital during the Broncos' run to the CCAA tournament title, as they also set a new program record for highest fielding percentage at .977. On the mound, led by CCAA Pitcher of the Year Will Rudy, CPP recorded the third-most strikeouts in the program, fanning 436 batters. Rudy, who was taken by Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, led the conference with 96 of them.

Despite starting the season last year at 13-12 through the first 25 games, CPP went on a tear, finishing the year with 22 wins over their final 27 games, capturing their second-straight (and third overall) CCAA tournament banner to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history – and the seventh time in the Randy Betten era.
 
The 2023 season opens on Friday, Feb. 3 when Cal Poly Pomona welcomes University of Colorado Colorado Springs to Scolinos Field for a 5:00 pm first pitch. For a complete 2023 baseball schedule, CLICK HERE.
 
The top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will compete in the 2023 CCAA Baseball Tournament set for May 10-13 at the Otter Sports Complex on the campus of Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside.
 
All home games and most away contests will stream live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. You may also download the CCAA Network app on your iOS or Android smartphone, tablet, or through web streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Roku or Apple TV. For $9.95 per month, subscribers will have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand, for one low monthly price. Over half of each monthly subscription purchase will go directly back to the CCAA Athletic Department of your choice to support the student-athlete experience. Sign-ups are available right now at each universities' network portal. Just go to CCAAnetwork.com, select your favorite team at the top and the 'click to subscribe.'

CPP Athletics has gone cashless! Tickets are on sale now for all CPP baseball home games. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to coming to campus at broncoathletics.com/tickets or by downloading the HomeTown Fan app on your smartphone or tablet. New this year, only debit and credit cards will be accepted at the box office for admission. Limited concession items will be on sale on-site as well, and the concession stand will also only accept debit and credit cards.

Follow the Broncos all season long by going to broncoathletics.com/followus and sign up to receive breaking news and final score updates throughout the year.
 
In the CCAA preseason poll announced Wednesday, Cal Poly Pomona scored 109 points and three first-place votes, finishing just behind reigning regular season champion Cal State Monterey Bay, which tallied 116 points and seven first-place votes.
 
Chico State finished third with 102 points and the remaining first-place vote. Cal State Dominguez Hills (85 points) and Cal State San Bernardino (69) rounded out the top 5.
  
Cal State Monterey Bay returns a multitude of letterwinners to a team that went 38-17 in 2022 and captured the CCAA regular-season title at 31-9. CCAA Most Valuable Player Brady Miguel (.395 avg, 63 runs, 46 RBI, 17 SB) returns at shortstop to lead the Otters at the plate and in the field. Cal State Monterey Bay's greatest strength last year was its pitching, as it led the CCAA in earned run average by over a half-run per game (4.25). They will return arms throughout the staff, including starter Ryan Platero (5-2, 4.42 ERA) and All-CCAA closer Chris Tonna (2.72 ERA, five saves).
 
Chico State was in the race for the CCAA regular-season title until their final series against the Otters. The Wildcats finished the season at 34-15, posting winning records at home (19-8) and on the road (15-7). Chico State tied for the league lead with three returning all-conference selections. Jeffrey Ray (2B), Jacob Jablonski (3B), and Kyle Dobson (OF) will all be back in a lineup that paced the CCAA last season in team batting average (.344) and runs per game (9.37).
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills was the last team to qualify for the CCAA Tournament, but their bats came alive in the postseason to propel them into the championship game. Tournament MVP Scott Ogrin led the CCAA last season with 24 home runs and a 1.174 OPS. He returns along with CCAA Newcomer of the Year Eric Smelko and three of their other top 5 hitters from last season.
 
Cal State San Bernardino matched Chico State with three returning All-CCAA selections. The Yotes will bring back second-team selection Austyn Coleman (6-5, 4.16 ERA) on the mound along with his batterymate Jake Borst (.304, 12 HR, 38 RBI). CSUSB will also return All-CCAA second baseman Deshawn Johnson (.343, 38 runs, 13 SB) along with six other regulars in the lineup that came up just one game short of playing for the CCAA Tournament Championship.
 
Voting for the sixth spot in the poll was very close, with three teams finishing within six points. Cal State East Bay finished on top of this group collecting 58 points to place just ahead of Sonoma State (54) and Cal State LA (52).
 
Cal State East Bay finished one spot out of going to the tournament last season, but this year the coaches are expecting them to improve one place in the standings and reach the CCAA Tournament in Seaside, Calif.
 
Sonoma State made a run late in the year to earn a spot in the CCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. They will look to build off that momentum with two starters returning to the rotation, and five are expected to be back as regulars in the lineup.
 
Cal State LA will boast one of the top pitchers in the region with the return of first team All-CCAA selection Owen Hunt. Last season as a junior, he led the conference with a 2.57 ERA and tied for third with seven wins. The Golden Eagles closed the season by winning six of their last seven games to grab momentum heading into the offseason.
 
San Francisco State (31), Stanislaus State (29), and Cal State San Marcos (21) completed the poll.