Ryan ChartrandWhat a weekend for Cal Poly sports.
The softball team upset a top-10 Northwestern squad while the baseball and basketball teams are hotter than Borat’s sister (the No. 4 prostitute in all of Kazakhstan).
In an effort to leave no significant performance unmentioned, here’s a slew of musings to give uninformed Mustang fans the 411.
The Mustangs topped No. 6 Northwestern 8-2 on Sunday at the UNLV Desert Classic. If that’s not a marquee win, then I don’t know what is. Cal Poly also holds a win over No. 15 Washington and nearly knocked off No. 7 Oregon State.
It’s early, but barring a complete collapse, it seems unfathomable that Jenny Condon’s squad can be overlooked yet again come May.
After the first five games of the season, I couldn’t help but wonder what Major League play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) might have sounded like if he were calling Cal Poly’s games. Here’s what I came up with:
“D.J. Mauldin delivers and it’s JUST a bit outside . Humiliator, lined to left. Base hit . Eliminator, lined to right. Another base hit . There’s some real puss lined to center . Back goes Desme. He’ll need a rocket up his ass to catch this one. That baby is outta here . the postgame show is brought to you by . Ah, Christ, I can’t find it. To hell with it!”
Since then, Cal Poly pitchers have put opponents on lockdown and the offense has been on fire. The Mustangs have outscored opponents 65-30 in their last nine games.
I didn’t realize how many women’s basketball players I see around campus on a daily basis – not until I noticed an extra amount of dirty looks headed my way following my column two weeks ago. In case you missed it, the article gingerly pointed out the Mustangs’ shortcomings this season, most notably a low field-goal percentage and a high amount of turnovers.
You can’t argue with facts, right? Wrong. Even though the article was based on statistics covering a five-year period, the team was livid with me. Maybe it was the article, maybe the team really is putting its potential to work, but the Mustangs have since managed to stick it to me with a six-game winning streak.
Most notably, Megan Harrison and Jessica Eggleston have been sizzling. Harrison has averaged 17.5 points per game over the six-game stretch and Eggleston has posted 16 points per game.
Along with a pair of hot hands, Cal Poly is holding opponents to a combined 38.7 percent from the field over the last six games. Meanwhile, the Mustangs are shooting 42 percent. Although the squad is still turning the ball over at an astonishing rate – 30 times in a 65-62 win at UC Irvine on Feb. 10 – the better offensive effort is worth mentioning.
Against UC Irvine two weeks ago, the Mustangs shot better from 3-point range (16 for 32) than they did from the free-throw line (13 for 27). Against Portland State on Saturday, the Mustangs launched more than half of their shots (35 of 66) from beyond the arc. In that game, Derek Stockalper broke a school record with nine made 3s, which accounted for 27 of his career-high 37 points. In the UC Irvine game, Dawin Whiten torched the Anteaters for a career-high 31 points, 24 of which came from the 3-point line.
The 3-point barrage is a big part of why the Mustangs have won eight of their last 10 and enter this weekend with a purpose.
Not to overlook lowly UC Riverside (6-20, 1-10 Big West), but if the Mustangs can manage a win on the road at Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly has a good shot at the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament.
And, in the peculiar pairing format at the Big West Tournament, a No. 2 seed means an automatic trip to the semifinals. That would leave the Mustangs two wins away from a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Don’t put the dancing shoes on yet, but with March Madness just a month away, Mustang fans have a reason to pay attention – March 10 is the Big West tourney title game, mark it on your calendars.