Football
Former Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden is expected to be drafted somewhere in the first three rounds of the National Football League draft held in New York this weekend.
Barden, a two-time Associated Press All-American First Team selection, leaves Cal Poly as its all-time leader in catches (206), yards (4,203) and touchdowns (50).
He finished fourth in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, presented by The Sports Network to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Barden caught at least one touchdown catch in each of Cal Poly’s 11 games this year, tying the NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception held by Randy Moss. He also holds the NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (20) and most career games with a touchdown catch (32). His 50 career scores place him 13th on the all-time list.
Last year was the first year the Mustangs didn’t have a player selected in the draft since 2005. Linebacker Jordan Beck was taken in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons and defensive end Chris Gocong by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round in 2006. Defensive back Courtney Brown was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round in 2007.
Gocong, who was converted to linebacker by the Eagles, is the highest draft selection for Cal Poly as the 71st selection, but many experts say that Barden will come off the board in the late second round or early third.
The Mustangs have had 20 players selected in the first 10 rounds of the NFL draft going back as early as 1954.
Oakland, St. Louis, Tennessee and Dallas are the teams showing the most interest in Barden, according to reports.
Baseball
The No. 12 Cal Poly baseball team will visit UC Santa Barbara in a crucial Big West Conference road series starting at 2 p.m. on Friday.
The Mustangs (27-9, 8-4) and UC Santa Barbara (22-12, 5-4) are old rivals on the diamond having met 195 times previous to this series with the Gauchos owning a 107-88 advantage in the series.
Cal Poly is coming off a sweep of UC Davis last weekend, outscoring the Aggies 35-22 in the three-game set. They have won 10 of 12 and continue to climb in the national polls.
A big reason for the team’s hot start to the season has been its offense. Currently seven Mustangs are batting over .350 with an eighth, Kyle Smith, hitting .348.
Cal Poly trails UC Irvine by three games in the Big West. The Anteaters (28-10, 11-1) are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation according to the Baseballamerica.com Top 25 poll. The top two teams in the conference will be virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA regionals. The Mustangs have never qualified for the postseason at the Division I level.
Softball
The No. 22 Cal Poly softball team, winners of 10 straight games, will complete a six-game roadtrip at UC Davis this weekend.
The Mustangs (31-9, 10-2 Big West Conference) own a share of the conference lead with Cal State Fullerton. They are an undefeated 16-0 at home this season and have won a program-record 18-straight at Bob Janssen Field dating back to last year.
Cal Poly has outscored its opponents 93-28 in the 16 home victories this season winning by an average margin of 4.06 runs per game.
Even with the lopsided numbers at home, Cal Poly has played one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The Mustangs have played 13 games against teams that have been ranked or received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll on the date of the game.